# Recall



## Tracyml (Jul 12, 2019)

My Sadie is 8 months old and we were doing trail walks off leash and training in the yard with no leash. She seemed to never let me out of site and would always come when I called her. As soon as she turned 7 months old she decided she did not need to come when I called her back anymore. We don’t have a fence and luckily A neighbor 1/2 mile away grabbed her as I was chasing her through a thicket. Yesterday we went to an open field we always go to so she could run ( there is a fence on three sides) and she refused to come even though I had bacon. Some of our best times are wandering through the woods off leash but now I don’t think I can trust her. Has anybody else experience this. I don’t want to keep her on a leash outside for the rest of her life but she is way faster than I will ever be. I think she is tracking squirrels and birds which is fine but I need her to come back. She always comes in the house. Anybody have any advice?


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

You did really well if you had her off leash prior to 7 months. Most folks, myself included, don't even try to get them off lead prior to that. What she's doing is perfectly normal and to be expected. She's becoming an adult and her prey drive instincts are kicking in. She was purpose bred to do exactly what sh is doing. 
First things first;
You need to put her on a "check cord". A check cord is nothing more than a long piece of 1/4" rope with a clip on the end. 1" wide canvas web works well also. I would start with a 30' check cord. Attach the check cord to a harness, if she does not have one, now is the time to get one. I would highly advise not to clip it to her collar. She is going to hit the end of the check cord from time to time, and you don't want all of that pressure on her throat.
Start her out with the check cord attached to the harness with maybe 3'-4' of length between the collar and the check cord in your left hand, let the excess drag behind you. 
Start out at a walk and enforce the "heel", then let her range out by allowing the check cord that is dragging behind you to slide through your hand.( I highly recommend a light glove here, that rope can abraid your hand witth all the dirt and grit it will accumulate.) As she gets maybe 15', give her the "whoa' command, or "easy". Don't let her pull. She pulls, you stop moving, turn around and walk in the opposite direction, until she gets back in front of you.
Periodically stop and command her back to you. She doesn't respond, give a gentle pull, and some encouragement. She still doesn't respond, start to reel her in to you. You do not move, she comes to you. Give her lots of encouragement, and the moment she starts to come on her own, stop reeling her in and let her come to you. Repeat this alot.
Once she's out front and not pulling, Command "Stay" and walk toward her while pulling the check cord back through your hand. If she moves one iota, while you are walking toward her, you pull her back to the point where the "Stay" was given, while simultaneously taking up the slack in the check cord and walking up to her. Once you get to her, start out at the heel and repeat.
Once she understands that she is on a check cord, you can move to a longer cord and go back to the field. Let her go and keep working on the same drills, over, and over, again. You can even drop the check cord, if it's long enough, and you have the ability to get to the end and step on it if necessary, and let her blow off some steam first. Sometimes that really helps a lesson. 
What you are doing is called "extending the leash". You are basically imprinting in her mind that you can enforce a command, regardless of the distance. She doesn't know the difference between 15', and 150', she just understands that you can make her do what you want, and will ultimately come to accept it, or you up your game to an e-Collar.
All hunting dogs are started on the check cord, so don't internalize this as a failure on your part that you have to use it. The check cord is an integral component to training a bird dog. She may eventually need and e-Collar, but right now she is to young. Work her on the check cord.
Lastly, seriously, seriously,consider an invisible fence system for your house. They are a wonderful development for dogs. I cannot recommend one enough.
My current puppy, Finn, is 13 weeks old, He's been on a check cord now for 3 weeks. We just started forest walks last week, and longer retrieval training on a 100' check cord. He'll be on a check cord for many months to come. Hopefully, by summer, I can get him off the cord in a controlled environment.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

lovely mini teenager, suddenly forgetting a lot of what they learned and developing a selective hearing disorder. very natural and in fact there is at least one part you should be happy about: instead of having an insecure teenager who wants to be right at your side all the time you have a curious one who wants to explore the world. 
on top of the above i would practice recall: set up a circle of at least 3 people everyone having high value treats in a secluded environment. start being relatively close to each other to set her up to success. one always calls Sadie and rewards as soon as she comes to the person calling her. then someone else and on and on, widening the circle, being very cheerful every time she does it right. if you did this when she was a small pup, she will remember soon the game and recognize the expected behavior. if not, she will be happy about a new game. 
be consistent on the word you use for recall.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

I'm not saying this is "the way" to do it, but when my two went through the ignore recall stage, I simply turned my back on them and walked in the opposite direction they were heading off in. I never ever chased them, because that then becomes a game. Walking away alerted their attention far more than treats, manic yelling or chasing, just my tuppence worth,


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## MaxB (Mar 11, 2019)

same for us....when she 'forgets' the recall training due to either over excitement, or just being a bit, 'I'm an adult, I can do what I want" sort of thing, walking in the opposite direction, calling "This Way" works every time. then we put her back on lead, and next time out we bring the puller rings to get the focus back. Couple of rings sessions, and she is focussed again.


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## Tracyml (Jul 12, 2019)

Thanks Gunnr!!! I am going to try this.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

harrigab said:


> I'm not saying this is "the way" to do it, but when my two went through the ignore recall stage, I simply turned my back on them and walked in the opposite direction they were heading off in. I never ever chased them, because that then becomes a game. Walking away alerted their attention far more than treats, manic yelling or chasing, just my tuppence worth,



I play "hide and seek"with mine also. It didn't work with Gunnr, but the rest of them would come flying down that back trail to find me. Sometimes they would go past and then I did have to get them back, or they would back trail all the way back to the truck. Lots of fun. A mountain bike took it to completely different levels. 
Gunnr didn't care if you were with her. She would continue on, on her own, or as long as she felt necessary. In her mind, it was my job to keep up.


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