Update on Mancer (with pictures)

[Rush Fan]

Just wanted to pass along that Mancer (5 1/2 months old now) and I are doing very well. She is still no angel, but she has calmed down considerably. She obeys basic commands like "stay", "sit", "get out of there", and "come" most of the time. "Come" is relatively new, and she's only at about 80% with it indoors and maybe @ 50% when outdoors, but making positive progress and I'm sure she'll be at 100% soon enough. She has also almost completely stopped playing tug with her leash, which I am very happy about. I really appreciate the tips and encouragement you all gave me, especially the advice regarding "conditioning" her to be domesticated. She gets a fair amount of exercise, including a 30-45 minute walk every day (weather permitting), but she has largely become a house pet - and to a limited extent a "lap dog" (see pictures), which I never would have thought possible 3 months ago. She is quite the social butterfly, making friends with everyone we meet on our walks, and any of my friends who visit the house. All in all, I couldn't be happier with where we are at this moment, and look forward to learning and growing together with my beautiful border collie!

 

[Sue R]

Sounds great!

 

While puppyhood and adolescence can have their charms (or not), I find I enjoy my dogs more and more as they grow and progress into adulthood. She sounds like she's making good progress and it sounds like you are putting good ideas to work to help her move along to become a dog you can really enjoy, and who will really enjoy you.

 

Make it through adolescence and you will be fine! Don't be surprised if there is a bit of backsliding at she goes through the next five or six months or so - the dog "teen" months, and then you should again start to see her blossom under your care.

 

Very best wishes!

[rushdoggie]

shes pretty stinkin' cute...

[Rush Fan]

shes pretty stinkin' cute...

Yeah she is.... pretty freakin' awesome too. That picture on the left that my friend took for me is the best picture I have of her to date, although I think it makes her look bigger than she actually is. (she's only 22 lbs).

 

Thanks for the heads up on the "teens" months ahead Sue R. I'm hoping her adolescence won't be too rambunctious, but I think I'm ready for whatever she can throw at me at this point.

[D'Elle]

50% to 80% recall at her age is actually pretty darn good.

Glad to hear she is coming along so well.

And really cute.

[Rush Fan]

50% to 80% recall at her age is actually pretty darn good.

Glad to hear she is coming along so well.

And really cute.

Yeah, she's always reluctant to come to me, but usually does anyway. It's as if she's weighing in her mind whether she wants to risk being put in timeout as she slowly moseys on over towards me.

[GentleLake]

It's as if she's weighing in her mind whether she wants to risk being put in timeout as she slowly moseys on over towards me.

 

Um, the best way to sabotage your recall training is to ask a dog to come to you and then do something like that that's a negative consequence for obeying your call.

 

Recall and release most of the time with lots and lots of praise and perhaps other reward is a much better strategy.

[Rush Fan]

 

Um, the best way to sabotage your recall training is to ask a dog to come to you and then do something like that that's a negative consequence for obeying your call.

 

Recall and release most of the time with lots and lots of praise and perhaps other reward is a much better strategy.

I think you misunderstood, and I probably didn't word that as well as I should have. The risk of going into timeout would be if she doesn't come to me. So what I meant was it seems like she doesn't really want to come to me, but does so to avoid going into timeout. If she comes to me she gets warm and happy praise, and sometimes treats. Also I don't quite always put her in timeout if she doesn't come to me. I know she's still a puppy and will sometimes just get distracted or over excited and lose focus because she just can't help it. So I only put her in timeout when I'm certain she is knowingly and willingly not coming to me when I call her. And I keep the timeouts short so she remembers why she was put in there when I let her out.

[D'Elle]

I get what you are saying about the time out.

And.....she is only a puppy, and so far is doing well as I said.

 

Even so, my experience is that the very best way to train a good and fast recall is with positive reinforcement. I would recommend giving this a try, just to see if it speeds things up.

 

Work with a whistle (not the so-called silent ones, and not one like the old police whistle, but a slim metal one with a high pitched tone). Every time she comes to you when you sound the whistle, she gets her most favorite thing in the world for a treat. She ONLY gets this when she comes to the whistle. I say whistle, because it's better for training this than your voice. Always sounds the same, your voice doesn't. If irritation or stress is in your voice, that can cause a dog to come more slowly or not at all.

 

Start with this indoors for a day or two, then if she comes running at the whistle (which, being a smart border collie and getting her favorite thing, she will), then take it outside. No time out if she doesn't come, but the best food in the world if she does.

 

This might work better. I would love it if you gave it a try and reported back. Might take a few weeks, especially since she is a puppy, but worth a try.

 

(My dogs, trained in this way, can be called off chasing a rabbit. )

[CptJack]

I called my BC off running livestock this weekend (goats). I've called her off the lure in lure coursing. I have called her off squirrels, rabbits, and deer that she was already in pursuit of. I have called her off dogs, cats, and twice (horrifyingly) a BEAR. I've called ALL of my dogs off things like cats and squirrels and ducks. INCLUDING a deaf dog, though I have to use either light or vibration to get her to look at me first (and she always, always, does).

 

My 15 week old will call out of rambunctious play with other dogs two hundred yards away from me and book it to me as fast as he can go, through anything (including over the top of other dogs....) HE will call off a running cat when he's chasing it. He is 15 weeks old. The only other things he nows are 'sit' and 'down'. The recall isn't even formal. It's just his name. To reiterate I call his name and he will come flying out of multiple dog wrestling play from 200 yards away to come to me as fast as his floppy little puppy legs can carry him.

 

The closest to negative thing to a negative consequence any of them have ever gotten for not recalling is putting the GSD-X back on a long line when he was a teenager and had more prey-drive than sense. That wasn't a punishment, he didn't recall to avoid going on it - he simply didn't get let off again until I decided I could trust him because I didn't want him to die.

Otherwise? If I call them something good happens 99% of the time. They get a treat, or some play, or some petting, or a bit of a praise in a happy voice, and more often than not they're released back for more of whatever rather than leashed - so the recall doesn't mean 'fun's over and we're going home'.

 

This is pretty easy stuff with the BC and BCX puppy. It also worked for the GSD/LGD Mix, the deaf boston terrier, and the beagle/chi/sheltie/thing. Coming to me gets you something good = they want to come = they WILL come and they will do it at speed. That? Is important. More important than just about anything there is, when it comes to safety. I NEVER want the dog reluctantly coming only to avoid something they don't like.

 

This?

 

It's as if she's weighing in her mind whether she wants to risk being put in timeout as she slowly moseys on over towards me.

 

I don't want that. I want immediate, happy, fast, shot out of a canon, recall and the way to do that is to make danged sure they want to come. The way to make sure they want to come is by making it a GOOD thing for them, and the way to do that is with, yeah, rewarding. Every time.

I mean, yes, I will get up and go fetch a dog who isn't coming to me - but then I'll go back to working on building value into the act of getting their furry butts to me before I let them off again.