Off leash training help!

[OwnedByLola]

Hi everyone
Lola has been getting on pretty well with her off leash training - she doesen't run off, comes away from other dogs (after she's said hello) and is generally pretty good, but recently, she has started being really hard to get back on the lead. She will come within about a metre of you, and when you bend to down to clip the lead on, she jumps just of reach. She does it again, and again and again, and its becoming a real problem. A few people have told is that its just a puppy thing (she's 7 months and three weeks old) and it'll pass, but does anybody have any advice about anything we can do? Did any of you have the same problem?
Any advice is appreciated
Thanks,
Lolas mum x

[dawn27]

BRIBE HER !!!

Bribe her with a tiny treat or her favorite toy. Practice it at home for a few days using your words to get her back to you that you would use out doors while she is off lead. Works every time !

Just dont ever chase her.... very bad. She would love it too much... think it was a game.

[Britster]

Recall is sooo important. I practice with Jackson a few times a week still at 3yrs old -- I went and bought a light 50 foot line, let him go out exploring, and use "here" or "Jackson, here" as our command and always treat him. I also randomly give him a treat if he chooses by himself to come up to me, or walks near me, or checks in, etc.

You can also begin when in the house or in a secure fenced in area. Sit on the ground with her as if you are doing a training session. Reach over her head, grab hold of her harness, let go, and treat. De-sensitize her to the motion of your hand reaching for her so she does not run.

In the beginning stages, NEVER say "come" or "here" or whatever your command is and then immediately pick her up and bring her away from the fun. Let her come to you, get a treat, and then go run off again. If they learn coming when called always = something unpleasant (such as a bath, leaving a fun place, getting brushed, etc) they will learn to ignore it. I notice a lot of people don't even realize they are doing it: "Rover, come here" *grabs for bath* "Come on, Rover" *starts cutting nails*, LOL. you get the gist. Always make your command word a positive one.

Also, don't over-use the phrase. A lot of people will say "Come!... come. Come! come come come!" Dogs don't understand English in the way we do obviously. And "comecomecomecomecome!" means something completely different than just "come". Set them up for success! - try not to let them fail. Try only saying your command when you KNOW they are going to come, in the beginning, so that the word doesn't become useless.

In an emergency situation, you could always get down on the ground yourself. Usually dogs will think you found something interesting and come over to check you out (as we are not usually on the ground on their level).

Check out YouTube channel zakgeorge21 and kikopup for two really informative training channels.

[MilliesMum]

my yorkie Millie is very good off lead but i usually use her extendable lead when out walking. When she is off the lead, she usually comes back and allows me to clip her lead on but can occassionally be a little monkey and do exactly what your pup does. My older dog Willow (springer spaniel, border collie cross, shes nearly 8 years old now) when off the lead will come back to me but will wait about 2 meters away from me and when i go to clip her lead back on, she runs away. What ive learnt to do now is NEVER chase after them as they believe its a game. All i do is call her to come over once and if she dosent, i simply turn around and walk away from her. She hates this and almost always runs up beside me and allows me to clip her lead on.

i wish you luck with your pup! also extendable leads are excellent for teaching pups recall, unfortunately Willow was a rescue so it was too late to give her the proper training but as when we got her she had never been off leash, we are more than happy about how far shes come!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by MilliesMum

i wish you luck with your pup! also extendable leads are excellent for teaching pups recall, unfortunately Willow was a rescue so it was too late to give her the proper training but as when we got her she had never been off leash, we are more than happy about how far shes come!

It's NEVER too late to give proper training! Just wanted to throw that in there.

Harder? Maybe. But it's totally possible and has been done!

So you can't teach an old dog new tricks? -...

My rescue dog Vinnie is 13 next month. I have had him 5 months and he didn't know anything when I got him. I'm his 4th home in the last couple of years and it took a lot of time to bring him out of his shell but he is going from strength to strength now :-) you could subscribe if you would like to keep up with his progress, also loads of videos coming on how I have been working on his problem behaviour.

[yorkietalkjilly]

In these circumstances when a dog is not responding to recall, is anticipating and moving away from an approach, I give the "Stay" or "Stop" command. Usually the dog will freeze in position and let you walk up and leash/lift them whereas they may not be responding to a "Come".

Training the "Stay" or "Stop" is every bit as important as the recall. Work a lot on that if your dog will not freeze in place and allow you to approach and leash or pick up.

If the dog is not that trained in "Stay", hold out your hand and offer a treat, whether you have one or not. I have kibble in just about every pocket! When the dog gets close to take the treat, quietly say "Stay" or "Stop" and move the hand with the treat around in front of the dog's face to keep his attention on that as you leash or lift him.

As mentioned above, if all else fails, try lying down on your back or walking away - anything to lure the dog toward you or after you and then command the quiet "Stay" or "Stop" when the dog gets within easy reach to leash them or take them in your arms.