Take an Off-Leash Walk with Us: Beep Recall and "Search" game (Patreon)

From the 2022 Vault!

Ya'll I found this video saved in my drafts from summer of 2022 and decided you might enjoy it, especially as all of us up in the North are wishing for sunnier days. So, this is 2022 Laura showing you how I engage with my dog and structure an off-leash hike and some of the games I play and things I think about when I'm considering off-leash walking with my dog, so here it goes: 

I thought it would be fun to take you on a little off-leash adventure with CoolWhip and I where I show you what i actually do on my off-leash walks and how I actively work on engagement with CoolWhip. 

Note that all of this can and SHOULD be done on a long-line while you're working on recall with your dog, and especially in that 5 month-14 month range where teenagers are liable to take the car keys and run (and we want to avoid practicing behavior we don't like). 

If you're interested in the GPS I use, that (now oldish) video review is here: https://youtu.be/d8VWWaPhYyo

Since this video was taken I purchased a newer version of the handheld but it functions similarly. 

Some of this is a bit rambly - it's my first time trying to collect my thoughts and shoot a video and it turned out .. meh! lol. But I still thought you'd enjoy seeing a real life walk with me and how I handle off-leash time and what one might consider my "emergency recall". Note that this recall is used incredibly sparingly and I allow my dog a lot of freedom to just be a dog without micromanaging them. However, I will reinforce check-ins forever because they are incredibly valuable to me. Reinforcement could be food, praise, personal play, me running, throwing a toy etc. I also play structured games like the "search" game because CoolWhip enjoys it and it keeps her connected and checking in. 

The recall to the tone that you'll see in this video can also be achieved with a whistle. It was taught by pairing the tone with high value reinforcers to start (classical conditioning) and then once the beep was incredibly relevant and eliciting an excited response from CoolWhip, building in the recall using lots of very high value reinforcement, layering in distractions slowly. I chose to use the GPS collar and beep recall in case she couldn't hear me, specifically when we are on the beach. I also find that the tone on the collar is more salient than yelling or whistling from far away, in the same way that someone ringing your cell in your pocket is different than it ringing in the other room. 

It's important to note that I am deliberate about where I allow off-leash time and will drive a good distance to more remote locations to not run into other people. If it's too people-y, my dog's are on a long-line. And if I'm not willing to bet you a sushi dinner that I can maintain control of my dog and not allow them to walk up to other people or dogs, they are on leash. 

So I hope you enjoyed that little throw-back adventure. Happy Training ya'll!