Guest Jubilee251 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I know this is an uphill battle! Unfortunately, living in Chicago and smack-dab downtown, no less, we have an ABUNDANCE of pigeons (and gulls near the lakefront). Molly, of course, will try to take off after small moving critters and I'm trying to work with her to walk nicely when we encounter a pigeon at every corner (sometime multiples, if someone dropped a bagel). I keep her on a short leash, or hold her collar if need be. If she pulls, I stop and don't move again until the leash is slack. But as we gradually approach, she will just LEAP up and forward, no matter if I'm holding her collar or her leash. She does not see/smell/hear anything, including treats, unless I shove it right at her mouth. Other than when pigeons and squirrels are near, she is really good at looking at me if I call her name on leash. How would I go about doing desensitization training with this? Is it even possible when chasing small, moving critters is so ingrained in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmilyandSioux Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 My 3 greyhounds have chased anything that moves. Sioux tried to run thru a hog wire fence to get a squirrell. THis is so bred into them it is next to impossible to get them to stop without messing up the dog. Sorry Prayers coming your way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 How long have you had her? One trick is to catch her *before* she zones out and do some things like quick turns, heel, sit, etc. to help keep her attention on you. The second trick is time. When I first got Batman, he'd try to chase squirrels while on leash. He learned pretty quickly that it wasn't going to happen, and would ignore them on leash unless one ran right in front of him. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetcitywoman Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Heck, it's all I can do not to chase them, myself! Quote Sharon, Loki, Freyja, Capri (bridge angel and most beloved heart dog), Ajax (bridge angel) and Sweetie Pie (cat) Visit Hound-Safe.com by Something Special Pet Supplies for muzzles and other dog safety products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dragontearz Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 What Batmom said..Guinness would yank me off of my feet when he saw a squirrel, but now his ears usually don't even perk up anymore-he knows he's on the leash and the tasty squirrels aren't going to get caught...he doesn't care about birds though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jubilee251 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 How long have you had her? One trick is to catch her *before* she zones out and do some things like quick turns, heel, sit, etc. to help keep her attention on you. The second trick is time. When I first got Batman, he'd try to chase squirrels while on leash. He learned pretty quickly that it wasn't going to happen, and would ignore them on leash unless one ran right in front of him. We've had her for almost 3 months now, which is still early! I usually spot the pigeon before she tries to jump, but occasionally the d*mn bird will stand its ground, oblivious to the fanged monster. We've been practicing "leave it" on our walks, and I was just wondering if there is something for this I can work on with her during our walks and training sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 If you havent been to the Basic Obedience classes taught at Windy City K9, I would strongly suggest it. The reason I say this is two-fold: First, the instructor is a volunteer with Greyhounds Only, and the only "students" allowed in her classes are greyhounds. Secondly, you will learn invaluable training aids and bond with your hound. The best thing you will learn is the "leave it" command. This command can be used to help break their intensity towards prey, can be used to stop them from lunging towards a dropped food item, or can be used to get them to ignore the little target dogs when you are in a pet store. In your case, I think it would help when Molly lunges and goes nuts when she sees the pigeons. Although whats the worst case, a few less flying rats in the city =}. Seriously though, the basic obedience class is wonderful since its with greyhounds and greyhound people. The best part, the people you see in the class, you may just see again around town or at greyhound events which is really neat. I actually went through class with K9Arco here on GT! If you are interested, I know that Denise Petrovic can help you get in touch with the trainer and will know the next class starting times, her email address is: bdpetrovic "at" sbcglobal "dot" net. So in a nutshell, while it is probably not possible to remove all prey drive from Molly, it is definitely possible to give her some manners so that she is much more manageable when she sees something that she wants to chase. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jubilee251 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) Hey Chad - we're attending the class right now! Karen and Denise are both great. Molly...well, we're working on it. She will sit for Denise and Karen, and come home and just stare at me when I ask her to do it. Or she'll lie down. Goober. I'll be sad when it's over, it was a great way to spend an hour focusing on her and having her work and socialize with other greyhounds every week. I would love to have her chase pigeons to her heart's content, but not in the middle of loop traffic! I'll start applying "leave it" to any little critters I see. Hopefully her manners will improve over time and training. Edited March 30, 2010 by Jubilee251 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 In the mean time the Premier head collar is a wonderful tool. That way if your hound lunges it won't rip your arm off and the dog's momentum turns them back toward you and away from the birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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