Recall Training

[Josie]

as you may know we just move in our new house less then a month ago, and we have now a nice yard (ok at the moment it's quite mudy but it's still nice )

 

Otis routine involves a "before going to bed pee" in the yard... the problem we have is that he does not want to come back inside! He runs around and have to smell every spots and inch of the yard... We call him back and he runs toward the patio door and a few steps from getting in he turns around and start a new laps...

 

anyone have a tip to cut this act short? beside going in the yard to get him (like I have to do )

[Feisty49]

If it were me with Annie Bella, I'd leash her and walk her into the yard so she couldn't wander.

[Guest BrianRke]

Diamond wont come in unless I yell "COOKIE", then she hauls butt in the house.

 

Another thing...how long have you been at the new house? The desire to sniff around may dissipate after a few weeks of the same ol smells(providing you dont have animals trekking through your yard).

[Guest DragonflyDM]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

2. When he comes inside, every time, give lots of praise and a treat.

 

3. Practice recall and "eyes on me" behavior. Hold a treat in your hand next to your nose and call his name. When he looks at you, give him a different treat from the other hand. Do this a LOT. Then start holding the treat away from you and call his name. Only give a treat when he is looking at you (again another treat not the lure treat). Then have him do this for longer staring periods. When you can get a consistant 8-10 seconds, start doing it without treats. This will teach the dog to look to you for ques.

 

4. For recall, have someone take Otis to a small distance and call his name holding out a treat. Let him have it. Do this over and over until you feel comfortable adding distance.

 

If the recall isn't working-- then Otis isn't getting a treat he REALLY likes. So play around with treats. Do training away from the end of meal times. Only train for 5 minutes or so at a time a couple times a day (if possible). MOST IMPORTANT-- be consistant about keeping the training behavior consistant with your behavior the rest of the day. If you want him to look at you then don't let him get away with it when you aren't training. If you want him to recall-- go into training mode when he fails to perform.

 

Pretty soon, he will not only know he gets 5 minutes or so to play around before bed (always good for a nice sleep) but when you call him he will associate going into the house with something fantastic (TREATS!).

[Feisty49]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

Those of us (or at least some of us) who don't have a fenced yard probably do exactly this: 8 PM, last pee call and don't linger 'cause mom wants to relax! Actually, with Annie Bella, last pee call is, at her choice, about 7 and again we don't linger. She's had all day to play and linger and sniff so she pees, turns around and up the stairs we go into the house, at which time she trots upstairs to put herself to bed. "Night, mom." She sleeps for 10 to 12 hours before wanting to go out again.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Feisty49

[GeorgeofNE]

Simple answer is take him out on a leash for any trip outside you need/want to be brief.

 

Long term answer is training to come when called, which is covered in any book on basic dog training!

[Guest mariah]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

Once you start getting a recall out of him, you can practice calling him over, giving him a very high value treat, and then releasing him back to run around the yard (if he doesn't respond on the first try, walk over to him and put the treat under his nose to lure him back to where you were originally standing). I would do that intermittently even after he's built up a reliable recall, so he doesn't take the "come" command to mean "fun is over". That will probably strengthen his recall in other situations as well.

[Guest DragonflyDM]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

Those of us (or at least some of us) who don't have a fenced yard probably do exactly this: 8 PM, last pee call and don't linger 'cause mom wants to relax! Actually, with Annie Bella, last pee call is, at her choice, about 7 and again we don't linger. She's had all day to play and linger and sniff so she pees, turns around and up the stairs we go into the house, at which time she trots upstairs to put herself to bed. "Night, mom." She sleeps for 10 to 12 hours before wanting to go out again.

 

I don't have a fenced yard, either; however, I probably have a different philosophy of my dog. I believe that a dog, as a family member, needs to be afforded time and space of his convenience. I may want to rush in and out because it fits "my plan" but if I was the dog sitting around the house and someone gave me a chance to get out...I would want to get more than a two minute bio-break.

[Feisty49]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

Those of us (or at least some of us) who don't have a fenced yard probably do exactly this: 8 PM, last pee call and don't linger 'cause mom wants to relax! Actually, with Annie Bella, last pee call is, at her choice, about 7 and again we don't linger. She's had all day to play and linger and sniff so she pees, turns around and up the stairs we go into the house, at which time she trots upstairs to put herself to bed. "Night, mom." She sleeps for 10 to 12 hours before wanting to go out again.

 

I don't have a fenced yard, either; however, I probably have a different philosophy of my dog. I believe that a dog, as a family member, needs to be afforded time and space of his convenience. I may want to rush in and out because it fits "my plan" but if I was the dog sitting around the house and someone gave me a chance to get out...I would want to get more than a two minute bio-break.

 

 

You're a better mom than I. I want/need to have the day end by 8ish and Annie Bella's had plenty of play/walk/paid-attention-to-time all day long. It's the same with kids. Go potty before bed and then go to bed. Of course I'm talking about my granddaughter. By 8 PM, I want dog and granddaughter, when she's visiting, in bed so Grandma can relax.

[Guest itsagreytlife]

I put Selah's muzzle on for after-dark-sorties. One reason is because we seem to have bunnies staking out our fenced yard (aargh!) & I really would rather avoid a bloody mess at bedtime. Another is the muzzle definitely minimizes her interest in all things outdoors. After the 1st couple times, she just gave up & now comes right back for her treat. Worth a try.

Edited March 23, 2012 by itsagreytlife

[NeylasMom]

1. Budget a bit of "running around time" in the yard. No one wants to get only a moment to pee and its over.

 

Once you start getting a recall out of him, you can practice calling him over, giving him a very high value treat, and then releasing him back to run around the yard (if he doesn't respond on the first try, walk over to him and put the treat under his nose to lure him back to where you were originally standing). I would do that intermittently even after he's built up a reliable recall, so he doesn't take the "come" command to mean "fun is over". That will probably strengthen his recall in other situations as well.

I would go with something along these lines. Go outside when it's not bedtime and practice. Just keep a handful of HIGH VALUE treats in your pocket and stand in the yard. Anytime he wanders over to you, give a treat. Repeat ad nauseum. No calling him at this point. He's just learning that you're actually interesting and it might be worth stopping his exploration to come get a treat. When he's got the idea, then you can start calling him from short distances when he's not engaged in something really interesting. Lots of praise and treats when he comes, then tell him to "go play" or whatever release word you'd like and off he goes. Repeat ad nauseum. Then you can start doing the same but call when he's interested in something. Releasing him to go back to what we has doing is key so that he doesn't learn that coming when you ask him to means the end of all fun, which is what he thinks now.

 

Soon enough you'll be able to call him in at bedtime, but continue playing this game outside periodically so he doesn't go back to the negative association. You might also occasionally play the game at bedtime too or he may be smart enough to distinguish.

 

 

I don't have a fenced yard, either; however, I probably have a different philosophy of my dog. I believe that a dog, as a family member, needs to be afforded time and space of his convenience. I may want to rush in and out because it fits "my plan" but if I was the dog sitting around the house and someone gave me a chance to get out...I would want to get more than a two minute bio-break.

If the dog has more than adequate exercise and chances to explore the yard throughout the day, I think it's reasonable to ask the dog to just potty quickly before bed.

Edited March 23, 2012 by NeylasMom

[Guest Angelique]

Let him out an hour before bed time to potty, I Guarantee he will be ready to come in

[cleptogrey]

once in a while mine get the willies and run like the dickens before bed, but generally they shoot right back in for their night time cookies. try staying out with him, then treat after he empties, then in a really happy tone lure him back into the house with a treat and do your bed time ritual. he will become accustomed to the treat meaning another treat and then another treat. keep the treats small and then eliminate the outside treats, offer one as he walks in the door and another at bed time. i just call them and they run in- but if occupied by a goo smell one shake of the cookie tin and they are sitting in front of me.

[Guest june]

Quick tip:

If you put treats in your pocket be sure to remove them before taking said clothing off. As a result of not knowing this bit of advice I now have a jacket with a big hole in the pocket where the treat was removed by one of my girls

[jamngrey]

Ditto the "cookies" call. Mine will leave even the squirrel on the fence for cookies

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I put Selah's muzzle on for after-dark-sorties. One reason is because we seem to have bunnies staking out our fenced yard (aargh!) & I really would rather avoid a bloody mess at bedtime. Another is the muzzle definitely minimizes her interest in all things outdoors. After the 1st couple times, she just gave up & now comes right back for her treat. Worth a try.

 

 

You would be suprised at how clean they are after a kill (and eating them as well)...

 

Oh, and if you intent with the muzzle is to protect the bunny, its atcually worse as they will injure the rabbit and it will suffer. Without a muzzle, a hound will kill the rabbit in a split second, no suffering, no pain.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Greyt_dog_lover