Wow! What an endeavor!
I was watching the grandkids and their dog a few weekends ago. I love them to death. Even the overweight and undertrained black lab. He is a nice enough dog. A retrieving machine. Their dad's hunting dog. It's really too bad the work wasn't put in to make him a really good dog.
Anyhow, no one told ME the dog not only didn't have a recall, he was an absolute runner. Meaning, he flat out runs from people. No food, no toys, nothing can induce this dog to come back. So, I'd come home from the gym and had some stuff I had to take out to the car. With my arms full of stuff I couldn't close the door fast enough and the lumox runs out and practically upends me. He takes off. Now, I'm fairly spry for a 68 year old granny. But come-on. He's got 4 legs and I've had 4 knee surgeries. Before I know it, he's headed for the wilderness area. I would for sure loose sight of him and it would be all over. (Does he have tags? No. Does he have a chip? NO! Don't get me started.)
So, thank the good Lord Lumox stops to pee on a weed. I slow down and just walk casually past him ignoring him like we were on a walk. Then I turned around and faced him. He immediately realized his mistake and tried to dart past me. But I got my right hand on his collar. But this wasn't this dog's first rodeo. I know he's done this exact thing before, he pulled me flat on my face, but damnitall, I could not let this dog go. He dragged me (I'm not exaggerating) 20 feet over sage brush, gravel, goat's head thorns... it was awful. But finally, he couldn't drag me any further and came to a halt. So gradually, keeping one hand on his collar, I start to almost get on my feet and WHAM... he takes off again. I know he's done this to other people before. His timing was too perfect. Only this time when I landed on my face, he almost jerked my arm out of the socket. I'm laying prone there on the ground with my hand on his collar thinking DAMN I'm going to have to butt-scoot my way a quarter of a mile back to the house holding onto this dog. But I looked around at the rocks under my face and saw one that had a nice flat surface and a sharp edge. I put it under his ear and my thumb on top of his ear and squeezed as hard as I could saying SIT! SIT! SIT! while he yowed and complained until, finally he sat.
Maybe you think I was cruel, but physically I was at the end of my rope and the dog would be gone and never heard from if I couldn't fix this. By making him SIT (every time he lifted his butt, I pinched his ear) I could safely get to my feet. I had no lead with me... nothing. So I took off my T-shirt (I'd been to the gym and had on a jog bra) and slipped it under his collar so I could stand up right and walk him. If he tried to slip the collar or take off, he got the rock-under-the-ear.
The lessons here are many:
1) Don't baby sit your daughter's undertrained and overweight dog.
2) Always chip your dogs
3) Teach the dogs to come when called.
4) Never let a dog like this go anywhere without a long-line attached to him, even around the house. (Emphasis... a dog like this...)
5) Impress upon your grandkids and/or kids that to love your dog is to train him.
6) Ibuprofen and percocet with ice and immobilization will help your shoulder pain eventually.
Wow! What an endeavor!
Glad you were able to get him home.
Also glad to know I'm not the only one who's used a sports bra as an emergency leash (me = loose dog in the park).
OMG, what a situation. One more reason to have a senior, although all of mine have/had a decent recall, they poop out fairly quickly.
Sending mojo that all the bumps and bruises heal quickly.
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Meeps83 (10-01-2016)
I worked with a training client earlier this year that told me his dog was "good on obedience". Me reply was , "well ye idea o' good and me own may very well be two different viewpoints". In doing a pre-training evaluation of the K9 we went for a walk and I told the client, "call ye dog in". Not exagerating but an accurate count with zero compliance from the dog I said, "ye just called her 17 times with no response, do ye think number 18 might change the game"? The client looked at me and said he had no idea it had been 17 attempts at begging his dog to comply.
Fast forward and 6 weeks later I had the same client in to visit and work with his dog, once again we started out with a walk. I said, "call ye dog in, use the same command" (HERE) and that he did. The dog responded immediately coming in and sitting by his side. Needless to say, the client was both elated and stunned. I explained the conditioned response, how we achieved it with his dog, and what he needed to do to maintain it. T'is not rocket science. I stressed to him, not repeating commands, demanding compliance on the first command, and strategies for setting his dog up for success - not failure, and reward system used to reinforce the desired behavior.
RECALL is a higly important and valued skill. RECALL is the base skill I teach first and all other commands taught are based on the chain of success I initially instill in the dog with said command.
Cheers,
Irishwhistler
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Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.
Oh my gosh, glad you survived that. I guess the body cam I was wishing for would have been smashed but that sure would have made an interesting video.
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Yikes!!! Glad you and the dog survived.
And I am with IrishWhistler - recall is one of the first things we teach and I damn well better get 100% compliance or someone is in a world of trouble!
Annette
Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009
And remembering:
Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015
And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014
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windycanyon (11-02-2016)
I hope your aches and pains are healing. You could have been seriously hurt. I think not coming when called is my biggest peeve with dogs. It is a safety issue. When we start retrieving with the pups I don't care if they don't like the long line, I don't care if they pick up the bumper or the bird I just care that they return when called. MY brother is much like your daughter. He has two labs (one of which I now possess) that he has taught nothing. When he leaves the yellow with me, Bruce wears a long line at all times. He won't come when called and he refuses to pass through a door if you are standing by it. Wallace, the one I now have, spent a night in the pound because he ran away. Fortunately he had tags on and they traced him through the vet's. He is now better at staying home and coming when called but when he wonders to the neighbour's I just have to fire up the Ranger and he comes. I call it the Wally Wagon because he just loves to ride on the seat .
beside you. Your list of 6 lessons is spot on. Hopefully you will never have to employ #6 again. Take care of yourself and hopefully the shoulder will mend.
All I can say is I don't want to meet you in a dark alley late at night!!! You are TOUGH!!!!!!
As to recall, they are guilty until proven innocent. Long line attached until I trust you 100%.
what a story, you are one tough granny.
i need to work on our recall too, gigi complies but in a rather slow and sometimes ignores. let me google what irishwhistler meant by condition response. she is better but i would love her to act like what Irishwhistler describes. how to do that ?. i am tempted to use a ecollar for this and for off leash walking.
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