Dog Advice!

M

Morton94

Well-known member
Right, this is a bit of a strange one but everyone I've asked seems to not have a clue and it's driving me crackers.

I have a lurcher, turns 2 in May. I finally found a collar that doesn't make me panic every time he jumps that he's gonna escape and get me threatened and everything was fine and dandy.

Around two weeks ago, he started to refuse to come back in after a very long walk, so I walked him round the block and more time and it did the trick.

However about 3 days later he began refusing to even go close to the house, either front or back. I'm currently struggling to get him home, he gets an hour walk. He bounces away and does like backwards running to try stay out longer.
The only way I've managed is to scoop him up when I get relatively close after 3/4 attempts. He absolutely hates being picked up though and it looks so, so abusive because of the way he backs away.

Has anybody ever dealt with something similar? Does anybody have any advice? It's driving me absolutely crazy!

Thank you in advance
 
My whippet used to do this. Hopefully "used". He's generally very good at coming back when he's off the lead, but every so often, he'd decide that he didn't want to come back. He'd be within 20-50 feet, but any time I moved toward him, he'd put some space between us. For some reason, it seemed to happen regularly at the beach, one time I spent three (!!) hours trying to get him back, and he eventually gave himself up to a couple walking their dog in Seaton - that was all the way from North Gare. We haven't been to the beach since. The last time - touch wood - was in Ropner Park, and he decided to **** off through the gate until someone caught him at the Esso garage. My phone number is on his tag, so it's just embarrassing and worrying in equal measures.

I think as he's gotten older, he's calmed down a bit. I do think when he did it he thought he was somehow in trouble - the first time he did it at the beach was after I shouted at him when he looked like he was going to roll in some seagull guano.

So, don't have a solution bar he might grow out of it.
 
Yeah I was going to suggest what Harry B has said. When you get home do you reward him with a treat?

With mine, I don’t bother giving her treats when we are walking (she’s funny about eating outside, unless it’s human food!), but when we get home I reward her with a few small treats.

When we cross a certain road she knows we’re nearly home and picks up the pace to get there quicker.
 
Positive reinforcement. Maybe get a clicker and use that at home to get used to it and then once he associates it with a treat. As you are getting closer click it and give him a treat and and keep doing it more the closer you get to home. Once you are through the door fuss him up and give him a couple of treats. Maybe you could also try holding a strong smelling treat that he likes in you hand Infront of him as you get near the house as a sort of distraction then then positive reinforcement and clicker once he is inside.
 
atomicloonybin aka ALB said:
My whippet used to do this. Hopefully "used". He's generally very good at coming back when he's off the lead, but every so often, he'd decide that he didn't want to come back. He'd be within 20-50 feet, but any time I moved toward him, he'd put some space between us. For some reason, it seemed to happen regularly at the beach, one time I spent three (!!) hours trying to get him back, and he eventually gave himself up to a couple walking their dog in Seaton - that was all the way from North Gare. We haven't been to the beach since. The last time - touch wood - was in Ropner Park, and he decided to **** off through the gate until someone caught him at the Esso garage. My phone number is on his tag, so it's just embarrassing and worrying in equal measures.

I think as he's gotten older, he's calmed down a bit. I do think when he did it he thought he was somehow in trouble - the first time he did it at the beach was after I shouted at him when he looked like he was going to roll in some seagull guano.

So, don't have a solution bar he might grow out of it.
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Oh god, he's only one and a half 🤣 This is gonna happen for years isn't it, it's so embarrassing because people must look and think what on earth does he to do to that dog. Spoil him, he's spoilt 🤣
 
Harry Basset said:
Is it a negotiaing tactic for you to give him a treat? Bribes usually work with my hound.
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Tried that, he loves the good boy ones, pigs in blankets, chicken and carrot sticks but unfortunately he refuses them outside. I've also tried using them as a ploy by basically pointing out he'd get them If he came and nothing 🤣
 
Druss_The_Legend said:
Positive reinforcement. Maybe get a clicker and use that at home to get used to it and then once he associates it with a treat. As you are getting closer click it and give him a treat and and keep doing it more the closer you get to home. Once you are through the door fuss him up and give him a couple of treats. Maybe you could also try holding a strong smelling treat that he likes in you hand Infront of him as you get near the house as a sort of distraction then then positive reinforcement and clicker once he is inside.
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I haven't tried a clicker, does it take a while to get a dog trained on a clicker?
 
Not to mention he's also very heavy so I'm essentially carrying 30+kg of dead weight back to my house IF I can catch him. He doesn't come off the lead EVER. Last time he broke free of his collar he ran and ran and ran, almost got knocked over on the road near North Tees. Eventually caught him in Roseworth when he was knackered
 
The only thing I would try is to remove his association of going back on the lead with the end of his fun. Whilst on your walk periodically call him over, reward him, put him on the lead, take a few steps then release him again. Do it again and again so that the link between coming back and going on the lead is not negative. See if there is a "dog field" that you can use/rent to let him off where he can run (but not escape) to work on this. If he likes to chase ball do that and get him knackered, put him back on the lead then let him off again and play ball. Because when you put him on the lead that means "no more fun" he is reluctant to come back.
 
I can't give you any advice but it may be worth joining a dog behaviourist site on Facebook....I work in a vets and I know a few of our clients who use them as it's expensive to get one and one advice.
 
Legz said:
I can't give you any advice but it may be worth joining a dog behaviourist site on Facebook....I work in a vets and I know a few of our clients who use them as it's expensive to get one and one advice.
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🤣 did you have to be vetted to work in a vets Legz? Hope your recovery is going well.
 
Morton, it's almost certainly that home signals the end to playtime. The training tips below address only the anxiety that the dog will feel at the end of playtime.

However it could be an associated behaviour pattern. Is there another dog that lives with a neighbour that may be threatening your dog? Or perhaps you rub the dog down with a towel and he doesn't like that. Taking note of the environment can help with this and you can anticipate triggers.

For training to overcome the problem longer term, is your dog trained to walk to heel? If not then train the dog to walk to heel and the repetition of the heel command will get your dog to walk alongside you.

As someone has said, offering a treat once you get back in doors with him and after a while he will associate the treat with returning home.

Finally schedule more walks with him so the frequency of his walks is increased.

Not sure who it was that said his dog kept backing away from him when he tried to put him on a lead. This is a common issue with dogs, even well trained dogs. It is again the anticipation of the end of playtime. Instead of using the come command, which the dog associates with the end of playtime, use an alternative such as sit and stay. This works, we had a german shepherd, very highly trained that went through a phase of doing this. The sit and stay command allowed us to put the lead on him.

My family bred GSD's for many years and all the tips I have given are based on that knowledge, so not just guess work.

Best of luck.
 
Beverleyred said:
🤣 did you have to be vetted to work in a vets Legz? Hope your recovery is going well.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣!!! Feeling as great as ever thank you 😁😁😁. Back at hospital on Monday to see when my chemo starts which I know is where the biggest possibility of issues might arise, but just have to get on with it, won't last forever, and like Kate, it's a preventative measure to ensure I'm around for a loonnnggggg time....poor hubby 🤣🤣
 
It seems as though he sees returning back home as negative for some reason. I would try positive reinforcement, make it exciting when he returns & use high value treats. Cheese is always a good one!
 
clicker and treats or dog whistle ... I have 2 big dogs and walk off lead around the paddy fields roads . Every morning for 50 mins . They wander off but always return with the dog whistle and a treat is given after the heed the command SIT (Woodhouse style) ... This is Cola and we rescued him from living with pigs...and he looks like alanmoodysdog but thats another story

Cola3.jpg
 
alanmoodysdog said:
clicker and treats or dog whistle ... I have 2 big dogs and walk off lead around the paddy fields roads . Every morning for 50 mins . They wander off but always return with the dog whistle and a treat is given after the heed the command SIT (Woodhouse style) ... This is Cola and we rescued him from living with pigs...and he looks like alanmoodysdog but thats another story

View attachment 73931
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And what’s the black dog called 😜
 
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