Recall

[JennTroynLuca]

Luca my 9 month old German Shepherd has been ignoring me when i call him at the dog park(we are always alone when we go so no distractions, and its not new because we go every day). He comes when we are at home, and when we are in our yard. But when it comes to the dog park he just does not want to listen and this is a big problem. We dont want to get kicked out of the dog park. He is not food motivated so using treats during training does not really work. And he looses interest in toys fairly quickly. I have been reading and reading up on this subject and have been consulting Ceasar Milan ad Victoria Stilwell on things I should do. I was wondering what everyone here has to say before we formulate a trainging schedule to correct this problem.

[Stephanie]

It seems alot of young dogs go through this phase of not listening and testing the boundaries with things like recall at around this age. I have walked 2 dogs from puppyhood and went through the same thing with them not listening. I put them both back on an extension lead, and continued to practise recalling them anyway, treating and praising the dog all the time for coming back. With one dog, this phase only lasted a couple of months, with the other is was a good 6-7 months before I could trust him off-lead again.

A few other things I learnt about recalls over the years.......

How many times are you calling the dog back to you? and are you calling the dog back to you or just calling his name and not giving a follow-up command, eg, "come"? The most I call any dog is twice, I give the dog the benefit of the doubt that it just may not have heard me the first time, then I go over and get the dog......don't waste your time calling and calling him, all the dog learns is that he doesn't need to listen the first time because you will keep on yelling anyway.

Are you calling him when his nose is busy on the ground? Many dogs do not hear if they are engrossed in a scent or smell.

What treats are you using? - good quality treats such as cooked meats, esp liver, kidney, heart are often very desirable as opposed to dry biscuits, also rotate the treats so they do not become predictable.

One dog I walk never comes back when I say "come" so I use the word 'treat' she runs back fast now.......

You could try whistle training instead maybe?

[appless]

Or try turning your back on her and pretending you're doing something interesting. Then when she comes back to you give her a treat, don't leash her right away but keep doing something interesting and treating her. Maybe to her coming back means the end of the fun so she doesn't want to come back. JMHO

[JennTroynLuca]

He goes to work with me so we have been working on that while we go to work. and he listens every other time.. except the dog park.. he just stands there looking around like he doesnt hear me i dont just call and call i call him no more then twice like stephanie. hes not food motivated so we dont really use to many treats and i cant use cooked meats because he has a long list of things he cant eat due to allergies. I can trust him to come to me every other place excet the park so i guess he will have to go back on his training line when we go there until his "teenage" phase is over.lol

[Bill]

Make sure she is paying attention to you before you call. Just because you are within hearing range doesn't mean she actually hears you if she is engrossed in other distractions. Call her name and wait for her to look at you then call her.

[JennTroynLuca]

Lol I call him. He looks at me. I call him he looks away and stands there lol

[Chrlys4th]

I am having the same problem with Gunner. i have tried this:

two people stand approximatley 20-25 feet apart - both have treats. One person calls and gives a treat, then other does the same - gradually increase the distance and practive everyday. Once your pup comes to you everytime, decrease the amount of treats. Hope this helps.

[Orrymain]

Another thing that I utilize are different commands. I only use "Come" for example when I am really serious. They know "Come" is urgent and that will get their attention versus just calling their names or saying something like "Here". It's important not to overuse that urgent command word, though, or it loses its punch.

[Bill]

I use "this way" for a relaxed recall. It means, if you want to stop and pee on the way or want to sniff something interesting its ok, just be making your way in this direction.

[Orrymain]

LOL well .. as long as they know the difference between the urgent command and the calmer one, that's the key.