Think we've hit adolescence

[Pisky]

Pup has always been relatively calm. She doesn't have full run of the house but is kept in the kitchen with me and sleeps in a crate in the adjoining porch/utility room.

At home she is generally fine - the kids can escape from her if she is getting silly and she can escape from them (although they have been very good at understanding when to stop).

However we are struggling with being able to let her off lead. She gets walked every day by me (normally when the kids are in school she has a longer one, weekends it can be shorter if they come too). But most of these walks have to be on lead as although they are quiet country lanes, cars do come through fast. Or its by the river which is very fast and high at the moment and I am worried she may slip or jump in and be swept .

It has only been at the weekends that DH and the kids have been able to take her to the beach for an off lead run (whilst I work). The last two times though he has had problems - first time she ran off and wouldn't come back when called - she ran right off the beach into the car park, circled and then came back when she felt like it. This weekend she wouldn't come back to him when she was approaching a couple on the beach and also was being too boisterous with a smaller dog (she is a cocker spaniel). She also was jumping up at the kids and grabbed DSs arm (6.5years), bruising it through his coat and jumper :(

She also snapped at me when I was trying to remove a dishcloth from her mouth last week (though crowded round with mum and my DKs I'm not surprised).

We have been having some building work done recently which has meant more time in her crate - although I have been trying to give her more walks to compensate. She is also about 6.5months so maybe this is teenage phase hitting? My mum was also staying for several days and I know DD said mum was hitting the dog when she misbehaved so don't think this has helped either...

Had a lovely calm day with pup today - a nice long walk along the river after walking the kids to school, then about 5mins off lead in a field (before another dog came along who was on lead so thought I'd better put her back on) then home. She then settled in her crate (door shut) for an hour or so. Then some play in the kitchen whilst I worked on the laptop. Lunch, more play in the kitchen till she started wandering round aimlessly (which is her cue to go to bed normally). Another sleep in the crate, then now more mooching round the kitchen.

I do wonder if its DH that may be the difficulty, as her recall with me today was great. He has been with me (and instead of me when I broke my arm) to dog training several times but seems resistant to using treats for anything (e.g. recall, dropping stuff) and is more likely to shout at her, than to encourage her to come back! (he has been the same with the kids to be honest - positive rewards doesn't come naturally with him!)

Christmas is going to be tricky as we will be staying with my parents - they have an outside farm dog (collie) and my sister will also be there with her Border terrier (who normally lives indoors). Add into the mix a stressed mum (mine), several children (mine and 1y old nephew). I'm worried how pup is going to cope. Although where they live it will be easier to give pup off lead time as their yard is more secure than our garden. At least pup is used to her crate so I imagine she will be spending yet more time in there.....

Can you not get a long line for when she is taken out until recall is 100%?

I'm having (intermittent) recall problems too (9 month old).

Had a couple of weeks where he terrified me on a daily basis, then a couple of weeks where he was perfect. At the weekend he took off again.

I have now ordered a really long line and will focus on getting recall all the time. Hopefully.

Think we'll have to - although her recall is pretty good with me it isn't with dh...

I was just about to start the same thread. I will do, so as not to hijack yours, but we're having the same problems at 7 months. We're having to lead walk this week as he's just been neutered but will order a long line now as I'm nervous of recall after he last couple of weeks.

I could have written your post up to your last paragraph. We can't let him off the lead as he runs away but would possibly come back for my DD. We don't crate him as DD said he didn't like it but he is not destructive. He only came to us at 5 months when my DD came home, he is now 8 months and has started to growl and snap if you try to take anything from him. It's worse than having a toddler.

I've also posted recently with similar problems with my seven month pup and have had great sucess with him since I started only using high value treats ie cheese, cooked chicken etc. I've also started clicker training, which is beginning to help.

Dh comes to dog training with me most weeks, which helps ensure we're both singing from the same song sheet although he doesn't always stick to the rules.

We use cheese and it works really well. I don't pay any attention to those who scoff at this method and say I will always have to use treats - I don't care! As long as she comes back when I whistle I don't mind if I have to do a full-on song and dance routine, it's worth it!

Ours is an 8 month old beagle by the way.

Bit of an update my DD took him to the beach today with a friend and his dog and let him off the lead. When he got out of the car, he made a dash for it but could not get down a slope so came back for her. He was not too keen on the other dog so kept running back to her. Good start and she also took treats with her.

My long line has arrived just now. We've had enforced lead walks this week due to neutering so haven't done off lead for maybe 10 days. His recall seemed at its worse on that last off lead walk. I've been doing recall work in the house and garden, but today he jumped over the garden wall and although he did come back when I called him (excitedly, running backwards, disguising my terror!), I am very nervous now. We're going to have to just do lead walks and use the long line in the sports field until I'm confident again. No woodland walks for a while, I suppose, as I can't see the long line being safe around bushes and trees.

Anyway, no time for a field walk this afternoon, so I'm going in the garden with some cheese! Will update on progress.

Can I just say one thing about recall. Recall to the dog should not seem the end of something - it should be the beginning of something more exciting.

So if you have a young dog that knows when you call him he is put on a lead and put in the car eg the end of his fun walk you will never get a good recall.

At the age of your dogs, recall only to something better eg a game with a ball, a lovely cuddle, the best treat ever. For a week or two do not recall at end of walk - try to have him near you and just put on the lead.

Recall only to great things and you will start to have the best recall ever.

Thanks minimuu. I did start off doing all that when he first started going out. His recall was perfect every time until a couple of weeks ago. I didn't think I'd done anything different, but maybe I just stopped being exciting to him. It'll have to be amazing treats that are only given for coming when called - I can't seem to get him interested in a game while we're out in a walk. Cheese has just been a hit in the house and garden, and I rarely let him have any of that due to his sensitive tummy.

Really good unplanned walk today with a friend and her dog, which made me feel more confident. Wasn't safe to use the long line. I called him maybe 7 or 8 times during the walk and he came back to cheese every time. Once he came back from being playing with a dog. I will practise with the long line on the sports field, but was very happy with today's walk.

We had a good bit of off lead walk at the weekend. Was walking pup on lead (with DS so a slow amble!) through the woods till we were caught up with by a lady with two similar sized dogs off lead. Pup so desperately wanted to play, and the other lady said her dogs would come back if called so I let her off and she was brilliant. So busy playing with the other two she kept close and came back every time. Didn't have to call her when it was lead on time as the other dogs obviously knew the drill and she just followed them and cam up to go back on lead!

Need to find more dogs to share walks with! Weekends is not so bad, the woods you often meet someone. But because she is small, owners of bigger dogs tend to keep their dogs away from her.

That sounds good, pisky. We've had more good off lead walks this week. I realised there's no point calling him right at the beginning of the walk, so I've let him play and run wild for a few minutes. The first time I see him heading for me, I call enthusiastically and crouch down. He's been comin really well like that. He's come also when I call when I really can't see him - hear him thundering about in the undergrowth trying to get to me. Cheese in pocket has been good. I'm pleased again this week and more confident.

I also use a whistle signal with him (just my mouth) that's not to tell him to come but to indicate where I am in the woods. If I do that, he comes hurtling past usually, so I know where he is.

Our long line has arrived. Am now realising that a harness is needed rather than a collar - as it goes between his legs.

Had a very encouraging session yesterday with him, using cheese (a posh brie!) and a whistle. He was very good.

Minimuu's tips are v useful esp re not recalling at the end.

True, I haven't been risking an end of walk recall - just waited for him to be near me then caught him. I also tried very hard not to call him when trying to remove the rabbit head from his mouth yesterday (someone else's kill, not his!), but my dad ruined that by shouting at him.

I am having exactly the same problems and in fact as Minimuu said when I recalled at the end of the walk today the little bugger ran off, onto the road and wasn't going to come back for love nor money.

I've been having problems with recall for several weeks now, he will come back 6 out of 10 times but the other four times if he's found something and it's obvious fox poo is much, much tastier than any of the treats I have in my pocket he's just not going to come back.

Where have you bought your long lines from? I'm using an extending lead but I think it's not long enough for training. I'm hoping to get this sorted quickly as I don't like walks with the dog on the lead.

On another note has anybody got any tips for me to stop him flinging himself at the door when someone knocks on it and then proceeding to fling himself at the person on the other side to say hello. He's too big to be doing this now.

I did go and see about lessons this week and they're 25 euros an hour - I can't afford that so I've got to sort out the training on my own. It's going to cost 15 euros an hour just for a socialisation class which I think is more important at the moment as he just throws himself at other people or dogs.

With regard to the door issue, I send mine to his bed when the doorbell rings - it's a crate so I can shut the door, but I'm sure teaching them to lie on their beds would also work. I make sure he gets a nice treat when he goes to the bed and it gives me chance to prime visitors and prevent the leaping about.

Oh, my long line was from eBay.

I got my long line from Amazon, I think. It's about 15m and was £20. I think I could have got it cheaper, in hindsight.

It's funny to compare notes about puppy adolescence. My old dog was so well behaved - we never put her on her lead in the last few years! (Hilarious prospect with new dog as even on the lead he tries to fling himself into the road!)