Pets and Their People Blog

Recently, I worked with a prior client, a very intelligent college instructor whose previous dog I trained. She adopted a sweet little dog she named Tina, because the adoption date was that of Tina Turner’s death. Tina was destined to live an exciting life.

The Chipmunk Kingdom

Living in the countryside, the family wanted Tina to enjoy her new surroundings off leash. Her previous one year of life had not been a rural existence, so the farm-like environment was full of stimuli that she had not experienced. The chipmunks who lived in several wood and rock piles near the house were especially fascinating…and then there were turkeys, deer, and coyotes. It was an undiscovered territory.

The main goals were to prepare Tina for living in her new environment and to be responsive to training cues off leash – such as calling her back when she attempted to pursue wildlife.

That is a tall order, and we began with basic training in the home, where we did not compete with the alluring siren songs of the natural world. 

Tina learned to respond to her name, and to approach the person who called her. She also learned to touch her wet nose to the palm of a person who said “Touch” and presented their palm to her, and we played games of hide-and-seek in the house, so she learned it was fun and rewarding to seek the unseen person who called her.

Then we went outside, close to the house, with Tina on a long training lead. We first practiced away from the domain of chipmunks, and then worked our way closer to their preferred living spaces. 

The closer we got to the Chipmunk Kingdom, the clearer it was that we needed a higher value food reinforcement. Liver paste proved to be the winner, delivered through a plastic syringe designed for medical treatment of farm animals. The tube of the syringe was filled with liver paste, and a plunger allowed for controlled delivery of the food as a reinforcement of targeted behavior.

We taught Tina the “Look at That” and “Engage-Disengage” games, as well as “Find It”. We wanted Tina to have several avenues of seeking reinforcement for behaviors that were incompatible with pursuing wildlife.

Recall: Come When Called

Another crucial skill was practicing recall, off leash, in a safe and secure area. For that, Tina came to my homestead where Tina’s steward and I practiced calling her to us while she was off leash, at varying distances. 

Tina quickly developed the ability to respond to verbal cues as far as 300 feet away.

After my training program with the client ended, she continued working with her dog, and on one occasion while she was gardening in the yard, she allowed Tina off the leash. She thought she could do her gardening and keep an eye on Tina, and she also had invested in a Tractive GPS tracking collar which Tina wore. That device enabled her to track the whereabouts of Tina on her cell phone, with precision within three feet.

The investment paid off when Tina suddenly bolted across a farm field and out of view, likely chasing a turkey. My client activated the Tractive app and saw exactly where Tina was, and then verbally called her.

She was able to see on her GPS map that Tina immediately turned about and ran straight back home! 

I credit that reliable recall to practicing the hide-and-seek training games we played in the family home, and on the property. The goal was that Tina would hear her name being called, and remember the fun of playing the hide-and-seek game, and then come running back home. It worked! 

Tina was safe and the effort of weeks of reward-based training had shown benefits, meeting the goals of the family. 

Tina joyfully ran back to her steward because they have a strong and loving relationship, and a bit of liver paste to boot!

Tina was taught force-free, with her favorite food as a primary reinforcement. There was never any punishment during her education, and certainly no need for a shock collar, as some “trainers” use for recall training. 

Safety Considerations

I am always cautious about doing off-leash training and fully inform the family of the pros and cons. If they wish to work toward reliable off-leash behavior, then I give them my full support and have seen good results with dogs in rural environments.

My dog, Bruno, lives on a 25-acre parcel and is off leash when we are in proximity and he is wearing his Tractive device. And, he has the freedom of a 33-foot-long lead while we are on the trails. I see no reason to risk his safety any further, even though his prey drive is low, and his recall response is strong. If I lived in a city or a village, Bruno would always be on leash outdoors due to closer proximity to moving vehicles, and out of respect for other folks.

We must each choose what we think is best for our dogs, and there is nothing wrong with walking with your dog using a leash or a long lead.

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About the Author

Daniel H. Antolec, PCT-A, CCBC-KA, CPDT-KA began teaching dogs in 2011 and founded Happy Buddha Dog Training. He teaches dogs in a way that makes it fun for pet stewards and pets alike.