[Lucky_13]

Max is very well behaved for the most part, he's house broken, doesn't chew on things he shouldn't. but there's a few things he needs to work on.

i want to teach him to come when called. he sort of get it, but its more he only comes when he feels like coming over to us anyway. the other day we opened the door to go to the store and he bolted out the front door, across the street and into the neighbors yard. i ran over to try and catch him and he acted like he was playing, and ran off a few more feet. i finally grabbed him and got him back into the house.

i also want to start working with him on a leash, teaching him "heel" and how to behave while on a leash...i don't think he's ever really been on a leash, but since he's a pitt mix, if i take him anywhere, there may be issues with him not being leashed.

[RonE]

Is there a question in there somewhere?

Otherwise, sure, it sounds like a good idea.

[Lucky_13]

how do i teach him those things?

[noseysadie]

Well, I get the question...I am having similar problems with my puppy on the recall problem. I thought I might check out the puppy classes at PetSmart. Has anyone else tried these classes?

[Jen D]

Obedience classes would be the best for him and you. I do have a tip for when he is out loose and you want him run like hell the other way making noise then it turns into your game. He will chase you, I have done it numerous times. the neighbors think I am nuts but I got the dog! When you get a hold of him, no yelling and lost of praise!

[Mcpie]

So if I understand you correctly, you're asking how to teach a dog to heel and to come reliably?

First of all, there are tons of resources on the net, one of the better ones in my opinion is http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/

Second, I'll give hasty details for a good recall.

Step 1: Depending on the age of the puppy/dog/what it knows, start by crouching and saying the dogs name excitedly with your arms open. The moment he starts moving towards you and is just about to get to you/you know for CERTAIN he is going to come, say come and give him a treat/toy/whatever he likes including lots of praise.

Repeat step 1 many times until it becomes a habit.

Step 2: Same deal, but try and have a friend or partner participate with you whereby you ping pong him back and forth between each other. Again, always treat for coming and never say come before you know they are going to come.

Step 3: Try step 1 and step 2 in increasingly difficult situations/more distractions. Keep him on a long training lead during this period.

General rules: NEVER punish the dog for coming to you or do something he doesn't like. I.E do not say come and then put him on his leash to signify the end of playtime. Do not say come and then get angry at him. This can be difficult, but the word come is for his safety and your sanity-- if you have an issue with him/need to leave/need him for something, go and get him.

The above is very basic, there's more to it but that's the general idea. Heel is another bag altogether.

[sydney-the-cattle-dog]

Heel and recall are exactly what we worked on with puppy and trainer yesterday.

If at all possible I highly suggest enrolling in an obedience class. You can read all about the how-to-train but nothing beats having a trainer demonstrate and then watch you and dog to make sure you both get it.

I will give you a summary of what I learned in the class.

Recall:

Practice in a safe location- inside, a fenced yard or even a large open area where there is no danger of cars,etc.

Let your dog go play and then call him back to you. This may take alot of silliness on your part to get the dog's attention. Keep calling your dog in a very excited way until he finally comes back to you. Offer treats and praise and then release him to go play again. The idea is to not associate recall with ending play. Practice with other people and play a game of each calling the dog back and forth and add the element of hiding out of his view to practice having him come to your call even if he can't see you.

Also, once you start calling him back resist going to get him if he is ignoring you. If you walk towards him or actually go get him then he is learning that he doesn't need to stop what he is doing because you will just come get him. This is why lots of practice is necessary in a safe place so that you can spend as long as it takes to get him to come back to you.


Heel:

Hold the leash short enough so that he must walk at your side but without tension or pulling up on his neck. Have treats and hold them at your side to lure him to stay at your side while walking. While walking give him the treats every so often so that he gets the idea that walking nicely at your side is a good way to get treats.



Start training with frequent treat reward and then taper off as correct behavior becomes more reliable.