# My dog stopped chasing a squirrel to come to me!!!!



## Shefali (Aug 12, 2020)

So, my dog, Snowy, is going to be a year old this Sunday. I do off leash hikes with him every day and he's been pretty good about his recall, but not perfect. However, today, there were LOTS of squirrels on the trail and he was having a blast chasing them up trees... I decided to test his recall and I called him while he was chasing one of them.

So I called to him to Come, and... he stopped mid-stride, turned, and ran back to me. I was thrilled and so proud of him. 

Now that he is approaching a year, I've noticed his behavior is improving. I have so far not had to use an e-collar on him, just using reward based training.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Wow! Impressive!


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

A squirrel or deer or rabbit are real tests. 
Harley can turn in mid-air to recall , Rogan is pretty good but not perfect. His prey drive is very high, he's constantly coursing when we're in the woods or field but does break and return really well, more of an arc than on a dime though. We're working on it anyways.


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## Mr.millenium (Nov 13, 2020)

Nice work on the recall. How did you accomplish This? I want to try that with mines.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

I have found it's easier to call my dogs off of critters on hikes but they are so territorial at home that it's an entirely different mindset to manage.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

At home, I let them run off the coyotes. They are not welcome on my lawn and are very very bold right now. There's been a couple of bites and also dog attacks not too far from here.


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

WNGD said:


> At home, I let them run off the coyotes. They are not welcome on my lawn and are very very bold right now. There's been a couple of bites and also dog attacks not too far from here.


We have never had Coyotes but we have had wolves though you hear the coyotes at night sometimes. The wolves are surprisingly chill, my Lab scares them off. But never dealt with Coyotes on the property. Did not know they really ventured near houses / people, I thought they were too timid.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Look for scat. Then you see how often and close by they get.


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## Shefali (Aug 12, 2020)

Mr.millenium said:


> Nice work on the recall. How did you accomplish This? I want to try that with mines.


I have been using treats and intermittent reinforcement.

I got Snowy as a 6 month old rescue puppy. First month, I focused on bonding with him and making him feel safe. 

Second month, I started to do recalls. First in the house, I'd say "Snowy, Come" in a really happy voice, then, when he came to me, I'd give him a treat. I used his absolute favorite treat for recalls, and did NOT use this treat for anything else. So, the only time he got this delicious treat was when he came when called. 

I NEVER punished him when he came. So, if I needed to discipline him, I never called him.

Then, after he came reliably in the house, I used a long line (20 feet) and took him to a field and practiced recall with him there. After he did that reliably, I started doing it on hikes.

First few times, on hikes, he didn't come when called. He was pushing his boundaries as a young male GSD. I would call him ONCE, then if he didn't immediately come, I'd just start walking or running away from him. That got him to come charging after me, at which point he got his treat.

Once he was reliably coming when called, I started to only give him the treat every once in a while. Now, MOST of the time when we go on walks, I don't bring any treats. He still comes when called. I just praise him and he's happy. Every once in a while, like today though, I will bring treats and reward him.


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## Mr.millenium (Nov 13, 2020)

Shefali said:


> I have been using treats and intermittent reinforcement.
> 
> I got Snowy as a 6 month old rescue puppy. First month, I focused on bonding with him and making him feel safe.
> 
> ...


Thanks for giving a detailed scenario. This is how training and sharing experience should feel. Awesome!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Excellent advice about running away to reclaim a dogs attention. Another tip - yell woowoowoo (dog name) while waving your arms as you run. No dog can resist and it keeps people far away  Never chase them


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

SuperAndre said:


> We have never had Coyotes but we have had wolves though you hear the coyotes at night sometimes. The wolves are surprisingly chill, my Lab scares them off. But never dealt with Coyotes on the property. Did not know they really ventured near houses / people, I thought they were too timid.


Coyotes are near virtually every subdivision anywhere near green space in the Great Toronto Area. 
There's non-stop development going on and no end in sight anywhere within 2 hours of here. And the coyotes have been pushed out and settle right back in. Predictably, when people and nature overlap too far, people ruin nature and nature strikes back.


Newmarket dog attacked by pack of coyotes in daylight on local trail

'Be careful': Residents in Oakville neighbourhood warned after coyote snatches and kills dog

Burlington man calls for action after dog bitten by coyote

Police issue alert after boy bitten by coyote

Coyotes spotted in urban Milton

Mississauga woman says she was attacked by pack of coyotes - CityNews Toronto

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/keeping-safe-from-coyotes-hamilton-has-tips-1.4909545


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

WNGD said:


> Coyotes are near virtually every subdivision anywhere near green space in the Great Toronto Area.
> There's non-stop development going on and no end in sight anywhere within 2 hours of here. And the coyotes have been pushed out and settle right back in. Predictably, when people and nature overlap too far, people ruin nature and nature strikes back.
> 
> 
> ...


I live 5h from Toronto and in the Country. Nothing but farm lands mostly. No coyotes but bears and cougars yes.


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## Mr.millenium (Nov 13, 2020)

SuperAndre said:


> I live 5h from Toronto and in the Country. Nothing but farm lands mostly. No coyotes but bears and cougars yes.


My fam lives in Chatham and I agree with you about the wildlife


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

Mr.millenium said:


> My fam lives in Chatham and I agree with you about the wildlife


Not sure where Chatham is. I live in Ottawa.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Good job! We have bears here, so no chasing of wildlife! Lol. That said I do let Shadow run the squirrels a bit, and since my neighbor just had his electric line into his house replaced due to squirrels most of my neighbors are thrilled with her chasing them. I try not to let her scare the deer and we have actually surrendered to the raccoons in the yard at night.
Shadow is not allowed to run loose anyway and I sort of envy other people who can let their dogs loose. I used to love watching my dogs running on the trails.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

SuperAndre said:


> I live 5h from Toronto and in the Country. Nothing but farm lands mostly. No coyotes but bears and cougars yes.


Nothing to keep away coyotes like Cougars and wolves .... where are you?
Either you have coyotes and don't see them or where wolves and coyotes overlap, coyotes disappear.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

SuperAndre said:


> Not sure where Chatham is. I live in Ottawa.


Chatham/Kent is down near Windsor on Lake Erie


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

WNGD said:


> Nothing to keep away coyotes like Cougars and wolves .... where are you?
> Either you have coyotes and don't see them or where wolves and coyotes overlap, coyotes disappear.


Country side Ottawa. We get wolves, they cross our property sometimes to get to the river. We hear coyotes in the distance but never on our property, at least that I know of.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Great work on the recall. We never off leash off property. We do use long lines to give the dogs a bit more freedom. On the property behind our fence our dogs are usually off leash and if they go to chase a critter I don't think they even realize I am calling them. Perhaps it is the perceived sense of safety in their own space that makes them less vigilant to my call. Or perhaps mine since I haven't always enforced a quick return. 
For larger wild life my dogs go out with me on leash with a flashlight if I can't see into the corners of the yard. We have almost 3 acres and no spot light is going to brighten all of that nor would I want it to. We may have coyotes, I know there are foxes, rabbits, mice, squirrels, turkeys, possums and feral cats. I knw some critters have made bolt holes under my fence. So long as they don't destroy anything they have the run of the property at night.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

SuperAndre said:


> I live 5h from Toronto and in the Country. Nothing but farm lands mostly. No coyotes but bears and cougars yes.


Andre, I'd like to see proof of the cougars! The Easter cougar is supposed to be extinct! 😮Eastern Cougar - Nature Canada.


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

Sunsilver said:


> Andre, I'd like to see proof of the cougars! The Easter cougar is supposed to be extinct! 😮Eastern Cougar - Nature Canada.


We had massive cat prints in the snow one year. A week or so later my dad was driving a couple kilometres away and saw one on a farm. He called it in to wildlife Canada (or whatever it’s called) because it was quite close to the city. It was like 5 years ago this happened. If I see one, I’ll be sure to get pics


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

_Most of the cougar population may be found in western Canada, but it has been seen across the Prairies, southern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. _




__





Animal Facts: Cougar







www.canadiangeographic.ca





There are cougars everywhere. They can and do survive almost anywhere that there are forests. In the 70's there were cougars in Nova Scotia, although I am not sure about now. 
My husbands family friends a few hours north of here shot and killed one that was stalking them on their property a few years back.
About a month ago I came across some cat tracks that were too defined to be Lynx and way to big for bobkitty.


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## Roscoe618 (Jan 11, 2020)

We have bears by me (Northern NJ), and my encounters have only been when on dirtbike or mountain bike and never while on foot/hike until last week. My male pup who just turned 1 last week was off leash deep in the woods half way through our 7 mile hike when I noticed his body language change...he stopped and stuck his nose up high trying catch the scent in the wind. I called him back and leashed him then looked over and saw the bear a 100 yards away. 
I have not taught him to bark on command but tried to make him bark by pulling out his toy....he didn't bark 🤷‍♂️. I unleashed him about a mile later. 
Black bears are usually afraid of humans and keep away.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Andre, that would be really cool! I did see a cougar on someone's game camera recently, but I forget just where the shot was taken. I think it was in Ontario somewhere.

Sabis, there's a small population of cougars in New Brunswick, and since the two provinces are next to each other, I wouldn't be surprised there's some in Nova Scotia as well.

My friend in Sundridge often sees bears. One day, I was walking up her driveway, and she told me to stop. She then said, "You are now standing exactly where I saw a black bear last week!"

Another time, I was visiting with her, and there was a report of a half-grown black bear cub up in a tree, just a 5 minute walk from my home in Aurora!! 😮 Now, THAT was a surprise, as Aurora is a large town, and quite built up! The MNR waited for it to come down, then tranquilized it and released it in the bush.

I thought it was quite funny that here I was in bear country, and missed seeing a bear back home! I only saw a bear once while living in Sundridge. It was trying to get into the dump, and a guy from MNR was trying to frighten it off by firing blanks, and using his truck to herd it away. I also sometimes saw bear footprints when hiking with my dogs. Fortunately, we never met one.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

We have bears all over here. Common enough that they warn folks to watch out. Shadow and I have crossed paths with a bear a few times now, right in town, on the street. It's the primary reason I keep Shadow on the road after dusk. No sniffing in bushes or wandering out of the light. North Bay is a city and we deal with all manner of critters here. Deer, *****, skunks, porcies in the back yard nightly and foxes, lynx, bears walking the streets.
Black bears are jerks and tend toward unpredictable, so they are always high on my radar.


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## SuperAndre (Jun 28, 2020)

Sunsilver said:


> Andre, that would be really cool! I did see a cougar on someone's game camera recently, but I forget just where the shot was taken. I think it was in Ontario somewhere.
> 
> Sabis, there's a small population of cougars in New Brunswick, and since the two provinces are next to each other, I wouldn't be surprised there's some in Nova Scotia as well.
> 
> ...


I will keep my eyes peeled for tracks. The tracks were in the woods on our property which is crazy to think it was so close to home.

We get black bears too actually. We had bee hives a while back and recently a bear took them out, guessing it was a black bear. I had a similar thing happen where my dad one day said “right here there was a mama bear and her Cubs cross right in-front of me”. Since then we have seen them occasionally in the woods. Actually, 1 year ago (I think) there was a black bear in a tree in Downtown Ottawa. It amazes me that a bear came down from woods, miles away and into a tree in the middle of the city and downtown Ottawa is BUSY! 

wildlife is amazing!


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

@Shefali great job on training recall!

A couple things came up in this thread that I think are important. The first being generalization. Dogs don't generalize well. A good recall inside may fall apart in the yard, or the opposite may happen. Take a young dog that will down perfectly during a routine training session, put them in the back seat of a car and the training may go out the window. Changing the environment changes the rules for the dog. Motivations change so we need to expose the dog to many environments so as much of the world as possible becomes normal. Practicing good behavior in those environments takes time, patience and persistence.

Confidence plays a role in behavior. In the house, a dog may be super comfortable so it may push the boundaries, or may listen perfectly out of habit and the increased chance for a reward. In a strange woods, the dog may be nervous about being alone so recall is better there than in the yard where it has an established routine or the commands has been watered down in daily living.

Recall is just as much about relationship as it is about training. Building a great bond with a dog drives compliance in the work. Shefali put the time into building that relationship into something that is important to the dog which adds motivation to the recall command.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

We have black bears at the cottage including one big girl that returns every year with 1-3 cubs. The following year, those cubs are b-i-g. That's the dangerous Momma, if you surprise her with cubs. If she huffs and those cubs scramble up a tree, you'd better already be heading in the other direction.

Other than that, the bears don't enjoy seeing me and they sure don't like seeing the dogs coming down a trail and you only see their bear behinds running away.


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## Shefali (Aug 12, 2020)

David Winners said:


> @Shefali great job on training recall!
> 
> A couple things came up in this thread that I think are important. The first being generalization. Dogs don't generalize well. A good recall inside may fall apart in the yard, or the opposite may happen. Take a young dog that will down perfectly during a routine training session, put them in the back seat of a car and the training may go out the window. Changing the environment changes the rules for the dog. Motivations change so we need to expose the dog to many environments so as much of the world as possible becomes normal. Practicing good behavior in those environments takes time, patience and persistence.
> 
> ...


Thank you! 

One thing I keep trying to remember is that first point you mentioned - that dogs don't generalize well! This is so easy for me to forget, or make assumptions about, and I have to keep reminding myself of this fact!


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