I hope this doesn't get too long-winded, but I am definitely puzzled on this issue, and haven't seen anything like this on the site. I have a 16 m/o Brittany that is a jewel and a sweetheart of a dog. (It makes all the difference on the world to read up on dog behaviour and characteristics before purchasing one--Thank you, Ed, for your incredibly practical and helpful site!)

I have been able to train him fairly well with motivation (The dog is highly food driven <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> however, I am finding the need to do a little fine tuning in areas such as jumping up on company, coming quickly when called, not pulling when walking on a flat collar (He understands the prong, but I'd rather get him off it if I can), and staying out of the garbage and a couple of garden areas. (He's way too smart for the mousetraps!) I purchased an ecollar for these issues, and have been getting him used to putting the collar on, and taking it off, and have tested the collar to see which level of stim. makes him perk up his ears...) He is not collar-wise.

Here is my dilema; he is a house dog, so he doesn't have an outdoor kennel (yet)However, I didn't like to leave him locked in the kitchen on a beautiful day, thought the fresh air would do him some good....after purchasing a bark collar, (and testing the level that would cause him to start, but not too strong) I tied him up to a screw-in-the-ground tie-out, put the bark collar on and left for a couple of hours (It wasn't the first time, I had successfully done this at least five times). When we returned home, the spot I had tied him up in was empty. I looked around and found the end of the tie-out pulled out of heavy clay dirt, the line was going over the TOP of several bushes and winding around until I finally found the dog cowering in the corner of the yard shaking like a leaf. I have no idea what happened, but he was severely tramatized. We have a closed-in back yard, so I don't think another animal chased him, but it is possible. The only other thing that I could think of is if the collar malfunctioned and terrorized him, or was inadvertantly set too high... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, here is the problem. The dog is still not at all collar wise, he is now "long line"-wise. I know that in order to teach the recall, I need to have him on the long line, but now whenever I put it on, he starts shaking and has a meltdown! He's fine on his short lead for walks and as a drag in the house, but he freaks when I get a long one out...we went camping and had to have him tied up, and he sat there shaking whenever he was tied, so I used it as little as possible. We tried feeding him on the line, (Won't eat) playing with him, distracting, etc., but whatever happened to him that day is pretty deeply ingrained...*sigh*

Any suggestions? I can still train him to stay out of areas, he responds just fine and immediately gets away from what he is not supposed to be in, and comes over to me with a slightly worried look, making sure whatever he was inspecting isn't after him, nothing too tramatic--taking him on walks to train for pulling is do-able, as well as jumping up on people, but I would be a little nervous to try the recall under heavy distractions without the longline on... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Thank you for any suggestions you may have...)

<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Okay....83 views and NO suggestions?? Is it that bad of a problem??? Hopeless?? Just never ask the dog to recall and I should be fine with it for life??... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

have you tried the "search" function, or looked in the "competition OB" forum? there's lot's of good stuff on recalls on here, you just have to look a little....

BTW, it really helps when using "search" to use a time limit, and put your search parameters in quotes, is "recall". hope that helps,

 Quote:

<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Okay....83 views and NO suggestions?? Is it that bad of a problem??? Hopeless?? Just never ask the dog to recall and I should be fine with it for life??... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I'm one of them..

It seemed like so much to ask and answer and no one place to start....... and no specific question.

Tell us the first issue you want to address. Is it teaching the recall (and getting him to accept the long line to do it)? Or is it whether to leave him tied in the yard ever again? Or keeping him out of the garbage?

Or the prong ...... "getting him off it"?

Or leaving him tied up while camping?

There was a lot to address in one message. Break it down into questions for those of us with sound-byte-type attention spans. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

i agree w/connie--can you break it into more specific questions with priorities, maybe?

meanwhile, keep in mind that Brittanies are high-drive hunting dogs, bred to go all day in the field. is he getting enough excercise? are you training him or intend to use him for hunting? or is he just a pet?

if he's just a pet, my first thought is "EXCERCISE". a tired dog is a happy dog <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

i can't address his fear/trauma issues-sorry. good luck though.

Okay, cool...thank you for your replies...I thought my post was pretty straight forward, with a bit of background prefacing it, but I guess I will have to simplify further... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

My main issue right now is whether I could train a recall with an ecollar without the use of a long line. The dog has been trained to recall since he was a puppy with positive motivation, and understands what 'come' means, but is now ready for the fine-tuning (correction/distraction phase) Ed talks about in his DVDs. For instance, if he is off-lead with us in our front yard and a neighbor and/or dog walks by in the street, he will take off to go see them, (Not fearfully, just curiously--he is a VERY friendly, confident and well-socialized dog) and ignores the recall until he has greeted our 'guests'. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

He is not at all a fearful or traumatized dog UNTIL he sees the long line, as he has made a firm connection in his mind between whatever terrible thing happened when he was tied up in the backyard and that line. So, whenever I put the long line on him, he just sits there and shudders.

He is a family dog in a home with three children, and gets plenty of physical exercise, mental stimulation and interaction..he is fairly dominant, but I am a strong-willed person who doesn't have a problem making him obey. He knows 'come', (as long as there are no distractions) <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> 'sit', 'stay', 'down', 'out', 'in your crate', and does a variety of tricks...I got a prong because, even though he is only a medium-sized dog, I did not enjoy him pulling on my arm when we go for walks, thus, the 'power steering' <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. However, I am hesitant to tramatize him further with the long line if I don't have to after what happened to him.

Does that make any more sense?? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

*Big satisfying sigh* Ahh, thank you, Mike, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to offer your practical two cents... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have familiarized the dog to the ecollar already. I have used it on him, not too high, for getting him out of areas I do not want him to be in, i.e. certain areas of my back yard, the garbage... He responds in a satisfactory way--doesn't freak out, doesn't even whine--but definately flinches and moves away from the forbidden place.

Before I felt that the long line was tramatizing him further, I did get to actually try the recall with the line, and he did start to come when I called, but it was a pathetic, submissive crawl, NOT because of the very low stim, but because of the blasted line. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> That is not the kind of reaction I want in my dog, nor is it a normal reaction for him. We have a wonderful bond--his fave place in the world is by my side, and I don't want to take any chances of ruining that. I am a firm trainer, but this seemed unfair, so I quit.

I no longer use the line to tie him up, unless it is unavoidable, such as on the camping trip mentioned earlier. Even with 9 kids in our group more than happy to walk with him and cuddle with him, (and he LOVES to cuddle--even though he's a bit large for a lap dog!!) <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> we couldn't hold his leash the entire time, so we had no choice but to tie him up occasionally. Then he would just sit there and shake....*sigh*

If I can figure out a way to get him used to the line again, maybe I will try...but that seems to be a pretty far-out notion at this time.... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Thanks again, Mike, for your patient response...

Any other suggestions or thoughts will be read with keen interest... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

This might be a bit of work, but I wonder, if when you do tie him, start to tie him with his regular shorter lead for a couple days. Then over a few weeks/months? time, use a rope, gradually lengthened by a foot until you are back were you were lengthwise.

Perhaps this will allow for him to overcome his panic fear of the long lead. ???

<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
I DID read Mike's post, but registered mostly the e-collar stuff.

Ok, so I second the gradual lengthening of the lead.
<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />