Minimu - can you advise please - struggling with Beagle and other dog owners!

[Jaynerae]

Minimu - I have read many of your posts and found your advice very interesting and helpful many times.

I am wondering if you would mind giving me some advice?

I have a 13 month old Beagle, I am an experienced dog owner, go to training every week and practise training on every walk. Beagle is very clever and picks things up very quickly.

Recall is 90%, she comes back to the whistle unless, she has found food on the floor in the park or, (I keep her on lead when picnicers are about!)and this is my problem, she has approached another dog owner who have treats. Then she ignores me.

A few weeks ago she was playing with some other dogs and one owner took treats out of his top shirt pocket and gave dogs treats - Beagle was bouncing at him so he gave her some, I asked him not to but he did anyway.

Now Beagle will run to other owners and mug them for any potential food, she jumps 5ft vertically to check out if person has top pocket with treats in. Obviously not a behaviour I want her to do.

When I see other dogs and people I use the "with me" command, and keep her walking to heel, off lead whilst I have treats in hand to keep her focus, drop her a bit now and then. However sometimes a dog will run up to us and before I have chance to say boo, Beagle is playing with said dog, naturally.

She will then see owner and run off to them and start jumping up them. I use the "off" command - which she knows and call her back to me - but naturally she ignores me.

I wish I could train all the other dog owners not to give her treats, and to turn their backs - short of that - any advice, can I improve on what I am doing?
sorry for long post - needed to explain what I do do though!
Many thanks
Jaynerae

[minimu1]

Jaynerae this is such a problem as you are so right you need to train the owners more than your dog!

You do need to be the most exciting thing in the world and to a Beagle unless you dress yourself up in a hotdog it is sometimes hard to compete

I would go back to a long line and harness. I would also practice the off command in slightly less distracting situations. Another good one is leave it

Can you get her to go into a down and put a boring bit of kibble on the floor and ask her to leave it. If she does give her another bit of kibble from your hand. Do not give her the one on the floor. Build this up so that she has lots of bits of kibble around her ask her to leave them and then treat her with something better. You may find if you distract her with what you have in your hand eventually you will be able to put food on her paws and ask her to leave it.

What she is learning is that leave it means something better will appear.

Once you have done this up the anti and get her to leave a bit of sausage and when she does give her lots and lots of pieces of sausage as a reward. Do not give her the sausage on the floor.

If you keep at this and make sure the reward she gets is higher than the one she left the leave it command will soon have her charging back to you what ever the other people have she will think you have something better.

It will take time and the more chances she has to break this whilst your are training eg running up to other people the longer it will take, so I would have her on a long line it can be running behind her and if she does charge off just call her and then gentley pull the lead to get her back to you.


When you think you are ready to go live with this get your training class to help let them hold treats and tempt her but give her the leave it command and she should turn to you eventually praise like crazy and give her the best bit of steak there is!

Good luck!

[Jaynerae]

Minimu, that's brilliant, thank you so very much for the time you have taken to reply, I do appreciate it.

She does know leave it, but only very basically, not to that extent and to that level of control by any stretch of the imagination, so I will embark on your strategy starting tomorrow.

I will put her back on long line as suggested as this will help reduce my stress levels as well, which she picks up on!

Had visions of finding hot dog suit, but think I might be carried away by men in White coats!

Off command she will obey if I am near by but not at distance, so will try leave it command as I can see how that would be more effective the way you have explained it.

Training class will help, when I am ready as trainer is brilliant, we are currently helping dog aggressive collie, she was attacked and is terrified of other dogs, but she is beautiful and lovely to humans so we are trying to help.

Thanks ever so much, I really appreciate your time, I have worked hard with Beagle and considering she is a Beagle think we have achieved a great deal, so I really want to crack this to make that recall even more successful!

Thank you
Regards
Jaynerae.

[minimu1]

no probs I hope it works. It does sound as if she is well trained so I am sure you can do it