Are Your Greyhound(S) Recall Trained?

[Guest PhillyPups]

Are mine all recall trained to their name? Not always, unless I change all their names to cookie. I can get their attention and they hae yet to miss coming at all times with that magic word. I still would not trust mine off leash but do know that they will come with that word.

 

Sometimes in the house they like to play "let's confuse mom and change our names". I will call Gremlin and DonieDude will appear, call Moe and Gremlin is there. I call cookie and everyone is there.

 

If my greyt huntress is is on the hunt, she is oblivious to all else around her.

 

I work with them all, I do not trust the success rate.

[galgrey]

Carly and Cruz will come if they feel like it and most of the time they simply don't. Princess is uber smart and has excellent recall, but I don't feel it's worth it to let her run off leash. She has a strong prey drive and I learned first hand that recall training won't necessarily override genetics. On April 15, 2006 I lost my galgo, Irys, who would reliably come if I called her in a fenced area. On that fateful morning a rabbit ran through my fenced backyard with my greyhound and two galgos in hot pursuit. When the rabbit ducked under the fence to freedom, Irys sailed over the fence and took off after it completely oblivious to my calls. Irys was struck by a car and died from internal injuries. I grieve her loss to this day and I will never get over it.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I began working on recall with Jayne on week two of having her. She is pretty reliable. I'll not take her off lead, but it's nice to know she understands the concept of "get over here" in case she gets loose.

 

They're like big long-legged, pointy-nosed cats, actually.

 

I had to laugh at this quote. My cats are more reliable recall trained than many people's dogs. Both come to a high pitched whistle. They are quite reliable with it, but they are indoor only cats.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Carly and Cruz will come if they feel like it and most of the time they simply don't. Princess is uber smart and has excellent recall, but I don't feel it's worth it to let her run off leash. She has a strong prey drive and I learned first hand that recall training won't necessarily override genetics. On April 15, 2006 I lost my galgo, Irys, who would reliably come if I called her in a fenced area. On that fateful morning a rabbit ran through my fenced backyard with my greyhound and two galgos in hot pursuit. When the rabbit ducked under the fence to freedom, Irys sailed over the fence and took off after it completely oblivious to my calls. Irys was struck by a car and died from internal injuries. I grieve her loss to this day and I will never get over it.

I'm so sorry for your loss. :(

[Jackandgrey]

I couldn't answer because the answer isn't the same for all my dogs. Jilly has an excellent recall. I have had her off leash in areas I would never consider for others.

 

 

Jack had absolutely no recall and although he had no prey drive at all and never chased anything, would wander and absolutely not listen.

 

Josh has a fairly good recall but I wouldn't trust it.

[Guest AnnesMenagerie]

<P>Practice every week when we go to a fenced area for a run.  I'd say 'pretty reliable' there or when we're someplace very relaxed like the beach.  However, any time I've really <STRONG><EM>needed</EM></STRONG> them to come - like when they get scared and bolt out of the house or somehow get away from me someplace strange (it has happened a few times over the last 5 years) - they wouldn't come to me at all.  The only thing that works is to open the back of the car - if they're scared, they go to the car - it seems to be their 'safe place'.<BR><BR>So - I keep working on the recall.  It comes in handy - but I never ever depend on it.</P>

[Guest KungPaoKat]

I would like to start working on recall with Monroe. What vocal command is typically used? Come? Wait? Here? Is there a common hand signal? I read something about a special type of whistle that is used in greyhound training...would that be a good idea?

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

You can use any word you want

 

For formal obedience (think obedience trials) I use "Front" which means sit right in front of me perfectly straight. Out and about I use Come, and I do have a whistle, too. I use the whistle because it's louder than my voice if I am calling them back from running in the woods. Especially if the wind is blowing the wrong direction.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

In direct response to the comment that one has been offended by equating trust with a disease, I wholeheartedly agree with the association. While I teach recall, on a daily basis, as well as whistle recall on a weekly basis, I even take one of my hounds to LGRA in an unfenced area, I still believe it is a disease that you cannot underestimate.

 

I am not sure if you remember the story of the boy and the snake? I will shorten the story so that you get the point quickly.

 

A boy finds a snake, befriends the snake. Years and years go by and one day the snake bites the boy (a posionous snake of course), with the boy dying, he asked the snake, "why did you bite me?" The snakes response, "I am a snake, what did you expect?".

 

Same thing with greyhounds, they are a sighthound, what do you expect?

 

Chad

[Guest Drumhellergrey]

In direct response to the comment that one has been offended by equating trust with a disease, I wholeheartedly agree with the association. While I teach recall, on a daily basis, as well as whistle recall on a weekly basis, I even take one of my hounds to LGRA in an unfenced area, I still believe it is a disease that you cannot underestimate.

 

I am not sure if you remember the story of the boy and the snake? I will shorten the story so that you get the point quickly.

 

A boy finds a snake, befriends the snake. Years and years go by and one day the snake bites the boy (a posionous snake of course), with the boy dying, he asked the snake, "why did you bite me?" The snakes response, "I am a snake, what did you expect?".

 

Same thing with greyhounds, they are a sighthound, what do you expect?

 

Chad

 

 

I expect a Greyhound to be a dog. Dogs can be trained.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Drumhellergrey

[Guest TeddysMom]

My four greys are wonderful in the fenced yard, they all come when I call but I wouldn't dare trust them off leash anywhere else. I'm afraid if one saw something and took off the others would follow just to run. The one big fear I have where I live is the neighbor's barbed wire fences, I sure don't want them to tangle with that.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

You believe your training can override thousands of years of selective breeding? Wow, you must be one heck of a trainer!

Edited April 26, 2010 by Greyt_dog_lover

[Guest Swifthounds]

I saw three greyhounds get loose while I was in Gettysburg for GIG (and really, in terms of hours, I wasn't there all that long). None of those three came back to their person when called. Before this thread I might have thought that odd, but now I realize that those of us who teach recall (or continue to work on it) are in the minority. For me to put my faith in a leash alone , I'd have to trust that a collar would never slip, and leash would never get tangled, a snap would never give out, and that it would never happen that I might fall or be injured while walking them.

[Guest bordermutts]

Someday when I get my grey(s), I plan on doing as much recall training as I possibly can, just to be safe. But I will never trust them in an unfenced area unless I've personally seen them take off after a rabbit, then turn around and come back to me when I call them. If they pass that test, then great, they can be off-leash - but otherwise it just wouldn't be worth the risk to me.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I saw three greyhounds get loose while I was in Gettysburg for GIG (and really, in terms of hours, I wasn't there all that long). None of those three came back to their person when called. Before this thread I might have thought that odd, but now I realize that those of us who teach recall (or continue to work on it) are in the minority. For me to put my faith in a leash alone , I'd have to trust that a collar would never slip, and leash would never get tangled, a snap would never give out, and that it would never happen that I might fall or be injured while walking them.

Where did they get loose? I saw a few dogs get loose on the floor of my hotel (bolted out doors), both greys and non-greys, I grabbed them as they approached. Rogan comes to me in the house, but I think if he slipped past me in a hotel and saw other people in the hall he would ignore my calls....

[Guest Swifthounds]

Where did they get loose? I saw a few dogs get loose on the floor of my hotel (bolted out doors), both greys and non-greys, I grabbed them as they approached. Rogan comes to me in the house, but I think if he slipped past me in a hotel and saw other people in the hall he would ignore my calls....

 

No, I wasn't counting those as loose dogs, though I'll never understand how people with fewer hounds seem to have more difficulty keeping them under contained and under control. Then again, none of my hounds is likely to find anything about people in the hall enticing enough to risk the consequences of darting off, let alone ignoring me.

 

I was only counting dogs who slipped collars or were otherwise no longer under their human's control by way of a leash. 1. Parking lot of the outlets 2. side street in Gettysburg 3. on one of the battlefield areas (don't recall which one).

[Guest LindsaySF]

though I'll never understand how people with fewer hounds seem to have more difficulty keeping them under contained and under control.

 

I hear that. I kept running into people walking 1 or 2 dogs that were being dragged around, or would get their leashes tangled in mine as the dogs were greeting, and I had to do all the untangling (I was walking 4).

 

 

 

Dogs were loose in the parking lot and on the roads? Whoa, glad they caught them (and glad I didn't see it).

[Guest Drumhellergrey]

You believe your training can override thousands of years of selective breeding? Wow, you must be one heck of a trainer!

Just catching up.sorry for the delay in responding to your sarcastic comeback. Mine has never raced, he is a cross, but essentially a greyhound. He chases things all the time, and always ,yes always returns, as this is what I have conditioned him to do. He doesn't even need to be called back 50 % of the time. Greys may be fast,and they do have high prey drive. They are NOT, however dumb animals that will just run off, never to be seen again.

 

Just to be clear, I walk him in a very much so rural setting. Lots of hills and coulees, but very few, if any trees, beyond sage-brush.

 

Not everyone has the good fortune to have such a unique place to run their dogs, so don't assume that I am all for letting a Greyhound off-leash, in an unfenced area. When he is close to a residential area, or in a city. You'd better believe that he is kept on a leash. He would love to chase after all of the loose cats that have free run .

 

No, I am not a professional trainer, but I do want my grey -cross to live a full life. Afterall, he is a dog, and dogs love to romp around off-leash.

[Guest missecho]

Here's a cautionary tale that happened to someone I know:

 

They were walking their grey, and their other dog, in a wash (dry riverbed) in the desert--miles from any people, cars, or civilization, for that matter. They let both dogs off leash.

At one point suddenly a rabbit appeared and the grey took off chasing it down the wash. The rabbit ran quite aways, and then ducked under a barbed wire fence. The grey did not see the fence, and ran straight into it.

 

$6,000 vet bill.

[Guest Cris_M]

Hmmm. I don't know how to answer the poll. I seriously doubt our two fosters could be taught (reliable) recall. One was super high prey drive and the other is old and doesn't get the point. Before you think that the old one would be safe anyway, he is not. An old greyhound can drift away faster than you think.

 

For my current grey, I would say he always responds. We took him lure coursing, he caught the plastic bag at the end, I called him and he came to me immediately. Another time he was at a homecoming event at the racetrack. Someone left a fence open, owners were going nuts, dogs were going helter skelter, I called and Duncan came back immediately. Now, there is not a chance that I think this is normal behavior -- neither did the other grey owners who saw this. I don't expect to ever have a dog - any dog - with this type of recall. I certainly don't expect to have another sight hound like this. Given his recall, I am still very careful to choose off-leash spaces wisely.

 

Recall training is a necessity in my book. So is knowing how well recall will actually work with a particular dog.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Any dog can be taught anything if one can find a motivator strong enough in that dog, and learn to use it. Obedience can never be 100% guaranteed, but neither can anything else in life, including that precious leash.

[Guest krystolla]

It didn't occur to me that I might not train recall. Any skill Hack learns at recall, even if it's unreliable, is better than no recall at all. So far he's reliable at about 3 feet when I have a treat in hand. He's actually more reliable practicing outside than inside the house.

 

I don't intend to ever have him off-leash in an unfenced area, but accidents happen and it's possible that he'll dash out the door or the gate won't latch or any of those other things that wake me up at night worrying. So I teach recall, the same way I teach "drop it" even though I hope he'll never pick up anything I need to get out of his mouth.

 

Personally, I think every dog should learn "stay", "come", "drop it" and "leave it" but I'm the daughter of a professional dog trainer so I might have a prejudice in this area.

 

It's possible to teach retrievers not to pick up everything in their mouths, to teach terriers not to dig dens in the couch and to teach herding breeds that the kids don't need to be in a tight bundle in the middle of the room. Lots of breeds are taught things that go against their breeding all the time, so I have trouble seeing that as an excuse to skip the training in a sight hound. Imagine if everyone with a doberman said that they couldn't teach bite inhibition because that's just the way the dogs were bred?

[cleptogrey]

i teach wait/stay,

come

and

leave-it in that order.

the three commands can save your dog's life. i reinforce each command until it's perfect.

 

i start this on day one when a new dog enters my home.

[JaneW]

I said "reliable". I worked hard with Greta after she got loose at my sister's house, and now "Greta! Come!" means "CHEESE!" to her. A command she will only ignore is she is so distracted the words don't penetrate. Even so, she is never ever off leash in a non enclosed area.

[Hawthorn]

Any dog can be taught anything if one can find a motivator strong enough in that dog, and learn to use it. Obedience can never be 100% guaranteed, but neither can anything else in life, including that precious leash.

 

I agree.