andoria2007 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 My dog keeps chasing birds as soon as he sees me coming out the the backyard. But soon as i am inside the house and my dog dosent see me, he lets the birds sit in his food bowl and completely ignores them . Its like my dog thinks "oh shit the boss is here, i must look like im working, and (runs to chase the birds) " How the hell do i stop this ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddii Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 My dog keeps chasing birds as soon as he sees me coming out the the backyard. But soon as i am inside the house and my dog dosent see me, he lets the birds sit in his food bowl and completely ignores them . Its like my dog thinks "oh shit the boss is here, i must look like im working, and (runs to chase the birds) " How the hell do i stop this ? Sorry, but you have to love working dogs don't you! We have the same problem with possums - it's our fault because when Xena was a tiny pup we used to chase them off the deck and make a big noise about it because we found if you shoo them away 2 or 3 times they don't tend to come back - same in the back yard. Now whenever I go out in to the back yard and don't give her another 'job' she sits underneath one tree and keeps 'possum' watch, but only when I am out there. If she sees them on the wires out the front she goes completely mental as well (not allowed on the deck without me). Sounds like your dog is working in a similar way. We are slowly reversing the beahviour by giving her another job (could be tugging, could be sitting, could be playing with a ball) and REALLY rewarding her (think jackpot) when she is focussed on the job at hand and not the possum. This seems to be working in two ways - keeps her mind off the possum and focussed on something else (sometimes), but also tells her we are not concerned about the possums and therefore she doesn't need to be either. Only other solution is to get rid of the birds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 (edited) Is it possible that he's only chasing them when they begin to fly off (because you've walked out into the backyard)? Knowing this doesn't in itself solve your problem, but exploring the actual trigger for the chasing can make a difference to your training plan. I'd also be looking at your recall quality. Is there room for you to build it up? Make it a standard thing that you recall your dog everytime you exit into the back-yard. Make your dog anticipate great things from you whenever you recall your dog and whenever you enter the back-yard. Work to try to get your dog to enjoy the recall more than chasing the birds. You might need to do some foundation work in your recall first, if it's not already generally good and reliable under lesser distraction. ETA: As per Reddii's advice above - training in drive is an excellent method. Drive satisfaction is what your dog is after, so try to train and give it to him in behaviours you would prefer. Edited November 22, 2007 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Is the bird chasing actually a problem?? Brock's fav hobby is currently 'herding' planes. I think he is 'herding' clouds as well! Gives him something to do and keeps him fit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andoria2007 Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 Well i have tried to call my dog back when he runs of to chase the birds, but he doesn't pay attention to anything but the birds. When they do fly off he comes back. Its not a problem except when hes barking at them when they sit there on the roof and dont move and he gets really worked up, barking up the trees and whines and barks. lol. I dont know how to train my dog in recalling as he chooses to come to me when he pleases, or when there is food available. I have tried putting him on the lead, i say come, and then give him a tug to make him come and when he walks to me and sits i give a treat. But soon as a bird comes along, he flies of with me on the lead to get to the bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 (edited) I have tried putting him on the lead, i say come, and then give him a tug to make him come and when he walks to me and sits i give a treat. But soon as a bird comes along, he flies of with me on the lead to get to the bird. Birds aside ..... I think you need to concentrate on what you are doing in the recall (ie motivation levels) as well as explore leadership/respect your dog perceives in and for you. I dont know how to train my dog in recalling as he chooses to come to me when he pleases, or when there is food available. Do you go to a training school? It would be good if an instructor can observe you and your dog to first see if some work needs to go into your foundation training of the recall and whether there is more room for you to be motivating for your dog. IMO, that would be step one. Training your dog in drive (there is a really long thread on Training in Drive - created by K9 Force) here on DOL. Have a read through it. If you can teach your dog that you control the means to drive satisfaction that would be a further step towards your dog chosing to work with you. Much depends on the effort you want to put into it as to the degree of reliability you achieve - especially as he's already worked out how to attain drive satisfaction without you. It's certainly not impossible and you should engage training to achieve what YOU desire as a challenge and as fun. Edited November 22, 2007 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andoria2007 Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 thanks for the help guys, i might check out the K9 force article and see how i go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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