| Questioner: | aisha |
| Category: | Dog Training |
| Private: | No |
| Subject: | recall |
| Question: | my 9 month old black lab is very obedient in the house but when outside playing with another dog refuses to come when i call him. today he jumped over the wall onto a busy road to see another dog. he could have been killed. i am at my wits end and don't know what to do. i cannot afford training courses as they are so expensive. pls help. |
| Answer: | Hello Aisha, You have a bad situation. Unfortunately, you have trained your dog that he doesn't have to come when called outside. It will take considerable effort to retrain him. Obviously, the situation is bad because of the danger of the busy road. Professional trainers have no magic "fix" for teaching a dog to come when called. It is a slow process where the dog is trained on a long leash so that the command can be enforced from a distance. Faster results can be obtained with a remote collar but I don't recommend that for the non professional. You can cause bizarre and damaging side effects if you're not extremely careful with a remote collar. Considering that your dog could be killed or injured if he runs onto the road, I would suggest that you must keep him tied up while in your yard or somehow create a barrier that your dog can't jump. Limit his yard time and plan on walking him more to give him his exercise. Purchase a long leash and begin training him to come from a distance and with distractions. Eventually with many, many practice sessions and with your dog growing older and becoming more mature, he should do a dependable recall. Good Luck! Sandy |
