Good Girl Inside, Bad Girl Outside...

[juliette]

Okay, we admit we haven't taken Hijinx to an obedience class - but we have "trained her" (she comes when called, sits, rolls over, etc.) in the techniques we learned when we had Otto in classes.

Well, sure enough, she's an absolute angel inside the house.
She comes when called - about 95% of the time.

When we are outside however, that seems to be another matter! When we get outside the house she goes instantly deaf! We like to let the dogs off leash in the parks and conservation areas, but it seems every time we take the leash off, Hijinx is off like a shot after prey. Chris had a terrifying experience yesterday - they were in the park and she took off after a squirrel. She wouldn't come when called, and in fact if Chris got near her, she ran further away. She doesn't even turn her head when you call her name. Eventually he corralled her and was able to leash her, but not until after about 20 minutes and lots of mileage.

We've used the command "OFF" to indicate leaving prey/dropping what they are doing. However, she's not listening in the height of squirrel chasing.

Help DBB - what can we do to get her to pay attention in the middle of squirrel season?

[lotsadox]

When I took mine to obedience school, we spent a lot of time working on name recognition (having them look at you when you say their name) and a reliable recall (coming when called all the time). They had us start by working with no distractions and then working up to more and more distractions. At first we always worked on leash so they don't get the idea that they don't have to come and there's nothing you can do about it. The other day I took Miller to the mail box with me and he saw the dog across the street and started across to chase him. I called "Miller, come" and he turned and ran back to me. Of course, he got mega pets a "good boys" for that!

[TessieMom]

What Patrice says is true. The advantage of going to obedience class is the distractions of other dogs and people. I could train my girls at home, but I would have the same problem you do. What you may have to do is to get a long line and put her on that until she comes reliably when distractions are present. That way you always have control if she doesn't listen and you can recall her when necessary, but she can have some freedom at the park.

Rena and the Waco girls and the Red Max

[lotsadox]

I use the long retractable leashes when we walk on the golf course for just the reasons Rena mentioned. It gives them quite a bit of freedom but they're still under control.

[Patt]

Excellent advice given here. Personally I don't think they should ever be off lead when out in public. You can never trust them entirely, especially when a critter is tempting them. The long retractable lead is a great idea. Good luck ;)

[Jennie]

When I took Baxter to obedience class, our instructor covered just this topic. She said that most dogs can be reliably trained to come when called within a few months of frequent, constant practice. But she said it will take years before they can be reliable in some situations (like when feeling threatened or attacked, or when there is something so incredibly exciting as a squirrel to chase). She also recommended a long line. Now, I have to admit the thought of putting a big 50 foot line on my little 11 pound pupper is a pretty funny one!

[TessieMom]

My long line is 20 feet and is light weight, the retractible that I have is 20 or 30 feet and is also very light so they don't notice it!

Rena and the Waco crew

[juliette]

All excellent suggestions folks - it's amazing what you do forget after being out of classes for a while. (I remember now that they were to train US as much as the pups!).

They are on 12 foot retractable leashes all the time - perhaps I will go get a longer line for Madame Squirrel Hunter. I do dispair that this will always be a challenge when she is in prey/hunt mode, but at least it is a start!

[Lauri Gengor]

We also use the retracktable leads and find a better control with these on long walks. Ours retrack to about 16 feet which is enough for my three. They are pretty behaved on them and the only time I have one try to run off if they are scared. In fact i find less tangeling then regular leashes. As far as letting them off the lead, we do not at all. We have too many open spaces and woods. We are afraid of losing them or finding them hurt, too many critters out there and people who do not leash or fence thier dogs, even with our towns leashing laws.

[Mel n Gooey]

We've used the command "OFF" to indicate leaving prey/dropping what they are doing. However, she's not listening in the height of squirrel chasing.
Most dogs take YEARS of work to get them to the point that they will take a command in the heat of a chase. It took a good year and 1/2 to get Annie to that point, though now I can call her off of anything and she'll listen, mid-cat/squirrel chase, mid-running at another dogs, mid-ball chase, whatever. If your dog has strong prey drive (Annie does, but she made my job much easier by also having strong ball/tug drive, so I had something to "barter"), you may NEVER be able to get them to the point that you can call them out of a chase, so it's important that you are proactive, and get her attention BEFORE she takes off after something. Watch her AND your environment (often, a dog's body posture is a better giveaway as to what they're planning and what's around you than trusting your own senses is), and when you see something that's going to set her off, get her attention, then give a command she can do, sit, or heel, something mutually exclusive from running off chasing animals. IF she's been trained well enough on those commands, she'll be able to do them even under that type of distraction, and that alone should solve your problems, though you'll still have to be careful and aware of your surroundings in order to head her off. The other option is to have something ready everytime she sees a "fun" run-off prospect, and pull it out for her.... a toy, treats, something she NEVER gets except for there. If everytime she sees something she wants to chase, you pull out the goods, she'll eventually make the connection... see a chaseable.... look at mom/dad.... get goodies. Once she's reliably turning to you when she sees chaseables, you can start phasing out the treats.

In order to teach her to come back mid-chase, you have to first get her reliable in low-distraction settings, then work your way up. If not, all you're doing is setting her up to fail, and everytime she runs off after a prey item, it is rewarding to her, in a BIG way, which will only make it harder to break her of the habit. So until she reaches that point, keep her on-leash.

Jennie, you can make a lightweight long line out of clothesline and a snap, it's not only cheaper than buying one, but better suited for small dogs. I used 1/4" nylon braid rope for mine, and tied knots every 5 ft or so down the rope so I could reel her in without the rope sliding through my hands. Keep in mind though that the longer a dog bolts for, the more speed they gain, and the harder the force is going to be if they hit the end of a lead... I use a larger snap on the 40 ft lead than I do on the 15 ft one for that reason. Flexi leashes are ok for a relaxed walk, but not for recall work, as if you have to reel the dog in by the line, and they resist, the line will cut into your hand.