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Maxie

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jennyjoan | 21:07 Thu 21st May 2015 | Pets
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As you know I love him to bits but on top of a few irritating bits and bobs - the one thing is that I don't seem to have any control of him coming to me at my command.

Sometimes what I have to do is sit in living room with lead etc and wait for him to come to me when I have to go out either for a walk or into the car and even then he doesn't come.

Now I am ready for bed and usually I let him out for a pee and then we retire but when I go into dining room where he is - he runs away and frankly I'm fed up with it.

I need to have more control - any help there. Treats and bits and bobs don't do it. thank yhou.
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Try to find a dog training club near to you.

e.g. http://www.belfastdogtraining.co.uk/
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thanks chris - will look that up tomorrow - away down to get him - goodnight
well he's an adult dog? and you've had him around three months.? and you don't know what his background is? does he like his dinner? i know you said he likes bread. you need to use some reverse psychology. stop calling him when you want him to come to you ans start calling him when he wants to come to you....for his dinner, for a bit of your bread, anytime when you KNOW he will come to you, then you call him. you give him his treat and then you let him go again. if this means no walks for a few days, that's fine. if you know he isn't likely to come to you then DO NOT CALL him. This turns your call from meaningless background noise into something that MEANS something and means something good. Once he is coming to you everytime you call (or most times) then you add putting on the lead or whatever else you want to do. Does he have a favourite toy? if he does, take it away and make it another treat for coming to you to have a game with the toy. Dont do any of this too often, mealtimes and two or three times a day for a treat or a game and don't call him before he decides to come, wait until he is heading for you then call and big praise and the treat when he arrives. I know this sounds silly and back to front but it works
ps don't even try to call him in from the garden until he is 100% reliable indoors. evertime you call him and he doesn't come you go two steps backwards!
my little pup has just stated to do this too as she's worked out that she gets treats if she stays upstairs when i'm at the door, but she's ment to be on a diet so i find the best thing to do is to call him, and if he doesn't come just say bye and go out the door and close it behind you, my little pup runs down the stairs as fast as she can and then cry's until i come back in, then she's as happy as anything to be going on her walk, just be careful not to lock yourself out while doing it though, i already have lol
Tandh - I know you're not asking the question, but I think you might be teaching your dog that if she cries at the door you'll come back. Which is going to be very irritating for your neighbours when you I actually have to go out!

Jennyjoan - when I got my rescue dog he went through phases of being really good and really naughty. I think he was just working out the boundaries of what was allowed and what wasn't. Maybe try some other rewards - a game with you, a bit of a fuss etc and find what motivates him to do as you ask. Treats don't work for everyone.
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TREATS dont do it for him. I do be sad as when I got him 10 weeks ago he was such an emotional and demanding wee thing and has come on leaps and bounds. Him not coming to me makes feel like thaT i am not the leader of the pack.

i don't feel Ishould be runnhing around a big 6 table chair looking for him - last night I had to go to shop and I just walked out in disgust. He was waitig for me to come back not cryin - even that when I walked in he ran for the dining room again. Had to go through this procedure for bed time. he certaintly wasn't like this when i got him. My god it must be me - not a good controller or leader of the pack. forgive gtyping as I a so tired.
It's only been 10 weeks. Do what Woof suggests.

Look at the police dogs....highly trained and work their little paws off for the love of a tennis ball...
Con you aren't the pack leader and never will be. You aren't a dog and the dog knows this.
It sounds either like he is running away from you because he is worried jennyjoan or you have taught him its a lovely game. Whatever the reason, you have to just stop doing it. If you don't want Maxie in the dining room then keep the door shut. If you want you can put a tag (name) on Maxie's running around the table game and use it as a reward. My first dog loved to steal something and be chased so we taught him to "steal" old knotted dusters and would chase him for fun. When he got very old he still loved the game but we would have to chase him really slowly.

t and h, you can still give your dog treats, just put less in the bowl at mealtimes, my dogs get less than a quarter of their food in their bowls, the rest is used as treats and training treats. hazel is right, don't do the walking away and shutting the door thing, this is either scary for your dog and will result in crying when you are out of the house or he will learn that if you call and he doesn't come it doesn't matter. Either way it will wreck what you have taught her about staying out of the way when you answer the door. She isn't being difficult, she just doesn't understand what you want. teach a recall and treat for that as well.
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"It sounds either like he is running away from you because he is worried jennyjoan or you have taught him its a lovely game."

No I can't see what he is worried about and I haven't taught him it is a lovely game. When I come back after leaving him - he is not a bit worried - just looking in my bag to see what I have for him.
jj, dogs are learning when we aren't teaching. You didn't deliberately teach him but if he think's its fun being chased, he has learned that he runs around the table and you chase after him and that to him is fun, so you are rewarding him by doing it whether you mean to or not!
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well i am not doing anything now - i am sitting po-faced with him all morning - haven't spoken one word to him - now i am going to feed him without speaking - I am going to be Nanny Frost.
What are you hoping that will achieve JJ?
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so that he will come to me instead of me going to him all the time - oh I don't know - anyway he is fed and watered and I will walk him later (if HE wants to)
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i am trying to follow woofy's advice up to a point
why are you po facing JJ? how will that help? The dogs and I live in the house together. I chat to them when I feel like it, they come to me when they feel like it.
I am also not sure how he has gone from"he adores bread" to "he doesn't like treats" so quickly?
I really do think some sessions at a dog and owner class would be advisable in this situation.

You acquired Maxie very hastily and have absolutely no clue about the poor thing, to my mind you need to spend a fair amount of timing working with him to train and earn his and your trust respectively.
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for your information Eccles - I do have a clue as he has gone from a frightened little dog to a very happy one. If I may so. We are just in from the park where we had a wonderful time. I had Harvey for 10 years and I learnt from him. So keep your own personal opinions to yourself and when I will look for an opinion I will certainly keep you in mind.
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woofy - I am perhaps gloomy over something else that has happened.

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