errant labrador (needs recall training)

hi all, i have recently been given a 10 month labrador dog which to date has been a family pet.the dog has been given its freedom without any form of training and as a result fails to return and runs off.
i have started in a confined space to install the sit whistle and a recall whistle,heel work on the lead ok but the dog has become lead aware.
i have other labs which i work and compete with but have always had my dogs from scratch,never had to undo problems such as this from a dog of this age.
i intend to restrict the dogs freedom(off lead) while i try to install some basic obediance. any experiences / suggestions would be gratfully received
dog at this stage appears to be quite biddable,but also seems quite bold
mawse

Of course its obvious that the dog must associate coming to you when called with something pleasant e.g. fuss or food, but in this case he must also acknowledge you as his undisputed leader, just as your other dogs do. At his age, if he has had little or no discipline before its no good simply appealing to him or trying to bribe him. He has grown up doing more or less as he likes and no doubt intends to carry on like that whenever it suits him if you will allow it. He is establishing too high a position in "The Pack". You must take charge in a kindly way and demand his respect. To begin I train on a 40 ft rope, which gives you ultimate control. Start close up, no more than 6 ft, if you can begin with him "Down" it helps. Make sure you have his full attention. Then call in, draw the dog towards you while making encouraging sounds, reward but only after he has arrived. Gradually increase the distance, eventually dispense with the rope and the titbits. A quiet place with no distractions is essential to start with. It can take time but don't ever allow the dog disobey, even for a moment, because each time he ignors you it decreases your authority as leader. Slowly he will learn that "Come" means "Come" and that its a pleasant experience for him. But also that its an order, not a suggestion.

I also use a long-line to teach distance control. I would keep practicing with this and do not let him off until he is 100% recalling on the line including under distractions of people and other dogs etc.

It will take time for him to adjust to his new life and the new rules that go along with it. Bear with him and be patient, if you are clear and consistent in your training you will reap the rewards.

Respect will be something he will learn and of course has to be earned

To help him further it may be useful to join a local obedience training group, this way you can have him off lead in a controlled environment with other dogs as distractions, as well as helping socilalize him.

What I do initially is get him in a confined area (like a small room and off leash), have some small food treats, I use chicken or bologne, something tasty that he doesnt have to chew on, and then just use his name and the word 'here', dont say anything else to him, if he doesnt come to you right away then crouch down...make happy puppy sounds....anything 'fun' for him that will bring him to you, then when he comes to you, stand up and have him sit and give him the treat with one hand while petting his head with the other, I will hold the treat between my fingers for a couple of seconds to give me enough time to actually pet them rather than them just grabbing it and running, and while your doing that give him praise....when he comes to you every time without hesitation then go onto a larger area. Or you can have someone help you and take it in turns calling him, if he gets part the way and turns to go the person that didnt call him then that person shouldnt give him the treat but just ignore him. The only time he gets the treat is by running to the one that called him.

Its vital that he comes back to you once youve called him though, if he doesnt and he gets away with it hes not learning anything. Well he is, and that is that he doesnt have to come to you.

I always use their name but then you shouldnt use the name for anything negative like if hes jumping all over the place or something and you tell him "no....*insert name*", you want to condition him to come back to both 'here' and 'name'.

When hes coming back every time then I would only give him the treats every other time, then about once every 5 times and then just occasionally. The program I do is spread over 4 weeks and they usually have pretty much got it down 99% by then.

thanks for tips,
i will probably work with him in garden for a while which will allow me to re-enforce any commands he trys to ignore, and hopefully form a bond with me. only just started working with him and still trying to sus him out, i can see him busy sniffing in the garden and he already will break off with the recall for a treat,so far so good.early days, but it seems with some consistancy he may respond to me. long rope will probably be next step after a few more weeks.
at the moment square bashing the streets to improve lead work and break his habit of pulling to sniff areas and dropping his nose to the ground sniffing as he walks. if all goes to plan his breeding suggests theres half a chance of him having some fun working.
some work in front of me i am sure
again thanks for the tips i will keep you up to date with progress
mawse

Sounds as though you are doing all the right things This Dogweb article may be of interest: http://www.dogweb.co.uk/talkdogs/tra...call_8049.html

If the dog is 'lead wise' try either progressively using lighter and lighter leads until you get to the stage of using string so that your dog never has the opportunity of making a mistake, or, double leading with a normal lead and a very light lead. Make it obvious when you take the heavier lead off. The light one which, hopefully, the dog will not realize is still attached will serve to prevent mistakes and to help him realize that he is never out of your control