Help me get my nerve back to let pup off lead - or should I?

[notimefortv]

When I first walked pup (aged about 12 wks) I could never imagine letting her off her lead in a field (PLEASE NOTE I would NOT consider this anywhere near a road). Anyway, I was surprised and pleased how quickly I felt confident enough to let her run around for a little while. I had been taught recall at puppy classes and practised it at home first with my daughter calling the puppy from one end of the room to the other. We then took this out to (a safe) field and called her between us until I felt happy to walk around a bit with her going off and coming back.

Since then she has had a lovely time with dogs there running round with them, I can call her out, treat her and let her go back and join them etc. I have now ventured out of the field along a canal a little way then through a cut through back to the field but the other day she just ran back through the cut through and back along the canal without me and ignored my calling - when I went to see what she was up to (thinking she would never stop running away!) she was saying 'hello' so some walkers along the canal and did come back but this has made me nervous.

Should I get a long training lead and keep this within 'foot stopping' distance or should I keep going with just little tries off the lead? Do they just get more trustworthy when adult?

As I mention I am not talking about road walking and always put her back on the lead way before we get near a road.

I need help to get my nerve back. I do worry that she would now belt off to see anyone she heard across the field. Do I just need to take more control now she is nearly 5 months old?

She is a little teddy-bear pup - a bichon poo and is v. small but loves a good run around and play with other dogs.

Excuse typos - tired eyes!

I have a long line and use it at the moment as my dog (8 months) has bolted after being good at recall. I did the same as you, regularly call back and treat or pop back on the lead for a bit and it did work very well.

What I do now is set her up to suceed. I pick my times to let her off. If there is no one around she will come back OK, the problem is if she sees other dogs. So if there is a danger of seeing one for now she goes on the long one and I keep up the calling her back. I only call once and if she doesn't come I walk off the other way. I also play hide and seek with her and she has learned to keep an eye on me. I also only give a treat after I have touched her collar and have been practising telling her to wait and sit when she is some distance away on the long line and she's getting quite good at that.

Another thing that helps is on occasions when I've found someone with an older, reliable dog to walk with. She takes her lead from them and comes back beautifully. I've found she responds well to a whistle but alternate this with verbal recall.

thanks Wynken - that is really helpful. Someone at my puppy class said they would lend me a long line to try out - I will definitely try the down , sit and stay command then from a distance using it.

I look in amazement at some of these lovely well behaved dogs -can't even imagine that! But hopefully small steps and we'll get there.

Also, do you recommend taking them to one main field to walk to get familiar or taking them all over to get used to lots of different places?

Definately take them to different places
Re the recall you need to be doing it loads and loads at home with distractions and then try it on a long lead out and about.

If the puppy wont come at home when your children are holding a sausage for distraction in front of him then he will not come when out and about with greater distractions.

Do turn directions when on a walk so he has to keep his eyes on you. Do recall and then treat and release try not to recall and put on lead for a while.

Great advice from Wynken

Mine won't do down right by me at the moment, she's forgotten what it is apparently, part of this teenage thing I think.

I feel a bit of a fraud answering this really as she's my first dog so hopefully the experienced ladies will be along to correct me if I get anything wrong ! I mix up the places so take her. I think the more familiar they are with a place, the braver they are andbthis gives them more confidence to leg it. Also I think it's more mentally stimulating to experience all the new smells in a new place and wears them out more, which is my constant aim at the moment.

One other thing I meant to say, I try not to call her if she's very engrossed in sniffing or something as I know there's less chance of her listening and I don't want her to learn to ignore me. Also I think if you use a long line it should probably be on a harness not a collar to protect their neck.

Another thing that has been helpful is clicker training, we were taught a word rather than the clicker. It means that if she does something like wait when she's a little distance away, I can bellow the word the moment she stops to reinforce the behavior at that moment instead of having to leg it over to reinforce in the couple of seconds you have.

I always have called her back if I see a person/dog/cyclist/jogger/horse and we go past on lead on my terms. Sometimes she has to sit, sometimes ignore and sometimes she can meet them but she has to look to me first to see what I want her today, and this is where the long line comes in handy,if she forgets in her excitement I can reel her in and she has no choice.

Phew, It took me eo long to type I didn't see Minimu here, you have someone who knows what they are talking about, I shall shut up !

A really good book with lots of recall tips is Jean Donaldson's The Culture Clash.

(not disputing Wynken's advice which is excellent )

Just that some of us like a bit of bedtime reading

thanks all, I do practice recall several times out on a walk (especially if I see 'danger' coming uo) but know right now she would not be able to resist a jogger up ahead so would need to put on on the lead in that situation - I hate the anxious feeling I get sometimes - am looking forward to getting a long traiing lead so she can run around but I can also train her and stay safe.