Recall problems (sort of) Any ideas?

Star has always had great recall apart from the odd moment. When i call him back he comes right back, and if the is cars or any other danger he will come back without calling him. But the last few months, since Storm died really, His recall has stayed great apart from when we go to the fields across from our house.

When there i will call him back and he will come but when we turn to come home at the far end he seems to go death and does not come back when called, but when we get to the gates to come off the fields he is there ready for his lead on. This is the only place he does this and will always come back when we come off.

Sounds to me like he has decided that he knows exactly where you are going & sees no reason to come back until you get to the gate. Do you always take the same route & if so, can you change this from time to time to keep him on his toes? Can you hide from him at the turning point to give him a bit of a scare? Otherwise perhaps some tasty treats now & then might remind him that it is worth him coming back to you even when he can't see the need.
The only other thing I can think of is if it is in a particular place whether he really can't hear you for some reason - perhaps wind in wrong direction etc?

I think this is why i am finding it difficult. We take one route more than others but i do change it offten. I have tried to hide from him, but he just trotted on with the route we were taking. I tried the thing with treats, using ones he does not get often in the house much, like chicken or ham, it seemed to work for a day or two then he was back to the i know where im going attitude.

Kip is the same sometimes- he just trots on in front (if we are not playing with a ball) because he thinks he knows where we are going. Every now & then I make him think about it - if I am somewhere where I can change direction, I do, otherwise, I try and sit down (dry days only of course!) out of the way & call him. You should see the look on his face when he thinks he's lost you (makes me feel guilty, but it does teach him a lesson and he does get big praise when he finds me).

Other thing you could do is a bit of training - perhaps some heal work or something at different points round the walk, or if he likes toys, take a toy and play at different times & places. I think you have to find something which varies the walk so that even if you are doing the same route each day, the walk itself is different everytime.

***Update***

I took him today and off he trotted and once again he did not listen, so when we go to a path like a T junction, right the way i normaly go left takes you the long way round, so i decided he had gone right i would go left. Anyway i got a distance down the path and i though i would turn to see him behind me, how wrong was I, as in the distance i can see the little outline of star sat at the gate waiting for me to arrive.

Stop calling him and make the walk more exciting. My Ellie and Percy decided to run off in the opposite direction so I just walked off and carried on the way I usually go and they eventually caught me up but I was nearly halfway round. You do have to resist calling them.
It sounds like he knows exactly where he is going, have you tried taking a toy with you so you can have aplay rather than just trapsing round the field?
I take my dogs to several different places and in no particular order so they have no idea which one they are going to.
Becky

Forgive me, but did i say i his walks are not exciting? so i think its wrong just to assume this, And Btw i do take toys over with him which he ignores when on his way home. Also i call him for a couple of reasons, 1 its good to keep in practice, and 2 i do not like them to far as if there was ever a problem such, a dog attacks him, walkers may not like him sniffing about because i know i used to be scared of dogs and was nervous if there was a dog near and the owner was a distance away.

They do go different places and his recall is top notch, but the fields near the house are convenient and and fun for the dogs.

Smart dog - I take it that is the only way out (& he knows this)?


By the photos you have posted you can tell that it is a nice walk, as you say, I think he has just got into such a routine of getting to the gate & waiting. It is good that he does just sit and wait though.

If you just didn't go back to the gate until he had come back to you, what would happen - would he try & go home himself, carry on waiting for you at the gate or come & find you? Unless you are worried that he might go on the road by himself, it might be worth just not going back to the gate until he comes to you? (even if it means you waiting ages for the first few times).

I am not really sure, he may go home as it is only about 20-40 meters. I would worry about cars as there is a road to cross, not really busy. and he does have good road sense. But i think the most likely outcome is he would get bored and just play on his own till i turned up.

bit of a tricky one isn't it! If ocassionally you went up to the gate but then carried on round the field, would he come with you again or wait by the gate? If he would come with you, might it be worth doing this every now & then (turning round further away from the gate each time) so that he has no idea when the walk is actually going to finish?