# Recall and hunting!



## berelli (Jun 20, 2014)

HI,

Hopefully someone can help me! I have a two year old cockapoo bitch and she used to walk off lead well and have a good recall. However, we move house a year ago to a lovely rural location where the wildlife is plentiful. Now when we are out walking Deedee can be very rarely let off lead as she bolts into the distance and her recall is useless. If she gets the scent of something thats it shes off and there is no stopping her. Any suggestions would be great as I hate living in such a beautiful area and not letting her have free range of it. I also hate being pulled for the whole walk!

Thanks


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

I got Molly at 17 months old and she had never been off lead and was obsessed with bird chasing. I worked with her lots on a long line to start with (not a flexi lead - a line I could attach to her harness and she could trail it behind her (and always better with a harness than collar in case you need to stop them when they are running. 

We played lots of games - things like chucking some food into the grass for her to search for and the biggest thing which made a difference to Molly was rewarding her for checking in with me - so forget recall and just reward every time she came back to me of her own accord (if the dog is especially bad reward at a distance for just looking your way) I also used top quality treats and rewarded lots. One of the key things I found was to release her in a controlled way and almost immediately call her back and reward her. 

At one time I would not let Molly off lead without something top class as a reward like cooked liver. My favourite walk in the countryside was a distant dream to have as a relaxed off lead walk. These days I usually have a packet of cheap commercial treats in my pocket and the country walk is our favourite regular walk.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Does she know where she is? When we walk Rufus close to home he'll stray as far from us as he wants, thankfully it is very safe. When we go to new places he is much better at keeping a close eye. If you mix up the walks a bit and train with a long lead where she's a little less confident it might help.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

2nd's Advice is as ever totally brilliant.
Kiki is 90% brilliant - but then she gets involved in a particularly exciting hunt an she is totally deaf to me - eventually she pops back out of the undergrowth ginning from ear to ear in a wildly excited state, so I feel your pain.
As Deedee has had a good recall - I think that you will find that the advice to call her back to you as soon as you have let her off lead and at different times during the walk will really help her to remember! With Kiki there is a magic circle - inside of which she will always respond .... however if she gets beyond the circle and behind a bush where she thinks I cannot see her she may choose to ignore me 
Training is always ongoing...
Doers Deedee like to play with a ball? Dot loves a ball and would far rather play that hunt. Kiki is not bothered about a ball, but she does love food  if I have liver cake with me - her recall isalways fantastic!


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## Darcee67 (Mar 24, 2015)

I need some help! We have a six month old cockapoo Gidget and we to live in the country. We can not let her out without a leash cause she just wants to chase any bird like creature that comes around and will not listen at all! If she is in the house she listens perfectly! Today she chased some of the neighbors free range chickens about an ace or two away and close to the road scard me to death.. Any suggestions??


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

You need to go back to basics, get her a harness and a long line and practice your recall in more challenging environments. When I first got Molly if she saw a bird when she was on the long line she raced to the end of it and barked, ran backwards and forwards and generally acted demented. I did not even attempt to call her while she was doing this and just waited. There would be a break in her barking and running and that was the point to call her. if she did not come I considered I had mistimed it, when she did come she was treated like royalty with loads of very high value rewards, fuss, cuddles if she wanted - but she was not restrained and allowed to go free again as soon as she wanted.

Getting close enough to chase chickens is going to be hugely rewarding to her and you need to make coming back to you even more rewarding.

It won't happen overnight and you will need to keep her on a long line until her responses improve and she learns coming back to you is more fun than chasing birds. Molly is not prefect now and occasionally decides to chase but her interest is hugely reduced and she is rewarded lots for looking at birds and making the good decision to come back to me instead


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## Darcee67 (Mar 24, 2015)

How long of a lead? Will a light weight rope of 50 ft work?


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## Lindor (Feb 3, 2014)

Darcee67 said:


> How long of a lead? Will a light weight rope of 50 ft work?


Perfect length.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Yep great length - although you are trying to set your pup up for success so maybe don't give the full length to start with and hold it halfway down.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

I know that you say that birds are teh trigger for your dog but I think too that you need to be very, very careful around livestock (and other people's chickens) don't risk them being damaged by your dog - practice well away from them. Your neighbours or local farmers would be understandably upset by your dog stressing their animals/birds.
My FiL's neighbours dog was shot for being off lead in the vicinity of sheep. He was not chasing or showing any interest in the sheep - but the farmer deemed him a threat and considered him not to be under 'close control'.
Kiki can be a chaser - particularly loves pigeons, seagulls or crows and squirrels, but I would not risk her off lead anywhere where she may be deemed a danger..


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

There is a good lesson here for puppy owners. With a high prey drive dog like a cockapoo it is not enough to have a good recall and an excellent heel command. We also have to keep them practicing with increasing distractions to be safe and we'll probably have to keep at it their whole lives. 

I can keep Rufus at a heel now through the barnyard full of chickens and geese. It has nothing to do with training prowess though, it is only because he got terrorized by one of the llamas so he cowers by me.


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