Long Range Whippet - Any Tips?

[OosWus]

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Sorry for the strange topic title - I was worried about running out of space!

My young whippet lad Billy, well - coming on for 2 years old now (how time flies) is developing a bad habit for venturing further and further afield on walks.

From a pup, he would stick close by, and most times return on command.

As time has gone by, and his confidence of his surroundings improved, he would adventure further and further, but still returning - (35 times out of 50 :- " ) to my whistle.

He always seems to be keeping an eye on what I'm doing, and if he's out of sight for a short amount of time would soon tend to catch up with where I am - so by keeping walking it all sorted itself out.

The problem has arisen now simply because the amount of time that he's prepared to be out of contact for, multiplied by the likelyhood that he'll return on command and divided by how far he can travel in that space of time has meant that we have reached the boundaries of where I usually take him for walks safely.

For instance, in the local woods he could have disappeared for 10-15 minutes or so before he feels it necessary to 'check in' again, and in that time I've spotted him galloping along on the scent of something a field away.

Whistling and calling now actually seems to have the opposite effect, in re-assuring him that he knows where to find me, so it's OK to carry on, whereas keeping quiet means he's more likely to come back to find me sooner.

Then it becomes a test of nerves to see how long I can NOT try and whistle him back whilst working out how many miles away he could get in 10 minutes @ 30 miles per hour. :wacko:

I'm making it all sound a bit more dramtic perhaps than it is (he's on his back in an armchair asleep and snoring at the moment) but at the same time I recognise what a bad habit I seem to have ended up in.

I don't really want to have to keep him on a lead for walks, but now I find myself just going over to the local park where I know he doesn't bother going off, rather than going out on those fun walks (where he disappears).

Are there training techniques or tips that anyone could share that would help?

Thanks!

 

[Whippets Rule]

The only advice i have is pretty basic.

all my dogs are fairly food orientated and if it was me i would take some cheese on my next few walks,as i find mine tend to keep me where they can see me if i have cheese.

in fact i need take very little with me,if i give them a piece before i let them off the lead they know i have it and tend to be more alert and attentive to me even if there is little or no further cheese offered.

They don't let me stray from view if i have food.

If they don't thin k i have food they tend to bugger off and only come back when they are good and ready. :b

 

[sparky]

easy, you have let things go to their boundaries regarding this problem as you have just said. when you next take your dog out keep on top of him straight away, if he gestures to do a bunk chase him down and put him on the lead and keep him on the lead until you see fit to let him loose again. do this for your next few walks and you will retrain yourself to keep on top of him doing a bunk on you. hope this helps.

 

[Juley]

have you tried hiding when you are in a safe area? I have had to do that with all of mine at one time.

 

[Whippets Rule]

I agree with the hiding bit,we do that sometimes too and the dogs do get upset when at first they can't find you.

I had to laugh though at the "chase your dog down"hehehe hell if i could chase and catch a whippet my name would be Linford Christie(if i was a boy)

I find that if you try to keep too on top of the dog and keep putting it on the lead it tends to want to come back less and less and actually deliberately stays away.

Just go back to basic training/retraining for a little while to re establish control,with food rewards or whatever works best for you,it doesn't hurt occasionally just to help remind them what you expect of them.

Please note this is just my opinion from my own experiences.( i have established some reasonable recall with my Beagle and thats no mean feat considering his parents are working Beagles and he has strong noseworking instincts)

 

[sparky]

obviously didnt mean chase them down on your legs but verbally repremand them so as to get them on the lead. :- "

 

[Whippets Rule]

ok cool coz i'm knackered just thinking about actually chasing my whippets.

Don't think mine understand verbal reprimands,they've never heard any :- "

If i call Woody and he doesn't respond i just shout " Woody do whatever you like"

and then look at other dog owners and say " see he understands me" :b :b :b

 

[sparky]

wow, you will never get him back. i dont have this problem my dogs walk at heel until told otherwise. :cheers:

 

[OosWus]

If i call Woody and he doesn't respond i just shout " Woody do whatever you like"and then look at other dog owners and say " see he understands me" :b   :b   :b

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:lol: :lol:

That's somewhere near "Whatever it is you're doing, stop it!" in the Lenient Guide to Dogs.

Some good advice, thanks.

I had thought about the hiding trick, but must confess to worrying about seeing him run off in a panic - in the wrong direction :teehee:

 

[Whippets Rule]

Hehehe

My dogs are actually extremely obedient but as Woody is getting older he is a bit deaf bless him and to be honest yelling his name is no good and a reprimand is pretty pointless for him.you just have to catch his eye and wave and he comes running.

Mine leave my side on the command "go play" and if i shout "dinner" everyone comes back including occasionally other peoples dogs :b

I have to add that mine will run off to have a little chase of each other but have never ever run out of sight or not responded to my call. I would not let them off the lead if i didn't have control. I used to own a terrier who was attacked by an out of control dog and my boy, who was firmly under my control and on his lead ,had to be put to sleep as a result of the injuries he received.

 

[Strike Whippets]

I had 1 who used to go off hunting by himself ........Jacob had a very high level of obedience until he found something to chase /kill ...........I'd call, whistle etc ......but he'd only come back when exhausted or when he'd caught what he was hunting :- " (bless he always brought it back and handed his spoils over )........After month's of trying to stop him when he'd picked up on live (bear in mind Jacob scan's then run's so his sign's to pick up on are a split second) ......I gave up .......After 10 mins of calling and waiting one day, I set off home, I thought i'd see if he liked not having the comfort of me WAITING for him (which is what I was doing really ......he led the hunt and the rest of "his" pack waited :angry: ) .......So off we went out of the fields and down through the village green ...........Well I can tell you within 10 mins that dog had run so hard and fast through panic that he'd made his pads bleed and I thought he was going to keel over ........Not once has he gone off by himself again without permission, as Jacob alway's look's for where "I" am going as "I" lead the pack ........He lernt a hard but lifesaving/valuble lesson that day :thumbsup: ........

As Sparky say's give him boundary's ......When he over steps them take his freedom away ......but you go to him to do this ........And the hiding and calling him as Juley say's just keeps them guessing where you are ........In cases like this a flexi lead comes in handy as you can teach recall by reeling them in and you have 100% control :luck:

 

[tony b]

hiding worked with one of mine but the other did not give a monkeys,but a biscuit bribe did.

 

[Whippets Rule]

my sister used to say "bye" to her border collie and walk away from him and he always turned and followed her.

when i had my first dog i did the same and he promptly buggered off :lol:

 

[Whippets Rule]

i have to say my whippets have never chased a wild animal.I think they are the most short sighted sighthounds in the world.

i own Guinea pigs but the whippets are petrified of them,it was the same when i had rabbits.

if the rabbits were in their run in the garden the whippets would go and have a sniff but the second a bunny moved the dogs would yelp and leg it indoors.

my whippet boys are wimps bless 'em.

have to watch the Beagle boy though,his hunting instincts are all there :lol:

 

[OosWus]

wow, you will never get him back. i dont have this problem my dogs walk at heel until told otherwise. :cheers:

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No - I always get him back - he's sitting in his chair with a biscuit as I type

([SIZE=7pt]Just under his terms, that's all!![/SIZE])

I think he just knows how far he can push it before someone stops his fun -

Strike Whippets' story sounds very familiar, and I think the hide & fright tactics would be very effective, but I've seen how fast he can shift when he thinks he has fallen behind! Living on the edge of town I haven't got much margin of error in case of an overshoot before he gets to the first main road.

I think Sparky is right about setting the boundaries again - I'll see if I can put it into practice and get a bit of control back.

Thanks!!

 

[Strike Whippets]

We live 5 mins from junction 14 on the M5 ......so I know about margins and errors :unsure: ............... :luck: as I said ...keep us updated ......

 

[Seraphina]

The cheese advice is woth trying, i also always have a treat - beef jerky - in my pocket and i also always make sure my dogs know i have it. They come the moment I call. I never give treats any other time, only when trining them :luck:

 

[wild whippies]

I have one exactly the same that only does this at the beach everywhere else he's fine. I've bribed him, chastised him and all kinds. The little sod runs up to the dunes and watches me from there, because I'm at the waters edge, I can't hide from him which I know would put the fear of god into him! The only solution I could come up with is to watch him, I've slowly sussed out that once he thinks I'm not looking he bolts for the dunes. I wouldn't mind but he isn't even hunting, he just potters about and keeps checking I'm there then after about ten minutes bolts right back to me. :wacko:

He doesn't know it yet but when summer comes, I'm gona hide in the sea!

Hmmm do you think anyones looking? :- "

 

[OEH]

Tess has a patch in the middle of Port Meadow (very very large and flat so I can always see her) which she thinks smell great and often spends half an hour or so just pottering around smelling it and sometime won't come at the end of the walk and she's often rather too far away for me to bother to go and get her as it is perfectly safe. So what I do is go back to the car (and poor old Nana so hates leaving Tess I have to put her on the lead) and move the car in the car park. Whe she realies I have stopped calling and she can no longer see me she shoots back to the car park and to the place we always park and freaks when the car isn't there. SHhe then searches the car park and finds the car and I make her wait a while before she's allowed in. This stops her naughtiness for about 6 months or so when she starts to get a bit over confident and we start again. Just to add Port Meadow is completely enclosed so I know she's safe, and the car park is generally very empty at the times I walk so I'm not worried about her being hurt by cars.

Good Luck OosWus