Not coming when called on walks Training

Hi,
I am new to the board and want to know what your Shar Pei is like off the lead walking, my dog is now 9 months old and has been brilliant off the lead but recently she has been misbehaving and not coming when being called.
Is this something that is normal? or should I stop letting her off?
Thanks Sean
Oh and if you have not had a chance to see my Beau yet here are a few snaps -

Sounds like she's reached the challenging teenager years!

I train my dogs (not Shar Peis) to come to a whistle - I use Acme dog whistles. Start with the dog by your side, whistle and then immediately give a treat. They soon learn that a whistle always means a treat, and come running.

If she is putting herself in danger by not coming when called, or is being a nuisance to other people, then it would be better to keep her on the lead until she is reliable at the recall.

Any good training classes you could go to?

She does not go to any classes, I know of a local class that helps socialise dogs but she is very good around other dogs and has not got a nasty bone in her body.

I will try her with the whistle and see how that goes, I have done a bit of research on it and generally they say not to let a Shar Pei off but she is normally very well behaved so I was wondering if it was more of a mood swing kinda thing.

I didn't know that it's generally advised to keep Shar Peis on the lead - let's hope someone comes along soon who has experience of the breed!

I'd say naughty phase too. My Dogue de Bordeaux has just hit 9 months old and she's a little bugger! Perseverance and consistency are key.

Em

Sounds like a teen phase, a lot of breeds go through this.
Back to basics and NILF training.

Its just rebellion streak she's going through, just use long training lead & continue training her on recall why on the training lead, until she's got pass the rebellion stage.

Sean, unless you are in an area where there are only like minded people (dog owners) around, then you should always have your dog on a lead. I have read an article recently about a young man who has Aspergers who when approached by dogs (even calm ones) which are not on a lead, the poor man gets worked up that he bites his own wrists and has inflicted severe injuries over the years. Now I appreciate this is an extreme case, however, we need to be aware that not all people are able to deal with

Re the stubborness, the Pei are reknowned for this type of behaviour. There are ways to improve on this, mainly by reward. But with my Pei, she can still have the off day where she decides to keep on doing what she decides.

Hi Sean ... Sorry I haven't been back to you before now.

As others have said it's typical teenage behaviour and one she'll grow out of quite quickly. Georgina is my second Pei and like my previous one although her recall was bad around the age of 9 plus months she'd never run too far away. Generally speaking, Pei are "home bodies" very attached to their owners and they don't like to be apart from them for too long. When Georgina's off lead, she'll run ahead then stop to check whether I'm still following behind her before moving on again. If she ignores me when I call her, (usually because she's too busy sniffing) the best way of getting her to come to me is to turn my back on her and slowly walk in the opposite direction, preferably towards home. I normally only let her and my other dog, who has excellent recall, off leash in places where I know we won't encounter cars, tractors or stray dogs which we have a lot of where I live.

In your introduction you say you've heard that Pei are "nasty" dogs by which I take to mean aggressive? The was a time way back in Chinese history when Pei were used as "fighting dogs" which according to all accounts wasn't very successful due to Pei being non aggressive and apparently the only way they could get them to fight was to drug the poor dogs up to eyeballs! The fact is that you run far more risk of being bitten by a Lab than by a Pei. I do however know of one aggressive Pei who was rescued by our trainer who'd been severely abused by her previous owner, but she's the exception rather than the rule!

As Liam says Pei are can be as stubborn as mules when they put their mind to it, as well as being highly suspicious, aloof and very sensitive. It's something you have to work hard to overcome ... Georgina thrives on praise! But behind the facade lies the most loyal dog anyone could ever wish for! Admittedly they're not the dog for everyone but once you get to know them Pei become addictive and you can't live without one in your life! .

Thanks for all the comments

I have since let her off with no problems so I think your right it must of been a one off. She has come when called every time since but I fortunately have not come across another dog so will have to see how that goes.

About the nasty comment I did mean aggressive and as I have a small child this was something I was keen to avoid. However Beau has such a beautiful temperament and buying a Shar Pei has been the best decision I have ever made.