Millie the English Setter is a lovely dog and has no real behavioural problems, however her owner was reluctant to let her off lead in the park if there was a road near as she was struggling to get her back!
We put Millie onto a training line (for her owners benefit, she didn't need it! :) and allowed her to wander free and play with two other dogs that we had present. As Millie got to the area of the road, her owner called her back and because she was on the line and there was no real danger, the owner could call in a warm, higher pitched and relaxed voice although with excitement in it; which caused Millie to return every time.
The only time she didn't recall was when I experimented with the line off and the owner became nervous and the recall became a shrill shout which was not going to be listened to! Once the owner was reminded to relax and try in the good voice, Millie came flying back and even took some shmacko as a reward, which she doesn't normally do!
So the moral is, if you are unsure about your dog, put he/she onto a training line, this isn't admitting defeat, just going back to training mode which is the best way to get the results you want. Use a high and loving voice tone and if your dog looks at you but doesn't recall, run in the opposite direction calling in the same excited voice and watch your dog fly back! I would also recommend a toy to encourage recall and to build the owner dog bond and I will do a post about that in the future!
(P.S. Click here to see some training lines from the lookafteryourdog shop)
Happy training
Steve
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