Hi
im 61 years old with a 1yr old bitch and im crazy about her BUT she is very hard to recall I would be grareful for any advice

Ha! I could use that advice too Actually I only allow my dogs off lead when they're in the garden or in the wilds, otherwise I keep them attached to me. Your girl might come to you more readily if you had a nice treat in your hand like a bit of biscuit or meat, until she gets the idea that is. She's still very young. They behave better as they age. BTW welcome to the site - would love to see a picture of your naughty miss

Mine do exactly the same thing. Running away sometimes makese them come, as they think they're being left! I've screamed myself hoarse at times but they always come back in the end. I'm told they'll get better with age, but in the meantime I take mine to places where I know they'll be okay letting them off or I don't, simple as that.

What motivates them most? Chicken? Squeaky ball? Cheese? You might have an outside chance of getting them back if you produce their favourite thing in the whole world and wave it around as it you're a lunatic, but, being sighthounds, they'll chase and either catch what they're chasing and then come back, or not - and finally come back.

If anyone has a surefire method then please let me know!

Michael

Dont think there is any surefire method - positive reiforcement( small peices of baked liver) when they do come and try to keep a happy, calm tone to your voice(not very easy). As much time as possible off the lead so that it is no big thing to be free and it is their privilage for you to request their presence. I do notice the difference with town dogs that dont get off the lead often - the open space just goes to their heads. One dog at a time may work, or ask for a sit before releasing from the lead, with a special reward, before saying "away!!" Safe open space and time are the problems, I think. After having Salukis I am finding the D hound to be so much more biddable and wanting to please me.
All the best,
Annette from New Zealand.

Buckiebilly, please, when you have sussed how to make her come back you can come to Watford and teach Murphy. He doesn't run away, he is always by my side or sniffing nearby, but if he sees anything that might be either game, or a jogger who just might happen to have a dog with him, he is off and no amount of calling works. Actually heard you shouldn't scream their names either at this time.

I don't know how to help you, I think we all in the same boat here, it's a Deerhound thing, and as said earlier by others, just take her to places where you know she will be safe if she does take off after something. I take mine to a golf course as there are no roads nearby, I do have a 'little' walk, a football field, but he has chased people jogging up the lane so not keen on it down there. He does chase golfers, he likes to go and introduce himself, but they know him now!

My friends Border Collie chases Tractors and Motorbikes

I'll go along with everything that's been said. When my dog Ben was younger I concentrated on training him for recall. I used his favourite treats and would keep calling him on our local walk along the canal. A canal walk is good as its just along the towpath which is straight and narrow, you can see people coming and you know where all the roads are.

I took him out before he'd been fed as I thought that might help. He was very good over a period of time and always came when I called and took his treat. I thought that I'd got things sorted so off we went to Cannock chase which is a wide open space. Alas as soon as he saw anything in the distance off he went, just like he had done before the training, so it was all wasted.

He has got better now he's 5 but will still run off, at times, if anything takes his interest. As they are unpredictable then I fear that the only safe way to walk a Deerhound in places where there is danger or people who take offence is on a lead.

Interesting point Lurch, your saying Murphy chases joggers.

I have a pet peeve in that regard, and it concerns the jogger and not the sainted deerhound I walk three deerhounds at once along the beach, by myself, and for the most part joggers pose no problem because they give the dogs a bit of a berth. However, there is a species of jogger out there - large males who run upright with chests puffed out - that run straight at us, veering off only at the last moment! These macho buffoons are seen by the dogs as a threat and they will lunge at them as they pass. Not seeking flesh exactly, but sending a message to leave space.

It surprises me how poorly such individuals understand dogs.

Does the phrase speeking to yourself come to mind !!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's quite funny, the other evening I came out of the field, which is in a lane with nothing else apart from a cemetry half a mile or so away. An Asian lad was walking past as we came up and out of the field, he jumped a mile, I assured him he was ok, but then thought, being a woman on my own in a dark lane I shouldn't really have said that!
He was asking directions for the local railway station (4 miles away!!) but would not come near me, he crossed the road! I don't think Asian's like dogs very much.

The joggers on your beach are brave souls then! Fancy running at you, they probably object to the dogs being there, perhaps let one go next time and see if he is that brave! There were some young lads football training the other week, when they did their warm up run, Murphy joined in and did his show strut all the way round with them, they all thought it was hillarious!

I think it's a sighthound thing not just a Deerhound thing. I have a Whippet who used to just as bad (she's 13 now and spends most of her time on the couch), a Greyhound I CANNOT let off the lead, she just vanishes, and Iv'e heard that Salukis are even worse. So by comparison our Deerhounds are quite good. We have to remember that these hounds are bred to hunt by sight and if they see something in the distance they percieve as prey they will probably go and chase it. At least Deerhounds come back reasonably quickly, the others can go for hours.

Pam

Definitely Jacobite, we had a Saluki, she was a nightmare, then our Greyhound Meg, she was a juvenile delinquent, now Murphy - equally as bad. Though must say our Lurcher was brilliant, never shot off unless he was slipped on something, never chased anything. Mind you, he had Collie in him.

I was out tonight and took a call from my Mum to ask me if Murphy was in? I thought how weird, course he is, unless he has popped out for a pint! She said she saw a Deerhound down my road near the park. I thought it was probably another one that lives in our villiage, rang home to son, who said "Murphy's not here" panic set in, so I sent him out to find him, luckily he was just coming home, walking down the drive. Someone had not locked the back gate, he knows if it isn't locked and will nudge the latch. So off he went tonight, on his adventure to the park. He is all proud of himself, luckily there wasn't any foxes about or he would have been off on a mission and thankfully after reading these sad posts, I still have my beautiful, if not naughty dog.

Jacobite wrote:


Some Deerhounds do. Tavish and Dileas went AWOL for five hours last week. I could cheerfully have throttled the pair of them.

Hi, new to this site and haven't worked out how to add a photo yet! Talking of training deerhounds to come back on command makes me laugh - my boy is fairly reliable because he is so laid back I can usually work out what he's thinking of doing before he does. But having said that I don't let him off the lead unless it's an area we both know and it's either fenced in or a dead end. He will pretty much do as he's told (in his own time of course) but if a rabbit chase is on there's no hope getting him until he's caught it or it's gone to ground! I took him to training classes once (really just to show him off and because he loves playing with other dogs) but we didn't get past the walking on a lead stage - the trainer just couldn't understand why my hound couldn't sit upright like all the other dogs (I told her that he just doeasn't do that - 2 positions : lying or standing and that's it!)Anyway, I manage to walk Swift and my Wolfhound Aibe together (and I'm only 5 foot)by sticking to the same commands, being fairly easy going and lots of negogiation. My wolfhound is very food motivated and will do almost anything if a morsel is a prospect so maybe finding out what a hound responds best to will help. Since I have lost a deerhound as a result of a road accident I would def say take no chances.

Have you not thought of switching to whistle training ?

Quite often dogs will just switch off to the recall,
as there so used to hearing come hear (or what ever comand)
when there walking/running away, or there so used to the shouting
it ends up as just white noise to them, so switching tactics can sometimes work.


having read everyones post's - have to say Laylas totaly different,
her recall is pritty good, unless shes running and playing with other dogs,
then her recall is spot on, we are doing whistle training at the mo,
and shes around 95% and has recalled from play chaseing another dog,
she's off lead near enough all the time, the only time she is on - is if we are near roads
or there are kids about, as she loves kids and will go to them for a fuss,
her pray drive is not even there, the other week whilst out with some friends and there dogs, we saw a flying rat (squirrel) it ran stright out infront of layla, she stod there looked at it and just ignored it, for hunting she would be usless as shes a big wimp lol.

I completely concure with you Jane - Twiggy has around 95% recall so far. I do use different methods, like sometimes a sharp clap of the hands. The more reliable the recall the more freedom she has. My Twiggy is also off the lead most of the time except for roads or round nesting birds and kids because she also goes nuts with love for them.

Best wishes,
Annette.

There is another Deerhound in my village, he is about 3 years old, she takes him to the local parks, he walks around with the other dogs, is NEVER on a lead and has no prey drive whatsoever. I remember seeing her at the vets when she first got him, I warned her that he would chase small furries and have a mind of his own, but he proved me wrong, it never happened? Maybe it is because she has socialised him with other dogs every day in local parks that he is more of a pet than a hunter, I don't know, but there is certainly no hunting instincts in him.
Where as I have always taken Murphy to remote places and not really let him socialise with other dogs. I did used to give him little 10 minute walk on a lead round the local park when I first got him, but there were a few dogs that wanted to pick a fight so we never went again and stuck to the golf course, perhaps that is a reason why he has strong hunting skills.

I use a whistle, one whistle just to say look and makesure where I am and two whistles to come back to me, They always get the reward (goodie) for coming back. Most of the time it works, I will do this on the beach for no reason at all so they will not connect it with other animals, joggers, bikes etc. I have not had to try it out when there are small furries about yet!!!