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blarney2
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"If you don't have time...don't get the dog or be suprised when they misbehave. Same with children!

Thank God for small things like not being albe to turn your kid into the pound. I bet there would be lots more children there than dogs. That's a sad thought...."

??

Was that statement directed at me?

 

 

Just got back. We had a great time and I will post pictures tomorrow and let everybody know how it went. (which was obviously good

:rolleyes: otherwise id be posting "lost in Hatteras")

So glad they got Pat back. At least I didnt have to wait through the suspense like everyone else.

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Prosperia,

 

I don't think so- scratching my head.

 

Going back to- should you wait to let her make up her mind. If she doesn't know what your asking yet and is trying to fingure it out then I'd say it's ok. But if she knows what you want then if you can't enforce a command then you are conditioning a wait time before response at best and leaving it up to her to gaff you off whenever she wants to at worse.

 

I guess my best advise is one you've probably heard time and again- when you are out in controlled situations, call her in, use her motivator (yummy cookie or toy with play) and send her off again. Reinforcing that coming to you isn't the end of fun but an added something special. If she goes to the car on her own with you, call her back in the middle of it for a goodie and then send her on out again. You can also mix this up by playing a game and sending her between the house and the car, changing directions and varying the routine so she has to pay closer attention to the game to get it right (I did this on a light line because my house is close to the street. Everytime you would be with her out in front she would anticipate a "game" and pay very close attention to you. . I was having problems with Phoenix staying with me or running out the door. I left the car door open and let her jump in and then walked over to her and treated her there put her on a "wait", called her to me then treated, and then sent her to the porch and went to her and treated, etc. So I worked with her alot on this type of thing- she was a stray and used to running and she is much much better now. And she isn't even a BC-so it took longer My BC Buffy didn't run per se but liked to run around the truck before getting in so we worked on the same thing. That was mainly for teaching her to go to a "mark" outside by the truck, her recalls are very reliable. They say if you want your dog to perform in another environment you must train in it.

 

Glad you had a great vacation and look forward to seeing your pictures.

 

Annette

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"If you don't have time...don't get the dog or be surprised when they misbehave. Same with children!

Thank God for small things like not being able to turn your kid into the pound. I bet there would be lots more children there than dogs. That's a sad thought...."

??

Was that statement directed at me?

Prosperia,

Absolutely NOT. Just a ramble from my brain. Guess I was referring to the comment of the original poster

The advice I am looking for is should I try and curtail her desire to run by fencing in my yard with invisible fence so when she escapes out the front door she can't get away and get hurt or should I come to the understanding her desire is to be free, to roam on a farm somewhere chasing sheep.
I combined the two thoughts and guess I sounded confusing.

If you changed the "chasing sheep" part to "chasing boys" you'd have my children when they were growing up! :rolleyes:

 

I think you are doing a fine job of training your fur baby.

Sorry if I offended you.

Kristen

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Hi all- Interesting thread. For exercise, try riding a bike while your dog runs... sounds like she needs a lot more than you can give her, but many owners successfully exercise their dogs while riding a bike. I agree trying the backyard flyball training before the group setting.

 

In terms of obedience, I agreed with the one thread that with a COMMAND, you do well if you never give the dog the option not to obey. We discovered this by accident with our two Border Collies. From the time they were puppies, every time I put them in the car, I'd say, "Load Up!" I don't know why, it was just a habit, and I wanted them to learn the command so that when they got bigger they'd jump in by themselves. Well, just by habit, they've never had the experience where I said, "Load up!" and they didn't get into the car. One day, the dogs got outside and started racing down the street. In desperation, I hollered, "Load Up!" and they immediately stopped, turned around, and ran back home to the car, waiting to be let in. It's the only command they follow completely reliably and has never failed in any situation. It's like it is hard-wired into their brains. So I agree with the owners who recommend that you never give a dog a chance to disobey.

 

And finally, every dog must learn that they can't go through a door without being told, and that they never go through before you do. (We didn't do this early enough, and our 6-month old puppy ran through the door and got hit by a car. Luckily, he survived and is fine 4 years later.) The way to teach this is to put them on the leash, command them to sit, then open the door. As they try to get through the door, pull them back on the leash, close it and put them back in the sit. Keep doing this until they wait for the release command to go through the door. (And you always go through first, then give the command.) Again, they are therefore never rewarded for not following the command, but are rewarded by following it (they get to go outside!) Good luck.

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Just an update with Casey. We purchased the invisible fence and so far it has been a success. Casey now stays in the yard and will play catch with us . She is no longer looking to chase the neighbors cat or other critters. All she focuses on now is us. She is a changed dog. The neighbors are happy and so are the police. More important we are much happier with Casey. Let me take a few minutes and thank all you people for your advice and confidence that we could get through this. We were close to giving up on Casey but thanks to all of you we stuck through it. Thanks also goes to the invisible fence people who were great. It has been three weeks since we put it in. Let me tell you it works. If anyone else is having my problem please consider the invisible fence before it is to late. Casey would have most likely been hit by a car or somthing else if we did not act. Thank you once again.

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