Recall

[FionaS]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

The last few weeks Dolly has been a bit bad with her recall, ever since the rabbits have started coming out!! I have tried buying a 30 foot training lead and using a whistle and she comes like a dream when she is on the training lead but when she is off and cathces a scent of a rabbit she only comes back in her own time!! She is normally so good. I have always done loads of training with her and she i s normally so good. Does anyone have any advice? She went missing in the woods the other day for 20 mins and i was worried sick!! She then appeared running towards me like nothing had happened!!

 

[dawn]

Once they catch sight of a rabbit, recall goes out of the window!!. (w00t) Shouting whistleing screaming will make no difference. Instinct takes over. Stay where you are and they will come back once the chase is over.

 

[*Lesley*]

Once they catch sight of a rabbit, recall goes out of the window!!. (w00t)   Shouting whistleing screaming will make no difference.  Instinct takes over. Stay where you are and they will come back once the chase is over.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Yep thats what I'd say too totally deaf in that situation

 

[FionaS]

She doesn't need to even see a rabbit at the moment she is running off into the gorse looking for them!! I think it's the smell aswell she just gets the scent and she is off.

 

[lawleymoon]

She doesn't need to even see a rabbit at the moment she is running off into the gorse looking for them!! I think it's the smell aswell she just gets the scent and she is off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

same here i cant get lola back as soon as i take her lead of shes gone 10 mins yesterday she went for came back with cuts all up her legs and belly and half a branble bush stuck to her :- " its not funny when they do that you worry like mad

 

[Trish]

i had the same problem with my two,and changing where i took them for thier walk made a big difference.

a strange place makes them stay close to me,until they get use to the area and there off again.then i look for somewhere else.

the problem is finding suitable places for them to run.

 

[urchin]

i had the same problem with my two,and changing where i took them for thier walk made a big difference.a strange place makes them stay close to me,until they get use to the area and there off again.then i look for somewhere else.

the problem is finding suitable places for them to run.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

mine are the same - in familiar surroundings they'll bomb around looking for grey furry things, and remember the recall word when it suits

but if we are somewhere new they stick close, just in case.

One thing I do with Digit if he's getting lax with his recal, is hide behind trees in the park when he's disappeared off. When he gets back to where he thinks i am and can't see me he goes into frantic 'hunt mummy' mode - and then stays within site for the rest of the walk. i only ever do this in familiar surroundings though, so he knows where he is and doen't just blindly leg-it in a panic. People do give me odd looks though

 

[Janimal]

The last few weeks Dolly has been a bit bad with her recall, ever since the rabbits have started coming out!! I have tried buying a 30 foot training lead and using a whistle and she comes like a dream when she is on the training lead but when she is off and cathces a scent of a rabbit she only comes back in her own time!! She is normally so good. I have always done loads of training with her and she i s normally so good. Does anyone have any advice? She went missing in the woods the other day for 20 mins and i was worried sick!! She then appeared running towards me like nothing had happened!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

She sounds just like her brother Kobi (w00t) especially when there are rabbits around, Im going to a dog class when I can get and it is helping..... but when the bunnies arE out - NO CHANCE. :lol:

 

[FionaS]

Glad it's not just me!! I felt like a bad mum!! She is a star in the dog training classes and all my friends say that they can't imagine her running off. Little do they know what a hunter she is!! I'll try the hiding trick, she always comes back i suppose!!

 

[Alfiewhippet]

Am i the only whippet owner who has a dog that is not remotely interested in rabbits :blink: , but give Alfie a DUCK to chase and he is away like a shot (w00t) i don't think he has grasped the concept that they take off when you get close to them, we live very near to open meadows and the river where the ducks frequently land to sunbathe, no matter how much i scream NO at the top of my voice he gets selective deafness and takes no notice i suppose the ducks may have more of a chance to escape than a bunny :b

 

[dawn]

Once they catch sight of a rabbit, recall goes out of the window!!. (w00t)    Shouting whistleing screaming will make no difference.  Instinct takes over. Stay where you are and they will come back once the chase is over.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Yep thats what I'd say too totally deaf in that situation

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Its called selective deafness lesley !!

 

[dessie]

Am i the only whippet owner who has a dog that is not remotely interested in rabbits :blink:   , but give Alfie a DUCK to chase and he is away like a shot (w00t)   i don't think he has grasped the concept that they take off when you get close to them, we live very near to open meadows and the river where the ducks frequently land  to sunbathe, no matter how much i scream NO at the top of my voice he gets selective deafness and takes no notice i suppose the ducks may have more of a chance to escape than a bunny :b

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

We don't have any bunnies in our fields, only tree bunnies, but we do have ducks and Rupert is the duck expert, he has caught 3 so far and a crow plus a heron by the leg when it didn't take off quick enough but he let go when I bawled at him and it was totally unharmed!!!

I am sure I have recounted this story so apologies if you have heard it but the funniest was when Rups caught a duck by the tail and just took off up and down the field at full gallop for about 5 minutes. As he did a gallop-past for about the 4th time I suddenly realised that this duck's neck was not hanging down but rigid with its head pointing forwards so therefore not dead! Couldn't do anything cos he was still charging up and down but gradually slowing. He then stopped and obviously wanted to pant so he just spat the duck out and as it landed plop in front of him it suddenly sprung to life and took off vertically, quacking very loudly and indignantly. The look on Rupert's face was priceless!!!

 

[*Lesley*]

Once they catch sight of a rabbit, recall goes out of the window!!. (w00t)    Shouting whistleing screaming will make no difference.  Instinct takes over. Stay where you are and they will come back once the chase is over.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Yep thats what I'd say too totally deaf in that situation

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Its called selective deafness lesley !!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Mine don't only it when out with the bunnies either they also have it when it's raining and time for a wee, when you want them to move to you can sit down, when you have visitors and tell them to get down,when you tell them that is NOT their slipper, need I go on :blink:

 

[Rae]

Am i the only whippet owner who has a dog that is not remotely interested in rabbits :blink:   , but give Alfie a DUCK to chase and he is away like a shot (w00t)   i don't think he has grasped the concept that they take off when you get close to them, we live very near to open meadows and the river where the ducks frequently land  to sunbathe, no matter how much i scream NO at the top of my voice he gets selective deafness and takes no notice i suppose the ducks may have more of a chance to escape than a bunny :b

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

We don't have any bunnies in our fields, only tree bunnies, but we do have ducks and Rupert is the duck expert, he has caught 3 so far and a crow plus a heron by the leg when it didn't take off quick enough but he let go when I bawled at him and it was totally unharmed!!!

I am sure I have recounted this story so apologies if you have heard it but the funniest was when Rups caught a duck by the tail and just took off up and down the field at full gallop for about 5 minutes. As he did a gallop-past for about the 4th time I suddenly realised that this duck's neck was not hanging down but rigid with its head pointing forwards so therefore not dead! Couldn't do anything cos he was still charging up and down but gradually slowing. He then stopped and obviously wanted to pant so he just spat the duck out and as it landed plop in front of him it suddenly sprung to life and took off vertically, quacking very loudly and indignantly. The look on Rupert's face was priceless!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

LOL! Yes heard it before - Rupert is quackers :lol:

Just as good the second time.

No bunnies at all? Never ever?

We are just seeing them again after they were wiped out with myxi last year.

I think it has been proven that every type of dog will recall to positive reinforcement training EXCEPT a sighthound, so it is a waste of time. A deer popped out infront of Holly and I last week , she was off her lead, chased it for 3 steps, gave up and came back for her treat :wub: :lol: Meanwhile Deer running for it's life towards my other 4 dogs (w00t) :clown:

 

[J.T.]

My lurcher Hebe has got better as she gets older, she's 6 now. When younger she would chase anything that moved, squirrels, birds, bunnies, leaves, joggers

Two funny things happened, once my O.H. took her for a walk & a jogger ran up from behind, well, Linford Christie would have been left standing as the lurcher gave chase. If he'd stood still she would have let go of his trainer (still attatched to his foot :rant: Probably :b

O.H. screamed, shouted, cursed and eventually ran away :blink:

He reckoned Hebe would follow him & was right but how he thought he could outrun an irate fit jogger, I don't know.

The other thing was when Hebe almost fulfilled her lifetime ambition to catch a bird.

There were a lot of woodpigeons on the ground & she ran at them & they took off but the trees were so low that they could not gain any height & flew about a foot off the ground. Luckily all Hebe got was a mouthfull of tail feathers. Poor bird must have had a cold bum for a while :b

We are now going through it all again with Scrumpy :wub: Who'd have em, eh???

 

[Mary-Caroline]

It's hard to convey just how relieved I am after reading everyone's comments on this subject! I thought it was just me being a bad owner. Cashie's recall is generally pretty good but the minute he sees a rabbit or squirrel; forget it.

A scary story: when he was just under a year old he spent a week with a friend of mine (also a vet nurse) while I was on holiday. She keeps a real menagerie including a rabbit and two guinea pigs. By no means is she a stupid girl but she has a bit of a blind spot where Cashie is concerned and sees him as the most gentle dog in the world. I explained countless times that although this is true when it comes to people, cats and other dogs, under no circumstances can he be trusted with any small furries.

Anyway it was a nice summer day so all the family were out in the garden and the rabbit and GPs were hopping around. Everything was fine until a family friend threw a tennis ball for my friend's Yorkie. Unfortunately he managed to hit the bunny with the ball causing it to bolt (quite understandably!) My friend said that Cashie's reaction was instantaneous; he took off after the bunny like a bat out of hell!

Luckily this has a happy ending. The whole family immediately screamed at him and I'm amazed to report he stopped in his tracks. I'd love to attribute this to my extraordinary training powers but reluctantly I have to admit that he probably only reacted like that through sheer surprise. :unsure: He's such a sensitive dog that even I have only raised my voice to him on a handful of occasions and I think he couldn't quite believe that my friend was shouting at him.

Obviously I only heard about this afterwards but even though I knew the bunny was OK it still didn't do my blood pressure any favours! And although my friend still loves Cashie to bits I don't think she'll be letting him anywhere near the small furries again!

Sorry to go on, I realise this is slightly off topic but on the subject of shouting, although I've always believed that (certainly with whippets) it's not an effective training method and it almost always represents failure on the part of the owner. I don't mean that to sound sanctimonious as I've certainly been guilty of it myself so am in no position to take the moral high ground. However I have to admit that I had a bit of a giggle on the one occasion my ex shouted at Cashie. He was going through a real naughty adolescent stage and for some reason one evening he decided to chase our ancient old cat. Up until then and ever since they've been the best of friends and I think that Cashie was just playing but nonetheless it's unacceptable behaviour. Anyway, Ian shouted at him, and I've never seen a dog look so distraught You'd have thought we'd beaten him to within an inch of his life! Such a wimp!