bocaj said:
my golden retriever is a good dog but she runs away everychance she gets. shes about a year and ahalf. my chocolate lab doesnt even think of leavin the yard but he chews alot of my stuff. hes about 6 months. i might have to try the spray stuff i cant afford new stuff all the time. my g.r. just gets tied up all the time. is there a good way to get them to respond to there names? they dont come when called
A few basic commands any dog has to know, heal, by the left leg (hunting/working dogs), sit, lay down and stay.
I usually string them together, use old cheeze when they are young, to get them to come when they are called. When they master that, they don´t get the cheese until they, let me put on the leash, heal and sit. Etc. Heal and sit are much easier to teach, when they are on the leash. Repetition and consistancy, do it the same way, every time.
I usually whistle loud, when it´s dinner time, when calling them in the house or for a walk. They catch on fast, that the whistle means come and good things are gonna happen.
Getting a dog that wants to run, to stay home, is a hard habit to break. Right up there with, not chasing a Deer or coming to the whistle when they have a nose full of rabbit. Sometimes requires some hard love, a moderate kick to the ribs (not the hips). Not a bad thing to have a hunting dog, boot shy. A boot shy dog, makes it much easier to break up a dog fight, without getting bitten.
Dogs are much tougher than people, what looks like cruelty, is often for a dog, just rough play or a dominace confrontation (dogs beat the crap out of each other, but rarley do lasting damage). But they do have soft spots to be avoided, hips, neck and a few others.
I had a guard dog (dope dog washout) that I saved from euthanasia. Dog was really ruined, but I managed to train him not to bite children. After seriously kicking his ass a few times. Thought he was relatively safe, until a retarded woman (20 with the mind of a 5 year old) walked past the beware signs, into the back yard and was severly chewed up. Dog never did learn not to run (when I wasn´t watching). Really a shame to let a dog get that screwed up, but he was a serious bone head, probably the reason he washed out of dope school. A Czechoslovakian Bear Dog (translated), kind of a cross between a Rotweiler and a Beagle, with the worst traits of both breeds. Talked to a breeder, about my problems with the dog, his answer was good nose, stupid and aggresive, is what you need (in breeding) when sending a dog after a bear in a thicket ( a smart dog will probably only do that once). Sometimes it´s just the nature of the breed and you have to figure out a way to deal with it.
