I don’t think we’ll ever get recall back, is it ok for an active breed to always be walked on lead?

[StarSpangled372]

Our dog is 11 months old, I know this is the prime age for losing recall but I genuinely can’t see us ever getting it back and my confidence in him is shot. We trained hard from getting him at 11 weeks old and he was fantastic, would turn in a split second at the blow of the whistle.

I’ve been following the total recall book and initially saw some improvements but we’re away on holiday and he buggered off into the sand dunes yesterday for a good 15 minutes, we could see where he was but he just wouldn’t come back. DH ended up having to chase after him.

He’s a spaniel/terrier cross. He loves his walks but doesn’t suffer for only walking on lead. He’s still chilled at home.

The only time I can get him fully focused is if he’s chasing pebbles thrown in a river or field (not ideal I know but he’s not interested in a ball and he never catches them, just enjoys the chase).

I feel like I’ve failed him but it also feels like it’s only a matter of time before he gets himself into serious danger. I trust him on the river walk and one secure field, that’s it.

Is it ok if we just keep him on lead for the rest of it? He’s so lovely, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.

He'll get it back, I promise. Most do. Mine was a nightmare at 11 months old - he disappeared for two hours chasing a rabbit, ran off after a deer another time (well, several other times...)

He's 2.5 now (and a beagle, so a breed known for dodgy recall) and he's fine. Doesn't run off, sticks close and comes back when called. Just stick with it - use a longline if you need to for now or an enclosed field and just keep practising what you've taught him. I found mine settled back down around 14-15 months old and he's generally been fine since.

Thankyou for the encouragement, I just can’t ever see it happening. He goes completely deaf to us or he hears us and just doesn’t give a shit. It’s when he gets the scent of something, he’s like a thing possessed-nose to the ground, zig zagging, it like someone presses the fast forward button on him and he’s off like a rocket.

It’s so disheartening cause we love walking, the holiday we’re on now-theres so many amazing walks and he’s stuck on his lead.

I tried a long line but he doesn’t stay close enough for me to step on it (obviously I need a much longer one!)

Believe me, I've been there! It is so disheartening and ours was stuck on a lead for months after his two hour adventure chasing a rabbit

I've since changed career and I'm now a dog walker and his recall has improved ten fold - probably a mixture of maturity and practise!

I know it feels like he'll never change but please don't give up - he will get it one day!

A trailing longline can help you here: it lets you start to reel him in without having to actually catch him.

Also, on every walk, do lots of recall practice with great rewards. Go for a short walk somewhere not too tempting, and call him in literally every couple of minutes. Hold his collar, praise and treat, rinse and repeat.

That way, he should start to automatically respond, and still come back in slightly more interesting places. By holding his collar and then letting him go, you won't make him think that when he's caught, it's game over.

There is a field near me you can rent for dog walks. Just wanted to suggest you google your local area and see if there is similar for off-lead work!

The dog you have at 11 months is not the dog you have at 3 years. They change so much (behaviourally) between those points.If you have 2 walks where you trust your adolescent dog to be off lead then (for his age) you are really doing well. Mine was on a trailing lead for several months at that age.

As pp's have said: focus on limiting his opportunity to practise running off/not recalling by using a long lead. Make coming back to you the most rewarding thing you can (praise and treats and toys - vary it). Don't just use recall to remove him from something fun or to end the walk. use it liberally in between and at home. Have faith.

Maybe he never will recall despite all your efforts but, if that's the case, he would be an exception. For sure if you give up now you will never know.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom! I’ll get back on the training after our holidays, I have been following all the advice given, I naively thought he’d be ok on a beach. We’ve kept him on the lead all day today. I saw a spaniel in the same ‘snuffing mode’ he gets in when he won’t recall-nose down and zig zagging in fast forward. He was staying close to the owner though. I was so tempted to stop and ask him the secret but the path was narrow.

Hopefully we will get there, if we don’t it won’t be due to lack of trying! I keep trying to remind myself that he is still very young and he’s come along way in many other ways. This is his first holiday and actually only the 3rd house he’s been in and he’s been asking to go out for the toilet, no accidents, he’s settling well, we’ve been out and about lots and he’s taken it all in his stride.

I see many dogs who are always on a lead, often huskys or hound breeds. We feel sorry for them but know their owners cannot ever trust them loose. Probably your pup will grow up and be reliable at least most of the time. Most dogs don’t get to the Perfect Recall book’s standard.

We've all been there - I'm struggling with one of mine ATM - but I have a REALLY well trained Older dog and I just remind myself that it is possible to get there with the hooligan - IF I put in the work!

The trailing long line really is your friend, PLEASE invest in one. The dog runs free with the line attached, but the length of it means you can easily grab it, stand on it, etc. The dog thinks that you have a magic power and must be obeyed....

This is the point dogs end up in rescue, particularly young males, people despair, they stop letting the dog off lead, the dog gets frustrated and becomes impossible to live with.

You can do this, you've done it once, you're just having to deal with a teenager not a toddler, but he will grow up! honest!

It does get better. We have a 17 month old working Collie working Cocker cross and his recall has been terrible over the past few months. He does the zig zag after scents thing and if there is anything slightly more interesting than us,forget it. We live on a sheep farm so can only let him off if we know that he can't see or get to our sheep,which is pretty much nowhere at the minute.He has just enough collie in him to want to herd them, but not enough to know what he's doing. But he is improving. Last week some lambs escaped into a field they shouldn't have been in and he was loose. He saw them,but came back to us when recalled. This is a major improvement on what he has been like and there is s long way to go before I can trust him,but they do get better. We use two long lines tied together.

This is the point dogs end up in rescue, particularly young males, people despair, they stop letting the dog off lead, the dog gets frustrated and becomes impossible to live with.

Absolutely and, in doing so, the miss out on seeing the great adult dog they could become.

Teenage (male) dogs are pita. They really are. But one day you wake up and realise how much they've matured into a great dog.

[Insert 'Keep the Faith' by Bon Jovi here]

I walk mine on a long leash. I have two that are a working breed but strong prey drive. There is nothing wrong in walking on a long leash. Mine do a minimum of 10 miles a day on 30ft leashes. To be honest they are under better control than off leash dogs. They enjoy their walks. Your dog you could try recall again but if he/she does not come-back when prompted don't despair if you have to walk on a long leash.

I remember a police dog handler on one of these Police! Stop! programmes whose highly trained GSD had sodded off after a rabbit and wouldn't recall. It made me feel much better about my own dog's occasional selective hearing!