[Buincchotourb]

I have a 6 month old apbt who is great. Since we got him at 8 weeks he has been a dream. He listens impeccably (sit, stay, come, laydown...etc). When we go outside (walks, park, etc) thats a different story. He doesnt even acknowledge me. If i try to get him to come when he is off leash it is impossible, i have to get him and put his leash on and kinda force him to walk. I started taking him to the local dog park and he plays so well with the other dogs and has made many friends... but id like for him to come when i call him. Anybody have a similar issue? Any suggestions? Thanks so much! -- Kristine

[Fdmnrnba]

As a new owner, I highly advise you read over the many wonderful stickies we have on the forum. Dog parks are a big no for this breed (and really for dogs in general).

As for the off leash recall, you'll need a long LONG leash/line and some treats. Basically you'd go about it the same way you taught him indoors. Call him sounding very excited, if he comes give him a treat and lots of praise, if he doesn't, tug the leash to get him moving. Keep in mind no dog's recall is 100%, so if there's something highly chaseable (stray cat, rabbit, squirrel, as he gets older loose dogs will be a concern) and he goes after it, I hope you can run fast.

[MarythePuppy6]

Do read the stickies - there are lots of good tips and tricks you can find!

It seems that your dog is good without distractions but as soon as you add them in he can't handle the added excitement. The first thing to do is to NEVER call him unless you are 100% sure he's going to come to you immediately. Everytime you call him and he ignores you it just reinforces that he doesn't have to listen if he doesn't want to do so.

Since you say he's great indoors and at home it sounds like it is time to slowly introduce distractions. Instead of working in the house or backyard, take him out front where there are mild distractions of cars, kids, etc. Work with him there, on leash, until he's rock solid. Once he's good with mild distractions start adding in more - kids running around, more cars, dogs walking by, etc. You can take him to a local human park (no dog parks, please, for all the other reasons stated on this site along with the fact that he's nowhere near ready for THAT amount of distraction yet) and work on his recall with a 10-20ft long line. If you notice him getting distracted and not listening, you've gone too fast and need to back up to where he was paying attention again. Keep doing this and you'll have a dog that will pay attention and listen to you in just about every case.

One thing that worked with my boy, along with having him drag a 20ft clothes line when we were outside in the yard, was to have a pocket full of yummy treats, things he didn't always get. I'd randomly call him every few minutes and he'd get from 1 to 5 treats every time. He started running back as fast as he could after a couple of "treat parties". You can then reduce how often he gets a treat until all you're doing is praising him for running back to you and that will be enough. It took about 2 months to get Jet reliable when I call him but now he's a a rocket when I want him to come!

[Fluivelip]

I agree. What you need is bait (nummiest treats ever!) and a long line. Then practice, practice, practice!

Also, before practice, you might want to give your pup time to get a bit bored with the awesome sights, sounds and scents of outside. Mine respond better to training with they aren't so excited. I generally take them on a small walk and let them meet and greet the neighbor kids, since there are 6 of them right across the street and my dogs get stupid excited when they see the kids because the kids all love dogs, before I start working on training.

[Elitiachirl]

work with him on lead before off leash.

[Buincchotourb]

I'll have to try that, thanks everyone. in regards to the dog parkkk... how do you all feel about me taking him? He is now 6months old fully vaccinated and neutered. he plays so well with other dogs but i've heard mixed things.

[Fluivelip]

As was said, dog parks are a no-no. Just because he plays well with other dogs now as a juvenile does not mean he will not become dog aggressive as a mature adult. If he "turned on" at the dog park and attacked another dog, you got a headline, a huge vet bill, possibly a lawsuit and maybe AC decides to confiscate him and seek to have him euthanized. Also, you cannot vouch for the behavior of the dogs brought by other owners. If someone else brings a dog in that is aggressive and it attacks your dog it would result in your dog being injured and blamed because its a bully breed. Beyond that, disease and parasites are still a concern. It's not unheard of for a fully vaccinated dog to get Parvo and there is no vaccination for internal parasites like worms and coccidia.

[Fdmnrnba]

Both my female dogs (APBT and Saint Bernard) "turned on" while I was working at a dog daycare (same thing pretty much as a dog park, just indoors). They also got viral pneumonia from daycare, so between that and DA, I stopped taking them unless I was working a slow day or boarding overnight. (I'm sure "turning on" isn't a term that applies to Saints, but whatever. That bitch is mean when it comes to most other dogs.)

(Keep in mind the only reason I took them is because they were pups, I was working 12 hour days and didn't like leaving them home that long, and I was there personally to monitor them and choose which dogs they were with.)