written by Julie Moore and published in this site with
permission...
This will work on any dog. It does not need
to be an obedience trained dog.
You do however need to teach a recall, with a sit in
front.
The sit in front is very important ... otherwise your dog could
come when called but not be where you could really get
your hands on him ... just kind of circling you or
coming but then leaving again.
The dog needs to know the official, not to be ignored recall
command ... usually the dog's name and the command
'come' spoken loudly enough to ensure he's heard
it because you will only say it ONCE......
Things like come here or speaking only the dogs name or
come on, are invitations that the dog can choose to
ignore and that you don't have to correct for.
If your dog already knows the formal recall.....you may skip
this step ...
Spend plenty of time teaching the recall with sit in
front, on lead, until you are certain it's
understood ... at least a few weeks, several times a
day, adding distractions to the mix so you have the
opportunity to give a few corrections. which would be:
simply pulling the dog to you briskly and hand sitting
him in front
Remember, this is not an obedience exercise so
perfect sits are not important ... use one command only and if he
doesn't respond immediately, correct him...no second
chances ... don't wait to give him time to make up his
mind. Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to get him to
react IMMEDIATELY so you can trust
him when he's loose.
Once you are sure he understands the recall, its time to proof
him ...
First, make sure you have time to complete the next
step.. Don't attempt this if you have to be somewhere
soon ... give yourself at least an hour.
Use the smallest enclosure you have. Let him out
and have
your leash and training collar close by. Go to a specific place,
it doesn't matter where ... just so you know that's
where the command will be given ... this is very important.
Give the command.....loud enough you're sure he hears....ONCE...
He will most likely NOT come which is good. Now get your collar
and lead and walk towards the dog. When he changes direction
you do as well, always going in his direction, with no
emotion ... you know what the outcome will be. ... walk with a
determined yet leisurely pace......
At first your dog will think it's the old
catch me if you think you can game.
Resist the urge to lunge for him when he is close ... time is
your friend ... you are not speaking ... you are just
coming, like a tank on a mission.....
As this continues the dog gets worried and realizes it's not
a game. You may worry that he's forgotten that you gave him a
command. Don't worry.....it was his responsibility to react
at the time of the command and he will learn the importance of
this.....
You start to notice the dog is getting more stressed ... not
knowing how get out of this predicament ... he will almost come
close to you, then retreat ... that's good...the longer this
takes, the better impression it will leave.
A successful 'catch' would be when he presents himself where you
can put the collar on without grabbing him or restraining
him. Always give him the opportunity to escape ... that
just prolongs the lesson, a fact the dog soon realizes.
Now, remember where you were when you gave
the command. That's
where the exercise will be completed. You called him to a
specific place. Take him back to that place at a quick pace and briskly hand
sit him in front of you ...
wait a few seconds ... now remove the collar and release
him without saying a word.
Wait at least 5 minutes and then repeat,
always choosing a different place to give the command.
As you spend a few weeks at this you are looking for
an immediate response. If the dog hesitates you follow
through with the walkdown even if he then decides to come after you
start to move.
As he starts to react every time., you look for times
where he's
involved in something interesting before giving him a recall
command.
Later you will provide things that will tempt
him to not respond ... having a handful of treats strewn about
the yard before you let him out for instance...
Remember if he's loose there will be many interesting things to
smell and explore so you must include extremely interesting
reasons for him to ignore your recall in your training period.
Once he's solid you will start all over in a bigger
enclosure. You may even have to use a friends place.
He will see this bigger place as an obstacle to your
method ... he will feel more freedom. and likely will think
you have no power there but after the first walkdown he
will see it doesn't matter. Do the distractions [whatever
you think will interest him], up to borrowing a scented Kleenex [for a male] from a bitch in season ... nothing is
unfair.
Once you get 100% compliance, he comes EVERY
TIME, you move to larger or strange enclosures.
Now its time for the real test ... no enclosure.
This
is best done at home in familiar surroundings so that if all
else fails he's where he won't leave and get lost. Leave the
gate open to the yard ... if he goes in ... continue the walkdown,
letting him have the freedom of the gate remaining open.
If you've done the foundation work, the last thing on his
mind is leaving.
The most difficult dog I
had to deal with was a red male ... when we got to
the point of complete freedom, it took over an hour to walk
him down, in the garage, around the car, over and over
again. My husband watched us
in frustration ... he wanted to block access to the
garage, but the whole point was for the dog to know that I
didn't need help ... the outcome was
assured. This same dog knew where to be 'caught' ... he would
always go to the point of origin [where the command was
given] and wait for me when he couldn't stand it anymore.
I will admit this is very stressful to the dog but the
difference is, the dog controls how much stress he will
tolerate he knows how to end it .
This is by no means a quick fix. It should take weeks
before you graduate to no enclosure but once done the
dog is convinced you can get him anywhere and will never
refuse a recall again ... and I have complete trust in them
after that.