My eco solution to rat problems

[dancing cloud]

Having finally got access to my field on Monday night, we took the three dogs in there yesterday, let them off their leads ... and off they ran and invaded a neighbour's garden just because the neighbour's little fluffball barked at them . Despite all our calling them, they would not come back and we had to go in and physically haul them out, with profuse apologies.

 

Thankfully nothing and no one was hurt and the neighbour was amazingly not angry about being invaded, but clearly it must not happen again. I can make sure the field is totally secure, but we need to train the dogs in manners off a lead and coming back when called. Any ideas?

 

All our previous dogs were brought up in a group that was already trained, so they learned from the big dogs and it became self-perpetuating. Because my dad's time was taken up nursing my mother for several years, as the older dogs died none of these three have been taken to places where they could run off their leads, so have not been trained and just ran wild yesterday .

 

All hints and tips about training an unruly group of adult dogs very much welcomed!

[Lavenders_Blue]

Treats, treats and more treats . Really high value, smelly, rewarding treats that they just can't resist. Cheese, hot dog sausages, liver cake (if you can be bothered to make it, but dogs do go mad for it) and - I wouldn't normally recommend this rubbish, but Tango loves Bakers Sizzlers, they smell of bacon and I think she'd gladly sell her soul for one

 

Start teaching the dogs to come when called in the house, and rewarding them for doing it. Only reward them for getting it right, not coming when they feel like it. Then when they've got the hang of that, do the same in the garden. Finally you can try it down the field. Be prepared to have to shout and jump around like a lunatic at first to get their attention then BIG rewards when they come back.

 

Maybe try letting them off one at a time at first, so they don't just bog off all together. They'll want to come back to their mates. You could also try putting them on a long line (always use with a harness, never a collar as you could damage or break their necks if they take off at speed) so they have a bit of freedom to practice recalling but can't actually disappear. Eventually you would phase this out.

 

And finally, they WILL settle down - it's most likely the initial excitement of being taken somewhere new to run free, the novelty will start to wear off and they will start listening (especially when you get the fences sorted!).

 

Best of luck

[LolaLayla]

Agree with the treats method. I would try using a clicker too. I have only trained one puppy (a fluffball )so I am not sure how you would cope with a group but think it would be worth concentrating on them individually.

I find you can get so many different behaviours with the clicker and it is so precise. I now do heelwork to music and it is amazing how good the clicker is. At present I am training Lara to wee on command, as she will go for hours on end without emptying her bladder which can be a problem if I want to leave her at home for any time. If you click always reward

[The Dogmother]

As L_B has said, long line all the way. The Lurcher Link forum has some excellent threads about recall training, and Pauline Jackson does some very good training sessions around the UK.

 

Good luck, and thank your lucky stars you don't have a lurcher

[Lavenders_Blue]

Good luck, and thank your lucky stars you don't have a lurcher

 

 

If it's any consolation, when we got Tango she had clearly had no training whatsoever. We spent quite a number of walks searching for her and waiting while she bogged off hunting and having fun.

 

Now I am pretty confident to take her most places. Woodland can still be a problem as there tend to be deer about and she can't resist a bit of deer coursing (we now pretty much avoid woodland for this reason) but most other places she is fine.

 

However time and patience are your best weapons. Treats and long lines will help shape the behaviour, but you also need patience... You will get there!

[The Dogmother]

Also get a falconry bell to attach to their collars, so you at least know where they are when they run off. Cyrus was totally untrained when we got him too and it helped my stress levels to know where he was even if I had to go and find him.

 

I think that homemade liver cake is my dogs' favourite and guarantees instant recall if they know I have it in my pocket.... in fact they won't leave my side and spent the whole walk nudging my pocket

 

Try some focus games too to get them concentrating on you, the touch game is a good one.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Also get a falconry bell to attach to their collars, so you at least know where they are when they run off. Cyrus was totally untrained when we got him too and it helped my stress levels to know where he was even if I had to go and find him.

 

Good point, DM. I bought some falconry bells on your recommendation when I first got Tango, they were really helpful in bringing my stress levels down as I at least knew more or less where she was, even if she was giving me the proverbial two fingers

[The Dogmother]

I'd swear that dog of yours has saluki in her! Not that she looks at all like one of course.

 

Cyrus did the Saluki Wander this evening, when he disappeared through a hedge into the next field.. it might as well have been a wormhole into a parallel universe as it was full of bunnies and he wouldn't come back until he'd either coursed all of them or caught one ginger eejit!

[Lavenders_Blue]

I'd swear that dog of yours has saluki in her! Not that she looks at all like one of course.

 

Cyrus did the Saluki Wander this evening, when he disappeared through a hedge into the next field.. it might as well have been a wormhole into a parallel universe as it was full of bunnies and he wouldn't come back until he'd either coursed all of them or caught one ginger eejit!

 

Naughty Cyrus! No Tango definitely doesn't have any Saluki in her, she just likes to pretend she does. She sometimes pretends to be a Beagle too when she gets her nose glued to the floor on a scent and her tail goes round like a propellor

 

Dancingcloud - I do hope you get some bells for your pooches, it would be like walking a pack of Morris dancers,

[dancing cloud]

Many thanks for all the tips and support. So glad we're not the only ones with escapees . I was absolutely mortified, as I'm usually the person muttering about people not keeping their dogs under control, and there were our three rampaging round someone else's garden and totally ignoring me

 

Two lessons learned - firstly, secure the field so they can't escape - now done as strong field gate installed yesterday - secondly, teach the not-so-little perishers to come back. My dad always used ultra-sonic whistles, so we've bought a couple of those and found lanyards for them, and we've bought liver and skinless sausages for reward time (if we ever get to reward time ).

 

Once I've removed the last of the barbed wire from someone's very amateur attempt at fencing (it's all twisted round itself and the stock wire and buried in the ground ) we'll let the dogs back in. Probably let them run wild and enjoy themselves a few times before I start training, otherwise I'll just lose out to the novelty value.

 

I'm definitely liking the idea of letting one off their lead at once, as they are a very close family group and will certainly come back to each other. I'm sure Kia will come for food as she's a greedy guts and Halle will come for praise as she really likes being a good girl. Herbie has no interest in food (he might lose his Elkhound badge as he doesn't even steal or scrounge ) and is not hugely motivated by praise. His true obsession is Cleo the cat, but I can't see her wanting to come with us somehow ...

[Lavenders_Blue]

That sounds good, let us know how you get on. Train the whistle the same way as you would if you were calling them - treats for acknowledging the whistle at first then returning to you when you use it to call them.

Tango is very food orientated, but we actually taught her a whistle recall with a game of ball as a reward, as she is totally ball obsessed. Every time she came back when I whistled her, she would get a quick game of ball. She's mostly reliable now... Except when there's something really exciting to chase of course

[The Dogmother]

Look up Nothing in Life is Free dog training, that's very good.

 

Mine will range; they are autonomous hunters, but know that if they hang around me they'll get a treat. It usually works when calling them to heel.

[dancing cloud]

We had such a good time yesterday . I finally extracted the last of the barbed wire (dug out of the ground) so the dogs could go back in.

 

I didn't try any particular training, just let them romp around and explore, knowing they were secure and safe. They hunt as a pack and, if one wanders off, they soon get back together again. They all came back to us regularly to check in, without being called, so got lots of praise and cuddles and did come back when called, to even more praise and cuddles.

 

As the grass is so long, they can't just run through it and have to do a porpoise-like manoeuvre to get through it and to see each other, so they soon became tired and came home tripping over their tongues and very happy . They barely moved for the rest of the day (except for dinner, of course).

 

We still have to work on the whole coming-back-when-called-not-just-when-we-want-to thing, but it was really lovely to just watch them run free and have fun

[Lavenders_Blue]

Sounds like a good start If they're checking in with you voluntarily, then that makes life a lot easier. I'm sure they'll soon get the hang of it once they've got to burn off some steam and realise that coming back to you means lots of cuddles and treats.