My Dog(greyhound/dober Mix) Is Good Listener Inside, But Outside Is Too Distracted.?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
My dog(greyhound/dober mix) is good listener inside, but outside is too distracted to listen to simple commands. Inside he will 100% percent always sits when i tell him to sit, but outside it take 5 or 6 times.
Also, when i call his name inside he always looks. Outside, he rarely looks when i say his name. Im trying to train him to not use a leash because my lawn is fairly large. Ive tried playing with him outside, but he still gets distracted too often to make any progress.
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You probably won’t ever successfully train a Grey-mix to overcome its instinct to run and chase. Greyhound is a breed that can rarely be trusted off-leash simply because the prey drive is too strong.
It’s not really “distraction” … rather, it’s just that genetic programming takes over and the “sighthound” emerges, no matter the dog’s training. Sighthounds were bred to chase.
It’s good that he listens to you indoors (shows that he’s trained!), but I think you’ll always have to exercise him on a leash or in a securely-fenced area.
Have had no experience with a pinch collar but would agree with first post. Greyhounds (mix) rarely recall well outside simply because of their nature and breeding. Greyhound can sight something up to 800 metres or so and the prey drive in the majority is strong ( as is their sense of curiosity.) I own two and would never let them off lead in an open area.The female might recall but the male, not until his curiosity had been satisfied, all things chased and he was exhausted.. The world is full of interesting things for them. Play it safe and keep yours on a lead.
I’m curious as to how you got ahold of a Greyhound mix…AKC or any pedigreed Greyhound are hard to come by, with so few Greyhound pups being registered…and all retired racing Greyhounds are always spayed/neutered before coming into an adoption program…
With that aside, back to topic…
If the skin of your dog is a little thin (as greyhound skin is) then you want to avoid using a pinch collar or any other chain-type of collar. Martingale collars are better suited for this type of breed, and much gentler but still having the ability to correct the animal. Martingale collars are also known as Greyhound collars, for obvious reasons. I would suggest to use this instead.
To get him to pay more attention to his name, try these techniques:
1. Never ever associate his name with his punishment/correction/discipline. This associates negative qualities about his name. When disciplining your dog, use a name he doesn’t relate to or just say “hey” or “ah-ah” sharply enough it gets his attention. Works for mine…
2. ALWAYS place your dog’s name with good-feeling things. Such as rewarding his attention to you with either a treat or a good old-fashioned scritch behind the ears. He’ll look forward to having his name called and knowing he’s going to get something good in return if he hears it.
In my dog training class we did something called posting. It involves a pinch collar, a flat collar and two long leashes. What you do is post your dog to the fence or something with one long leash (10-20ft) and attach this to his flat collar. This is so he can’t go anywhere. Then take your other leash (20ft) and attach it to his pinch collar, this is the collar you will be holding. Then with a pocket full of treats, begin your training. Use a command he knows %110 and if he doesn’t respond to it right away you give a tug with your leash for a light correction. This method works wonders and eventually you can move off of the leash once he knows you still have control over him when he is off the leash and just keep practicing in your yard, then in a park, in front of a busy grocery store. Find all the distracting places you can to get him used to distractions. Have someone jump about and throw a ball around while you do this too and correct him when he doesn’t listen. (My dogs have a command called “Forget it,” lol, for when we pass by barking dogs etc, and I don’t want them distracted. . I have 2 huskies and they like to run too but I have managed to get them at a pretty good offleash listening level with this method. We are now in the park using the shock collar so we can do even farther distance work. Good luck!