Help..Can't catch our dog!
 

Taylor is 5 months old. He's always VERY BUSY...but sweet and fun. He has done great with his potty training and even sits up like a prairie dog and begs for a reward after he does a "Good Boy" on his Piddle Pad. The problem that we are having with his behavior is that when he gets something like a piece of paper, underwear...anything that he shouldn't have OR when he knows we want to pick him up to put him in his carrier and room he takes off 100 mph and races around the house and we can't get him to stop. We can't catch him. He gets under different things like the dining room table...then takes off again in a FLASH! Chasing him only makes it worse and being firm and saying STOP...STAY doesn't work. This is so frustrating! I wonder what Cesar would do... :idontknow Please...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Gayle_T "Taylor's Mom"

mine does the same thing.... and when the door opens she makes a beeline for that too
she is going back to training though and they teach them how to "drop it" and "come" so i am hoping that will help
i will let you know how i make out... and good luck keep us posted with anything that you find works!

Teaching drop it and come are great! In the mean time leave a leash on him in the house to make him easier to catch. If it's something silly like a sock, that won't hurt him, DON'T chase him. It will take the fun out of the game and after a few tries he will just leave the sock alone. (If he wants to chew on a sock, give him one tied in a knot or soaked in water and put in the freezer). Otherwise, its your job to make sure he doesn't have access to things he shouldn't have. :D If he DOES get something dangerous and you haven't trained these things - or if it's so good he doesn't listen ;) , take the can of treats and throw a handful near him on the floor. Trust me, he'll drop the dangerous item.

Food usually works. Distract him with something particularly tasty. Get his full attention even to the point that he drops whatever he shouldn't be having. Pick it up or take it from him but only once his attention is fully on you.
To start say nothing except to focus on the piece of food you want him to notice and go for. Eventually work up to telling him to drop it but offer a piece of something real tasty at the same time. Work up to 'drop it' without offering a treat and give him a treat after the item is retrieved.

Unfortunately, I have the same situation. "Drop it" never worked and so I had to resort to treats. I hated having to do that, but I had to. I tell her to "make a trade" and she'll drop whatever she's got because she knows she's getting something in return. And I have to say that even though she still does this, it's not as common. I figured it would get worse because she'd want treats, but it actually got better.

A good way to work on drop is to play tug. Ask him to drop, then start
the game again. The reward is the game, not a treat. This also works if
you trade for a better toy. You don't have to use food! Only in
emergency and training situations!!!

Sadie's Mom - you HAVE taught "drop it"! You've just given it a different name: "make a trade". Kudos to you!:D

Gayle T,

:thumbup: You have already been given excellent advice above and I agree with all of it: never chase, teach a "drop it" command, trade for something better, etc, etc.:thumbup:

One other thing that I would do is practice IGNORING pup when he picks up something that is yours. Right now, picking up something of yours is either 1) a fun game (mom chases me) or 2) a battle of wills (it's mine now). Practice making it a total non-event. Make it boring for him. I'd do this by repeated "accidentally" dropping items of yours that you aren't worried he'll destroy - unimportant papers, old underwear, old socks, etc. When he picks them up, look at him, turn your back and don't say a word. In other words, don't reinforce the behavior with either positive OR negative responses. Later, when he's forgotten about it, you can quietly retrieve it. Repeat dozens of times per day.

Good luck!

Thank you all SO much! You all have given me great advice! I am going to start working with Taylor today. It all makes so much sense. He does feel that it is a game. We are not going to chase him anymore! Today I am going to be dropping a few things during the day and IGNORING him. Making a trade when we have to also is much better than this frantic "Chase Routine" that we've gotten into! Thanks again everyone for the great advice!!! I'll give an update.

GayleT "Taylor's Mom" :aimeeyork

Do you play chase with your dog? I heard that playing chase will encourage this. I have stopped playing chase with Rosie and she doesn't do this anymore. However, when she goes to grandma and grandpa's she starts this behavior again because they always chase her. She loves that game.

Cheeselover, you're right. If you have a dog that habitually grabs things and runs from you, playing chase is probably not a good idea.

For other dogs and if Rosie's grandparent's insist on the game, here's how to minimize the damage. 1) Give the game a name and only play the game after you've announced it by name. For us, it's "I'm gonna get you!" In other words, don't chase puppy out-of-the-blue, but only after you've given the cue. 2) Have a clear end to the game. I use "That's all" and then brush my hands together like you're wiping off crumbs. I use this at other times as well so Joey has learned what it means. 3) Never, ever play the game when pup has something in his mouth that he shouldn't have. For Rosie, it might be best to never play the game when she has anything in her mouth at all.

Oops. Double post. So, how is everyone today?

Yeah, but the only way she'll do it is if she gets something better in return.

I also try ignoring her, which works, but can only do this if it is something that she can tear up (like when she goes & gets undies out of the laundry basket & chews on them...I don't want holes in them!) I ignored her the other day when she got something & she got SOOOOOOO mad because I wasn't making a big deal out of it. She kept walking up to me & whenever I'd move (but not to "get" her) she'd take off running over to it. Mom's will was stronger than Sadie's and I won. She got bored. Unfortunately, I can't always do this.

emergency & training purposes
 

Isn't teaching her dog to stop this "game" training? I used "Pedigree Trainer" which are bite size soft training treats (they are in the shape of tiny tony dog bones) purchased in the regular grocery store. They worked well for Chloe, when she liked this game.

Yes, certainly! Some people are uncomfortable, though, with giving their dog alot of treats. A diferent option to uses to reward your dog with a fun activity instead of a food treat. I personally use treats like you do; they work well for us!

I had the same problem with Bunny when she was a pup. I taught her drop it. so now I just have to say drop it and she sets it down.

With bella, I just say her name in a bad town... no matter what she is doing, she will stop and look at me or drop what eve is in her mouth.

I think ur furbaby thinks ur playing a game. I would not chase her and just tell him in a bad tone no over and over untill he gets it. when your baby stops tell him good boy and when he dose it again do the bad tone no and he will catch on... mine did any how...

Good luck in getting ur baby to stop

Olivia, Bunny and Bella

When it was getting close to bed time, I would always keep a leash on Daisy. She knew when it was time to go in her crate and she would run like a little maniac. I just step on the leash and I can get her hee hee I don't use it anymore as she will come now and stay. I will start using it with Duke now as he's getting a little "cocky" and running away from me lol

Penny

I'm starting the leash thing that you do at bedtime today, again this morning Sissy got out of her collar and ran toward the street. My problem isn't at bedtime, it is when we go out to my porch. She is double jointed and gets out of her collar and harness but if I leave the leash dragging, then it will be easier to catch her. The vet told me 2 fingers under the collar/right now we are down to one finger under. I am afraid to go tighter but one finger under she still gets it off. Chloe never even tried to get out of either the collar or harness - she was just happy to put them on knowing it meant to go out. Today was better then yesterday tho, she never entered the street. Right before reaching it, she turned and ran back toward my front grass and I do think at this point it is a game to her and I also thinks she wants Chloe to follow her but Chloe won't. I can't help but believe I have one Yorkie and one Yorkshire Terrorist:rolleyes:

I am going to my first Yorkie Get Together today, maybe another Yorkie owner can see her in action and give more ideas. I am bringing the stroller to keep her safe in case she does this magic trick there. bye for now

How on earth does she get out of her harness? Can you try a nylon martingale collar? I have one made by Premier. Loki's trainer uses them for her big dogs but they make tiny sizes. I got one for Loki. It's nice because it is big enough to slip over his head, but then when I attach a leash it closes so it can't slip back over his head. (Don't worry, you adjust it so it doesn't choke them.) Sometimes they are called greyhound collars. I didn't like the models at Petsmart. I like the ones by Premier. www.premier.com

Also, try an Easy Walk or Sensation harness. They fit differently than traditional harnesses. They are meant to help teach loose leash walking, but she also may have a more difficult time getting out of it. The Easy Walk is by Premier and the Sensation harness is by Soft Touch Concepts. http://www.softouchconcepts.com/ Good luck!

I'd start working on a really reliable recall ASAP!!!! :animal-pa

Hi Erin,
I went to look at the premier link you sent. Are you talking about the gentle lead?
I just got back from our Yorkie Get Together. I have many new ideas to try. First off Sissy is double jointed. Second I saw her get out, they were attached all correctly and I still can't believe it. I had 2 of her harnesses & 1 of her collars with me, but Sissy's mom, Jodie showed me a harness that goes on from underneath - I just know this might work! The leash is attached and you pull down this bead thing and leash & harness are connected. She also showed me harness dresses & coats. I am ordering them tonight. She allowed my Sissy to wear one for awhile, as she was playing with her Sissy and mine never pulled it off or got out of it. It's worth a try. Thanks for the sites. I am going to go back and look again

No the Gentle Leader is something different. The easy walk is just a harness that goes around the belly and attaches in front near the breastbone. This counters the dog pulling, but I like it because the leash doesn't attach to the dog's back, which I find akward (and so does Loki.) When you walk them it's almost like the leash is attached to the collar but no pressure is on their neck.

This is the easy walk: http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=74
I'm not sure how she could get out of if it's adjusted properly. Unless she could somehow get her paws up through the front, but if it's adjusted right there won't be any extra space to do that.

Here's the link to the martingale collar - it's in the middle of the page:
http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=13
The Premier® Collar - A martingale-style collar which offers greater control without the danger of choking. Its escape-proof design reduces coat damage and can easily be adjusted as your pet grows. Available in 25 colors (cranberry, red, pastel pink, hot pink, dusty rose, burgundy, deep purple, bright purple, lilac, ice blue, cadet blue, royal blue, navy, teal, green, electric lime, neon lemon, gold, blaze orange, fawn, brown, black, charcoal, silver and white. Color Chart

Hope that helps.

How about trying a squeeky toy? Maybe this would distract him...worth a try! Sadie did that has a puppy...I thought it was funny!

Google finished training recently, and "Drop it" was one of the things covered. He was trained by getting a reward when he dropped whatever was in his mouth--he'd see the treat in my hand, and he'd pick up the toy I put down. When I said "Drop it" the treat was immediately available when he put it down.

We moved on to "leave it" which is just as, if not more important than, "leave it"--what happens if your furbaby is nearby, for example, when you have a cold or whatever and drop your medicine? A quick, sharp "leave it!" will get his attention long enough for you to pick up what could potentially kill him. We trained him on this exercise and "drop it" so long, that Google will now drop his favorite treat mid-chew or pass up a nice juicy piece of chicken if he's told to--but he has to be told firmly and sharply; letting him know that you mean business.

So, it's possible! I never thought Google would get that, but he does. He does sit, down, leave it, drop it, stay, and wait; he will only do "come" if I have a treat, and he won't shake at all. But he'll get it sooner or later, I'm sure.

I would try running backwards, getting her to chase _you_. That's how I taught Demi to come.

That's a great idea! I've done that twice to get Google to come into the house when he's snuck out under someone's feet when they opened the door, and he ran back in the house both times. I'll try that when I want him to come, I'll run backward and say "come," and maybe he'll get the idea that "come" means I want him to come to me! :)

My yorkie is 9 weeks old, and runs away from us like mad! She is really tiny and catching her is quite difficult! Starting her at training in the next week or so, so maybe ill learn something:animal36

If you'll read through this thread, I think you will "learn something" - there is a ton of good advice offered here! I'm glad to hear that you are taking her to training classes - besides learning alot there, you'll have fun!

That's what I thought when we had our first get together at the dog park. I let her off leash, afraid the whole time that I was making a mistake. Well, when we went to leave, she came right to me! Now, that's the ONLY time she's ever done it. When we're at home, it's run, run, run

You are sooo right!
 

Maybe she was wanting a new friend!! ha ha I tell you Sissy :aimeeyork is so happlily recouperating from yesterday, her energy level is returning BUT she did not run off the porch this morning. She even stayed up there while the mail lady was approaching... How nice:) Chloe:aimeeyork is layed back this morning, both seem so happy they have a new friend named Sissy#1:aimeeyork ............. If this fixes my past problems with Sissy, ok time to get #3:) Then when she tires Chloe out, she can work on the new puppy..... She even seems closer to me, cuddled longer and all....... What a nice day for all 3 of us.

Treats
 

Which treats are "really good". I have picked up a few, but my little Jessie doesn't seem interested. (I can't recall the names.) Which treats are good ones, small and generally liked?