At my wit's end with my Springer
Discussion
Harry, 18 months old and generally well behaved, is doing my head in. To the point where he might have to go.
He get's plenty of exercise daily. He is loyal and very obedient in the house, garden and when on his walks. When the trouble starts is if he gets out and into the large field opposite the house. He simply will not come when called, runs away if you go near him and is totally disobedient.
We have tried training lines, gundog training and nothing works. He always comes when called if he is on the beach, off his lead on a walk, etc. But it's this bloody field! He turns into the antichrist.
What makes it worse is he knows he is being naughty. He won't come in because he knows it means either the (not exactly tiny) back garden or the house. We have tried 'good cop and bad cop' with him. Neither works. Throwing a ball for him to retrieve used to work, but he has got wise to that too and after half a dozen throws stops retrieving the ball.
He's not been castrated, but I'm not convinced that will make any difference?
Anyone got any suggestions?
He get's plenty of exercise daily. He is loyal and very obedient in the house, garden and when on his walks. When the trouble starts is if he gets out and into the large field opposite the house. He simply will not come when called, runs away if you go near him and is totally disobedient.
We have tried training lines, gundog training and nothing works. He always comes when called if he is on the beach, off his lead on a walk, etc. But it's this bloody field! He turns into the antichrist.
What makes it worse is he knows he is being naughty. He won't come in because he knows it means either the (not exactly tiny) back garden or the house. We have tried 'good cop and bad cop' with him. Neither works. Throwing a ball for him to retrieve used to work, but he has got wise to that too and after half a dozen throws stops retrieving the ball.
He's not been castrated, but I'm not convinced that will make any difference?
Anyone got any suggestions?
tried a professional trainer?
We had same with our Alsatian. Now she's good as gold.
1) contact a professional
2) treats/rewards on coming back
3) your tone of voice/actions when he runs. These could be an issue to HIM
4) Find a local, enclosed area. I.e. a tennis court. When empty go in, lock gates. Let him off.
Sit down. And let him go mental for a while. Once he's calmed sufficiently, then try the training stuff.
NB: have you had him since pup? or is he a rehomer?
Ours is a rehomer, so had "unknown mental issues" that made her a f
king sociopath
We had same with our Alsatian. Now she's good as gold.
1) contact a professional
2) treats/rewards on coming back
3) your tone of voice/actions when he runs. These could be an issue to HIM
4) Find a local, enclosed area. I.e. a tennis court. When empty go in, lock gates. Let him off.
Sit down. And let him go mental for a while. Once he's calmed sufficiently, then try the training stuff.
NB: have you had him since pup? or is he a rehomer?
Ours is a rehomer, so had "unknown mental issues" that made her a f
king sociopathNotDave said:
tried a professional trainer?
We had same with our Alsatian. Now she's good as gold.
1) contact a professional
2) treats/rewards on coming back
3) your tone of voice/actions when he runs. These could be an issue to HIM
4) Find a local, enclosed area. I.e. a tennis court. When empty go in, lock gates. Let him off.
Sit down. And let him go mental for a while. Once he's calmed sufficiently, then try the training stuff.
NB: have you had him since pup? or is he a rehomer?
Ours is a rehomer, so had "unknown mental issues" that made her a fking sociopath
1) Six months of gundog training. All good except when he's in the fieldWe had same with our Alsatian. Now she's good as gold.
1) contact a professional
2) treats/rewards on coming back
3) your tone of voice/actions when he runs. These could be an issue to HIM
4) Find a local, enclosed area. I.e. a tennis court. When empty go in, lock gates. Let him off.
Sit down. And let him go mental for a while. Once he's calmed sufficiently, then try the training stuff.
NB: have you had him since pup? or is he a rehomer?
Ours is a rehomer, so had "unknown mental issues" that made her a f
king sociopath2) Makes no difference
3) Tried various tones, no difference
4) He's fine everywhere, except this field
He's been with us since he was a puppy.
I really don't know what to do next.
It's becoming an issue though.
We live in a small close of houses with a big playing field opposite. Potentially every time the front door is opened, he's off out into the field.
At the moment he is sitting in the field not letting anyone come within 10 feet of him. I am at work and my wife has gone to Tesco. F--k him! Was her parting words down the phone.
We live in a small close of houses with a big playing field opposite. Potentially every time the front door is opened, he's off out into the field.
At the moment he is sitting in the field not letting anyone come within 10 feet of him. I am at work and my wife has gone to Tesco. F--k him! Was her parting words down the phone.
this shouldn't be that much of an issue.
For fks sake, you'd rather get rid of him than castrate him because you assume it won't work!
If you seriously believe that you have trained him as well as possible, why not try castration......it often does work. I am not a all male dogs should be castrated vet nurse (believe there are many out there that are!!) but I do believe there are times where is just has to be and this could be one of them.
I'd rather go down this route than risk my dog getting killed because his urge to runaway off is too great and it is down to his male urges!
If you believe you could do better with training then go for it but often training and neutering can work together.
Good luck and I really hope you don't have to get rid of him as he sounds like a great dog otherwise and in a way you are just passing the buck becuase the chances are he'll be the same with someone else. There are so many dogs looking for a home, surely thinking of castration is better than risk adding him to the ever increasing numbers of abandoned/ unwanted dogs.
ks sake, you'd rather get rid of him than castrate him because you assume it won't work!If you seriously believe that you have trained him as well as possible, why not try castration......it often does work. I am not a all male dogs should be castrated vet nurse (believe there are many out there that are!!) but I do believe there are times where is just has to be and this could be one of them.
I'd rather go down this route than risk my dog getting killed because his urge to runaway off is too great and it is down to his male urges!
If you believe you could do better with training then go for it but often training and neutering can work together.
Good luck and I really hope you don't have to get rid of him as he sounds like a great dog otherwise and in a way you are just passing the buck becuase the chances are he'll be the same with someone else. There are so many dogs looking for a home, surely thinking of castration is better than risk adding him to the ever increasing numbers of abandoned/ unwanted dogs.
There is no need to take the holier than thou attitude.
I have heard and read that neutering is not necessarily going to make any difference. If it will, then I am willing to try it.
Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get rid of Harry, but the situation is driving my family insane. I know what Springers are like and he is a typical Springer, loyal, loving and generally well trained and obedient. It's this one issue which is rapidly becoming a 'deal breaker'.
He has disrupted my wife's entire morning, and everyone exercising their dog in that field has been 'terrorised' by a mad Springer chasing their dog's balls and running away.
I have heard and read that neutering is not necessarily going to make any difference. If it will, then I am willing to try it.
Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get rid of Harry, but the situation is driving my family insane. I know what Springers are like and he is a typical Springer, loyal, loving and generally well trained and obedient. It's this one issue which is rapidly becoming a 'deal breaker'.
He has disrupted my wife's entire morning, and everyone exercising their dog in that field has been 'terrorised' by a mad Springer chasing their dog's balls and running away.
Springers at this age are pretty much in-exhaustable so don't assume that he gets enough excercise - he probably doesn't, and they're bred and their instinct is to get into open spaces and go bannanas looking for stuff, it's what they're for.
Our dog is exactly the same, pretty much an identical scenario, he see's the field next to our house as an extension of the garden, i.e his patch, he get's in there and wants to check out the whole field and won't stop until he's done, he's 11 this year, so don't assume your dog going to grow out of it anytime soon.
The only way you're going to sort this out is by rewarding good behaviour and being very patient, you are going to have to follow him around and check out the field with him, when he knows you're working together as a team he will be more inclined to follow your lead, at the moment he is seeing you as killing his search and seek fun, but I stress again Springers do this stuff, we consider it charachter in our dog but it can be very tiresome I agree.
Our dog is exactly the same, pretty much an identical scenario, he see's the field next to our house as an extension of the garden, i.e his patch, he get's in there and wants to check out the whole field and won't stop until he's done, he's 11 this year, so don't assume your dog going to grow out of it anytime soon.
The only way you're going to sort this out is by rewarding good behaviour and being very patient, you are going to have to follow him around and check out the field with him, when he knows you're working together as a team he will be more inclined to follow your lead, at the moment he is seeing you as killing his search and seek fun, but I stress again Springers do this stuff, we consider it charachter in our dog but it can be very tiresome I agree.
I'm still confused as to why you can't just KEEP HIM ON A LEAD ON THAT FIELD?
You want rid of the dog, because you can't open the back garden fence, let him run around lead-less on public field, and then let him come back?
As others have commented: castration, more training, MORE exercise.
You want rid of the dog, because you can't open the back garden fence, let him run around lead-less on public field, and then let him come back?
As others have commented: castration, more training, MORE exercise.
He is well behaved most of the time.
He comes when called everywhere else. It's just when he gets in that field he becomes the antichrist. I want to be able to open my front door to visitors without having to stop the dog bolting for the field.
He is well trained.
He is well exercised.
He will lose his knackers next week.
He comes when called everywhere else. It's just when he gets in that field he becomes the antichrist. I want to be able to open my front door to visitors without having to stop the dog bolting for the field.
He is well trained.
He is well exercised.
He will lose his knackers next week.
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