Littlesplash

I'll clarify that it's not specifically a dog park, but a sports field right by my house in which dogs can be off leash when no one is using it. But it might as well be a dog park in the evenings. Which is why we have great success/fun there in the mornings when there's only a few people. Either way, I think you're right that it's overstimulating for him. And that I'm setting him up for failure. In the future I'll only go there when I know there won't be the dog park environment. Again I want to thank you guys for this discussion! We just did our first training session and I'm feeling optimistic thank you thank you!

Thank you all for your wonderful replies. I will take all your advice and see what works best for me and my guy. I suppose the most frustrating thing about this was/is that it's only in the "dog park" environment that his recall busts. We could be at the same park when there's only us or a few others there, but when the crowd (5+ dogs) comes and he gets fixated on someone else's ball (sometimes no other ball), is where the issue is. But you guys are absolutely right that I need to go back to the basics. What's interesting is that the ball drop and recall behaviour are linked- usually he plays hard to catch with the ball in his mouth. Again, just shows that I need to work on both of these things. I see what you and GentleLake mean about this. I know all dogs play this game, but I suppose what made me label what he does as a specifically border collie thing was his movements and the intelligence in his (bad) behaviour. Not an excuse for the behaviour, just an observation. And again, I'm looking forward to the long task of (hopefully) training it out of him.

Hi everyone, I'm making this post because I'm wondering if anyone has any training advice for me. My BC is 2, and he has a couple unwanted behaviours that I'd really like to fix. I've looked online at training resources but there's something that's definitely "border collie" about his actions, so I thought you all may have some tips. The first is the major one, which is his recall issue. When we're alone in a park, on a busy trail, literally anywhere, he is perfect at recall. BUT EXCEPT when there is 1. his ball and 2. other dogs that are playing. He'll play keep away and hold his ball in his mouth and stay away from me. When I call him or start to chase after him a bit, he will run huge circles around me, almost frantically. I wonder if anyone has advice on this. The second is more simple (maybe). He loves to fetch and play with balls, but he won't give it back. This is honestly my mistake in not thoroughly training this as a puppy, but, well, here we are now. When we walk on trails he'll drop the ball on the time. In a field or at the park, he'll hold onto it. The only time he EVER drops the ball is if he's in the 'down' position (he lies down himself or I'll ask him to 'down'). When I ask him to drop it, he won't. I need to physically hold the ball while it's in his mouth and then he'll let go. I really don't like this physical pressuring him. Has anyone had similar issues and have some advice on what to do? The incidents when he won't come back are especially irritating- sometimes I stay at a park for an extra 30 minutes because I can't catch him.