training gone pear-shaped!

hi all,

i really dont know what to do as regards sam. our training is coming on really well (or so i thought), he's been really paying attention and we're constantly top in our training class. my problem is when we're out walking. well i started the whistle training programme for his recall and it was coming on really well. so i advanced it outside in the woods where we walk and he came back 80% of the time. last night was a different kettle of fish. i let him off and he was running around sniffing and digging (as they do!). we then went into the next part of the woods and he followed my 'this way' command. i thought he was behind me, so i carried on walking. he wasnt there! i looked all over for him, calling him and whistling him. then i saw him...he was on the golf course on the other side of the road! luckily the road is very quiet. i called him again, then he appeared in the woods near me. i called 'this way' to him, and he just totally ignored me, he just carried on running around sniffing. by this time i was getting really annoyed and i couldv'e quite happily left him there and gone home!!! i really dont know what to do now. do i go back to having him on the long line again? at the moment i just feel we've hit a brick wall! my trainer said that i need to get him motivated with a toy when we're out, but he's just not interested. i just feel he's out of control when we're out and i dont want that. i dont want him to be a nuisance to himself and others. sometimes i just feel like giving him up because i dont feel i'm experienced enough to carry on with him.....

sorry about the length of this thread but i really do need some help and advice.

cheers

Oh you poor thing. I don't really have any helpful advice, but I just wanted to say that you seem to have come so far with him that it would be a shame to give up now.

Hopefully someone will have so useful advice for you, but the only thing I could suggest is whether you could find a trainer to work with you on a 1 to 1 basis?

Do you take treats with you when out walking? I wouldn't get too worried as he was probably having one of those 'moments' as most of our dogs do.
I would recommend not constantly calling his name and whistling as all this is doing is alerting him to your presence so he has no need to look for you. My dogs get one command then I go silent. Playing hide and seek helps as well to concentrate his mind on you.
Always take tasty treats out and everytime he's near you give him a small reward. He'll be far more likely to come back.
Becky

thanks for your replies. i'm hoping he was just having one of those 'moments'. i do take lots of treats out with me too. the trainer whose helping me with the whistle training has said that the only time he gets fed his breakfast and tea is when he returns to the whistle. so basically if he doesnt come back he doesnt get fed! is that being cruel or being cruel to be kind?? i do also play hide and seek with him. he does look up when he cant see me or bronte, and comes over when he sees us. so he is 'checking in' with me. i guess i got panicky last night cos he'd crossed the road twice and he did come back.....eventually .

The treats really need to be super ones to get a good recall. I use dried liver, the dogs love it, it is in tiny pieces so it really isn't much of a reward from a human perspective but it works well with the dogs.
Becky

Please don`t give up, I have foolowed Sam`s story over the last few weeks and have been so impressed with the progress you have made. If you went back and read some of your earlier posts I`m sure it might just remind you of how far he has come.

Try to stay positive and think of it as a moment of madness.All the best.

he will be having a 'moment' they all do it. Plus there are lots of interesting smells about at the moment, I have noticed that Cariad goes whizzing off after interesting smells loads of times at the moment, Lona tends not to be so interested and sort of divides her time between me and being near Cariad. As everyone says, look back at your previous posts and compare him to how he was. You are making loads of progress with him, but they all have off days and sometimes off weeks!!!

I have no advice I am afraid, because I am at the same point as you. Our trainer has advised us to take Syds breakfast/tea out with us for her recall and if she does not come she does not get fed!! Like you I thought that was rather cruel - it has happened twice - no recall - no tea.breakfast. First time it was with OH and I was so upset that she was hungry I was nearly crying and so wanted to give in. She came for the whistle that evening though because she had to come to us for her food.

The second time it happened it was with me. Sydney went haring off across the fields to another dog and I had to run after her to get her back. So, no breakfast. This time though I was so embarrassed at her and cross that I did not really mind as much

We are still on the line and will be for another week/10 days before we are allowed to progress on.

Keep up the good work!! It is so hard I know and these set backs are really quite soul destroying - but we have to get there!! x

Sounds like just a bad day... On a day like that (usually with Jake) I just pop on his lead and give him a telling off...

You could take your long line with you as a back up and if it seems like it's gonna be a bad day then just go back a few steps in the training.

Don't give up though, you've done really well so be a shame to lose faith now.

Keep up the good work and you'll get there

A lot of dogs have these offdays, don't give up you've done so well. I'm not sure putting him back on the long lead would help as he seems a bright lad & if he's like my last male shepherd.he will know what he can & can't do when the lead is attached & it won't be teaching him anything. Understand your worry because of the road, but hopefully that was a one off.