come back here puppy!!!

tk123

Hi guys and thanks in advance for the help!

Does a puppy's recall get better as they get older? Please say it will!!!

Our golden retriever puppy will be 6 months next week (an extra 5 mins added to our walk!:D). During the week I take him for his walk before I go to work and know which areas are safe for letting him off the lead. When he's off the lead I call him back to me regularly, get him to sit, touch his collar and then give him treat and lots of praise - no problems there. The problem is at the weekend when there's more dogs in the park - if he sees one and he's off the lead he ignores me and bolts over to them and won't come back! Some people are fine with this and think he's cute etc but others get very annoyed if he goes near their dogs and I'm mortified having to go over and collect him and apologize!
In training class we used long leads so I've ordered one on zooplus - I was planning on practicing with this at a busier time when there's more distractions.
Is it just a case of practice makes perfect or am I doing something wrong?He seems to be attracted to the most unfriendly dogs/owners to make a show of me! :rolleyes:

Satyr_The_Great

Practice makes perfect...Tone of voice is alot of it too. Say " Come Here " or " Come " in a louder, more confident tone of voice, but not so loud to scare the dog.
When he / she gets back to you, give him / her extra treats and praise, for atleast 10 - 15 seconds. It works, it takes time but it works.

kkelly77

tk123 wrote: »

Hi guys and thanks in advance for the help!

Does a puppy's recall get better as they get older? Please say it will!!!

Our golden retriever puppy will be 6 months next week (an extra 5 mins added to our walk!:D). During the week I take him for his walk before I go to work and know which areas are safe for letting him off the lead. When he's off the lead I call him back to me regularly, get him to sit, touch his collar and then give him treat and lots of praise - no problems there. The problem is at the weekend when there's more dogs in the park - if he sees one and he's off the lead he ignores me and bolts over to them and won't come back! Some people are fine with this and think he's cute etc but others get very annoyed if he goes near their dogs and I'm mortified having to go over and collect him and apologize!
In training class we used long leads so I've ordered one on zooplus - I was planning on practicing with this at a busier time when there's more distractions.
Is it just a case of practice makes perfect or am I doing something wrong?He seems to be attracted to the most unfriendly dogs/owners to make a show of me! :rolleyes:

Get close to where he is with the other dog(s) and recall but make sure you have a food reward that he LOVES and rarely gets. Worked for me with Grason in the dog park.

TooManyDogs

Puppies often hit an adolescent phase at around 7 months when they seem to forget absolutly everything you've taught them and you can end up bald from wanting to pull your hair out

Long lead will make a big difference. If he comes back straight away then give him a bonus reward, if he doesnt come back on the first call then give the line a little tug and begin reeling him in. He still gets a reward (praise/petting) just no toys/food. Also make sure he's not sniffing something or attention stuck somewhere else when you're calling him initially, give him the chance to re-learn and enjoy recalls before you go for 100% results with distractions.

tk123

Thanks guys!! The lead should be here next week and I have a couple of days off to mind him after he gets neutured so we can have a nice long training session and see what happens!

the_syco

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Long lead will make a big difference. If he comes back straight away then give him a bonus reward, if he doesnt come back on the first call then give the line a little tug and begin reeling him in. He still gets a reward (praise/petting) just no toys/food.

Aye. When walking my westie, I always have her on the lead, as she has no road sense. I call her once, and she comes. If not, a short pull or the lead, and calling her name once gets her to follow along. If not (she may have found a nice smell to follow, and chooses to ignore me :rolleyes:), I'll pull the lead in.