Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Jeuvenile behaviour, advice please

11 replies

Chocolatefrenzy · 07/05/2021 18:51

My 9 month old male lab has suddenly started this awful behaviour. We take him to open countryside where lots of dogs walk, he has a great time running around but when it’s time to go home will refuse to come to us to have his lead put on. Last night it took 45 mins to catch him to put lead on!! He just thought it was hilarious, you could tell with the look on his face, we tried stern commanding voices, gentle voices, tempting treats but no nothing worked, i was nearly in tears with frustration. Other dog owners even got involved trying to get him to come close to grab his collar. So now we can’t let him off the lead at all. Is this a passing phase.? Do I need to get a trainer involved?

OP posts:
Motorina · 07/05/2021 19:12

It's a passing phase. Teenage dogs are dickheads. Until he grows out of it put him on a long line. You can let it go but, to catch him, you just need to get close to the line and stand on it and then reel him in.

The other thing you can try is lots of calling him back, on lead, treat/praise, release. So he doesn't associate with going on lead with the end of the walk.

But mainly he's a teenage brat and it will pass.

villainousbroodmare · 07/05/2021 19:18

Go back to the beginning of training recall. Most young dogs like most small kids would struggle to respond in that situation. Only ask him once to come back and only if you are sure he will come. If you're not sure he will come, then don't call him at all, rather go and catch him. Also remember that the best reward for a running playing dog is to be immediately released to run again.

Catsrus · 07/05/2021 21:20

Teenager, perfectly normal, horrible to live with.

Back to basics, invest in a long line, treat him as though you'd just got him and have to start from scratch.

He WILL come through it - so long as you are consistent and patient. It's very frustrating as you just think you have a lovely well behaved dog and they start doing the doggy equivalent of sticking two fingers up to you!

DeadDodo1 · 07/05/2021 22:33

@castrus that made me laugh

this happened to us with ddog at 7 months and we are now nearly at 10 months and it's no better yet. I think we're in for the long run! Before that, he had completely brilliant recall.

but whatever you do, don't be tempted to let him off lead without a longline till he's mastered this. We thought we were making progress and let him off and he went miles away really quickly and we thought he was gone!

DeadDodo1 · 07/05/2021 22:33

@catsrus not castrus!

Chocolatefrenzy · 08/05/2021 00:14

Thankyou everyone, quick question, does a long training lead need to be attached to a harness rather than a collar?

OP posts:
catsrus · 08/05/2021 08:40

Hi @Chocolatefrenzy - great question, yes, as you will need to be able to stamp on it and the dog will get stopped suddenly.

One of the great benefits of the long line is, when you know you can stop the dog more easily you relax a lot more. This makes training less stressful. It's a pain in the rain / mud, but the modern ones wash very easily (unlike the old rope washing lines we used to use!)

Don't just use it when he's doing a runner, gently stand on it while he's walking a bit far in front, at the same time give the "come" command and give a VERY high reward treat and lots of praise, then let him wander on again. You need to reinforce that coming back to you is really rewarding and nothing bad happens. Keep a special treat for recall training, not ordinary everyday treats. Chopped up bits of hot dog sausage work well, or roast chicken etc. If you are meat eaters, and do any kind of roast, then you can portion up small bags of bits to use as treats and freeze them.

With my youngster - who came to me with a reputation as an escape artist - I thought he'd never be off the long line. When I was having a successful walk, rather than pushing my luck, I'd put him back on a short lead after a positive session with the long line, sometimes he went back onto the LL for a final run later in the walk, then back on lead. Always try to end on a positive, having the lead put back on should be associated with "what a good boy" not "you little " The dogs pick up on mood really quickly. You are trying to build up really positive associations with coming back to you and going back on lead if you want him to do it voluntarily.

Don't use the LL as a lead, too cumbersome, it's an aid to teach recall, not a lead.

Finally, be patient but consistent, it might take months. My LL is in the garage, hasn't been used since before Xmas, the youngster now will obey a command to come close (to heel) when we pass cyclists or walkers. Still expects his treat though 🤣 in fact the little smart arse sometime stand still while we walk on and waits for me to give him the "close" command, just to get the treat 😉

Good luck! You can do it.

Chocolatefrenzy · 08/05/2021 09:06

Thankyou Catsrus , we will start doing this, certainly feel now that we can’t let him loose anymore. Lots of long leads on the market, how long should a long lead be for this type of training?

OP posts:
catsrus · 08/05/2021 10:56

@Chocolatefrenzy

Thankyou Catsrus , we will start doing this, certainly feel now that we can’t let him loose anymore. Lots of long leads on the market, how long should a long lead be for this type of training?
Not a long lead - ie a retractable- yes, loads of them on the market - DO NOT try to use one of those .

You want a long line, NOT a long lead.

You will be letting the dog run free, you have to that in order to train him. The long line will be attached to his harness and trail behind him on the floor. It makes it easier to control him as you can put a foot on it to stop him. Don't hold onto it - you'll end up in a tangle.

This is a way of teaching recall, being attached to a lead doesn't teach recall.

catsrus · 08/05/2021 11:04

@Chocolatefrenzy sorry, may have misunderstood you, I never think of long lines coming with choices (I've had mine for a very long time, multiple dogs have been trained with it) this looks to be about right - 10m - comes in different colours, but it will get filthy!

Vivifying Dog Training Lead Leash, 10m/32ft Long Nylon Training Dog Leash for Pet Tracking Training Obedience Lead Leash (Black)
by VivifyingDirect
Learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N1MN8LF/ref=cmswwemrrmtdpp_PH4SY37HWN0QRCG6AGWB

sunflowersandbuttercups · 08/05/2021 13:15

You want a biothane line - it's waterproof and doesn't get muddy, smelly and soggy.

They're not cheap but they last forever. I use them at work all the time.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page