Are Your Greyhound(S) Recall Trained?

[Guest maidmarcia]

Yes, my dog is recall trained but I would not say that he is 100% reliable. No dog is. There are just too many wild cards. However, he is reliable enough to take off leash while we go hiking, mainly because he appears to have no prey drive.

 

Are greyhounds stupid dogs? I feel mean asking that, but sometimes I feel like Licorice just doesn't get it! It's frustrating to try training him.

[NeylasMom]

But not recall training simply seems foolish to me.

I agree. And it kills me that so many people who are so adamantly opposed to off leading immediately take a discussion about recall training and with comments like these (no offense to you in particular cruzNhounds, you're quote was just at the ready ):

I would like to trust my girls but I know trust can kill, I just can't take that chance.

turn it into a discussion about off leading. They are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. Recall training does not mean you will choose to let your dog off lead in any sort of unfenced environment. It simply means that you are training your dog to come when called so that you can use it if there ever is an accident/emergency or even, god forbid because it has a lot of usefulness in daily life. Why you wouldn't choose to teach it is beyond me. But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves. Edited June 22, 2012 by NeylasMom

[Yamaha_gurl]

But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

This breaks my heart. The hounds that no nothing more than their own backyards

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Recall is very, very important. I've had Jayne for just over two years and she's been loose off her leash four times, all accidental we live in a city with leash laws, so there isn't much legal opportunity to off leash if we wanted. Her recall is pretty strong, and we work on it, but I would never consider her above about 80%. I can get her to return to me at playgroup, except when all the dogs are in the heat of running. Squawkers, her leash, offering car rides, supper, or walks are actually much more reliable than calling her name despite two years of recall work.

 

When she went UNDER our chain link fence in pursuit of a rabbit, she did not respond at all. When she wandered out the front door trying to get into my open car door, she did recall. When she got out an open gate and we didn't even know she was gone, she approached some neighbors who brought her home.

 

It's not possible to be 100% diligent and be able to foresee every opportunity for the dog to escape. We were no more than 15 feet from her when she went under the fence. She had never shown any inclination to do it before, and she flattened herself so fast that she was out before we could even react to seeing her do it. Gates get left open sometimes, even now that we lock them it happens on occasion. Last weekend DH and a friend moved a couch into the house through the yard. Hands full of couch, they didn't close the gate and forgot to after the moving was done. I let the dog out into the yard and she could have gone straight out, and probably would have if I hadn't thought to double check right after opening the door (we can't see that gate from the house).

Edited June 22, 2012 by Jayne

[Guest cruzNhounds]

But not recall training simply seems foolish to me.

I agree. And it kills me that so many people who are so adamantly opposed to off leading immediately take a discussion about recall training and with comments like these (no offense to you in particular cruzNhounds, you're quote was just at the ready ):

I would like to trust my girls but I know trust can kill, I just can't take that chance.

turn it into a discussion about off leading. They are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. Recall training does not mean you will choose to let your dog off lead in any sort of unfenced environment. It simply means that you are training your dog to come when called so that you can use it if there ever is an accident/emergency or even, god forbid because it has a lot of usefulness in daily life. Why you wouldn't choose to teach it is beyond me. But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

No offense taken.....but when Birdie is running down the street like girls gone wild in cabo, it tends to make you want to shart yourself . I must add she was one happy dog while doing it...... .

[JohnF]

There is another kind of 'recall' that Greys do where the dog will desist from what it's doing, stay and wait for you to walk up to it. If I don't at the very least see that happening then it's time to re-educate them with treats and more lead walking etc. With some dogs it might take 20 times but with others a reliably programmed behaviour like that could even take a thousand or more. If you've got a bunch of them it's not like herding cats, because the good one that obeys attracts the others to come back too.

The topic will always be contentious because their lives are potentially at risk when loose if they cannot be recalled in some way or other. I know with Peggy that the area needs to be more contained than it needed to be with my last dog and she has just two prey animals in her world - cats and squirrels - so anywhere they are is not where she's let off leash any more. Her $500 knee surgery thanks to a squirrel in January reinforced that point; nothing other than being able to switch them off like in 'Avatar' is going to get past an activated prey response.

[greyhead]

Both of ours are recall trained, both have gotten loose, and both have returned when called. But I put "not reliable" because I think it's at the mercy of too many variables.

 

A recently developed variable is age. Spencer may have some mild cognitive deficit due to age and long-term meds; but whatever the reason, he appears not to hear what he doesn't want to hear, to sometimes forget what "no" means, etc. Shane is increasingly a slave to his nose, leash or no leash (back yard). And if you want them to leave the raccoons up in the tree and come inside, you pretty much have to deliver that message in person.

 

Then there's the issue of one (such as myself) putting effort into training, only to find that someone else (not naming names) has partially undone it while one is sick, out of town, whatever -- because this someone wants so much to be liked!

Edited June 23, 2012 by greyhead

[Guest badderh]

If We are in our apartment Rocky responds to us with recall, but we go outside and you might as well forget everything that we've taught him. He will respond to a squeaky toy while outside though. He'll pretty much do ANYTHING for a squeaky toy.

[robinw]

But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

This breaks my heart. The hounds that no nothing more than their own backyards

I think it's very common

[Batmom]

But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

This breaks my heart. The hounds that no nothing more than their own backyards

 

Why would it break your heart? Many such dogs are healthy, well exercised and, as far as anyone can tell, happy.

[Feisty49]

But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

This breaks my heart. The hounds that no nothing more than their own backyards

 

Why would it break your heart? Many such dogs are healthy, well exercised and, as far as anyone can tell, happy.

 

And my Annie Bella is one of these happy and healthy Greys who leads a rather dull life. She is walked 2-3 times a day because I don't have a fenced yard, but if I did, she would not get walked as often -- what's a fenced yard for anyway? Our walks aren't particularly jazzy because I live in a small rural town and I can go either north or south on the main road when I leave my driveway.

 

Also, Annie Bella does not want to be engaged in play. I have tried over and over since adoption last July to entice her, engage her, tease her, play with her. Nada.. nothing.. nope! Her stuffies look brand new. She only touches them -- occasionally -- the final 30 seconds before we walk out the door to go for a walk or a ride, when her excitement is high.

 

I bought her a Nylabone which she ignored up until the day a friend visited with her dog, who latched onto the Nylabone, at which point Annie Bella walked over and took it away from her. Did she chew it? No. She laid on it and hasn't looked at it since.

 

I have tried training. She pretty much wants nothing to do with it. Clicker training has not worked because she is not food motivated. If Annie Bella doesn't want to do anything, she turns her head and stares at the wall. No amount of tempting food will change her mind if she doesn't want to be bothered. I can toss her a treat and if I'm off target, and the treat is out of tongue range, it will lie there until the next time she moves.

 

She doesn't get off her bed when people come to the door. A knock at the door might bring her head up, but then again, it might not. She did come to the window this evening when I called her to show her 3 deer on the terrace. Her response? She returned to her bed, gave a huge sigh (why did you bother me, mom) and laid down.

 

She is totally into retirement. I love her calm demeanor and because of it she is welcome everywhere we go, but sometimes I wish there was a little spark there.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Feisty49

[seattlegreygirl]

Once upon a time, I tried recall training with the word "come" with our pack.

 

No luck with that, but now I have inadvertently trained them to come running when I yell "Who wants bully sticks???" Fingers crossed but they haven't gotten out - however, I am fully prepared to be known as the crazy lady in the 'hood if they do ever get out and I'm running the streets yelling "Who wants bully sticks???"

Edited June 24, 2012 by seattlegreygirl

[seeh2o]

Mine have great recall - when I use the squawker. They are at my feet instantly and I do tune-ups of this monthly to make sure they stay with it. I just wish they had that kind of recall to my voice. Because I lost a dog (half grey) and was part of a two week successful greyhound search I now carry a small squawker when we walk, in my car and keep the big one in my house. I'm going to read through the articles posted as I would really like them to be as responsive to my voice. Carl got out of the yard once when I was here (I could have throttled my best friend....how did she not see a 75lb greyhound standing next to her???) I was lucky that he didn't run away, he just strolled out about 10 ft and stopped. I knew I was panicked and did not want that to come across to him, so I stood behind the gate and called him back, "Carl, let's get a cookie". He turned around and trotted back in, then I locked the gate and gave my friend the business.

 

Anyway, thanks for posting the articles.

[PatricksMom]

I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but I've trained around the word "cookie." Saying the word, even accidentally, always, always, always results in a cookie. I've never and will never intentionally let him off leash, but the he's always come running in the yard, dog park, etc. right away, and the one time he got loose he came right away when I called cookie.

[KickReturn]

100% reliable so far. Recall training after every walk (4 per day), always with a reward. Also recall testing with reward prior to unclipping the leash on walks. Please note that my boy is only off leash were there is no chance of encountering cars.

[Guest Angelique]

But then again, there are also many people who don't feel their dogs need daily walks, or any sort of training, or any other number of things beyond laying on a couch all day that I think my greyhounds need to be their most happy, engaged, and healthy selves.

 

This breaks my heart. The hounds that no nothing more than their own backyards

I think it's very common

I wish i had a back yard. We walk every day, we go to the dog park, we go hiking, we leave town. But i still wish i had a backyard to turn my dog out and say just snif, walk or run wherever, whenever you want. :'( We can't have everything.

 

 

On topic though. We train recall, always, everyday, at every opportunity. At home, on leash, off leash, when he is all the way on the other side of the dog park. ALWAYS. Train, train, train, train. Sit,down,shake won't save your dogs life, wait/stay and "come" will/might/could.

 

I agree, there is no reason not to train come, or have some attention distractor. I use the word "eps". It means stop-look at me. And it curves unwanted behavior any time i catch it. He doesn't associate it with "no" it just means, "pay attention". So a "EPS - Come" is usually quite effective.

 

We have 99% recall, it is solid, he does great, and as of now, has never failed. Would i ever rely my dogs life on recall? NO! Would i ever let my dog of leash when there are cars? Never! Would i ever intentionally put myself or my dog in a position where recall would be necessary... of course not. But every day, rain or shine, we train recall.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Angelique

[Guest jennis]

I voted working on it. We have had Joy for just over 3 weeks, have daily use of an enclosed field and been going privately to a dog bahaviourist. When she in switched on mode she bounds to you on recall full of joy and energy, very quickly she goes to switch off and trails in with no interest in food. Finding it difficult to keep motivation and resorting to very short sessions when she in mood.

[JohnF]

I voted working on it. We have had Joy for just over 3 weeks, have daily use of an enclosed field and been going privately to a dog bahaviourist. When she in switched on mode she bounds to you on recall full of joy and energy, very quickly she goes to switch off and trails in with no interest in food. Finding it difficult to keep motivation and resorting to very short sessions when she in mood.

 

Try and train in more "Look at Me!" opportunities. Use squeakers (not the emergency Squawker that everyone needs to have really). Once the dog knows to keep their eye on you it's not so hard.

 

Peggy can be really cussed though and 'recall' at such times involves the 'compromise' of her standing still and me walking up the hill to get her. Always up the damn hill, never down. I wonder why? Yet there are times when she will come back instantly for liver treats.

[galgrey]

I've had five greyhounds and two galgos. Only two of the greyhounds would I consider reliable on recall: my first one, Frostman, and my current girl, Princess. Excellent recall with both of them. The rest, not so much.

[Guest PaulEmandStan]

I've only had my Grey for 2 and a half months so we let him off the leash only in enclosed parks (luckily there are a few near us) and he comes back to the word Treat maybe 2/3 times so we wouldn't let him loose anywhere where he could keep on running!