WWYD- Practising recall

[delilahdarling]

This is sort of inspired by the thread about the staffy bowling over the poor puppy. Firstly, as the owner of a large, boisterous 13 mo GSD can I just say, I would be mortified if he had been the one knocking over a smaller dog. I dread anything like that happening. But it also highlighted to me that I need advice myself, in order to avoid upsetting anyone unintentionally while on walks.

Our pup is very much of the 'I will decide if or when to obey you' mentality. He is not a foodie, and treats have little effect. We have found that a ball or toy works best at gaining control.

With recall, he is faultless in the house. When out and about he is less consistent. For this reason, I am paranoid about upsetting other owners. A lot of the time he remains on the lead. We do have a couple of areas near us where people tend to walk dogs off lead. When we walk there, he gets some off the lead time so I can practise recall- calling him away from things of interest.

At the moment, my method is- if suitable, he is let off the lead. I keep a careful watch in the distance and if i see people coming with a dog on the lead or with children, then our pup is immediately put back on the lead. Very occasionally, we come across people quite suddenly, and pup races over to investigate and initiate play. Sometimes he comes back when he is called, sometimes it takes longer. I get very stressed when this happens and am very apologetic.

My DP is of the opinion that he must be allowed to greet other dogs and to practise coming back. I agree, but don't want to annoy other owners.

So after that rambling, i guess my question to other owners is- what is appropriate? Is there a happy medium? How can I practise walking off-lead without being a nuisance?

TIA

I have similar problems with our labrador puppy, who is about the same age as your GSD, delilah. She's good at the recall when it's just me, and is even pretty good when we are out, as long as there's nothing more interesting in prospect, so if there's another dog she wants to go and greet, she will just go, despite all my calling and brandishing of gravy bones.

Of course, being a lab, she is very food-motivated, so I'm hoping to be able to use that to improve her recall, but I would be very interested indeed to see what else is said here - like you, I want to be a responsible dog-owner who enjoys their dog's company and can rely on their dog's behaviour when out and about.

Oh - and we have thought about getting another puppy at some point - probably a black lab - and if we do, I want to call her Delilah!

I know exactly what you mean about the enjoyment aspect. We waited a long time to be in a position to afford and accomodate a dog as well as having the time for it. Walks are not really enjoyable at the moment. I feel that pup needs some time off the lead if at all possible- to burn off some excess energy. but I am too afraid of those times when the recall is not perfect... I know so well what it is like from the other side. As a small puppy, we had lots of larger dogs bounding over with owners calling frantically "it's ok, he just wants to play!" and i remember the irritation I felt.

We also have a small DD and had a situation one day where a large adult male gsd blocked our path and barked and barked at us. It was uunnerving. When the owners finally got there, they said nothing and just smiled and wwalked past.

I don't want to be that kind of owner!

It is very clear that you aren't that kind of owner, delilah - otherwise you wouldn't be worrying about this.

Firstly, get yourself off to a good class so you can learn together. Lots of positives from doing some obedience training. I'm starting the Kennel Club Good Canine Citizens course next week with one of our greys, who are (ahem) noted for their somewhat erratic approach to recall.

Secondly, find somewhere away from home but without distractions/dangers that you can practice in. Again, lots of us pointy owners do this because of sighthound chase instinct which can completely over-ride owner commands. I'd suggest finding a local horse owner with manege/riding school, or even a secure, empty field (ask permission obviously) where you can work together peacefully without being distracted every five minutes by the local convention of Yorkies/noisy toddlers/kids on bikes/spooky plastic bags/squirrels etc. When and if you are ready, you can then introduce "managed" distractions, such as other dogs, kids, balloons, goats, jugglers etc.

Lots of greyhound/sighthound charities will have greyhound playdates or places they use, so may be worth getting in touch. Otherwise put a Wanted notice up in your local tack/feed shop or ask any horse owners you know. Also, dog obedience clubs and agility clubs usually have practice areas - ask around.

We have similar problems with our 6 month old staffie pup. Our trainer has recommended a 30m training lead (not an extender - she needs to feel free). This is great as she has a sense of freedom and independence. However if her recall fails then she can be stopped and brought back. It is teaching her to stay within a reasonable distance of us.