[matthew0725]

Okay, when we first got Noel, and for a long time after, especially with our training, I could walk outside in the front yard with her off her leash, talk to her, tell her to stay, and she would stay close by... She definitely would not dart off away from me... The only time there was a chance of that was if she saw another dog, then all bets were off...

Fast forward a couple months... She's trained now, knows tons of tricks, loves to go on walks, and is an all around very bright dog... BUT, now if we go outside, she better be on her leash, because she will take off running as soon as she sees any kind of distraction... Just a few minutes ago, i walked out in the garage with her, and she saw some guys delivering some mattresses next door, and she took off towards them, and to make it worse, she ran straight into the house they were delivering the mattress to, then saw their dog in the house, and peed on their carpet! Not all out peeing, but an excited squirt...

Whats the deal? She used to be fine outside with me off leash, but as she's getting older, she's getting WORSE, all the while she's getting smarter... Any ideas to remedy this so that I can take her out front without her leash, or are those days over?

 

[Marsh Muppet]

She's just about the right age to have discovered the joys of giving you the canine equivalent of the middle finger. This is where you get to learn what you're made of.

 

[melgrj7]

How old is she? I would certainly keep her on leash when ever outside so she doesn't continue to practice this behavior. Work with her on a long line for awhile, then use something lighter like the cords on venetian blinds and work on that for a long time. When using a long line I like to clip both that and their regular leash on them, walk outside and then take off the regular leash. Just to get them into the habit of still being controlled even after hearing the click of the leash.

 

[Marsh Muppet]

How old is she?

By my recollection, between 5-6 months (?). It gets worse before it gets better.

 

[Westhighlander]

She's just more confident now. I watched your youtube video, very good but I had to laugh at the end when she wouldn't obey "come". That's probably one you want to work on if she's going to be off leash.

 

[Beki659]

She's just about the right age to have discovered the joys of giving you the canine equivalent of the middle finger. This is where you get to learn what you're made of.

ahaha, that's true, in my experience.

 

[matthew0725]

yep you were right marshpuppet... shes just over 5 months old now... i thought it might have something to do with being in the doggy 'teenage' years (is that around the 5-6 month old spot?)...

she's actually really good at 'come', i think its just cuz i had the food that she ignored my wife... although i do continue to work with her on come... had her outside last night on a 50 foot string/rope working on 'come,' and for the most part shes great at it... i just cant seem to let her off leash lately or she's off like a missile from kosovo...