So, when a Beagle/Smooth Fox Terrier mix came into our household and our lives last winter, I had very little interest in training him! In fact, my husband, who was off of work due to an arm surgery, ended up starting training classes with him!
Meet Rocky:
Oh yes, he is adorable!
Rocky was a farm dog. His original owners had him living in a shed on their farm and he had complete free reign. For the first two years of his life, Rocky went where he wanted when he wanted to!
That was actually how we ended up with him. He had apparently wandered farther from home than usual and he was trotting down Route 11, pretty as you please, on New Years Eve.
Ben and I were driving home from church and I almost didn't see him in time to avoid hitting him!
We stopped and picked him up, hoping to return him to his home, but the only tag he was wearing was a rabies tag. We had to wait until the vets office opened the following Monday to find out where he belonged.
Long story short, his owners offered him to us because they were afraid he was going to get hit by a car (well . . . . yeah!)
And that's how we ended up with our Beagle Terrier!
This is what he looks like when he is awake:
Becoming a house dog was a big adjustment for Rocky, but he has adapted beautifully. These days he loves snuggling and hanging out on furniture, and he loves training!
I have finally gotten into training him, and I have been delighted to discover that he is an eager, biddable, and engaged training partner. He loves to "do stuff" and he loves to learn!
Rocky has one major flaw, and it is a potentially dangerous one (for him). Of course, after running loose for the first two years of his life, he loves to get loose and run off. He does not go far, and we have always been able to catch him. He wears a Marco Polo device, and we have used it to find him!
Inside he has learned a really nice recall, but when he is running around outside, especially if he is hot on a scent or chasing something, he does not respond to a recall.
And that, finally, is what "they" say cannot be done!
First, it is supposedly impossible to train a reliable outdoor recall on either a Beagle, or on a Smooth Fox Terrier.
Add in to that, he ran free for two whole years!
Second, it is supposedly impossible to accomplish this through use of +R based training methods, without incorporation of some kind of aversive at some point.
So . . . . let's see!
I hereby officially endeavor to train a reliable recall on Rocky using +R based training methods!
Preliminary Preparation
Rocky has learned the "Whiplash Turn" recall and it is reliable indoors.
He can also respond reliably to the Whiplash Turn recall outdoors when he is on a long line, and when he is in a "normal" frame of mind.
Current Training Plan
I am planning to use a variation of Pan Dennison's "Training the Whistle Recall" methodology.
I have chosen to train his recall to a whistle (initially) because he is far more likely to perceive the sound of the whistle when he is in "hunt" or "chase" mode than he is to register a verbal recall.
When he can reliably respond to the whistle in that state of mind, we can change over to a verbal.
To start, I am "loading" the whistle by tossing a treat, sounding the whistle cue, and then giving him a jackpot of a high value treat.
We will continue to do this for a week, gradually increasing the distance (in the house) that he must run to me to get the jackpot after hearing the whistle.
Here is a video of the first step. It is not a great video, but you can see how quickly he turns upon hearing the whistle.
I look forward to seeing where Rocky and I go with this!
