Lurcher - problems with recall

I have adopted 2 lurchers (to add to my other 2 dogs!!) about 7 weeks ago. Danny is 4 and Jenny is 2. I have no problems with recall with Jenny, she's really good but Danny is a nightmare! He goes into "terminator" mode where he scans the horizon for something to run after! No amount of coaxing with food works and he just will not come back. He's slightly better with my husband but not much.
He's not at all aggressive and just wants to play with other dogs but I'm getting frustrated with him. I want him to come back straight away.
I have ordered a whistle to see if it helps. Any tips anyone?? PLEASE!!

This is a very frustrating problem and the way I have dealt with it before is put him on an extending lead and keep him on it till he is more trustworthy . The other thing I have done is to let him off the lead separately if he goes away with the others . When my whippets were young they would run off together and were a pair of teeny tearaways so for a year I let them off one at a time . I kept trying them off and when they went away together that was it out came the lead again and they got off one at a time . After a year they suddenly started behaving better .
This may not be the solution for you but it worked for me

I agree a long line would be better until you can trust him a bit more.

If he's not interested in treats, how about some kind of toy to coax him back. As a lurcher, he might be interested in a soft, furry type toy - you could tie it to a piece of rope and swing it round - the fast movement might well attract his attention.

Good ideas both of you. Thank you for that. I'll give them a try. The toy is a good idea as he seems to be looking for anything furry!!

I would try something with a loud squeak when he comes back he gets to play with it for a minute or two and then that's it . The toy is put away and he only gets it when he comes back and never at any other time .
Foodwise something high value like cheese or chicken or sausage again that he only gets at that time might work

Hi!

Try to attract his attention then throw yourself on the floor and "play dead" Pack leader down! He should come running! He will sniff your face first, open one eye and grab him! Plenty of praise. However you might get some very strange looks! Practice it somewhere remote!

Has worked everytime for me over the years with sighthounds and I have not been sectioned yet!

Good ideas, the long line and a favourite toy worked for us. Food has never been successful, our Lurchers have never been food orientated.

my springer does this now and again . hes nearly always on the lead. today we let him off with the other 3 . great for the first 20 mins then wham he was gone taking the other 3 incl the pup with him. event came back but pup took a while to return heart was in my mouth! so back on the lead he goes. hes not interested in toys/food. now if i could get a bit of fluff hed be in his element!!!

Angied , maybe the answer with him is to let him off by himself . With my dogs I found they are not nearly so keen to vanish by themselves

If you use a long line, don't whatever you do put it in his collar as lurchers in particular can go from 0-60 very fast and could injure their necks. Use a harness

This website has some very good tips:

http://www.dog-secrets.co.uk/behaviour--training/