Sunday, March 25, 2012
How to stop that dog pulling on the lead
Have you wondered how to stop that constant pulling on the lead and what is going wrong? I like to use a technique called the table tennis hand. Basically what this is, is two small tugs using just your wrist. What this does is create something that is completely unique for the dog and they are not sure how to react. They often stop and look and then you carry on walking. It may not sound like much but today on your walk give it a quick go and see how it works.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Getting that puppy back!
Guest blog from our Christchurch trainer Billie
When I first got Elsie I was amazed that my tiny 9 week old puppy would happily wander off with not so much as a glance backwards to see where I was, most puppies I've met are pretty attached to their new owners! Following this, I knew I would need to put a lot of effort into building a solid recall. We played lots of recall games, building a lot of value for racing back to me, and it worked out really well, I could call Elsie off chasing birds and other dogs at the park. In the past week though, Elsie has been feeling pretty full of herself and has been testing us on all sorts of things like throwing a tantrum when I am putting her tracking harness on, trying to bite my hands when I am clipping her nails and now not coming back when she is called!
I am once again playing some of the recall games I played with Elsie as a puppy, just to remind her of what it is that I want. Our favourite game is a "go & come" game. To start off, I throw a low value treat (like a bit of kibble) and tell Elsie to go get it, as she does I run off in the other direction with a high value treat (sausage is a big favourite around here) or toy, say "come!" and reward when she catches me. Gradually I build up to calling her before she gets the treat (so she is being called off it), then progress to throwing higher value treats, toys, sticks (they are REALLY fun!) and calling her off, then test it when she is chasing things like birds at the park, and it has mostly been working! She will spin around and come racing back to me, now just have to work on more of this game around dogs, and will have to employ a long-line to prevent her from blowing me off to have fun with another dog.
I also play restrained recalls with Elsie, getting someone to hold her (or get her to go into her crate, or "wait") while I run off and generally be exciting, then release and call her when I know she is going to come racing over.
For me speed and enthusiasm is a very important part of recall, and I always want Elsie running to me, not trotting and having a sniff. To initially get the speed I was running away from her when I called her so she would chase me, it seems to have transferred over nicely to when I am standing still. I always reward generously for recalls, especially in distracting environments such as puppy class or at the agility club. Elsie's favourite reward for recall is tugging, but she also loves a bit of raw meat!
So the plan for fixing the recall problem... More training around distractions, using a long-line to prevent her from running off, playing more recall games, and I think I'll teach the Whiplash turn from Leslie McDevitt's new book (Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program).
When I first got Elsie I was amazed that my tiny 9 week old puppy would happily wander off with not so much as a glance backwards to see where I was, most puppies I've met are pretty attached to their new owners! Following this, I knew I would need to put a lot of effort into building a solid recall. We played lots of recall games, building a lot of value for racing back to me, and it worked out really well, I could call Elsie off chasing birds and other dogs at the park. In the past week though, Elsie has been feeling pretty full of herself and has been testing us on all sorts of things like throwing a tantrum when I am putting her tracking harness on, trying to bite my hands when I am clipping her nails and now not coming back when she is called!
I am once again playing some of the recall games I played with Elsie as a puppy, just to remind her of what it is that I want. Our favourite game is a "go & come" game. To start off, I throw a low value treat (like a bit of kibble) and tell Elsie to go get it, as she does I run off in the other direction with a high value treat (sausage is a big favourite around here) or toy, say "come!" and reward when she catches me. Gradually I build up to calling her before she gets the treat (so she is being called off it), then progress to throwing higher value treats, toys, sticks (they are REALLY fun!) and calling her off, then test it when she is chasing things like birds at the park, and it has mostly been working! She will spin around and come racing back to me, now just have to work on more of this game around dogs, and will have to employ a long-line to prevent her from blowing me off to have fun with another dog.
I also play restrained recalls with Elsie, getting someone to hold her (or get her to go into her crate, or "wait") while I run off and generally be exciting, then release and call her when I know she is going to come racing over.
For me speed and enthusiasm is a very important part of recall, and I always want Elsie running to me, not trotting and having a sniff. To initially get the speed I was running away from her when I called her so she would chase me, it seems to have transferred over nicely to when I am standing still. I always reward generously for recalls, especially in distracting environments such as puppy class or at the agility club. Elsie's favourite reward for recall is tugging, but she also loves a bit of raw meat!
So the plan for fixing the recall problem... More training around distractions, using a long-line to prevent her from running off, playing more recall games, and I think I'll teach the Whiplash turn from Leslie McDevitt's new book (Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)