darren m Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) anyone got any good tips that will help with the bonding of me and my pup . shes a great little springer and mad as a hatter . but i,m having trouble getting her to recall to me , it seems she'd much prefer to give me a wide birth or totally ignore me when i call her and doge past me . i am useing treats and trying out the long lead , but still out of choice she tries to avoid me i,m doing something wrong but not sure what . any suggestions thanks lads Edited February 6, 2009 by darren m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadkill Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 i have been reading quite a few books , and this is mentioned in one , Is the dog nervous of you ? or have you ever reprimanded the dog before for something she has done wrong when coming back to you ? As this will make them scared of returning in fear of being punished .... Like i say im new to this so there could be many more reasons this is just one of them roadkill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Mate sit down on the floor and let the dog come to you...all i did was that mine get use to me first and every time she started to come towardes me, i would call her name and gave her loads of praise, then i also added pips on a whistle at the same time. Just take your time but let her be sure about you at first...enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBLATCH Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 how old is she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Try kneeling down when calling the pup when your standing up the pup may feel threatened by you. Get down on the floor and when the pup comes to you play with it and generally make a big fuss. You must make coming to you the most enjoyable part of the pups day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Shame your so far away, Chris Burns can offer some great advice on training. you can look him up on you tube, he has a couple of training videos there through shooting times which may help. The recall is the most important thing as we are learning with our 18 week old ESS! Enjoy your pup, they are truely mad but so much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyfox Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Chew up a little bit of bread and give it to your pup. This represents regurgitation and will see you as mother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasons gold Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 get on the floor and roll around while calling the dogs name or any thing . Just make sure your more interesting than your surroundings then when he comes back lots of praise and a treat. Always try to be unpredictable to try and gain the pups attension but be consistent ,bit of a contradiction i know but it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted February 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 she's 16 weeks today no never punished her i think she thinks its a game , maybe cause she was kenneled with her bros and sis before i got her , dunno. plus shes more interested in my other dogs if there about . i,ll try out the bread bit and look up chris burns on you tube. thanks lads -- keep the ideas coming i will try them all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Darren, It is not that your pup is not bonding with you, it is that she is an independant puppy who is choosing to ignor you. Get to work on the retractable lead to get it sorted. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 hi i find with a pup sit on the floor turn your back to the pup and play with a ball or something between ur legs when your pup finaly comes make a great big fuss of her she will think this is great fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santlache Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) Food. Does she like food, quite likely and you can do this indoors to start with but they need to have a collar on. Find a tasty snack that she simply adores, then if necessary when you first start have her restrained and go to a different room and call her. When she comes, and she will because she's inquisitive, bend down to greet her and take her collar, then at the same time with your other hand give her a nibble of her favourite treat. Do it again, and again, a few times and at various stages during the day, and at all times give her plenty of praise and each time handle to collar before the treat is given. This is so that if you wish you have her under your control at this point. Then after a while when she knows she's going to get a treat, don't give her one but pretend to with an empty hand and just give her the praise, plenty of it as well and remember to handle the collar. Next time give her a treat again, and again, then leave it out again. It's important to use the same command every time, so she associates that command to coming to you and getting a treat. You can add a whistle or whatever to the command at a later stage and they'll soon pick that up. Then move it into the field with a stretchy lead, let her run it out and then give the command and repeat as indoors. You got it, let her off the lead and carry on, when she comes back do the same and as she has been used to you handling the collar first since you started, you can slip the lead on at any time if you need to. A tip when you first go outside, don't walk a straight line, turn back on yourself in the opposite direction quite frequently so the dog isn't leading you. The other tip is, initially think of the treats as part of her food and take it out of her daily allowance, otherwise you'll end up with a very fat dog. Cheers Edited February 8, 2009 by Santlache Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 thanks for all the replys lad had a good day with her yesterday , she did some good recalls useing the lead and some baked liver - i will keep on with this every other day . just a thought -- i think toys may be the problem here she as a few chews / nylabone / soft balls etc and when she,s holding one thats when shes less likely to come into me . but on saying that , if she has,nt got a toy in her gob , she,ll find something soon as i let her out of her cage or into the garden she'll pick a twig or stone or chunks of ice at the mo and carry them round , dont no , what do you think . she just loves carrying stuff thats all i know . thanks again keep em coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 first, if she wants to carry, let her carry. If she picks up and carries something that isn't hers(like a shoe), rather than reprimant, just substitute it with something that is hers. Her wanting to carry will be most beneficial when it comes time for retrieving. As for her following you, there was a good technique in a pointing lab book. The author calls is 'the walk'. The walk is something to do every day or as often as you can, especially when the pup is young. Take the pup out and just start walking. At first, walk at a slow to moderate pace over relatively even, uncluttered terrain. You should walk fast enough that the dog can keep up if she is trying hard. If the dog lags behind, just ignore and keep walking. Eventually the pup will realize that you have kept going and will want to keep up with you. Gradually increase the speed of your walk or the difficulty of the terrain. The pup should struggle to keep up, but it will want to keep up with you. You can reinforce by popping behind a tree or bush when the pup isn't looking. I did this with roxy until she was big enough to be able to pass me on any terrain. What it did was make her a close working dog that is always looking for me when we're out hunting cover. She adjusts her range bassed on what she can see. If we are in super tight cover for grouse, she'll stay within 10-15 yards. If we are in bigger fields she'll range out a bit further. No matter what though, she is always looking for me and will always com running back to me, no matter how far out she gets. As for recall (here/come) that is an obedience issue. For a pup that young, you want all positive reinforcement. Have treats ready, have plenty of praise. Don't give her a command when you think she will disobey you, and don't give a command that you can't reinforce. If you yell here half a dozen times and the dog doesn't respond, the dog has to know that it isn't okay to not respond. If you can't reinforce the command, the dog then thinks it is okay to ignore the command (or rather that the command has no meaning). In a pup this young, you're not really to the point of negatively correcting. So don't give a command that she is not going to obey. Also, repetition is important. The more and more you do the same thing correctly, the more it becomes ingrained in the dog's head. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 nice one Rick what breed is your dog mate . cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 black lab. American field bred style (long and lean, not blocky). thanks rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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