Free Willie

Status
Not open for further replies.

ericamichele

Boxer Pal
I had a serious scare today with my one-year old male boxer, Willie. My dad was over, and he went to walk out the front door and Willie just darted out after him. In spite of our begging, cajoling, and calling Willie ran us all over town for about 45 minutes. We finally bribed him with his frisbee and a couple treats and got him home safely. My question is, how can we get him to listen when he is so very excited? He sits and stays very well at home, but with all the cars and people and smells he paid absolutely no mind to us. Thanks!
 

sherryberry

Boxer Buddy
We try these two things which have always worked for us:

1. Run the other direction calling their name in a fun voice, they usually will run after YOU then you can get them and praise them like crazy for coming to you.

2. Lay on the ground and call and they will usually always run to you to check you out and see whats going on down at 'their level'... and when they come grab hold and praise praise praise!

You can practice on a regular basis calling them and when they come grab hold of their collar and then praise, so they don't get in the habit of playing the keep away game and just stay out of your reach. Doing one of these two things will hopefully work if they are running outside and you don't want them to get hurt by running into a road or lost.
 

ericamichele

Boxer Pal
Thanks for the advice. On our walk earlier this evening, we practiced a lot of sitting and staying. My thought was that learning to obey commands he knows, even with so many distractions, might help a little bit. We are definitely going to practice, "Come here Willie!"
Thanks again.
 

WAT

Boxer Insane
I have been having the same problem with my two, the door dashing and not listening once they are outside the house. I have a couple of articles that may help. One is with the door dashing and the other is working on the recall.
How to stop a dog from door dashing
Step 1-To stop door dashing through training, you must first manage the situation. Do not allow your dog near the front door. Block the entry way with baby gates, confine him to the kitchen or laundry room or do whatever else it takes to keep him from getting near the door until he has been trained to come or stay in place.

Step 2-If you are supervising your dog and he is not confined, keep a leash by the front door and put it on your dog before you open it.

Step 3-Put a sign on the inside of your door that reads "Where is the dog?" to remind you to be sure he is not waiting to launch as you open the door.

Step 4-Put a sign on the outside of the door that says "Dog in training, please be patient." This will let visitors know that you may take a little longer to answer the door and will allow you time to secure your dog before you open it.

Train to Stop Door Dashing
Step 1-Once you have a system in place to secure your front door, you may begin training your dog not to dart out the door. You begin training appropriate doorway behaviors in front of a closed door.

Step 2-Teach "Back." Step toward your dog. When she takes a step back, praise and toss a treat behind her. It is often helpful if you toss the treat onto a small rug or dog bed that is near the door but not too close. This will eventually encourage the dog to run and sit on the mat.

Step 3-Once your dog gets the treat you tossed, ask her to sit. When she sits, reward her again.

Step 4-Repeat steps 2 and 3 several times. Take a break. Begin the process again, and during each successive session, wait to deliver the treat after she sits for longer periods of time. Practice this process several times per day until she seems to really understand that "Back" means to back up and sit.

Step 5-When she will back up and sit still in the area that you wish for her to be in for 30 seconds before you deliver the treat, it is time to move to the next step.

Step 6-Go to the door, place your hand on the knob. Say "Back." Cue her to "Sit." Toss a treat and offer praise.

Step 7-Go to the door, place your hand on the knob. Say "Back." Cue her to "Sit." Open the door a little; if she gets up, abruptly close the door. If she is successful in waiting, toss a treat and praise.

Step 8-Repeat this step for some time, increasing the door's opening gradually and backing up a step if she tries to go out the door. You should also place a 10-foot lead on her in the event that she does make it past the threshold. You will be able to stomp on it and stop her.

Step 9-Once your dog will sit in front of the open door, gradually add distractions such as the doorbell, a visitor and so forth. If you work on this a few minutes each day, your dog will learn that it is rewarding to stay inside the house and be less apt to run out.

Whistle train your dog for a reliable recall -
This one takes about 3 days. First, some time when the dogs aren't watching, get out some cheddar cheese and cut up into small pieces, and put into a baggie. Then hide that baggie somewhere up high, out of sight for a moment.
We are assuming the dogs have not heard a whistle before, of course. Then, and for no reason apparent to the dogs, suddenly toot the whistle, and dole out pieces of cheese to each dog. Whistle, toot about three times in a row. At this point you are teaching the dogs the sound of the whistle, just like you would condition them to the sound of the clicker. Three times is enough for now and let it go.
After few hours, when the dogs are relaxed and thinking other doggie thoughts, suddenly toot your whistle when you see one of the dogs sauntering toward you, and give that dog a piece of the cheese. If any of the other dogs starts come to you, too, give a quick toot of the whistle and offer a piece of the cheese.
If you have a dog who is a little bit slow about figuring out what is going on with the whistle and the cheese, then sit with that dog alone in a room, and do whistle/cheese three times.
On the second day, wait until you are in a room with no dogs present. Toot the whistle and the dogs should come running to get some cheese. The next progression is to go to another floor of the house, such as an upstairs bedroom or the basement. Toot the whistle and as soon as a dog comes running to you, give it about five pieces of cheese at once (bigger reward because the dog made a greater effort to find you).
By the third day, start taking this game out into the yard, play some fetch, etc., just having a great time, when suddenly, unexpectedly, you toot the whistle. Only give the cheese if the dogs come running promptly.
By day four, while you've had all the dogs out in the yard, sort of amble away from them and head toward the doorway to go into the house. You're not to the doorway yet, but you toot the whistle. All they see is your back, going away from them. As the dogs come running, give them a higher powered treat such as a lovely slice of roast beef (bigger reward because they aborted their playtime to come to you).
From here on, it's simply a matter of building distance, and then going back to the starting place to build in ever-increasing distractions.

I am starting to see improvement with Torque and Cam-mee, maybe this will work for you too. They come running when they hear that whistle now, I have worked that with them so far in the house and the backyard, the next step is the front yard. We'll see how it goes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top