AIBU to think some dogs will never have reliable recall?

[HuskyMcClusky]

I’m in total despair over my lurcher today, so please be gentle!

Got her as an adult rescue dog 2 years ago. Been trying to train recall for TWO BLOODY YEARS. I still can’t let her off lead anywhere open. Have tried training classes, one-on-one trainers, Pippa Mattinson book (she hated the whistle ).

Should I resign myself to walking her on-lead for the rest of her days? I don’t mind, but I feel bad for her; she’s only 4!

Have you any friends with reliable dogs who you could tag along with? I have 2 very good off the lead Lurchers, never worry about them, also a husky who will never be off but that's a typical husky thing I believe.

Notas, sadly, no. Part of the problem is that she is a bit unpredictable around small dogs (which all my friends have). She is big and fast!

My spaniels have dreadful recall despite years of training. Their instinct as a gundog is to work away from me though so sticking next to me is odd for them. Unfortunately the treats I have on offer never match the lure of stinking fox poo or wild animals that they love to chase after.

1 will come back after 3 or 4 calls, the other one comes back when he pleases, usually covered in something vile.

Can you find an enclosed field to use? You can search here www.facebook.com/dogwalkingfields/ for a local field. I book a large field twice a week at the moment and walk very rurally at other times.

Reinette, I’m in Australia an enclosed fields aren’t really a thing around here, or I’d happily pay for one!

Unfortunately, some dogs just don't want to comply. My pillock is half Akita and they are notorious for having terrible recall. I can't let him offlead because he's a boingy eejit, and will blatantly ignore me if i ask him to return. I could wave a raw steak at him and he wouldn't wanna know.

So yes, some dogs don't respond to recall.

HuskyMcClusky try finding a riding school with an indoor arena and see if you can hire it. My cousins do this. Theyre in Perth. They found several dog agility groups trained at a local riding school so approached the school themselves who let them hire the arena for an hour a time.

I have a Stafford and despite almost 2 years of consistent training, his recall is still sketchy. He does come back, but sometimes it's in his own sweet time. I'm lucky that he's been well socialised and isn't an aggressive dog, and is much more enamoured with people than their dogs, but I am still very careful where I let him off as not all dogs or owners like the sight of him.
I have no advice sadly, just sympathy.

I’m in Perth, Reinette!! Any chance you could PM me the name of the riding school, please? I’d be so grateful!

Battle ‘I could wave a raw steak’ sums up my dog’s attitude entirely. Grrr.

My dogs recall started to improve only when I found something he liked more than running off and doing his own thing. Fortunately for a spaniel chasing balls seems to be a big hit but not sure what drives lurches in the same way so not sure what to suggest.

Nope. Some don't

My jack Russell never was.

I still let him when I could because he refused to walk otherwise

Sometimes he would plod along nicely 5 foot behind me, sometimes he would wander off and I had to follow him.

Only once did he really leg it but he was spooked by something so I can forgive him for that.

Most of the time he buggered off and refused to come back until he was ready. Lucky he wasn't dog aggressive and had no interest in other dogs or people. He just wanted to wander about.

He was a rescue so I wonder if this was normal for him

My DPs had a lurcher. She had recall as and when she chose to have it when there wasn't a rabbit in sight

She always turned up eventually but it could be hours later and covered in injuries. She was half greyhound/half Saluki and had likely had a previous life doing illegal hare coursing. Neither breed is bred for recall so effectively not a surprise she didn't have any. The good bit was the Saluki half meant she was highly bonded to one person (my Dad) so would turn up eventually and could walk off lead next to him in places there were no rabbits or small dogs.

As my Dad used to say, if you look at the size of the brain compared to the size of the dog...

HuskyMcClusky I will message them for you. Hopefully I will get back to you over the weekend.

Reinette, that would be great - thank you!

My dog is a total eejit outside he is as good as gold inside he can't be let off lead his braincell doesn't compute recall he gets distracted , you have to remember your dog is a rescue also a lurcher so the urge to chase is maybe to strong.

MrsJayy, yes, she LOOOVES a chase. She’ll chase anything: cats, dogs, paper bags blowing down the street. There are no ‘high-value training treats’ that compare, sadly.

Miaow, mine’s got greyhound in her. She remembers where every cat lives in a 5 km radius. Within minutes of being off lead in a park, she’ll bolt out and across the road to the nearest cat’s house.

Most of mine have been complete wankers off lead 🙄 I can work with other people's dogs on recall, no problem! I've had one that can be off lead without an issue, the rest have had to be long lined. Every other command, spot on. Apparently i'm just not that interesting once we get outside 😂😂

My Retriever is on the lead most of the time
He is very good at staying close unless he spots a person and/or dog in the distance and then he will run at them full pelt. Only to say hello but obviously they don’t know that!!
We have worked on it but as someone else said I could wave anything at him but it’s never as much fun as jumping all over a complete ( and terrified) stranger

Beagles are adorable... but have you ever seen (a pet) one off the lead? They do not come back.

Cats set her absolutely frothing. I cannot imagine anything I could do that would compete with a running cat.

(Or, in fact, a sleeping one.)

Every dog I’ve had (even an ex-racer greyhound) has had good recall. I have two dogs now- one is perfect, the other is a shithead.
He will come back if he feels like it but any whiff of a wild animal or a c.a.t. and he fucks off quicker than Usain Bolt.

I don’t take my eyes off him if he’s off lead and any clues in his body language that he’s picked up the scent of something and he’s back on the lead.
He’s very food orientated which is good but he doesn't care about that when he finds anything better to do.
I have the number of someone who hires a private field so I need to chase that up and I also take him to an indoor dog swimming pool which is great for exercise.

I only let my terrier off if there is absolutely nothing around as far as I can see (beach) or we are with other people whose dogs always come back - he will follow.

A trainer told me to remember that terriers were bred to go to ground after prey, and to have an independent streak that enables them to go away from their human. I know some terriers have good recall but as a rule breed character has a lot to do with it. My lad's happy on a long line, fortunately.