# Spoiled V



## Mcunnin4 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi everyone,

more issues with Bentley... he just turned 6 months old and has developed a nasty habit of not listening to me outside of the house. I take him to a dog park every day to get some exercise because at the moment we live in an apartment. He gets plenty of exercise there but as you can guess I must have him on a leash everywhere in the apartment complex and there isnt a "yard" for him. Trust me, I would love to be able to let him run off leash..anywho... Inside he is a perfect angel for me. He knows all of this "cute" tricks and listens and responds very well to treats. If I so much as take a step outside out door with him on the leash EVERYTHING goes out the window. 

When i say everything...I mean EVERYTHING. I could scream him name...no response...I make sounds to get his attention ANYTHING to get his attention I have waved food in his face..nothing..I have "corrected his leash" with a short snap to the side...and this especially applies to the dog park as you can imagine. He comes when he feels like it and it is so frustrating!! Im going crazy and it actually puts me in a bad mood when he doesnt listen and would rather chase lizards. 

I have actually tried every type of collar/leash combo and have settled on the easy walk harness as he doesnt tug with me anymore on this but rather resorts to jumping and lunging (although it is easier to control when he lunges and bring him back compared to a collar) but his attention is still diverted. I have also tried an e-collar which I have tried and all he does it scratch his neck for a second and then resume chasing lizards or dogs or people etc....

I guess my question here is...what can I do to get this dog to listen to me! Like I said, all the training inside is perfect but outside his commands dont even exist. I accept that some of this is because of the young age but I would like for him to come or at least look up at me outside when I call his name...has anyone else experience trouble like this?


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Bump... Spam ate your post.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I think the problems you're experiencing are not uncommon in young dogs, but it would be hard to tell you exactly what to do in the limited capacity of an online forum. My best advice to you is to get him (and yourself) enrolled in a good quality dog obedience class, pronto. These classes are really more for you than for your dog, as they teach you how to train your dog. What any dog needs in order to learn something is, in a word, repetition. And since they do not generalize very well at all, something he has learned inside will have to be learned all over again outside. Same goes for housetraining. He might be housetrained at home, but won't necessarily generalize that knowledge to someone else's house. Each situation is different, and requires training for that particular set of circumstances. Good luck!! ;D ;D ;D


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

I agree with mswhipple.

Back to basics is what you need. 

On the recall issue you must train this into the dog in a place where there are few distractions first. Get a long line and whistle. Train the pup in the house first with the whistle to recall. Use this to announce dinner time, treats and new toys. Then go to a park or open space where there is NOT likely to be any other dogs or people if possible. Put your pup on the long line and train them to come back on the whistle. Repeat over and over at random intervals. So sometimes after 1 min call them back sometimes after 5 mins. 

Just make you aware a young pup is going to challenge you on the recall for awhile. Maybe up until 3 years old. The key is really to repeat repeat and ...repeat. With consistent whistle.


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## oliveJosh12 (Sep 10, 2012)

You arent alone - Olive has just turned 6 months and she is the same. She had perfect recall and she does...when she wants to listen. 

I had a break from training classes due to bad weather and Christmas etc but I am going back again next week and going to keep on top of it and her. I feel like she is having her teenage days a bit early!


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Have you tried taking Bentley somewhere other than the dog park? 
For us, recall was the most important thing for Watson to learn and learn well. My husband and I work hard on it daily and have from day one. 

What kind of food are you waving in his face?
We never leave home without an amazing treat - hot dog pieces, dried liver etc. I'll call him randomly while he's off sniffing and he'll come flying to me to grab his treat! He sits, I hold onto his collar and tell him he's a good boy, give him his treat and send him off sniffing once again. 

If he ignores my call, I'll walk away quickly and find something to hide behind - within seconds he's freaking out looking for me. I don't call him twice - but we do have two recall signals - one is his name and the other is my hand wave "come". I use one at a time. The voice I use to call him is calm and welcoming, I never want him to think he's in trouble when I call him.

I always play with him wherever we go, whether it's "fetch", "stalk me", "find it", or we're both looking/hunting for something in the field. That way - he knows being around me means fun and interaction. 

I also don't sit still when we're out. I walk around, find trees to hide behind, and change directions a lot. I see his hunting instinct come out as he follows along with me and stops to look at me to see if we're on the right track to finding "stuff". If I'm just sitting there letting him entertain himself - he's bound to see me as a boring rock. I would tap into Bentley's need to "hunt" and see if you guys can work as a team discovering new things/areas.

We also treat him at home when we call him and he comes to us - usually a cheerio, a leg/bum rub, kisses etc. Basically, I want him to think that the best things happen when he's hanging around us. 

Watson has been great so far and is almost 7 months. He does have his moments when he sees another dog, duck or person who he's more interested in, but he is a dog after all. I'm sure that he will test us as he gets older, but for now we have a great foundation to build on.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I would look for a trainer that trains bird dogs.
They are pros on working dogs outside with distractions.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

*Re: Bite Inhibition Training Experiences*

If nothing else, tether the leash to your waist and take him everywhere with you, even inside the house. Train as you drag him around or not. Many times I just dragged Sammy around and never said a word. Other times I asked him to sit, down, wait...


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## Mcunnin4 (Jan 15, 2013)

Thank you everyone! Especially Watson...great advice...he does stay around me at the dog park and looks around when he strays too far so he can find me but ill tap even further into this and start hiding for him to come "hunt" for me.

Thanks everyone! Where can I buy a cheap long leash? And how long should it be?


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: Re: Spoiled V*



Watson said:


> Have you tried taking Bentley somewhere other than the dog park?
> For us, recall was the most important thing for Watson to learn and learn well. My husband and I work hard on it daily and have from day one.
> 
> What kind of food are you waving in his face?
> ...


Elementary Mr. Watson........


Great post. Love your work. I saw 3 key Vizsla training requirements in that.

Patience/positivity
Call once only
Engage mentally with pup. 

Awesome work......


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