she ignores me?

[snelson]

Hi, I have not been on much and to my last post; my 1 year old is doing great except for......
When she is not on a leash and sees other ppl, dogs, cats etc. This is when she ignores my "come here" command. There is no stopping her.
Even when I catch up to her and grab her collar she will fight to get away from me?

So far all I have done is to drag her away and verbally scold her and emediatly (I cannot spell) put her back into her pen.

I did go so far as to buy a e-collar. I have had great results using it in vib mode to get her attention but she ignores it when she sees other dogs etc.

I honestly believe that she is the most hyper dog I have ever had.

Any advice?

[Maxx&Emma]

Have you practiced and proofed a recall in all situations? If not you need to go back to basics, with a long line, and start all over again. I definitely do not recommend the use of an e-collar unless YOU have been properly trained using one.

[Labradorks]

How have you taught your recall? And did you proof before letting her out in the "real world"?

Also, by calling her knowing that she will ignore you, unfortunately it reinforces the fact that she doesn't have to listen and she has learned to self-reward.

No one year old dog that hasn't had proper training is going to have a reliable recall. It takes a lot of work.

If you are going to use an e-collar, do make sure that you work with a trainer to learn how to use it properly.

[Snowshoe]

Double ditto the above. One year old is a hard age. It's like 15 year old human. This all boils down to training and training done correctly. I strongly suggest you find a training class, maybe even a competitive obedience class novice class, so you can learn how to teach her to focus on you in a controlled situation before you hit the great outdoors.

Commands words usually work better if they are one word. So COME or HERE but not both. Partly because this is the command that can save your dog's life so you need to get it out loudly, clearly and quickly.

Have you tried the running away trick? You run away from her, most dogs will chase you. And, in our class, we practised collar grabbing because sometimes you do just have to grab a collar.

[Tanya]

agree with the above. a dog needs to be trained what "come" means, starting with no distractions in easy environment AND THEN continue the training adding distractions, distance adn duration (one at a time), working in new places in slowly increasing difficulty using a long line so you can reinfoce the command.

also, by scolding the dog you are teaching that being near you is no fun at all. which actually makes the dog LESS LIKELY to come near you in teh future and start being more and more evasive. when you finally are near and with teh dog, that should be party time, not time to punish.

I would put away the e-collar until you work on proper training of the recall/come command. If you use the ecollar PLEASE find a training and follow a program.

[snelson]

Thanks everyone.
Back to basics.

[Maxx&Emma]

That is the best thing to do! You might want to also pick a new recall word as your puppy has learned not to pay attention to what you are currently using. Give yourself and your puppy plenty of time, you are starting over. It is so easy to get discouraged but the reward of a reliable recall is worth every bit of any frustration you may feel. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

[Tanya]

That is the best thing to do! You might want to also pick a new recall word as your puppy has learned not to pay attention to what you are currently using. Give yourself and your puppy plenty of time, you are starting over. It is so easy to get discouraged but the reward of a reliable recall is worth every bit of any frustration you may feel. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

yep, pick a new word. make sure it's not a word you use much in everyday talk around the dog. when the word is used, HIGH VALUE treats and toys come out, party party party.

[TuMicks]

The e-collar is only used to reinforce something the dog ALREADY knows. It is not a training short cut. You really don't teach anything with the e-collar. You make the response prompt and reliable. And, done wrong it can really confuse the heck out of a dog.

One principle to remember about the collar is that it is impersonal. The dog experiences the stimulation as a "bolt from the blue". They don't necessarily know you are doing it. So if you want the dog to know that he MUST listen up to YOU... you need to do the correction personally.

[snelson]

recall question: If she is on a long leash and she gets to distracted and ignores you even when you pull the leash.
What do I do? force her back without a treat or what?

Or do I need to start recall training from the very start?

Also I have been using "come here" as the command. I am thinking "come" or "here" would be a bad command now. Any suggestions on a new one?

Thanks