10 month old border collie won't come back

[Isabell Halldane]

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my border collie, Snoopy, will come back in the house, but lately he has become selectively deaf. If I don't notice you, I don't have to obey kind of thing. I take him out everywhere within walking distance for 30 minutes 3 times daily. He is dog fixated. He will pay attention for a great treat but that affects his diet. I am scared to let him off as he is fast and I doubt I would get him back if I did. Border collies are supposed to be easy to train. What happened?

 

[gypsysmum2]

You say he will pay attention for a good treat. That is your answer! Not sure what you mean about it affecting his diet? If he has a delicate tummy would chicken be a good treat for him? If you are worried about his weight then reduce his meals to compensate. Some people do not feed their dog when training. It all comes as rewards for the right behaviour.

A dog has to be motivated to work for us. Even Border Collies need rewarding for the right behaviour. Many dogs will also work for a toy. Does he have a favourite toy or game that he plays with you? You could use that instead of treats.

Are you thinking that he "should" come back if you call him? If so you need to read some good books on modern dog training. It is all about motivating the dog to do as we want. This means finding the key to your dog so that he enjoys doing what you ask of him more than he enjoys doing other things. If this means getting his ball or playing a game of tug or getting a treat then why not use them to your advantage. You are still in control of the treat/toy/game. Would you work for no wages?

Recall is all about the dog wanting to return more than he wants to stay away having his own fun. Make it more fun to come back and he will. You may have to start around the house and garden. By far the best tool for recall is a whistle. Whistles are never angry. Blow the whistle and give a treat or play a game. Let him wander off or go and hide and then blow the whistle, if he doesn't come at first just go and lure him towards you with the promise of a treat or a game.

There must never be a negative associated with recall. Never call your dog to chastise him for any wrong doing ( it is pointless to chastise dogs anyway but that is a whole other story). If you have been calling him to chastise him then you may need to choose another word to teach him recall with.

If you only ever call your dog to put the lead on then he will not be keen to come back as it means the end of all his fun. Call him, reward him, let him free again. Move away from him rather than towards him so that he has to chase you.

Once he is happily coming to you in the house and garden try to find a safe place to practice recalls. Try not to get frustrated if he ignores you at first but be ready for the one time he comes so that he can have a fantastic reward. Five treats one after the other or a fantastic game with the ball or a thrilling game of tug. Why not all three? Difficult recalls need more rewards even it they are bit slow at first. As time moves on and he is coming back more you can switch to rewarding the difficult recalls with the best rewards. If you cannot find a safe place then use a long line that you can put a foot on to stop him disappearing. Do not be tempted to reel him in. It must be his decision to come to you because he finds you so exciting and rewarding to come to.

Look for a book called "Understanding the Border Collie" by Carol Price.

 

[deegee]

Step 1
Blow the whistle (Fast continuous pips work well for recall) while your dog is with you and feed them the treat while holding their collar.
Do this three times a day for a week.
Make sure you feed immediately after you blow the whistle.

Step 2
Blow the whistle while your dog is in the same room but not at your side. When they come, hold their collar and feed them the treat or play the special game.
Make sure your dog is already on the way to you when you blow the whistle.
Do this for two or three days.

Step 3
Blow the whistle while your dog is in another room. Make sure your dog is already on the way to you when you blow the whistle. When they come, hold their collar and feed them the treat etc.
Do this for two or three days.

Step 4
Blow the whistle while your dog is in the garden and you are in the house. Make sure your dog is already on the way to you when you blow the whistle. When your dog comes, hold their collar and feed them the treat.
Do this for two or three days.
Do at least one repetition where you feed or play with the dog (which ever they prefer) for a full thirty seconds.

Step 5
Blow the whistle while your dog is on a long line or extending lead in a field. Make sure your dog is already on the way to you when you blow the whistle. When your dog comes, hold their collar and feed them the treat.
Do this for two weeks. Do at least one repetition where you feed or play the dog for a full thirty seconds.

Step 6
Blow the whistle while your dog is off lead but not playing. Make sure your dog is already on the way to you when you blow the whistle. When your dog comes, hold their collar and feed them the treat. Do at least one repetition where you feed the dog for a full thirty seconds.

Step 7
Blow the whistle while your dog is playing but on a long line. Start to walk backwards with the line and when your do turns towards you get down to his level, open up your body and blow your whistle recall, keep blowing the whistle until he gets to you When your dog comes, hold their collar and feed them the treat.
Do this for two weeks. Do at least one repetition where you feed the dog for a full thirty seconds.

I would add that you should not attempt to blow the whistle unless you are 100% your dog will respond in the early days or even months so your dog never learns to ignore the sound. I would not want to be blowing the whistle twice or else the dog will learn he comes sometimes when he hears it.
This is why I use the security blanket of a long line more than other folks, because I want the conditioning to be strong. This is so the dog hears whistle and knows exactly what to do, doesn't have to think, just does because that is what happens when he hears the sound.
When training this, if you can't put your mortgage on your dog coming back then DON'T blow the whistle or you will undo the conditioning process.

Think about what your dog finds rewarding and use it to your advantage, make the environment work for you rather than against you. Reward anytime your dog voluntarily checks in and be sure to send them away when you have finished rewarding them. I would also hand feed your dog at least one meal a day.
Hope this helps


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Mark Sanderson BSc Hons (canine behaviour), FdSc CBT, CAP 1, CAP 2
Member of The Association Of Pet Dog Trainers (00977)

Check out my website http://www.topbarks.co.uk/ www.yorkdogtrainer.co.uk
Copied from elsewhere for you...hope it helps.

 

[Raven oaktree]

Welcome to the joys of owning an adolescent dog!! It will pass. Go back to basics , be calm and consistent. Find a really high value reward(liver or chicken for example) go over the top with praise when he gets it right. And most importantly untill you have a 100% reliable recall do not take the risk and let your dog off lead in an open area until you get this back . Most people get the shock of their lives when their dog hits adolescence because their previously well trained youngster turns into ..well..a stroppy teenager . Back to basics ..reward for good behaviour , ignore the bad and don't give him an opportunity to fail. It gets better ..i promise

 

[Isabell Halldane]

Thanks. I find the more I give him treats for good behavior the less he will eat. Maybe I shouldn't worry as long as he is eating something. I have played hide and seek with him with the whistle round the house. He comes then, but he is a teenage and can be stroppy. Will try the training game. Wish me luck.

 

[JoanneF]

Is there anywhere near you that is an enclosed space (we have a basketball court for example)? These are useful for building up recall training as there is no risk of escape.

 

[Raven oaktree]

The problem is that you need either treats or a much loved toy to begin with

Maybe take some kibble out of his food allowance and use that ..but unfortunately you are going to need a very night value treat to get rid of a behaviour they have previously found rewarding . So if your dog I normally fed a good quality kibble , but you are training hard so through the day the dog has had chicken or liver..the meat is good quality so I wouldn't worry about the meat replacing the kibble ...but if you use the shop bought training treats ..well to be honest its probably just going to be like your kid refusing his healthy tea cos he is full of sweeties so you really do need to look at the quality of treat you are giving too because giving them rubbish will affect behaviour and concentration too..

 

[KnutsfordVets]

Yes good luck. Treats are often the only way unfortunately. As many have said you shouldn't be afraid of compensating his diet with treats during training. You've also got to be confident with your body language and reward him with nice open and over excited cuddles, this will make it easier for him to differentiate between body languages if he does something bad.