What is the fascination with alleyways???

[Louise Perry]

Hello all,

Now my newest problem is Reuben's impulses as he has to run off down alleyways of little cul de sacs when out on a walk. I am trying to stop this but not getting very far, any suggestions? He knows it is wrong as eventually skulks back and waits for a telling off!

naughty little sod!!!

[Louise Perry]

I want a Sprout Sue! And I love your reply btw, I will courier Reuben up to you, Haha.

Well Fran, when i think about it, I think it is something he picked up from a whippet dog friend months ago as she use to see a cat and hurtle down alleyways. Reuben would then follow (not that he saw the cat) as thought it was such fun anyway. I have to stop him though as some of the alleyways etc lead to roads and he also goes noseying into peoples gardens.
I thought he may have got bored of it, but obviously not! I have kind of been doing what you advise Sue but sometimes he will actually go from end of the field to the other to get to an alleyway. I will def have to make him realise this is not okay.
As far as telling off, I do only when I have to go and follow him and never if he comes back to whistle or voluntary as i want him to know it is not acceptable behaviour,. is this okay? I get very confused about if you can ever tell them off. Reuben is a very cheeky chap (as you have probably gathered by now) and needs a firm hand now and again.

[Sue and Cash]

I am more facinated that your able to walk dogs in neighborhoods without leashing them! Our dog would be hit by cars before we got two houses up the sidewalk. Must be different in the UK for sure! That is why we have off leash dog areas that are fenced in because you can't just let your dog go in a town. Here in cities in the US, alley's are where cars get to their garages, older areas, and cats, rats and other critters would be an attraction I am sure.

[Ossian]

I know you like to recount Reubens adventures and I know that my advice is often rather strongly worded so I will try to stick to the point.

1. how is Reuben able to "run off down alleyways"? In a built up area he should really be on lead. You never know when a squirrel or a cat might rush up, he chases it and knocks over a child or an elderly person or makes a dash straight on the road.
I hope he isnt on lead and dragging you down an alleyway

2. Why are you giving him a row when he comes back to you? Surely any training you have done with him will have told you that - regardless of how you feel - when he returns to you there should never be chastisement.

[Louise Perry]

Susan, why shouldn't Ossian's advice be anything other than controlled? And yes i do digest good advice and ignore personal insults.

[Louise Perry]

Hello Ossian,

Yes i do like to talk about Reuben and his antics on this forum as it stops me boring the pants of other non setter owners who maybe not so intersted in hearing them...

Anyway to respond to your points:

1. I do not walk him off lead in built up areas but where I live there are fields in big wide open spaces with the odd alleyway and cul-de-sac tucked away and unfortunately the fields are not fenced off. I have always exercised him along with many other Nailsea resident dogs and it never use to be an issue. However now it is an issue and I am working on stopping this problem because like you rightly say he could knock someone over etc.

2. I do not tell him off when he comes back but have told him off previously when I have to go and get him.

I just want to try and stop these mad impulses and have to find a way to establish the boundaries again. Is there a way I can do this?
I am noticing that these impulses tend to happen when he gets over excited e.g may have played with another dog for 5 mins too long possibly - so i will take him away earlier from now on. When a new bad behaviour happens it is a constant learning curve in working out the best solution and different methods that may work.

I welcome anybodies advice and do not mind strong wording as long as not personal.

Thank you

[Louise Perry]

Huh typical Sue, hehe

[Louise Perry]

Thank you Fran and totally agree!

[Louise Perry]

Hi Finn and glad to hear the No command is working for you and yes it does generally with me too apart from these impulse runaways! I do still train daily at home and he has to wait for food etc and on the whole very good apart from this issue , thieving and chewing anything remotely that resembles paper (which I can live with btw). I probably slacked a bit with the training sessions due to starting college etc and have picked up on these again and am trying to strengthen the whistle command, so at least i can get him back when he runs off down an alley. I have made him a vegetarian at home again and keep the meat portions for the whistle.
However something has come to light that could be the cause (hubby owned up yesterday) is that when my hubby takes reuben out on a tues & weds 6am walk he often meets up with another owner and veiramarner (sp?) dog. And the pair of them go down alleyways together, so i think it has stemed from here. However hubby says because it is dark it is hard to see reuben when he is about to go off and also the other owner doesnt mind her dog doing it. I think hubby realised the problem had come from this and felt too guilty to say anything!!! Anyway I have asked him if he can either lead reuben until in a later field with no alleyways or not to walk with the other owner. He enjoys walking with the other owner but too embarrassed to say anything. Anyway I have stressed the fact that if reuben is allowed to get away with it on these early walks then he thinks it is a habit okay at any time. So hopefully hubby will work on changing this, so we are singing of the same songsheet...

[Ilona & Gina]

Poor you - do you have as many cul-de-sacs as we have in Australia?
Our dog exercise parks are surrounded by cul-de-sacs, and most of them are not properly fenced in. But what could we do? These are the only parks where you can let them off the lead. (The majority of dogs out here in Oz don't see anything but their backyard, so no one really cares about proper dog exercise areas it seems)

Our boy was - and still is - so nosy. He needed to explore every little driveway. With him, it was a matter of patience and repetition, a constant "no". Now he still heads for the forbidden driveways, but remembers on half the way and comes back in a beeline. You can really see his brain ticking "uhh, Mum said no".

For quite a while, we rewarded him with treats when he came back. Guess what: He headed for the cul-de-sacs and came back right away, only to get his treat. He did this on purpose! It took us a while to suss him. A dog trainer would have cringed at this sight. But Anton, now 2 years old, has grown out of it and hardly needs any reminders.

I wish you good luck and lots of patience

[Louise Perry]

yes Sue there was some confusion and I think I didnt explain myself very well in the beginning and can I come and live with you please?

[Louise Perry]

Thank you IIona for sharing your experience with Anton and yes my walking areas sound very much like yours. Reuben too sussed the treat thing and I no longer concentrate on the whistling him back and treat etc but more of the stopping him prior to taking off! he did however today stop when I said 'No" on two occasions but still managed to scarper on another as I missed the timing. However you have given me hope that if I keep patient and consistent it may actually stop at some point (hopefully). Reuben is 18 months old so maybe with a bit more maturity he may be a little easier (hehe, and maybe not)...