Hi Deb, mastering good recall with a dog can happen at any age so there is hope! Each dog is born with their own unique personality and it can mean that some are way more stubborn and determined than others…..that just means that we need to me even more stubborn and determined! If safety is an issue for you then the easiest solution is to exercise your dog on a leash or long-line in those areas where she may come to some harm. If you would like some additional help then my website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to achieve great recall…maybe take a quick look…its a $1USD trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi, thanks for your concern! I live in New Zealand so not within danger but we did get smoke drifting over from the Australian fires, which was pretty surprising!
Submissive urination can be common in young dogs, particularly when meeting strangers or when owners come home. The key to solving it is to try to keep Coco’s excitement/adrenaline level low and the best way to do this is to limit interaction with him when he would normally get excited/nervous and pee. If he does it when you arrive home then avoid speaking to him, making eye contact or touching him until he is calm for a few minutes and then call him to you to calmly say ‘hi’. If he is meeting strangers then ask them to wait until he is calm before they say ‘hi’ and ask them to call Coco to them, rather than approach him. Good luck, Doggy Dan!

Hi Joanne,
Recall is absolutely one of those behaviours that take patience and a lot of practice in some cases. One of the factors that can cause things to come undone is having too much distraction around when attempting to practice off-leash recall. The best way to approach practice is to start with limited distraction, so that you have your dog’s undivided attention and they are more likely to return to you and understand that they receive a reward for doing so. Once they are consistently responding with limited distraction then you move on to working in an area with a medium level of distraction and continue your practice in that environment…working all the way up to high distraction. Once your dog’s recall is good (on a long-line) with high distraction then you can feel more confident that they will respond positively if you allow them completely off-leash. If they get it wrong then place them back on-leash so that you can remind them how you would like them to behave. I always start each lesson on-leash so that I can reinforce and remind my dogs what the rules are and then we progress to off-leash if they are responding correctly. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com has some great resources for mastering recall…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Mastering good recall around distractions is one of those things that can take a little practice and a lot of patience. It’s common for even the most responsive dogs to have occasions where it all falls apart but the key is to go back to basics and reinforce the right behaviours. That may mean going back to using a long-line and treats for recall, and if you can do some practice around the things that trigger her then that’s even better. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to achieve this…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Marilyn….it sounds like you have mastered one of the biggest challenges for many dog owners…good recall!! It is such a proud moment to realise your dog is starting to respond when asked, especially around high distraction, and to be honest I still get a big kick out of it! Well done in applying the strategies that helped your dog realise coming to you when called is a positive and good thing for them. Thanks for the feedback and keep up the great work! All the best, Doggy Dan

Hi Pam,
I would actually recommend that you no longer tell your dog ‘no’ in response to her biting/barking. It may sound odd to advise this but often these behaviours are motivated by attention seeking and if you speak to her in response, even to tell her off, then she learns the behaviour works and she will continue to do it. If she is doing an unwanted behaviour then there are better ways of encouraging her to stop doing them. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Paul,
Moving into a new home can be an incredibly unsettling time for all dogs. Going from somewhere that is very familiar, surrounded by his siblings and Mother, to somewhere he knows no-one and the environment is foreign is stressful. So in this case your dog just need a little time and patience and believe it or not the less attention you pay him the better. If he is unsure about you and you try to force interactions then it can be really counterproductive. As hard as it is, patience is key. Avoid approaching him to give affection and attention, call him to you with a high value treat, but if he refuses to come then leave him to it. He will eventually begin to understand that you are nothing to be concerned about, he just needs a little ore time.
My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com talks about working with fearful/nervous dogs…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Florence, the only way to know if the whistle training will work is to try it but you do need to make sure you follow my advice as recommended. It may take a little patience and some dedicated training sessions but that’s normal when creating new habits with any dog. There is no need to buy an expensive dog whistle either, in fact if you can whistle loudly enough then just try that as your first option. The key is for your dog to realise that coming when you call means a big jackpot or payoff so be sure to have some higher values treats or a favourite toy ready to reward their recall. Hope it all goes well! Dan

Hi Ellyn,
Whenever something changes in a dog’s routine, life or environment it can cause their behaviour to change. In all cases the reason the behaviour has changed is not as important as how you respond and with the kind of behaviour your describe often a ‘less is more’ or ‘make nothing of it’ approach is best. Giving too much attention to a fearful behaviour can actually be counterproductive in overcoming the issue and so my suggestion would be to go and watch some TV but not pay any attention to her at all. If she chooses to stay out of the bedroom then avoid trying to call her in and just see what she does if you ignore her and keep watching TV. Often a dog will realise that if you aren’t making a fuss then maybe there isn’t anything they need to worry about and she may just need a little space and time to come to that realisation on her own steam. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com also deals with this kind of fearful/nervous behaviour…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan