two of my dogs (1 year old labs) have taken to charging off when off the lead, egging each other on, they do come back to the whistle but only when it suits them and they igtnore it when charging off so now, to be safe, i’m having to walk them on the lead. does anyone have any experience of how to control this behavior?

to give some background, i live in the sticks so they’ve been walked off lead forever basically. the girl especially is prone to chasing off on a scent but i’ve spent a good deal of time, maybe not enough, getting them to come back on the whistle and giving them a treat and up until recently they were not too bad.

this is the first summer they’ve been out, they started being walked at 12 weeks last july and then they were little, and i’m not sure if the local rabbits and squirrels are out en masse this time of year and thats why the dogs have suddenly, as in the last 6 weeks, got so bad.

so if anyone has any advice how to train them out of this behavior i’d appreciate some help.

We had issues with our Viszla initially.

“Make yourself the most interesting thing on their walk” is a synopsis of the advice we got.

Treats
Throw a stick or ball (we gave up on balls ‘cos he just abandons them when he’s had enough)
More praise than you think is possible when they come back to a call/whistle.

He’s still not perfect but he’s a lot better and you get used to behaving like an over excited childrens tv presenter when they come back to a call.

Also, alternate having them on the lead if they egg each other on? so the one off lead have an additional incentive to come back/not wander as far away as their freind is already with you?

[edit]

Ours rarely walks on the lead – 200m to the local park, through the odd field with livestock in.

Is the girl in season?

Assume being labs they like their food. Reward reward reward while linking their names to the reward.

Eat breakfast, repeat their names while they scoff.
Every single return, treat/name.
Come into the room, treat/name.
Do a poo, treat/name.
Play a game, name/treat/name/treat.
Strokes, treat/name.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Oh, and sudocrem, lashings of sudocrem rubbed all over the dogs.

Get this book and you can sort the recall out in no time.

I’m no fan of treats for rewards, especially labs. I’ve always found them so eager to please that praise is enough reward.

I’d start simple – keep calling them back when they’re close in, praise them loads when they come back (and not until they do – so don’t “gooooood girl” when they’re on the way back – only when they actually get to you and have done what you ask). Once they’ve done it, let them go off again so they don’t associate recall with something negative (i.e. always being put on a lead). Repeat, repeat, repeat!

If they don’t respond, then be firm with them – deep voice and make them come back EVERY time! They’ve got to know you mean it and it’s not optional. Don’t be afraid to go after them and drag them back. If they’re so bad you need to go after them then you want to be doing this in a reasonably enclosed space (field sized) so they don’t just keep running away and think it’s a brilliant game!

Oh, and train them separately if they’re encouraging each other.

then be firm with them – deep voice and make them come back EVERY time! They’ve got to know you mean it and it’s not optional. Don’t be afraid to go after them and drag them back.

Pretty much the attitude I had to take with my GSP. She was a proper runner in her younger days. I think she’s too scared to run off these days 😉

f they don’t respond, then be firm with them – deep voice and make them come back EVERY time! They’ve got to know you mean it and it’s not optional. Don’t be afraid to go after them and drag them back. If they’re so bad you need to go after them then you want to be doing this in a reasonably enclosed space (field sized) so they don’t just keep running away and think it’s a brilliant game!

Oh, and train them separately if they’re encouraging each other.

+1 for this. My Rottie was a nightmare for running off, particularly around rabbits/deer/woods etc and particularly with our other dog. These days my recall routine works like this (on the advice of our trainer):

– gets called to a toy/ball (as above make it exciting)
– if he doesn’t come straight away he gets his telling off command (which in his case is “Excuse Me! WHAT do you think you’re doing?)
– Then I will either go in and get him (he gets collared and a stern but not angry telling off following by some simple training – sit, paw, touch etc)
– Or if he runs away I run after him with my mean face on

This latter technique is a new one to me but is surprisingly effective. He’ll start running, look over his shoulder to see me coming after him obviously not in the mood to play and immediately crap himself. He stops 99% of the time and sits waiting for me with his sad face on.

Washing line. If theyre getting to the end of it and not coming back on command, just put your foot on it.

Careful with washing line – a friend got broken fingers as she just wrapped the line round her hand and the dog ran from one side of her to the other so basically had a 60ft run up before the line went taut.

My black Lab (male) was 1 yesterday and he was good as gold on recall to voice and whistle until he was about 8 months of age and his testosterone kicked in. When he fails to recall now on a park walk he’s straight on the lead for time out. He’s a lot better in open countryside walks but if chewing on some fresh tasty grass will still give me the ‘can’t hear you’ response so ends up back on lead very briefly. It’s a real battle of consistency and remembering basically they are still pups until they’re 18 months to 2 years old. Good luck with your retraining.

I tend to do a dry run including sit, come back and sit at distance at the beginning of a walk to make sure she knows what is supposed to happen.
Seems to work for me. Good luck. 1 year old could just be teenage dog and it will go through it.
all IMHO as I have the experience of one 20 month Visla.

I’d start to worry if they’re still doing it in a year or more.

thanks, looks like ive got to work harder at it really but i didnt know that making it fun to come back thing, thats a good one, the boy likes chasing stuff.