waynep

Yes I understand. She seems about as content as possible laying next to me during these things and doesn’t want to run off somewhere else. She does like the bedroom so we will go there and lay on the bed and watch tv when there is a storm.

Rey, my 2 year old BC is scared of storms and fireworks. I had a Gordon Setter previously that was just the same. We use Composure Pro by VetriScience that’s sold by our vet. It seems to take the edge off and then Rey will lay next to me making sure she is touching me. That’s about the best we have been able to do. Those two things and she will stay put and chill out and not shake very much.

Hello . . Rey is now 18 months old. She was a pill from about 8-12 months. I was going through beginning and intermediate obedience classes starting when she was 6 months. In class, on a lead she was great. Off lead in the house OK and in the backyard a maniac and I didn’t exist when outside. Long story short, i just kept plugging away. I was particularly worried about recall as it really was bad off a lead, long or short, but I kept working. Then something happened at about 12-13 months. She grew a brain! Not that it wasn’t there, but something clicked and she was all of a sudden recalling outside really well. She turned into a dog that I thought I would have after obedience but it was a major change almost over night. Since then she’s been the most wonderful dog. I hope you keep at it, keep patient and hopefully he’ll click.

My Rey (female) is 18 months of and is 35 pounds.

Yea we practice heel everyday, both inside and out. I take her to Lowe's and she does well inside the store also. She doesn't like the large carts but she's getting more used to them.

I have been doing that actually. She does it will and know sit & stay very well. Thanks!

Rey is a year old and doing really great. One thing I am trying to decide on how to handle is her reaction to cars. We live on a busy road, and there is a parallel street that very no-busy so we cross over and walk on that a lot on the evenings. The only traffic is the few house on that road and they generally drive very slow. When a car comes, Rey gets pretty excited and has to face the car until it passes. If I make her heal while this is happening, she'll constantly spin around to see the car. I can stop and ask her to sit in a heel position and she does well but is focused on the car and will crouch. Months ago sh sprang for the car but I told her no really loud and took my end of the leash the other way and she hit the end of the leash pretty hard and doesn't move towards the cars any longer. But she's very focused on them. In obedience class I asked about her behavior of needing to see everything around her while we are working, helming or whatever. They told me that's their nature and you have to deal with it. Rey is my first BC so I am learning a lot with her. So I see two options handling the cars. Is it best to: 1) Stop and have her sit and watch the cars go by? or 2) Keep moving, doing my best to keep her with me, heeling, and see if she'll start ignoring the cars?? I doubt that she'll ever ignore them.

I would really recommend obedience classes. They teach the person more than the dog usually. I took Rey, my 1 year old BC through beginning and intermediate classes. That made me spend time and she's wonderful now. She still pulls some, but I go the other way when she does, or use stop, leash hand on my hip so I don't give some unintended signal and wait for her to relax pressure on the leash and go again when that happens. Is she immediately pulls again, we stop again. There have been time where is tool 5 minutes to go 20 feet. But the result is last night I just held the end of the leach and we went for about a mile walk and she never pulled. Are you using a training collar of some sort??

She is displaying her smarts! Today I was throwing the frisbee for her to chase. A tired BC isn't a bad thing! I thought we had enough so when she was about half way back to me with the frisbee, I said "Let's go to the house" and she turned towards the desk steps and headed to the door, laying her frisbee next to the trash can that I keep them (about 8 frisbees) in outside. This last couple weeks she's just clicked! She's an amazing dog! I can't imagine how she'll be in another year (just a year old now).

I want to start agility training but at the place I go to, they said that recall needs to be really solid. So I have been trying to get the recall better. Now I need to keep polishing it and try it somewhere else. Maybe a trip to the fenced in dog park in the morning when there is no one there.

Rey, my female BC just turned a year old last week. Has anyone else had an experience where they all of a sudden just clicked and something they would do, they all of a sudden just did? Like the light bulb went off or something? Rey's recall has been a struggle. I took her through beginning and intermediate obedience classes. They went well and she did very well on the lead. She also got to where she would do very well on a long line. But off line or lead she was horrible. One day while on in the yard on a long line, I got an idea. work her on the line, play fetch etc all on the line. Starting at 25 ft, cut 18 inches off a week and eventually it would be down to nothing and she might keep working well. I did this for about 4 weeks. Taking her out every day. Playing frisbee, having her bring it back, which also got better in that time. Sometimes just out on the line running through obedience. Sit, stay, down, shake, come etc. Then last week something just clicked and she got it! I just now took her out in the yard with no line, leash or even a collar (fenced yard) and ran through all her obedience and she was great! The problem began months ago when we would let her out to potty then she wouldn't come in order to get her back inside. Then she would play stay away until I could trick her somehow and catch her. Now every time I was successful, she would learn that trick and I would have to think of a new one. Hence the long line all the time. Well she got it all of a sudden and is doing fantastic! Anyone else struggle with something with their BC then all of a sudden they just got it??

Thanks for the help all. I am sure we just need more time and training.

It never fails. It seems I post a question and somehow my dog figures it out and makes me wonder why I asked LOL . . . BC's are smart but she's telepathic I think LOL Again this evening went out . . Took frisbee this time to play. In between throws, I call her and have her sit or down next to me. Also pet her, grasp her collar etc. Then throw frisbee for another run. At the end, I say "Let's go" and head towards the door and she's right with me all the way in without me touching the line. I think we'll keep at this for a few weeks then see if it makes sense to try without the line.

This evening I had her outside with the long line on. I called her, had to slightly nudge with the line and she came. Pet, good girl, free go play some more. Rinse & repeat about 10 times but no nudge needed on the line after first 2 or 3 times. So finally time to go in and she's already hanging near me. I say "Let's go" which I have used since she was a puppy for walks, meaning ok we're moving this way. She followed me up the steps of the deck and to the door without me touching the line! So I think we'll get there, but it's just gonna take some more time. Thanks for the advice!

My 11 mo old female is a great dog. But her recall is spot at best and pretty much stinks when outside. We have been through beginning and intermediate obedience classes. She did well there. On a leash she does things really well. Recall (come), sit, down stay etc all working really good on the leash. Off the leash in the house as long as I have treats she also does really well. I have got in the habit of taking her outside in the backyard (fenced in) and playing fetch with a ball or frisbee. She loves being out there and doesn't want to stop. So calling her doesn't work like it does when she's on the leash. I did start letting her trail a long line to I can get a hold of it and when I do, she will come very well. So she knows when there is a leash or a line involved. No line and I sometime have to outsmart her to get a hold of her and get her inside. I know this gets harder as each time I do that, she learns how she got caught and adapts. So I now make sure I put the line on her. If I pick up the end of the line and walk towards the house, she comes along without me saying anything or applying any sort of cue to the line. It's trailing behind her but I have the end in my hand. That's all the cue she needs to know were heading inside the house. I did buy Leslie Nelson's Reliable recall book and am going to start that this week. Hopefully that will help. It sounds like she suggests choosing with a new recall word but she does say to continue using the same signal I have been using all along. I have noticed that while I have been using the long line outside, her inside recall is improving. Part of me is thinking it's just a really young dog yet and things will improve. Another part of me knows she's incredibly smart and knows what come means and should do it. This is where I think I have done something wrong. Any advice is appreciated.