Long lead question

Leroy is doin really well out on walks an out playin on his long line, but this is the first time i've used a long line so am a bit unsure on the rules of how to use it to get the best out of it.
when I shout on him an he doen't come back (usually just when there is somethin really distractin him) should I continue shoutin on him til he come back or pull him back towards me?
also when I see a dog off in the distance I will call him/rain him back in before he has really noticed an keep him close by...is this wrong? Should I wait til he has spotted the dog an shout him back?

Let the line trail on the floor, but always within reach. It's best to use it with a harness in case you need to pull your dog in from a distance!

If your dog doesn't answer first time of asking, reel him in. But as you pull him in, keep saying "Come" or whatever word you choose so that he associates the word & the action. Always give him plenty of praise when he comes back, even if you had to pull him back!

With other dogs, I used to bring Dempsey back before he even saw them so that there was no chance to fail. After a while I could judge how far away the other dog(s) needed to be before I'd have to call him back!

Can't really add to that, I'm using one and sometimes still feel like I'm only just getting the hang of it!!

They can be tricky great advice from caryll

Thanks for clearin that up.
He always wears a harness, today was the first time a had to pull him because Diesel was up in the trees an bushies teasin him to come chase her an if he was to go up he woulda got himself all tangled up!
The only time I tend to let the lead trail is when theyr playin in a clearin all other times it attached to me. I dunno if its because he's a rescue but I seem to b really over protect of him an worry about him running off into the distance never to b seen(which I honestly dont think hed do now) or bumpin into other dogs an somethin bad happenin.

The reason I say to let the lead trail (as long as it's always within your easy reach) is twofold. One, it gives your dog a sense of freedom (believe it or not, they seem to know when you have hold of the other end!) and two, it gives you more confidence to eventually let him off lead.

I'll try lettin it trail more often....try an control my over protective mummy issues lol

Ticklymac wrote:try an control my over protective mummy issues lol

We all do it!

Just wanted to add one thing, don't just call him over when you are leaving or when a dog shows up or something else. You wan't him to think it is a good thing to come to you, so call him often and give him treats when he gets to you and then straight away let him go and play again (so that coming to you doesn't mean the end of the fun).
Also you wan't to set him up to succeed, so when practicing, don't ever call him unless you think he is gonna come. If he is busy sniffing something really interesting and you know he want come when you call him, then wait and call him when he is paying more attention to you and he is more likely to come! As he gets better at this you can increase the distances and distractions.

Here's how I use it. Let the line trail as Caryll suggested. When he sees another dog, stand on the line and wait. Say "Rover, Come!" in a nice happy tone. If he responds, great. If he doesn't and the other dog is not coming in to see him, wait. You are giving him two options here

1. Stare at the other dog but don't get to go and see him (may cause a little frustration)

or

2. Interact with you.

His concentration will eventually break from the other dog. When it does, and he swings his head nack to you, call him again, and cheer him in, loads of encouragement. Then reinforce heavily with food/toys/belly rubs etc.

By waiting him out, and controlling his access to other reinforcement (i'e dogs, people, smells) you are limiting his options about what's available. This technique works well and we don't have to reel him in.

The long line is for limiting his options, controlling his access to the environment, rather than controlling him. The ability to make his own choices is hugely empowering for him, we just need to help him make the right ones. This technique hasn't failed me yet.

As Dr Susar Freidman (www.behaviorworks.org) says "Control the environment, not the animal, so the animal makes better choices and reinforce those choices to make them more likely to reoccur".

I hope this helps.

Great informative post GGWDT

Looks like I have to sharpen my long line skills as well as I just use it with Tommy as you would probably use a flexi and mostly have the end attached to an over the shoulder lead . He use to be fine off lead when he was younger but now he is developing his confidence he tends to push his luck a bit around distractions

Well I think once Leroy is all trained up a might need to pop Diesel on one, she's started to take the mick a couple of times when we'v out...."oh mums payin attention to Leroy so she'll not notice if I just go walks abouts" once into a manky muddy river bank, which she slid in an belly flopped....3 shampoos later her white bits still weren't quite white!