How To Teach A Dog To *not* Run Away

[tira_mia]

Its pretty much all been covered but you need to have a decent recall WITHOUT the distraction of dogs/equipment before you add them in.

Whats his recall like generally?

Pretty good he'll generally come first call anywhere but at agility. That being said, I will only let him off lead in the 'off lead park areas' so I guess the only other distraction there is the odd dog, and never as many as at agility training.

[Kavik]

Paws 4 Fun and Canine Fun Sports are differently set up to Agility Dog Club.

They are much smaller class sizes, and less equipment set up (at least at Canine Fun Sports in St Ives, as they cart the equipment with them, they probably have more in Castlereagh. And it is not all set up at Paws 4 Fun - have not seen the A-Frame set up there yet. )

I really like Canine Fun Sports, the way the exercises are set up are great for teaching sequences, and lots of fun.

Have only been to Paws 4 Fun a few times and have had a different instructor each time, a little frustrating as then they don't know where you are up to and you have to tell them again. I am trying to really get my weaving down pat so I can get out of beginners as I am getting a bit frustrated there.

ETA: I have a dog with too much focus on me!

Edited October 24, 2008 by Kavik

[tira_mia]

ETA: I have a dog with too much focus on me!

gawd i wish i had that!!

i might check out paws 4 fun this weekend as it's closer to me than St Ives - does anyone know when they take new enrolments, and if i should show up at 4pm?

[The Spotted Devil]

ETA: I have a dog with too much focus on me!

I had one of those I couldn't work out why she kept crashing through the jumps - turns out she was so busy watching me that she wasn't seeing the jumps until it was too late! I had to learn to give very exaggerated hand signals so she would learn to follow my hand and focus on the jump. Brilliant dog - RIP Dolly

[Kavik]

Paws 4 Fun are not training this weekend. The Sunday after they are, beginners is at 4pm. I will be there with Kaos.

I am currently waiting him out so that he is not released to do the course until he looks at the obstacle and not me (thanks to Vickie ) - working but can be frustrating

[tira_mia]

Paws 4 Fun are not training this weekend. The Sunday after they are, beginners is at 4pm. I will be there with Kaos.

I am currently waiting him out so that he is not released to do the course until he looks at the obstacle and not me (thanks to Vickie ) - working but can be frustrating

thanks

I should be there with a BC barking and carrying on like he's king of the roost, or failing that, i'll be the one carrying on as he runs away

I'll apologise in advance for all the extra noise

[Kavik]

Try not to let him get in Kaos's face though - he's not keen on that.

[Kavik]

Whoops sorry just remembered they are not training on the 2nd of November either

I am trialling that weekend so forgot about training not being on.

[poodlefan]

This is going to sound very self evident tiramia but the time to get your dog back to you is just when his head turns towards the distraction and you lose your connection to him.

We have had this issue with quite a few dogs at training and handler powers of observation/timing do play a key element in curbing it.

Its a hell of a lot easier to get that recall when he's two feet away than when he's 20 feet away and going hard in the other direction.

If you had your dog at our club and he carried on barking etc, you'd be asked to remove him to a decent distance so that the instructor wouldn't have to raise their voice to be heard over him. The alternative (which might be a good idea for a number of reasons) is to bring a crate and cover it until he's to ready to work. I'd have him either crated or working.

I'd say your boy needs to learn that agility is work.. fun work but he's there to do a job which is whatever you tell him to do.

Dogs that consistently interfere with other dogs in our classes are suspended from training until their handler can demonstrate that they can safely control them.

Edited October 24, 2008 by poodlefan

[tira_mia]

Yeap...pretty much as soon as he starts I pull him away. It isn't having as great a positive effect as I would have hoped because I thought that would make him stop doing it...in that pulling him away from whatever he's barking at is a punishment....which was why i posted here hoping someone could set me in the right direction (and i've gotten heaps of ideas - thanks eveyrone - so its a matter of trying them out til something clicks)

poodlefan - i dont have a crate...would the boot of my car work as well? i could cover the back windscreen so he couldn't see out of it (its a wagon).

[poodlefan]

Yeap...pretty much as soon as he starts I pull him away. It isn't having as great a positive effect as I would have hoped because I thought that would make him stop doing it...in that pulling him away from whatever he's barking at is a punishment....which was why i posted here hoping someone could set me in the right direction (and i've gotten heaps of ideas - thanks eveyrone - so its a matter of trying them out til something clicks)

poodlefan - i dont have a crate...would the boot of my car work as well? i could cover the back windscreen so he couldn't see out of it (its a wagon).

It would work while you're getting gear out but not for keeping him in between runs. If you don't have a crate, you might like to think about investing in one... if you ever want to trial you'll be needing one anyway.