I have a 1.5 year old Australian Cattle dog neutered male. Most of the time he is very good, well behaved. He normally comes when called unless he sees or hears something he wants to investigate. He will take off in a flash and will not respond to any command (stop, leave it, come). I'm so frustrated! When he does come back, what do I do to let him know he has done something wrong? How do I keep him from running off? He knows and obeys all the basic commands - except when he is distracted.
Cattle dogs are such clever puppies! I am sure you will have no trouble sorting out your current issue. Firstly, worry not- there are millions of dog owners who have trouble with the recall command. It is, without a doubt, the most difficult command to master. I recommend a combination of alpha training to reinforce his obedience along with tweaking your recall training methods a little.
In doing the latter, there are a few different things to consider: 1. Use a higher value of reinforcement during recall training - eg. using boiled chicken instead of kibble as a reward. 2. Using a higher rate of reinforcement - eg. using a clicker and recalling him every 5 steps he takes rather than letting him get too far ahead as losing his attention. 3. Focusing on the 'heel' command. 4. Shrinking the stimulus - this just means working up the distraction ladder, step by step. At each training session you slowly increase the distraction levels, taking steps back if success isn't within reach. This involves desensitisation and will require the help of your family members or friends (and their fur babies!)
I hope these suggestions help! Good luck and keep us posted.
