Daisy ran onto the road

[jacies]

Judy if you take her out on an extensa lead I'd advise giving this up for the reason you note -- these are notoriously dangerous leads to use anywhere except in the safest areas of a park far from traffic, as dogs so easily can pop the handle out of your hand.

I agree Karlin they can be dangerous but I don't walk Chaos on the road on this lead, I only use it at the lake where I walk the dogs, it was just that she saw a cat as I was lifting them out of the car. I am now more careful and look out for cats first. Usually all three dogs are very good and will sit in the back of the car until I lift them out. All the dogs have nice long normal leads if I take them anywhere else. Her extending lead is not the kind like a thin cord but is a thicker type of canvas and is only attached to her harness not a collar. Unfortunately she has proved impossible to train to recall and also I have to try and keep her out of the lake and away from the geese droppings so she is never let off now.

[Tania]

I am totally paranoid about our dogs making a bolt for it even though they are both quite well behaved, they can be unpredictable when you least expect.
We have a baby gate near the door that is used the most. We also have a a couple of freestanding guards that we use for the bottom of the stairs or to restrict anywhere we don't want them to go.

Daisy sounds extremely bright and would probably respond to gentle training.

We take our dogs ro socialisation class every week, it is based on clicker and reward training and gentle methods are used. We have been doing this for quite a while now and when new puppies come up from puppy class, we have to go back over everything, sometimes I get a bit bored but the dogs are stimulated, excitied and gradually they have perfected their sit, stand, downs, recalls and wait. We also have wooden puzzles for them so while we are out we will load them with bits of carrot or dried fish, this keeps them busy for a while. I think you have to treat Daisy like a child just keep everything out of reach, I have heard terrible stories where a dog has gone into the owners handbags and chewed up a packet of pills.

[daisysmom]

Thank very much for the replys and great advice.
Iv already signed us up for 6 week course with dublin spca.

I had been looking out for a class even before this as her recall is VERY bad and i was already nervious.
She does not listen at all onless she wants to, she will do something she asked if you have a treat but each time we try to faze it out shes back to not listening.

But i tell yeh she is very smart we have trained her to ring the bells at the door to go pooty as she never barks and it was the only way for her to let us know he needs to go, then as soon as she comes back in she sits and waits for her treat if she went and doesnt ait if she hasnt gone.

The recall has been my biggest worry and now the fact that she can get out of her harness.

Daisy is almost 7 months and has always been hyper we even changed her food a couple of times to see if it was the high protein.

there has been alot of upheavel at home the last few weeks and she hasnt been getting the one to one she deserves and i think she has sensed all the stress at home as shes off her food the last few days also.
But we are starting to get back on track fingers crossed.

I alway thought that girls were easier than boys ( have 4 sons so it was time for a girl) only joking!!!
She had to have been a cat in previous life with all the climbing she does. Its so funny when there is a knock at the door everyone shouting watch daisy, or wait dont open it yet its like a carry on film
Then constanly saying no daisy, down daisy and having to remind the boys not to leave stuff lieing around or even within her climbing range 007 doesnt have a patch on her. God i make it sound like a mad house, Well supose it is sometimes

Please feel free to keep sharing advice with me as iv never had pets so im learning ( on not in some cases) all the time. And thanks so much. And fingers crossed i will have a vey obedient dog well behaved dog at the end of our 6 wk course, ( wonder would it work for the kids)

[jld]

She is still very young. She can be trained, but it will take a lot of work , and consistency. I took my Dixie to obedience classes from the time she was 5 mo. old. We took obedience classes every week for 18 consecutive weeks. And, we worked with her 1 on 1 during the week. Then, we started agility. So, she has basically been in some kind of class her whole life (she is now 3 years old). I still don't trust her not to run off if she sees anything moving (rabbit, bird, squirrel), but I do practice recall with her still. Good luck. She is still just a baby, and she sounds like she is very smart. She willl learn, but you have to be committed to the training. PS. I always keep her on a lead for walks. Too many distractions on a walk for her where we live. Also, the command "Leave it" is one of the most important commands a dog can learn. It has been a life saver for me with my two dogs....you just never know what they will put in their mouths.

[Karlin]

At seven months, you would not be able to expect a good recall anyway -- she is only a puppy. It's kind of the equivalent of expecting a three year old to always come when called.

Also keep in mind that in 6 weeks you definitely will not have an obedient, well trained dog -- but I am sure this will be clear as the class progresses . A class gives you the tools with which to start the daily work on training and daily practice/reinforcement that is needed. In many ways a class is more training for owners on how to train, than training for the dog.

If you have a really active dog, she will be a lifelong challenge and will need the extra time and work that a very bright, demanding child would also need -- just lying around and getting a walk daily and some interaction with family won't be enough. Such demanding dogs do need to have both brain and body exercised -- so something like weekly agility class or a daily workout with an obedience routine plus a good hour of exercise is likely to be necessary. I'd recommend getting some interactive toys such as a kong and please, please download Dr Dunbar's book, as it will go through all these things and also give you a sense of what to expect, how to work with various issues, etc.

I'm not sure who runs the Dublin DSPCA classes, but I'd call and ask if they use leash corrections or if it is rewards based. If leash corrections, I'd cancel the class. I am pretty sure they are rewards based.

If you want to consider a Sense-ible harness (what I recommend and my trainer friends recommend for dogs and for training) you can get one from Dog Training Ireland (dogtrainingireland.ie) over near Blanchardstown. I'd also get a kong of the right size and consider a treat ball rather than bowl for feeding her daily, as this will give her a challenge and workout at the same time as her meal.

Just for comparison: Jaspar, my intense dog, keeps me active all day long. He does have a doze but he will want an hour or so of play (often throwing a toy down the stairs for him to retrieve for example), or 30 minutes of training or a dog game toy, plus an hour walk in the park including fetch games, or agility classes -- he is a handful compared to my other four. But he is also my favourite.

Male dogs are often more easy going and laid back than females. But all dogs are individuals so that is just a general point with lots of variations by individual dog.

I'd talk to your trainer about training a dog not to run out the door -- eg to always sit before a door and wait to be invited through.

Otherwise (or at least until she is thoroughly trained and reliable and reaches adulthood) you may need to put a babygate across the front door or hall door or an xpen arrangement, or something as really, if she has had this many close calls she is very much at risk and needs some sort of barrier.

[daisysmom]

thanks very much for the replys, karlin i did download ian dunbars book now its just a matter of getting time to read it through and thanks for all your great advice.

And there was me thinking that a puppy would be a lot less work than a baby!!!!! Silly me. Ah but she is my baby girl, my youngest boys keep saying shes their sister, see told you it was a mad house

On the feeding, i should get a special toy and not feed her from the bowl from then on is that right?
I have 2 kongs that i give her if she will be alone for a while.

Right im off to do some reading and reserch!!!!

[Cathy Moon]

After you and Daisy finish up her odedience classes, I would recommend pre-agility or agility training - weeks and weeks of it!

Agility will make you and Daisy become a team; believe me if you keep at it she will want to pay attention to you and please you, even when there are distractions.

Geordie and I were an agility team years ago, until we realized he had beginning symptoms of SM, and even today he always pays attention to me and comes when called. There was a time when I thought it wouldn't be possible!