Romeo almost killed himself T_____T
Yesturday, I felt like Romeo should go to the park since he been home all day. I put him in the car, and we drove. I stopped by the deli first to buy something, and usually Romeo never leaves the car when i get out of the car first. BUT THIS TIME HE got OUT my door when i was about to close it. He ran across the BUSY Street near cunningham park. Two cars just passed him and nearly almost killed HIm!! I was screaming and begging to Romeo to come back. And he just wouldn't. Than he came back to where I was but he cross another street. He just kept walking. When i chase after him, he would run so i Slowly walked behind him for AWHILE. (I also left my car on, not locked, and my stuff there.) Than finally I grabbed him. It took me literally 30 minutes, it felt like forever. How do I fix this bad behavior. Im so worried it might happen again. Also I like to add he never comes to me when i tell him to when were out. Even when i have treats, toys, and sticks. Sometimes when were home he will never come right infront of me. Always 1 feet away when i call him to come by commend. Someone help me T__T. I don't know how I would live without him. Does Romeo hate me? Am i bad mom?!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on
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Romeo doesn't hate you. He got scared and once they get scared their brain tells them to NOT be caught. It is very, very common that dogs in car accidents or lost or attacked by another dog will act like they've never seen their owner before, and can avoid being caught for days. When my girl Clue, who is a champion and beautifully trained and the most affectionate dog I've EVER had, was hit by a car a year ago, she ran a mile down the road and into the woods and stayed there for nine days. At any time she could have come into one of thirty suburban yards and up onto anyone's porch, but she hid in a culvert and ran from people. As soon as someone actually put a hand on her (and this is common) she spun around and leapt for their lap and face.
So while you do need to work on your recall with him, do not expect him to come to you when he's terrified.
Since it sounds like you could really use some experienced training help, can you get him into a basic manners class? If you can do a manners class followed by what is usually called a "Rocket Recall" or "Happy Recall" or "Come when Called" class, you'll have the tools you need to successfully work with him and get him running to you with his tail wagging. That will serve you well for any situation where he's just being a naughty boy and not coming.
However, it won't help when he's scared; that you just have to avoid. I teach my dogs "wait!" - which means DO NOT MOVE - and the release word "OK!" pretty much as soon as they are eight weeks old. Since I routinely travel with between three and five dogs, that lets me get me and my kids out of the car (or through the porch door, or up the stairs, or whatever) without worrying about being swamped by dogs.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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Gwynnie has bolted twice at the sound of thunder -- she just turned into a different person and ran -- home, fortunately. Nothing would've stopped her; her mind was just "OFF". That's a very intriguing story about Clue.
We've been having some success with Emergency Recall, using the Latin/Italian word for "come!" -- "venite" -- I gather that part of the trick is to choose a word they never hear in daily life. Practrice regularly, reward lavishly, use it sparingly.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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You are NOT a bad mom, and Romeo does love you very much. I was so happy to read what Joanna wrote, because it made me feel better too. Sidney once ran away from our door, down our driveway (we were also screaming for him to stop and come back) and was on a direct collision course with a moving car. It was terrifying to watch! I guess he was lucky...instead of the car hitting him, Sidney hit the car! He ran into the tire snout-first and broke two front teeth. I think when he started running, he was not scared, just out for a "joy run", but as soon as we all got scared and yelled, he got scared too.
Sidney is what I consider very well trained; he's been through many lessons and is a therapy dog, but I would not trust him off-leash. We'll keep trying to get him to recall reliably, but I know if he gets scared, he won't listen. I think there are just certain breeds of dogs that are like that. I know several people who own beagles that say the same thing.
Joanna's advice about working on "wait" is excellent. This is one way we control Sidney and our other two dogs. And when we come in the front door, we have them "back up" as we enter, so they don't rush the door. Then everyone gets a cookie :)
You might think about using a harness when he travels by car. I've heard of some dogs jumping out of the windows of moving cars! When I take Sid in the car, he's either harnessed in or on leash and secured.
I hope you feel better soon, and I'm SO glad you caught Romeo safely. Believe me, I know how scary it is.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I'm glad to hear Romeo is ok! That is scary. We confine ours in the car (crate or harness), but even then accidents are possible. You still need to remove the dog from the vehicle, and that is when things can happen.
Two things you want to work on, maybe. One is a long-distance "sit". In your case, coming back across that busy street would not have been any safer for Romeo than crossing it the first time. You need to start the long-distance sit inside, at a short distance (like, one foot away) and whenever you say sit, your dog will likely walk towards you. When he does that, simply put him back where he started, take one step back, and say "sit." It helps if you've already worked on shaping behavior with a marker word like "yes" or "good" and as soon as he starts putting his but towards the ground without taking a step towards you, you mark the behavior. Since he already probably knows "sit", what you are trying to get through his head is that "sit" does NOT mean "Go up to mom and sit". It means "Butt hits the ground where I already am." A long-distance sit can help in these situations as it's not as scary to the dog sometimes. However, as Joanna says if they are in a panic, they may ignore you anyway.
The other thing is an emergency recall. In that case you would need to be on the same side of the road as the dog first so he doesn't run back through traffic. I did a discussion about it recently.
http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/emergency-recall-training
As for stopping one foot away from you when you call him, I did a post about that too....
"Play the recall game. It takes two people in a secure area (a big field is nice, but start with a long hallway). Both should have yummy treats. Get Romeo's attention, make sure he sees the treat and is trying to get to you (other person should hold a leash), then say "Come come come" repeatedly in an enthusiastic voice. AS SOON AS Romeo is really trying to run to you, the other person drops the leash and then Romeo barrels up to you and gets the treat. You grab the leash, the other person waves around the treat and gets Romeo's attention, and does the same thing.
After a few repetitions you will be able to say "come come come" before showing the treat and he should come running. He must come right up to you to get the treat. Three people would be even better for this game, because he won't be able to anticipate who is next and you can break up the order so he needs to pay attention.
If you can't use three people, take turns breaking up the recall with other commands he knows after he comes to you, so he doesn't know which person he should be paying attention to (for example, you call him, then your helper calls him, then your helper asks for a "down" and a "speak" before you call him back, ask for a "sit", etc."
To get them to come without emergency recall when I'm out, I practice this periodically to sharpen them up (if your dog is reliable on a long stay, you can replace someone else holding the leash with your "stay" command). Also before I let them off leash, I usually give them a treat so they know i have them, then periodically when we are hiking or whatever I will call them to me, give them a treat (a very small one) then let them go off and wander again. If you call the dog only when you want to hook the leash back up, they soon get a negative association with coming to you. As a matter of fact, whenever possible I grab the dogs without calling them first when I want to leash them. It's not always possible, but I do it when I can.
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Permalink Reply by Angela on
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You're not a bad mom at all. With other dogs, we have found the comfort of their crate has been a good place to put them when in the car. That way, everybody's safe and you are free to open any door, no worries. I am happy to hear he is back safe with you - they do scare the heck out of us sometimes, huh?
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Permalink Reply by Rachel & Romeo on
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Romeo knows sit and wait. But i feel like he only does that for treats or "good boy". When im outside with him, and tell him to sit he will sit and when i try to grab him he runs. ahh but thank you everybody. And I am so Glad that sidney was safetly caught as well. And thank you Beth, I will def try the emergency recall training and get a hardness or something to be used in the car. ;D
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Permalink Reply by Beauty and the Beast on
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Practive grabbing him at home or in safe inclosed area and give him a treat every time you do it. Never chase him when it's safe to let him wander. He might think you're playing catch and trying to get away. Let him chase you a lot and turn it into a play. Be very happy when he "gets" you.
Shiro'd usually run after me if I run and when I foolishly tried to catch him he instinctively ran away, so I try not to do it ever. Except those two times that he got away outside. LOL Once it was a squirrel and he stopped as soon as it got on a tree and the other time we actualyl were running at the park. The leash slipped out of my hand and he just kept on running. I called and called and ran (how can I let my puppy run away into the woods???) and he just looked back at me like "cmon, keep up already". Eventually I screamed out his name loud and in low voice, like I was very serious and he just froze.
BTW he's the cutest puppy I've ever seen.
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Permalink Reply by Riley Wilson on
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I know just what you are talking about. Riley is one year old, now, and that is his only failing. If he doesn't want me to catch him, I can't and he won't come when I call him if he thinks I am going to put in in the house, etc. He has had 8 obedience lessons and was perfect, in class. When I got him home, back to the same thing. Comes when he wants to but otherwise he won't let me even catch him. Little rascal. I also have him in Agility and he is doing great, most of the time. But if he decides to leave the course, he becomes totally deaf and I may as well be calling a tree. Luckily, in agility, it is indoors and he can't disappear. I really feel for you and the incident of Romeo taking off in a busy traffic area. That is horrendous. Thank goodness you got him. I don't have the answer,yet, but am going to work on it for Riley. Good luck. Maybe it is a Corgi thing......
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LOL thats funny. "Might as well calling a tree." Yes, I think Its a corgi thing lol
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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2 thing may help you.
1. learn clicker training and practice practice. For me it works like a remote control and never fails
2. instead of running after him and telling him to come, use other commands like "Roll over" or "shake" and act like you have a treat, that will slow down a rouge corgi to choose what is a better deal, a careless adventure or a treat, so make sure you have irresistible treat for emergency situation.
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Rachel, to me the levels of training response are:
1) Inside with no distractions
2) Outside with no distractions
3) Inside with distractions
4) Outside with distractions while you already had your dog's attention
5) Outside with distractions while your dog had been on a free-play period and was not really under your control.
IMO, for most dog's under 1 like your Romeo, you are doing well if you are pretty reliable at levels 1 and 2, and those should be your goals. Many dogs will never hit level 5, even with work.
Some things you can work on: mix up your rewards. Don't always have your dog work for a treat. Try a "sit" before you throw a tennis ball, or a "wait" when you put down Romeo's food bowl. Your dog is right there so if he ignores you, you can intervene (by stepping in between him and the bowl on the wait, or by putting one hand in front of his chest to keep him still while pushing down gently on his behind and repeating "sit" for the sit command.)
In the house, you can let him run around with a leash on (but not if you are leaving the room, even for a few seconds, or he could choke himself). If he does not come, then go get him and bring him back to where you started and when you get there, say "Come" once.
The other thing that I see a lot with people and their dogs, and don't know if it applies in your situation, is that the enthusiasm level for "good boy!" can usually stand to be about 5 notches higher! LOL Look at how Romeo acts when he's really happy, and you should sort of shoot for that when training. My dogs think obedience training is the single bestest thing in the world, better even than playing. While we are working they get a "good boy" or "good girl" in a happy voice, but when we are done and they've worked hard they get a huge praise party! If you have ever watched one of my video clips you can usually hear me sounding like an idiot with my "good boys" and "good girls." When we're finishing up training, I will clap for them and praise, praise, praise with about 5x the enthusiasm level you would think necessary as we head the the treat jar area (or the fridge) for one last extra-good treat. You know you've got it right if Romeo is practically dancing.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda & Winnie on
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Winnie runs away from me all the time to avoid being punished, which usually consists of me putting her in her crate for a few minutes for a time out. My husband and I thought that we had lost her one day because she ran out of the house when the wind blew open the door. We called for her and looked all over the place, and we were worried because we live right by a very busy road. We eventually found her hidding from US under a car! I find this behavior very upsetting and it is very different from what my previous dogs would do in such situations (they were not corgis).
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