Recall Training
Anyone who knows I have a dog knows that I think she is the bees knees, the cats pyjamas, and the snakes hips all wrapped in one. Being a retired racing greyhound has presented its fair share of challenges. For example, when she joined our family in May she had never lived in a house, been potty trained, or learned to navigate stairs. There has been a learning curve for all of us. During all of our training sessions I have used a clicker as a marker for behaviors I want to reinforce. I strongly believe in positive reinforcement training and have seen amazing results in Vanille’s progress.
However, today I had a terrifying experience that highlights the fact that I need to work on our recall training. As we were preparing to leave for our walk the the wind blew open the gate. Vanille shimmied out through the opening and started to trot off down the sidewalk. I called her name and she simply ignored me. I tried again with no luck. In a moment of desperation I made (as best I could) the sound that a clicker does. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned and looked at me. I held out my hand as if I had a treat on it. She stood for a few agonizingly long seconds and then came running to me for her reward. I praised her and gave her affection while covertly attaching the leash to her collar. Crisis averted.
The events that transpired today punctuated the fact that while we have made great strides there is still a lot of ground to cover. Her recall is nill, she ignores the “leave it” command, and her confidence with other dogs is lacking. I want to work with either Calling All Dogs or Astrid from A Dogs Journey because they are such strong proponents of the positive reinforcement method. I would love for us to become Canine Good Citizenship certified. Even more I would love to give Vanille a job of some type (such as therapy dog, compete in rally or agility, etc.) to exhaust her energy and to challenge her. The trouble is the cost. If I had endless funds I would do all of these things but money is tight right now so I am left to my own devices.
I think it is time to head to the library and check out a few training books, stock up on high value treats, and rededicate myself to our training.
