I'm so glad you're going to give it a whirl somehow, I'm sure she's well worth it. Maybe it just needs for something to "click" in her and she'll end up being the dog you always thought she would be, stuck like glue to you! She sounds a very independent type doesn't she. It's hard to advise without knowing you or her or seeing you together even. Do you spend lots of time on the floor with her, just stroking and cuddling her (I'm sure you can't resist doing that coz she's soooooooo gorgeous I remember her pics!) If you don't, then maybe you need to do that. I remember a policeman friend of Dave's who is a dog handler telling me once, that he has to get the dog to fall in love with him and it will do anything for him, so maybe try some love-ins with Tala and make her feel very special and loved, it might work, but if you're doing that already then I don't know what else! Good luck with ALL you are going to try, it must be quite heartbreaking for you, when you had one in the past who was exactly what you thought you would have again, I know I would have been devastated if Zena wasn't the loyal type of dog that I'm used to with this breed, but like I said before, I suppose it does happen, coz I've got Georgie, and he couldn't care less about me (well, he probably could, but he never lets me know that when we're out!) All the very best with her and please keep us informed, I for one would love to know if you have the companion you wish for.xxxx

Went walking with a couple we rehomed a Beagle bitch with and she said her male dog who was not a rescue was having trouble with recall. We tried with the treats, i had training treats, she had home liver cakes, which my dogs would die for but to no avail. After one hour of walking and extremely bad recall i went back to the car got the citronella spray collar within an hour the dogs recall has improved by 100% and thats not using the spray thats just using the bleep.In my opinion if it is a choice between a dog been stuck on any form of lead or a dog off the lead and having a run to me its a no brainer i would put a collar on the dog every time. I think its quite easy for people to comment that you just treat, but some dogs just dont respond to food. The women said this was the best walk she had with this 18mth old dog. He still played, he didnt retreat within himself.

No I don't think you should give her up, some people choose breeds like Huskies, Mals e.t.c (and a lot of others) that cannot be let offlead except in enclosed areas. It is not the be all and end all, our Bear can only be let off if he has the place to himself.

Sorry to be blunt but Tala will never be your old dog, she will never be the same and you may well go on to develop a strong bond with her but it will never be quite the same as your other dog, she is a different dog, you will love and bond with her for different reasons. You cannot keep comparing her to your old dog as that is just setting you up for a fall every time things go wrong.

It seems to me by comparing her to your other dog that you are preventing yourself from bonding with her.

Have you tried calling her name when she is doing fun things, when she is playing call her name, not for recall as such, just call her name, like how you would teach a puppy it's name, when she is eating e.t.c, then she will learn to associate her name with good things, never call her if you know she is not going to come back, just go get her, she has probably learnt that you calling her name she can take or leave, it's not that important.

Dogs are hard work, if the only problem I ever had with any of mine was poor recall i'd be over the moon!

Now that I am conscious of doing this I will be able to work on it. She has many many good points and in some ways she is easier than my last dog.

One of the things you can do is to use her enjoyment of other dogs as a reward ... a good trainer can show you how to do this. If she likes that best, you can actually use it to get her to pay more attention and then the ball starts to roll....

Wys
x

You just need to look at her good points and see why you love her in different ways to your other dog and the bond will come in time. x

I so know what you mean, I have had trouble getting the bond with Mia cos she just isnt Ben
I understand what makes Ben tick and so I know what he will do in a given situation and why he will do it
I havent had that same understanding with Mia so it has made it more difficult
Until you step back and look at the fantastic dog she is in her own right

I must be the softest touch going, I fall for every new puppy/dog that I have ever had, I don't compare them with my dogs that have gone to the Bridge. I try to be like my dogs & live in the now.

Take it one day at a time & work on getting her really focused on you at home & keep her on a long line outside home.

Clicker training can be really rewarding & a clever dog picks things up really quickly