Help...he Won't Come When I Call Him

[vellela]

Hello everyone I am new and need some help.

I have a 3 year old rescue dog - Jack Russell X. He is a lovely little guy with loads of personality. For a dog that has had much training he is a nice natured well behaved little fellow...well generally!

We have a great off-lead park near where I live. Its an old converted golf course. The dogs love it, lots of trees and adventures for them. Ollie generally comes when he is called however when he gets really distracted, like when he is rolling in something dead or sniffing around a house which front onto the park, he suddenly falls deaf and will not come when called. My concern, especially, with the houses is that he will wander somewhere I can't find him or worse, end up on the road.

How do I get him to come to me everytime I call him? The treats just don't seem to be enough enticement anymore.

Thanks

[Cosmolo]

What kind of rewards do you use?

What do you normally do when he doesn't come?

How does he walk on lead when there are distractions?

Does he like toys?

[Sandra777]

Problem is rolling in dead things is generally a lot more interesting to any dog than some treats

They sometimes figure out that even if there's nothing really exciting about what they're doing right at this moment, you calling them doesn't mean much because you'll still be there in a few minutes anyway.....so does this give you an idea?

Set him up - call him when he's doing a low-to-medium distraction and if he doesn't respond promptly, hide. (hence, set him up - choose a place where you can hide behind trees or bushes) You have to be quick and you have to be good though - if he decides it's a game you defeat the whole purpose of the exercise.

Another possibility is lie down on the ground where he can see you. This is usually gets them curious (although watch out for other dogs, they'll probably come running too)

One that often works is call him, then if he doesn't come turn and run (or walk briskly) away from him. Call him as you move away as he will hear that you are moving away.

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

[Staranais]

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

Please be careful with this advice, as I'm sure you probably know chocolate can be toxic to dogs, and different dogs can be more sensitive than others to the effects - so even if you get away with it with one dog, others might not be so lucky.

Please avoid feeding dogs milk chocolate, and on no accounts feed dogs dark chocolate - surprisingly small amounts can be toxic to dogs. According to the Merck Vet Manual some dogs have been reported to start seizuring after being feed 60mg of theobromine/kg, which is only around 11g of dark chocolate/kg dog (e.g, 110g of dark chocolate fed to a 10kg dog).

If you must feed chocolate to your dog, please stick to white chocolate, it's not good for their teeth or waistline but isn't toxic.

Edited September 24, 2009 by Staranais

[poodlefan]

Problem is rolling in dead things is generally a lot more interesting to any dog than some treats

Actually, the problem is that he feels like he has a choice.

Recalls under distraction need to be practiced, building up from little or no distraction to the higher levels where a dog has to choose between what it would like to do and what he is being asked to do by his owner. You are conditioning a response to a cue.

The only way to solve this is by training and having REALLY good rewards for the tougher recalls. In the meantime, I'd be exercising him on long line or only in enclosed parks.

Edited September 24, 2009 by poodlefan

[vellela]

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I will stay away from the chocolate tho'!

You know I think the comment about him 'having a choice' is right on the money. When I call him he actually stops and looks at me..its almost as if he is deciding what the better option is. I also avoid the areas where I know he will want to wander so that helps but it is something I would like to overcome...especially the rolling in dog poop

Well I now have some techniques to try....I will have to find some new tasty treats to have something special up my sleeve

[Sandra777]

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

Please be careful with this advice, as I'm sure you probably know chocolate can be toxic to dogs, and different dogs can be more sensitive than others to the effects - so even if you get away with it with one dog, others might not be so lucky.

Which is no doubt why I said the dog NEVER had it at any other time and said the dog was bigger than the OP's dog so this probably wasn't a suitable reward for the OP's dog.

Incidentally - the rate you have given is actually a fairly large amount of chocolate when given as a reward (as opposed to pinched out of the cupboard). Not sure anyone would give that much of any reward to a dog in a training setting - well I certainly wouldn't

[Kavik]

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

Please be careful with this advice, as I'm sure you probably know chocolate can be toxic to dogs, and different dogs can be more sensitive than others to the effects - so even if you get away with it with one dog, others might not be so lucky.

Which is no doubt why I said the dog NEVER had it at any other time and said the dog was bigger than the OP's dog so this probably wasn't a suitable reward for the OP's dog.

Incidentally - the rate you have given is actually a fairly large amount of chocolate when given as a reward (as opposed to pinched out of the cupboard). Not sure anyone would give that much of any reward to a dog in a training setting - well I certainly wouldn't

But why would you even suggest using something that is toxic for dogs as a reward Dogs generally are not that picky and there is a large range of treats/toys/rewards you can use that they like that are not toxic. (even picky dogs will like SOMETHING).

Cheese, cooked chicken (or raw if you are game!), cabanossi, cooked steak, sausages etc are well accepted by most if not all dogs and safer than chocolate.

[vellela]

What kind of rewards do you use?

What do you normally do when he doesn't come?

How does he walk on lead when there are distractions?

Does he like toys?

Cosmolo - we use liver treats when we are at the park. I guess when he doesnt normally come, I call him perhaps a couple of times. If he still doesnt come I tend to go after him because I am concerned I will lose sight of him. On the lead he is ok, he will pull away if there is something he wants to see/sniff. Only very occassionally will he dig in tho' he generally gives up when i tug on the lead. He likes a squeeky toy but we have tried that and that only lasts for one or two tweeks!

[Mym]

I am having to work pretty hard with this some days as well but we are actually getting some off leash training happening now. In recent weeks I have been watching Control Unleashed - Leslie McDevitt. And if you can cope with her sniffing into her mike throughout it, she has some great tips.

At first I thought it was much ado about nothing but her recall games are very good.

The only video on it I could find for you was

But she has a website and a book if you don't want to go to the expense of buying the videos. Luckily I was able to borrow these through my agility club.

Susan Garrett's 'Its yer choice' has also been very handy for me with both my dogs.

Ollie sounds very cute.

[poodlefan]

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I will stay away from the chocolate tho'!

You know I think the comment about him 'having a choice' is right on the money. When I call him he actually stops and looks at me..its almost as if he is deciding what the better option is. I also avoid the areas where I know he will want to wander so that helps but it is something I would like to overcome...especially the rolling in dog poop

Well I now have some techniques to try....I will have to find some new tasty treats to have something special up my sleeve

Roast chook or left over sausages work a treat!

The other thing to remember is that you want to practice calling him when you don't need him to come.. to condition the response to the cue when he isn't having to decide. Make a habit of calling him, praising him and rewarding then releasing him back to do his thing.

Fastest way to kill a recall is to only do it when you're going to leash up .. you can watch that play out in dog parks all over Oz.

I've trained mine to come to a sports whistle.. nice and loud, no panicky tones from me and I only use the whistle for offlead walking.

[vellela]

I do call him in when I think he is wandering off too far. Penny and Ollie are good for getting on the leash - they know they will get a treat!

The voice thing is interesting tho' - I get a bit panicky and my darling partner tells me I have a bit of a high pitched shrill...so I guess its not surprising Ollie doesnt come running straight to me

[Aidan]

The treats just don't seem to be enough enticement anymore.

^^This is the problem - "enticement".

A good recall is conditioned, the dog isn't thinking about it, isn't making a choice. Whether the reward on offer is "better" than rolling in a dead possum carcass or going to play with another dog is irrelevant - they hear the cue, they respond without thinking about it.

There are many good programs out there (e.g http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/Lesson6.html ), each will have stages of progression. Until your dog has a really good recall it is best to avoid putting him into situations where he is likely to fail the recall. You can use a long line, or if you are somewhere safe and have time, wait for him or go and get him. Often walking off (or hiding as suggested previously) can help.

[all that glitters]

There is no reason to give a dog chocolate, ever.

[poodlefan]

I do call him in when I think he is wandering off too far. Penny and Ollie are good for getting on the leash - they know they will get a treat!

The voice thing is interesting tho' - I get a bit panicky and my darling partner tells me I have a bit of a high pitched shrill...so I guess its not surprising Ollie doesnt come running straight to me

Practice calling him when he's not so far.. as Aidan says, you want to condition a response to your cue (you probably need a new one) regardless of where the dog is and the level of distraction. Start off with easy recalls, including at home.

[Jetty]

This is actually helping me alot to. I have a pup who won't come when I call him. Yesterday afternoon he was at next doors fence barking at there dogs. I had to chase him back home! I feel your pain. It can be so stressful!

[Staranais]

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

Please be careful with this advice, as I'm sure you probably know chocolate can be toxic to dogs, and different dogs can be more sensitive than others to the effects - so even if you get away with it with one dog, others might not be so lucky.

Which is no doubt why I said the dog NEVER had it at any other time and said the dog was bigger than the OP's dog so this probably wasn't a suitable reward for the OP's dog.

Incidentally - the rate you have given is actually a fairly large amount of chocolate when given as a reward (as opposed to pinched out of the cupboard). Not sure anyone would give that much of any reward to a dog in a training setting - well I certainly wouldn't

I am still concerned that you are discussing feeding chocolate to dogs on a public forum, especially without cautioning about possible toxicity or explaining that you should never feed dark or baking chocolate to a dog.

The rate I gave was the rate at which the dogs actually started seizuring. Milder but still very distressing cardiac, CNS and GIT signs can occur at lower doses.

No offence intended to you, but I felt it was irresponsible to let your post stand without clarification, in case the OP misinterpreted it and caused harm to her dog.

[beach_kelpies]

Any of the above three 'tricks' needs a big bonus jackpot prize if they make him respond quickly - a toy or treat that he otherwise never gets. I've used people chocolate as a bonus prize for one dog but that was bigger than a JRT so maybe not suitable for one so small.

Please be careful with this advice, as I'm sure you probably know chocolate can be toxic to dogs, and different dogs can be more sensitive than others to the effects - so even if you get away with it with one dog, others might not be so lucky.

Which is no doubt why I said the dog NEVER had it at any other time and said the dog was bigger than the OP's dog so this probably wasn't a suitable reward for the OP's dog.

Incidentally - the rate you have given is actually a fairly large amount of chocolate when given as a reward (as opposed to pinched out of the cupboard). Not sure anyone would give that much of any reward to a dog in a training setting - well I certainly wouldn't

I am still concerned that you are discussing feeding chocolate to dogs on a public forum, especially without cautioning about possible toxicity or explaining that you should never feed dark or baking chocolate to a dog.

The rate I gave was the rate at which the dogs actually started seizuring. Milder but still very distressing cardiac, CNS and GIT signs can occur at lower doses.

No offence intended to you, but I felt it was irresponsible to let your post stand without clarification, in case the OP misinterpreted it and caused harm to her dog.

I'd have to agree. I can't understand why you'd even think about giving a dog chocolate as a reward. Just because you're not giving it enough to cause seizures, etc, doesn't mean that it isn't causing harm. Toxic is toxic, not just when it's given in a high enough dose to cause severe reactions. It's like drinking a shot of meth's every day. Just because you probably won't have seizures/vomiting/etc doesn't mean it's ok to do it.

[Kirislin]

I've recently been sprucing up my dogs recall as they could occasionally have selective deafness. On the advice of a professional dog trainer I started using a whistle, just the kind you see around umpires necks at sports ovals. The trick is to treat them EVERY single time they hear it. I've also started buying 1kg blocks of Coles el cheapo tasty cheese just to use as treats, much cheaper that liver treats. I cut it into tiny cubes before we go out of a morning.

I was amazed at how quickly they responded to it and since I've got them coming well I now walk all 5 at the park together. I used to have to walk my dogs in 2 shifts cause I couldn't have managed them all together. Now every one who knows them is amazed at their immediate response to the whistle.

The one disadvantage I've noticed is that since my success with it, another person has started using it on her dog, so every time she blows her whistle my dogs come running. I still reward them though, it's what makes it work, I dont want them to start thinking it's not worth coming to me. the other day I was walking them and there was a school footy match happening near by, yep, every time the umpire blew his whistle they came running to me, and of course they got a treat.

I would recommend this method, it's great.

[luvsdogs]

That's what I'm training Tilba with. I came across a great site that gave implicit instructions on whistle training a recall. You start off in a quiet room in the house. Blow the whistle, treat. Do this for 5 minutes several times a day. Then go to different rooms, then slowly add in distractions. Then go outside into the back yard, front yard, footpath, park etc. Whistle treat for every place you practice. Your dog will come in without even thinking about it.