My mum and myself are trying to train Harry (working Springer Spaniel) to recall to the whistle. It's going quite well at home, but the moment we get him up the field (on the longline) he just seems to get red mist and nothing can get through to him. (Tried whistle and reward, clapping, high pitched noises, bribery, shorter line) We are resorting to calling him and then dragging him back on the longline and rewarding him when his attention comes back to us with the hope that he might realize when he pays attention to us he gets food. I have been calling him and changing direction a lot on the longline to try and keep his attention on what I am doing rather than the bunny smells, but he still has his nose glued firmly to the ground. I would like to be able to do a bit of gundog work with him, and mum has expressed an interest in doing some flyball and agility with him but it's really had to get his attention on us to do anything. Anyone got any tips?
You don`t train recall in the field. You whistle train till it becomes automatic - then you use it in the field. The old saying is : don`t blow a whistle up a gundog`s bum. In other words - don`t use your whistle when your dog`s not likely to respond. The last thing you need is for him to learn it`s optional. When out, use games to engage your dog. A tuggy or ball on a rope can be an exciting alternative to prey. Encourage this. Treats are really not that interesting to a hunting dog - the prey drive is very strong. As the Police do with sniffer dogs - the reward is a prized toy and a game which takes the place of the capture and kill.
We were advised to take it very slowly and make sure that he was 100 percent at home indoors without distraction, then with distraction, then move to the garden to follow the same before taking him out elsewhere and follow same, so it would take some time! We also found our first whistle we used had no effect whatsoever, so we bought what seemed to be a recommended whistle and pitch for springers and tried it a couple of times indoors, it worked like magic. We then went straight for a try outside in a large field, not expecting anything, i think our sheer joy and delight and nutty behaviour plus the reward when he came running was then what did the trick cos he has been 99% reliable. Are you sure that he can hear the whistle properly, we were also told to make sure that the treat is something that he only gets for recalling to the whistle and it is something special is advice we were given. It is still early days, they are clever so I am sure it will click soon.
Toy is next on my list to try tomorrow, he does love his toys but his recall is pretty good at home (in the house and the garden) with a whistle and food rewards. I'm sure it will click eventually, I just need to get his attention on me.
A few questions, because I haven't a foggiest how old Harry is, and what you've done with him. So, how old is Harry? And what have you done with him up until now? Just as a comparison, I've got a six month old cocker pup here, Miggin, and the only thing I'm concentrating on in the main, is recall. Just recently, I've been training in a bit of heelwork, and we've had the sit/stop whistle on the go for a while, I use it as he waits for his food, or waits to come out of his kennel, or put his lead on etc. But I haven't yet started training recall, or anything with distractions, what I want is the very basics in place, then I hand him over to the OH for the rest of his training ;-)
He's about 2 or 3 and a rescue, we've had him just over a week. It's quite clear he has never had to use his brain before, he sits and that's about it. We have been teaching him wait, off,down and stay with food rewards, as well as recall in the house and garden, and search games where he looks for food hidden around the house and he loves that and is very good at it.
To be honest, I'd be concentrating on getting his attention for the next few weeks, getting him to come and sit in front of me. If you need him on longline because his recall isn't good enough, just ignore the recall from distance for now, don't issue commands that he won't understand/respond to. Take things slowly, and build up the basic attention. It will get there, but it will take quite a few weeks, it needs to be consistent and repetitive for him to understand, loads of positive small slow recalls and reward. From two foot away even, it's a winner, and coming back to you just has to be brilliant.
Just a little thing I heard was to tell a dog to do something when it's doing it anyway, like if the dog is coming to you, you then whistle/call it as it's coming anyway then reward. Don't know if that helps but just something I've heard of. Sophie
yes, this is how I trained my first GSP who at the age of 5 had never been trained (used as stud). He had no concept of being rewarded and didn`t play for a long while. But it still took a long time for it to click.
