fergmatt Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I am sure there have been a million threads on the topic so please point me in the right direction if so. If not, does anyone have any good suggestions? When in my house with limited distractions, my 16 week BC is perfect with recall. Comes when I ask and I reward with a "click" and a treat. Once we enter the world outside the house, the nose goes to the ground and I am just not interesting. I have tried clapping and getting super excited however he just doesn’t care...he is more interested in everything else. The only exception is when I have him sit and stay. He will come directly to me when I make him sit and call him from a distance. But, when out walking...nothing... HELP! FERG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Since he's not interested in clapping and treats outside, why don't use use what he wants when he's outside to reward him for coming when he's called? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 16 weeks is VERY young to expect a good recall, let alone one with distractions. Just like with any training, gradually upping the difficulty level should be slow and repetative. Start with him close by and gradually add distractions and distance. Keep in mind, at this age it should be done on a long line to help keep the pup from wandering away too far. Try using a favorite sqeeky toy, shaking a bag of treats, etc to get him to look at you and realise what you want. I would suggest NOT calling him repedatively over and over without the intended result. "So, she hasn't said come 8 times yet, that means 7 doesn't count". I see WAY too many people that have taught their dog "sit sit sit" without out meaning to. Good luck and be patient. He's just a curious puppy. Traning sessions should be short and fun to get good results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 in2adventure is right. Puppies are going to spend a lot of time exploring....that's how they learn a ton of stuff. I would have short fun training sessions in the house and maybe in the back yard, but while you're out and about, just let him explore. There is probably way too much new stuff for you to compete with. The only exception is when I have him sit and stay. He will come directly to me when I make him sit and call him from a distance. But, when out walking...nothing... Just wondering how you've trained the recall in the house...from a sit? Or do you try various different techniques. Like when you're in another room, just watching t.v., walking him around the house on lead? Dogs don't tend to generalize, so if you've always practiced the recall in the house after you put him in a sit, this might be part of the problem.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergmatt Posted April 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I do recall him in the house in other ways then having him sit. He is great in the house. I think he is young and I am expecting WAY too much. This is my first BC puppy so its probably the owners fault!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggietrio Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Try (starting with low distractions and from a close distance) calling and running away. When he catches you, play (rough house, tug, toy, whatever, just be exciting). If, in a low distraction environment, he ignores you, you can hide and wait for him to find you, or you can put a light line on, and give a gentle tug and then run away - but with a HUGE party at the end. Gradually, add a "here" or a "come" as you run away. The reward at the end has to excite him. So, if he's not treat motivated, up the treats - steak, liver, chicken, canned cat food - usually the smellier and ickier, the better. And, have him skip a meal and have training time when he's hungrier. If he's not toy motivated, work on that seperately. Ball, real fur tuggie, turkey neck in a sock - something that you can build on. Once he's excited by something, and running to get to you to play (or for his treat), then move your recall game outside. Try to control the environment to keep the distractions lower (ie, don't go out when a pack of kitties are walking through the back yard!). Start fairly close to the puppy, even swat his butt playfully and call and run away. I was lucky with our BC. When we first got her, we hadn't fenced the property yet (just 5 strand barbed wire for the neighbor's cows), and it was critical she had a good recall. I worked on it obsessively (using a game of ball as a reward), she thought we were playing - go figure. She quickly learned when I yell Fuze, HERE!, that means stop, run as fast as you can to get to me (and you get a ball - which she loves!). It worked. When she was about 4-5 months old we were working in the back pasture and weren't being very attentive to her, she got in with the neighbor's cows and when I looked up and saw the new moms ready to stomp on my puppy's head...I freaked. But, I called and she stopped, and came tearing over. Whew. The next time, she was about 9 months old, and we hadn't finished the drive gate yet. There is a canal across the road we let the dogs swim in when we're too lazy to walk back to the creek. Anyway, we were walking back from feeding sheep and she decided now was the perfect time for a swim and took off at a dead run. I thought - crap, she's going to get squashed crossing the road - and I called, she stopped, and came tearing back. Whew. Now, of course, the property is completely fenced and cross fenced and as dog proofed as I could get it...and, as a result, I haven't worked that recall in a while. I wonder if it's still there... Anyway, the trick is, the puppy has to think it's fun and a game. Keep sessions short and VERY high energy (from you). If you get frustrated or are tired, don't work on it - save it for later. Good luck! Jennifer Akins Trowbridge, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire24 Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I started this thread awhile back and got a lot of really good advice. I completely understand how frustrating it is to have a dog that ignores you. http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.p...mp;#entry286183 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 16 wk. is young to expect 100% compliance - but look at it this way: at 16 wk, you probably ARE the most interesting thing around. Wait until said dog is, oh, say, 9 months old! I highly recommend the DVD: Really Reliable Recall. The woman that made it trains Afghans, for dogssake! If she can get them to come, a border collie should be a cinch! I did everything she suggested when my monster was young. He went through a period about 9-11 months, when I thought he had forgotten EVERYTHING. I thought I would never be able to let him off leash, and get him back. But all that foundation work really did "take" - he's almost 3 now, and very reliable! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdmiralGonsiorowski Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 I am sure there have been a million threads on the topic so please point me in the right direction if so. If not, does anyone have any good suggestions? When in my house with limited distractions, my 16 week BC is perfect with recall. Comes when I ask and I reward with a "click" and a treat. Once we enter the world outside the house, the nose goes to the ground and I am just not interesting. I have tried clapping and getting super excited however he just doesn’t care...he is more interested in everything else. The only exception is when I have him sit and stay. He will come directly to me when I make him sit and call him from a distance. But, when out walking...nothing... HELP! FERG Do you keep a long line or leash on him when you are out walking? If so, you can ask for his attention only when you are fairly certain he'll come. If he doesn't come, you can give him a tug to get him started back to you. That way, it becomes habitual for him to come to you everytime you call him, period. I use two different recall commands. I'm not sure if that's reccomended by others, but it works well for us. If I'm just asking for him to come along, I'll whistle, or say 'come' or 'come on'. He may or may not get a treat for that. But I've trained the command 'NOW' to be sort of an emergency recall. It always gets the highest value treat, and I use it very sparingly. It didn't take long for him to start spinning and dashing to me for that command. If you want to do some good training with distractions and such, the book "Control Unleashed" has a lot of methods for helping dogs focus and keep interested in you, rather than the environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BNM1980 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 I'm going to look up that DVD diane. Sounds interesting. Afghan Hounds are at the very bottom of the same canine intelligence list that border collies top, and out of curiosity I looked them up on Wikipedia. Apparently, Afghan owners themselves compare trying to train Afghans to trying to train cats. Can you imagine trying to teach a cat recall?! So yeah, she must be pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 "I highly recommend the DVD: Really Reliable Recall. The woman that made it trains Afghans, for dogssake! If she can get them to come, a border collie should be a cinch!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'll second that. "Really Reliable Recall" gives a lot of great information. I've used her methods on all 3 of my dogs, and they all have fabulous recalls. Freeman (Border collie) is the best. He tears up dirt stopping in his tracks, whipping around, and speeding back to me. (I think part of his motivation is beating his poodle brother and lab sister to the finish line!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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