chelle Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hi all, Was advised by my brother, (pigeon shooter and dog owner - lab and collie) to check out the site. Bro's dogs are obedient and well trained and if he wasnt so busy being a tree surgeon he would help me out, but he can't so i've come begging to you guys. We got our new lab last year after sadly losing our wonderful Cass some 3 years ago. it took me 18 months to be able to consider having another lab as Cass was just the most fabulous dog. She learnt to seek and retrieve without any trouble from any early age. AND THEN, we got bella!!! Wow what a different dog. She's intelligent and very friendly but once you let her off the lead there is just no getting her back. We've got to the point where we avoid taking her out where other dogs are as she is so playful that she has been nipped by others just to make her back off. As we live in a rural area with lots of livestock around us i am getting more and more worried every time i take her out as i'm scared that she is going to harm a lamb or something and end up in trouble with the local farmers. I have downloaded the fab traing guide and have started it this morning, some of the commands just need reinforcing, but do you have any extra advice about getting her to come back when she has bounded away from me. I'm not a pigeon shooter but i think the site is great as it is diverse enough to help outsiders like me Any help or advice gratefully received. Cheers Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Chelle, First off welcome to the forum. So just what does your dog do now when on lead? Basically how does he behave. A couple of more questions: 1) do you have a good quality retractable lead or drag line to teach the recall, how old is Bella 2) do you have access to a farm or farms that you can approach the farmer to ask permission to train livestock avoidance on? 3) Once the recall is started on lead do you have a property that has other dogs on to continue the work? NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 (edited) Hi, Bella is nearly 2 years old. We do have a retractable lead but she is very large for a bitch and has actually pulled me over twice whilst on it. We have resorted to a head collar for walking as she pulls so hard all the time even after 2 hours of walking and running through woods. I do know one of the local farmers well enough to ask if i can do some training in the fields, (don't have a clue how to). With our old lab all i had to do was walk through a couple of fields of sheep telling her no everytime she looked towrds the sheep and that was that, never had to worry about her again, even up on the moors with loose livestock everywhere. but i suspect that as most local livestock is sheep i would have to wait til the lambs have grown up, besides the fact that i don't have the confidence to try anything like that with her yet. Would love to be able to take her out with Lottie, brothers dog; but they fight. Rosie the collie is fine but the two labs don't get on too well, mainly i think because Bella is too boisterous for Lottie! We live in a village with dozens of labs and theres always people out with their dogs in the fields and woods nearby. pleanty of our friends in the village have labs/dogs so mixing her with them shouldn't be too much of a problem. But doing it in a confined area is more of a problem. We dont have the site properly fenced in at the moment so she only goes out with me on a lead. i hate to admit it but i don't trust bella much, she gave our daughter a nasty nip when she was about 6 months old and because of the running off (and being busy building our own house) i dont think we've bonded properly. I love her dearly and she has learnt all of the usual commands like sit and stay and come very quickly. Chelle Edited June 3, 2008 by chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Chelle, The questions concerning the farmers and other dogs are just to get a feel for what you have available for training when you get to that point. Can you give me a picture of the "head collar" that you are using? I will try to add some info tommorrow as how to go about working her in conjunction to the training notes. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 hi, Hope you are well. Sorry i haven't been on for over a week, got chance of a free holiday and couldn't resist it. Spent a week in the (soggy) west of scotland and walked the legs off Bella. Took a copy of the obediance training programme with me and so far so good, although she still finds it hard waiting to be released from the sit or stay position!!. have to admit though i am starting to realise she is more intelligent than i had given her credit for. Her head collar is a standard halti soft noseband and light strap behind the ears, the two parts of the head collar are threaded through a loop under the chin and when she pulls, this tightens the nose band. Will try to send you a photo tonight. - ( is attached i hope) Anyway if you can be pestered and if i havent hacked you off disapperaring like that would love to hear any further advice you have, especially as she is doing so well on the obediance stuff you posted. Cheers Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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