Thanks very much for this information, Robin! Sounds like you're saying that there is no safe and sure way to guarantee that a dog doesn't chase/bolt, if not on a leash.
Brenda On Sat, Jul 13, 2013 at 7:40 AM, Robin Gordils <[email protected]>wrote: > ** > > > They should always be kept on leashes as even a well trained titled dog > can bolt and be killed by a car, dog or even a bike. If they run up to the > wrong dog they can be killed or kicked by a non dog lover. Four months old > is the start of the independence for puppies and they start their running > off and other bad behaviors. When someone is coming have them sit and feed > a high value treat to keep them focused. If the person is willing they can > give a treat as long as the dog is sitting. My dogs are usually trained to > an AKC Companion Dog level so I use a mini pinch collar or micro for toy > breeds and do heel work. The dog has to remain focused on my not the > distraction or I do an about turn and they correct themselves. I train from > 8 weeks on up and have shown my dogs at 4 mos in obed matches and started > getting a title at 6 mos and 1 day old. A well run obed class is always > good. But IMHO betting your dogs' lives on training is not good, I know of > 2 top titled dogs killed when they chased a squirrel into the street. I > have had my multi titled dogs bolt when scared by loose dogs and when in > chase mode. Eventually something will happen and off leash dogs are illegal > in most places and can get you sued. > > > Robin, Dobe Axel CGC, TT, German Pin Ranger CGC, TT, Chihuahuas Alice CGC > and Monte CGC, MinPins HoneyB, Brutus, and IMPS foster Jordan > > Www.minpinrescue.org > Www.chi-rescue.com > Http://chihuahua.rescueme.org/Florida > > leakaweah <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Hi everyone, > > I'm new to this group. > > We adopted two chi mixes a few months ago when they were around 9 weeks > old. They are from the same litter. Nugget was the runt of the 6 puppy > litter, and Jewel was one of the bigger ones. > > I live part time on a farm at an intentional community. I frequently walk > through the community with Jewel and Nugget, and for the first few weeks it > worked beautifully. The two would follow me everywhere and were friendly > with everyone they came upon. However, for the last few weeks (they are now > ~4 months old), Jewel, the larger sister, has started chasing people > bicycles, usually barking and growling, so I had to start keeping her on a > leash. > > I'd very much like to go back to the beautiful times of walking with the > two of them off-leash. Has anyone gone through this and figured out how to > stop the chasing/barking/growling behavior, or can anyone recommend a > particular training method? > > I've trained them both to sit, stay and come, but all that is out the > window for Jewel when she is in "attack mode". Jewel still follows me, and > eventually will return after a chase scene (but I don't allow this to > happen anymore because I always put her on a leash when we're out on the > farm. > > Jewel remains an extremely sweet and obedient puppy when she is not after > someone, and never acts agressively towards me or my husband. > > I read "The Dog Listener" and have tried to incorporate the behaviors that > signify myself as the alpha. > > We have mostly kept them together, though they sleep in separate crates > and eat from separate bowls. We've heard it's important to keep them > separate a lot as puppies to avoid them becoming a bonded pair, but we > haven't followed through with that intention very well. We are just > beginning, however to have them separated during the day for 2-3 days a > week. > > We may try taking one or both of them to an obedience class at some point. > > Any advice anyone has would be most appreciated. > > I've posted a couple of photos under a new folder "Nugget Jewel" > > Thanks! > > Brenda > > >
