Can anyone give me any advice or tips on how to get my Saluki x Greyhound slightly more managable when it comes to cats. If i dont have a hold of him when he sees one he is off before you can shout his name!! His recal is not that good at all. It is getting to the stage when i let him out the back i have to put him on the extendable lead becuase i am frightened he is going to run off after a cat. The situation is just about manageable at the moment but if anyone has any advice then please can you help me???
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Help Needed!!!!
- Thread starter simpsoney
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I would work on the recall so it is 100%, before you take him/her out, where there maybe other dogs or cats....
Then maybe take him/her where there are cats keep him on the lead and reward him/her if he doesnt pull or show interest....
Then maybe take him/her where there are cats keep him on the lead and reward him/her if he doesnt pull or show interest....
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Is your back garden enclosed? If it is, you will find that cats very soon learn not to come in a garden where there's dogs. I never see a cat in my garden, or at my mums (she's got two dogs). However, when we get back after a two week holiday, there's often a couple hanging around! Seems they realise that Chloe isn't here and it's safe!
If your dog is an adult, i would say that it will be almost impossible to stop the cat chasing. however, work on your recall at home as it's obviously really important in lots of situations. I took my dobermann to obedience classes which helped her recall 100%. She was really strong-willed as a pup and even though she knew exactly what i wanted her to do, she just would not come back if she was engrossed playing with another dog. As she's got older, she's now brilliant at recall. I can't recommend training classes enough, they're great for socialisation too. Good luck! :luck:
If your dog is an adult, i would say that it will be almost impossible to stop the cat chasing. however, work on your recall at home as it's obviously really important in lots of situations. I took my dobermann to obedience classes which helped her recall 100%. She was really strong-willed as a pup and even though she knew exactly what i wanted her to do, she just would not come back if she was engrossed playing with another dog. As she's got older, she's now brilliant at recall. I can't recommend training classes enough, they're great for socialisation too. Good luck! :luck:
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(w00t) (w00t) (w00t) (w00t) (w00t) Don't forget we're talking about a SALUKI X here :- "Kim and Tilly said:
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The idea about the obedience classes is a good idea. However there are some things that you can do when it comes to recall. Using the extended lead that you have, take your dog out with treats or a favourite toy. Ask your dog to sit, make sure its full attention is on you. Take a step back and tell your dog to come, when the dog comes over to you give him the treat or a short game with the toy. Continue doing this extending the distance slowly. For example first time take one step back...after five of those try two steps and so on. Always make these sessions short, going at it for an hour will end up with the dog being bored and you will not have much progress. When your dog comes over to you make sure lots of praise and a treat...you can slowly wean off the treats if you choose to, also i tend to give a treat every other time the dog it right. One treat, one praise and so on. Im hoping that this makes sense.
Another thing you can try is working on some heel work. Sit your dog...usually i tend to have the dog at my left hand side. however it is not important which side you have your dog at. Make sure you get your dogs attention, i tend to find that treats work best for this. Have the treat in your left hand holding it to your side above the dogs head slightly. Take a step forward making sure your dog follows you, as you do this say the word "Heel" or whichever word you choose. When you stop, ask your dog to sit and then praise. As with the recall slowly work this up to two three four more steps and what not. It will take time and a lot of patience.
I hope this information helps you, good luck with your dog and make sure you have fun while doing it.
Another thing you can try is working on some heel work. Sit your dog...usually i tend to have the dog at my left hand side. however it is not important which side you have your dog at. Make sure you get your dogs attention, i tend to find that treats work best for this. Have the treat in your left hand holding it to your side above the dogs head slightly. Take a step forward making sure your dog follows you, as you do this say the word "Heel" or whichever word you choose. When you stop, ask your dog to sit and then praise. As with the recall slowly work this up to two three four more steps and what not. It will take time and a lot of patience.
I hope this information helps you, good luck with your dog and make sure you have fun while doing it.
Is this a problem with him chasing cats in an enclosed garden? If so then you could put a muzzle on him so that he can't hurt the cats but give them a scare and hopefully stop them coming into your garden.
I can appreciate that it's almost impossible to stop a saluki x once it's locked onto something to chase. But if you reward with food when the dog comes back to you you might be able to get more control over it.
You can start that off with the dog being on the end of an extended lead so that you can make sure that the dog comes back to you when you call it and then reward it with food and lots of praise until it gets the hang of things and understands what you want. Also do some recalls for food in the house. Do it often and not for very long initially.
I can appreciate that it's almost impossible to stop a saluki x once it's locked onto something to chase. But if you reward with food when the dog comes back to you you might be able to get more control over it.
You can start that off with the dog being on the end of an extended lead so that you can make sure that the dog comes back to you when you call it and then reward it with food and lots of praise until it gets the hang of things and understands what you want. Also do some recalls for food in the house. Do it often and not for very long initially.
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wobblywitch said:
dont know much about them only its a dog :- "
someone said to me it 10% breeding and 90% training all dogs can be trained if you take the time how ever long that maybe
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Taken from "Saluki Ancient Hunting Hound of the Middle East" by Jane Taylor and Sharon Walls.Kim and Tilly said:
"Salukis were and are bred in Middle-East as a hunting/companion/guard dog. They primarily hunt by sight, and to a much lesser degree by smell, and thus are very aware of their surroundings. Salukis have keen hearing, but when in pursuit of "game" exhibit "selective deafness" (which is usually infuriating to the owner who is calling their hound at the top of their lungs with no noticable result). When the dog has stopped running and is standing still is the time to attract the dog's attention by both calling it and making waving motions with your arms. Their native quarry includes hare, gazelle, and bustard."
Having said that my Saluki has very good recall, but he is an exception and I do not take any credit for it, as he is unusually food orientated.
We have a cat too and are constantly telling our Saluki and Saluki X to 'leave' him alone. Fortunately the cat is a very fiesty thing and does not run, which would induce a 'chase', but tends to throw the first punch. However, if any of my two saw a cat, or indeed our cat, outside I would have no chance of stopping them pursuing it if they were off the lead. :blink: When walking you have to be constantly on your guard and scanning around to try to see any furries, before they do
I've just started clicker training with mine and have seen very good results in a short space of time - just two 5 min sessions per day! I can highly recommend the book Clicker Training by Karen Pryor. :thumbsup:
Good luck
I can tell you what I did with a little cat I had, though this will sound quite mad. At the time I also had an ex-coursing greyohund bitch, quite large, and a large ex-racer too. A little cat was dumped near my house and it spent weeks recovering in a large old greenhouse on the property, away from the dogs. It was very sick, emaciated, etc - this means I invested a lot of time in it and was not going to let it get harmed by my dogs.
As the cat improved he often was standing too often at the front door as I was about to take my dogs out for a walk or in the car. He had no fear of them, though the bitch was very keen and I had to grab her collar all the time to avoid problems.
One day a friend's dog was staying here too, and he chased the cat. That was it. I was not going to put up with this any more. I roared at the friend's dog, who wisely retreated to the house and the kitchen. My own two were already there.
I wrapped the cat in a towel, except for his head. I walked into the house with him cradled in my arms. I stood in the kitchen doorway and let them see I was holding the cat...then I hissed at them, and glared.
"Oh" they said "she's gone mad...let's all huddle together."
I continued to hiss at them as I approached them with the cat in my arms. I bent down and put the cat and my face in each dog's personal space, hissing. Each dog turned its head away and would not look at the cat: "not me, nope, I didn't chase that cat, I don't like that cat, I would never hurt that cat."
In the following week or so, I hissed little reminders at them when they would get too close or seem too keen. It got to the point where I could open the front door wide and they would literally jump right over him if he was standing there in the doorway, which he often was.
He could even come into the kitchen and they just knew to stay away. I would never trust them not to chase him when I was not there, but even this little bit of progress was good enough for me. He knew not to stray into the dogs' outside space anyway.
The irony of all of this was that he ended up being killed one night by a fox or some other creature. The dogs were all inside, and I know he was killed during the night.
I think if you make it clear to your dog that your cat or cats are part of the pack, too, and that you are also a Cat Protector, it could help. To train your dog never to chase any cat at all - that's pretty difficult.
As the cat improved he often was standing too often at the front door as I was about to take my dogs out for a walk or in the car. He had no fear of them, though the bitch was very keen and I had to grab her collar all the time to avoid problems.
One day a friend's dog was staying here too, and he chased the cat. That was it. I was not going to put up with this any more. I roared at the friend's dog, who wisely retreated to the house and the kitchen. My own two were already there.
I wrapped the cat in a towel, except for his head. I walked into the house with him cradled in my arms. I stood in the kitchen doorway and let them see I was holding the cat...then I hissed at them, and glared.
"Oh" they said "she's gone mad...let's all huddle together."
I continued to hiss at them as I approached them with the cat in my arms. I bent down and put the cat and my face in each dog's personal space, hissing. Each dog turned its head away and would not look at the cat: "not me, nope, I didn't chase that cat, I don't like that cat, I would never hurt that cat."
In the following week or so, I hissed little reminders at them when they would get too close or seem too keen. It got to the point where I could open the front door wide and they would literally jump right over him if he was standing there in the doorway, which he often was.
He could even come into the kitchen and they just knew to stay away. I would never trust them not to chase him when I was not there, but even this little bit of progress was good enough for me. He knew not to stray into the dogs' outside space anyway.
The irony of all of this was that he ended up being killed one night by a fox or some other creature. The dogs were all inside, and I know he was killed during the night.
I think if you make it clear to your dog that your cat or cats are part of the pack, too, and that you are also a Cat Protector, it could help. To train your dog never to chase any cat at all - that's pretty difficult.
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Lynn ALEXANDIA advice makes sense,will certainly be asking bher for help in dog training area!
advice makes sense,will certainly be asking bher for help in dog training area!I've sort of brainwashed my rescue Saluki x lurcher using a whistle. He is a dumped ex-worker and was very keen when I first got him.
I trained recall pretty much as described above, but using a whistle and high value food rewards (things he loves and doesn't get for anything except recall). I also used the whistle at feeding time so he associated it with food. Basically it was just lots (and lots and lots) of repetition in short bursts every day.
Training classes were good, too, as they helped test him even with lots of distractions (other dogs and people) around.
It took a lot of time (several months) and a lot a patience, but I'm pretty confident I can bring him back to me in almost any situation now. I say almost because it all went out of the window on boxing day when a deer leapt out of the hedge in front of him........ well, he is a saluki cross, after all.
I trained recall pretty much as described above, but using a whistle and high value food rewards (things he loves and doesn't get for anything except recall). I also used the whistle at feeding time so he associated it with food. Basically it was just lots (and lots and lots) of repetition in short bursts every day.
Training classes were good, too, as they helped test him even with lots of distractions (other dogs and people) around.
It took a lot of time (several months) and a lot a patience, but I'm pretty confident I can bring him back to me in almost any situation now. I say almost because it all went out of the window on boxing day when a deer leapt out of the hedge in front of him........ well, he is a saluki cross, after all.
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How about a water pistol squirted in the dogs face everytime he gets excited at the sight of a cat, then a reward when he looks to you (in disgust!) :angry: Doesn't work with all dogs but has worked on several rescued Greyhounds, including my sisters mad keen ex coursing Greyhound, her ex husband tormented the dog with cats but when they divorced my sister moved in with my mum who had 2 cats it didn't take long for the water pistol to transform the dog, he bacame great buddies with my mums cats in the end :huggles:
Or if it's noise sensitive, try the old noisy can filled with stones or whatever to help distract, lastly make sure your rewards/treats are totally scrummy/irresistable, not just boring old dog biscuits to help with re call, you and your reward has to be far more exciting than the cat over the road to ensure no accidents happen... Mine can't resist ham, cheese and sausages, not healthy i know but in small quantities i don't see a problem and when the recall is perfected then you can resort back to Shmackos or whatever, but ALWAYS REWARD RECALL FOREVER!! Also don't fall into the trap of only ever recalling the dog when there is something you don't want the dog to see/do or when it's time to put the lead on and end his fun and games, as the dog soon learns it's more fun to ignore it's name. I re call all my dogs together or individually many times on every walk as this keeps them very on their toes and obedient, so when there is a busy road ahead or whatever i know they will return to me the instant i call them
it didn't take long for the water pistol to transform the dog, he bacame great buddies with my mums cats in the end :huggles:Or if it's noise sensitive, try the old noisy can filled with stones or whatever to help distract, lastly make sure your rewards/treats are totally scrummy/irresistable, not just boring old dog biscuits to help with re call, you and your reward has to be far more exciting than the cat over the road to ensure no accidents happen... Mine can't resist ham, cheese and sausages, not healthy i know but in small quantities i don't see a problem and when the recall is perfected then you can resort back to Shmackos or whatever, but ALWAYS REWARD RECALL FOREVER!!
Also don't fall into the trap of only ever recalling the dog when there is something you don't want the dog to see/do or when it's time to put the lead on and end his fun and games, as the dog soon learns it's more fun to ignore it's name. I re call all my dogs together or individually many times on every walk as this keeps them very on their toes and obedient, so when there is a busy road ahead or whatever i know they will return to me the instant i call them Welcome to Dog Forum!
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