Need training advice! Please help!

We have had my staffy since 5 months old, I rehomed him from some people who were moving house & werent allowed pets in their new home. We have had him for a year now. He is lovely, brilliant and friendly with people, he has been attacked a few times by other dogs while out and about so I have got a behaviourist in to help him work through that as he is now quite protective on the lead with other dogs - he defends himself with aggression, but only if another dog is aggressive to him first now so he has worked through this well. He is a clever boy, he has been castrated and does well at training classes and at home training, - the problem I am having is that when he is off the lead he just runs to play with other dogs, or people and will run miles to see them! He will not come back and just ignores me! Also I have problems getting him back when I call him. I go back to basics and train him on the flexi lead, I always give him lots of praise and treats and he loves being told hes a good boy. He has settled in well with us and has lots of love, exercise and toys to play with but I just want to know what else I can try to get him back as Ive tried whistles, squeaky tennis balls, tretas, liver cake everything you can think of I have tried!! Ive done what trainers and behaviorists have told me to do but nothing works. Now and again he'll be in a good mood and is really good and comes straight back to me but most of the time he doesnt and I dont want him to stay on his lead the rest of his life as he loves running around free!

Please help with any advice it would be greatly appreciated!

Sounds like you are doing the right things in going back to basics with the training. Try to keep the training sessions to a few minutes and always end with something he can do well and give lots of praise and a treat.

Do you have a long training lead you could walk him on for when there are other dogs around loose, this will give him some freedom and peace of mind for you, you will be able to reel him in when need be. You will still be able to let him have a fun free.

Get him to sit when meeting other dogs so he cannot jump up at them and get too excited. Try some recall training when he is on the long training lead, get him to sit then take a few paces away from him while he stays still, call him to you get him to sit again then give a treat. Gradually build up the distance between you and him before you call him to you and give a treat and lots of praise.

Welcome to the forum!

My Logan is very similar, and a similar age. He was attacked as a young pup and is nervous with bigger dogs, he defends himself with aggression towards these dogs. Because of this he recall off lead is completely non-existant when these dogs are around. Unfortunately he is never off lead now.

I have full faith in him and he is a good dog but because of his experiences he struggles and I cannot take the risk.

All I can suggest is get away out to a big field or open area and practice recall over and over with very high value treats. It might be a matter of stripping back to the start of training and working back to where you were.

Also, most importantly when he becomes nervous/defensive around other dogs, make sure you are calm yourself. It sounds silly but it really makes a difference, I find when I'm calm Logan is 10 times better

awww well done on the rehoming!!!

and sorry to hear about him been attacked must be hard for you both

i cant give expert advice but i have just been through this with my tyke with regards to the recall issue. He would listen to my OH but i would have if had better chance with a brick wall! I started playing games, ones that we had made up to get him to listen to the command i was wanting, when we had done this i set two words for recall and kept my voice nuetural from our playing voice, basically 'tyke hear'
. we would practice in places of the lead and were it was quite and when we would may be only see one dog. soon as he came of the lead and ran a few paces i would call him back and do this through out the walk along side reward and praise. I am always on the look out for dogs and soon as i see tyke is called back and straight back onto his lead. I worked out my safe diatnce as i do nto like him straying too far from me.

This may not help but some of it may

Brilliant thank you all for your advice, I do have an 8metre flexilead and I always go back to basics making him sit and wait and calling him to me and increasing the distance, he gets praise and a reward. Its just when he is off the lead thats where the problem is and he will run so far! He does know commands as hes very clever and picks things up so quick but choses to have selective hearing when he is distracted by something that is obviously more fun!! Thank you everyone I will keep trying with him and hopefully he will grow out of this stage eventually! Hes such a lovely dog, some people get a bit annoyed with me because of his breed and the reputation but he has never been aggressive unless provoked by another dog but other people don't see it like that!

caracow wrote:choses to have selective hearing when he is distracted by something that is obviously more fun!!

From what I have seen they all seem to develop "selective hearing" at around the same age as your fella lol!

Rebellious teenagers haha!

A flexilead isn't really going to do it, though. There's always slight pressure on the collar so the dog is fully aware that it's still on lead.

If you can get a long line like this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50ft-Long-Dog-and-Horse-Training-Lunge-Lead-Webbing-/300725023739?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&var=&hash=item46049bb3fb

You can let it trail as long as you make sure that the end is always within reach. Then every so often call him - if he doesn't respond first time, then pick the lead up & reel him in!