My partner and i got a dog back in June & he is lovely well trained 3 year old Labrador. He is fantastic to walk on the lead but we had problems if we let him off the lead, cos it dont matter how long we walk him for and how knackered he gets, when it comes to getting back on the lead to go home he does a runner and its impossible to get him back! He never used to do this with his last owner and he didnt do it with us either for the 1st couple of months we had him but he does now! we tried keeping him on the lead for a while then trying again but he still does it. It got to the point with our last attempt that after an hour and half walk it took another hour and half and 7 people to corner him to get him back on the lead! We dont know what to do or why he is doing it, its a happy as anything all the time, and so well behaved in every other way! Any advice is much appreciated!!!
Dog Walking Help
Does he get a treat when you get him on lead?
At the minute, going on lead means the end of something really, really great. If he messes around, he gets some else great - your attention in the chasey game for half an hour.
You need to make going on lead something good.
How is his recall? If not cast iron, start with this - but on a harness and long line. Treat every time he recalls with a high value treat (hot dog, cheese etc). Do it frequently on the walk. Once good, recall and sit before the treat. When he sits every time, recall, sit and your hand on his collar. The move onto having the lead in your hand, then clipping on the lead then treat, then let him off lead again.
Eventually he won't know if he is going home because of the lead, or just going to get a treat.
When do you feed him? Might be an idea to feed after the walk if you don't already (with a suitable break in between if needed) or engage in a favourite game when you get in - all things to make going home more attractive than the 'chasey lead game'
Hope some of this helps - I'm sure others will have some good ideas too.
At the minute, going on lead means the end of something really, really great. If he messes around, he gets some else great - your attention in the chasey game for half an hour.
You need to make going on lead something good.
How is his recall? If not cast iron, start with this - but on a harness and long line. Treat every time he recalls with a high value treat (hot dog, cheese etc). Do it frequently on the walk. Once good, recall and sit before the treat. When he sits every time, recall, sit and your hand on his collar. The move onto having the lead in your hand, then clipping on the lead then treat, then let him off lead again.
Eventually he won't know if he is going home because of the lead, or just going to get a treat.
When do you feed him? Might be an idea to feed after the walk if you don't already (with a suitable break in between if needed) or engage in a favourite game when you get in - all things to make going home more attractive than the 'chasey lead game'
Hope some of this helps - I'm sure others will have some good ideas too.
I'm really just echoing what StressMonkey said.
After I got him reliably trained with recall, I made a massive mistake with Barney and just started calling him over, sticking him on his lead and taking him home when his walk/play time was over. Of course he soon realised that coming back to me meant the end of his fun and nothing else. So he just stopped coming back and would run circles around me when I called him.
I went back to basics and put him on a long lead (you can get 30ft ones at Pets At Home) and let him go off and play, then called him back and gave him a treat and a stroke around his neck, then sent him off to play again, called him back gave him a treat etc. I did that for a few weeks before I felt safe to let him off lead again and now I make a point of calling him back several times during a walk, making him sit and giving him a treat, then sending him off again. At least that way he associates coming to me with something good, not just the end of his fun.
After I got him reliably trained with recall, I made a massive mistake with Barney and just started calling him over, sticking him on his lead and taking him home when his walk/play time was over. Of course he soon realised that coming back to me meant the end of his fun and nothing else. So he just stopped coming back and would run circles around me when I called him.
I went back to basics and put him on a long lead (you can get 30ft ones at Pets At Home) and let him go off and play, then called him back and gave him a treat and a stroke around his neck, then sent him off to play again, called him back gave him a treat etc. I did that for a few weeks before I felt safe to let him off lead again and now I make a point of calling him back several times during a walk, making him sit and giving him a treat, then sending him off again. At least that way he associates coming to me with something good, not just the end of his fun.
Good advice above.
You could also try a two-handed approach. Get someone to help you by holding the dog while you walk away. You call him, the friend releases him and when he comes to you he gets a little treat and lots of fuss & playing. Repeat this and stretch the distance each time.
Continue with play and fussing after you have him on the lead.
Never get angry with the dog if he doesn't come when you call - just go and get him. Never scold the dog for something he may have been doing before you have re-attached the lead.
Remember - if he doesn't come when you call it's because he finds something else more interesting than you. If you care enough about your relationship with your dog you won't get angry or upset about that - you'll want to change it.
Plenty of practice and remaining calm will pay dividends in the end.
You could also try a two-handed approach. Get someone to help you by holding the dog while you walk away. You call him, the friend releases him and when he comes to you he gets a little treat and lots of fuss & playing. Repeat this and stretch the distance each time.
Continue with play and fussing after you have him on the lead.
Never get angry with the dog if he doesn't come when you call - just go and get him. Never scold the dog for something he may have been doing before you have re-attached the lead.
Remember - if he doesn't come when you call it's because he finds something else more interesting than you. If you care enough about your relationship with your dog you won't get angry or upset about that - you'll want to change it.
Plenty of practice and remaining calm will pay dividends in the end.
All good advice here.
Just remember what you are competing with ~ the great outdoors with all those lovely smells, other dogs, rabbits to chase etc etc. Then at the end, another lovely game of chase with you
.
You & your partner need to make yourselves the most exciting things out on walks so perhaps more interaction at these times, e.g. tennis balls, squeaky toys, tug a toys, extremely tasty treats that he never gets at any other time etc?
Practice putting the lead on & off lots of times during the walk so he starts to break the association of lead = home time = end of fun.
Just remember what you are competing with ~ the great outdoors with all those lovely smells, other dogs, rabbits to chase etc etc. Then at the end, another lovely game of chase with you
.You & your partner need to make yourselves the most exciting things out on walks so perhaps more interaction at these times, e.g. tennis balls, squeaky toys, tug a toys, extremely tasty treats that he never gets at any other time etc?
Practice putting the lead on & off lots of times during the walk so he starts to break the association of lead = home time = end of fun.
