v INDEPENDENT, LOCAL AND PROUD v 9th May 2024 • The HERALD • Page 67 ANIMAL MAGIC Why Recall Goes Wrong and How to Improve It by Rachel Clark IMDT, ADT-DTC, Little Rascals Dog Coaching Are you scared to let your dog o the lead? Does your dog feign deafness even when you o er treats? Teaching your dog a reliable recall is about building a history. It isn’t about the sausages you might have in your hand right now, it’s about what happened all the previous times you asked them to come back. Why does recall go wrong? - It’s taken for granted when they’re a puppy - Too much freedom in adolescence - Ignoring your recall is rewarded more than coming back - Using collar grabs or picking your dog up as a means to control them Popular suggestions and why they’re problematic - Flexi leads reward your dog for pulling against tension in the lead to get away from you making lead pulling more likely. It increases your reliance on a lead to restrain them instead of motivating your dog to want to stay with you. - Scolding your dog will make recall slower. By the time your dog has come back to you, ignoring your recall has already been rewarded. And who wants to rush back to someone who is irate? - E Collars have to be annoying or unpleasant enough for the dog to want to avoid it. If you’re using it to ‘remind’, your voice or a whistle is kinder and less risky. Your dog may associate it with other things in the environment, other dogs, children, even random things like feathers, creating fear. 3 ways to repair a recall that’s gone wrong 1) Use a 10m long line to prevent your dog from rewarding themselves. Whatever gets rewarded will be repeated! 2) Start your recall training again. You could start this at home by using your recall word or whistle at your dog’s meal times. 3) Keep your dog busy on your walks. Keep changing direction, reward by dropping a treat near your feet. e more your dog wants to stay with you, the less you need to rely on your recall and the less you will wear it out. If you need help repairing your recall, you can book a free chat with me www.littlerascalsdogcoaching. co.uk/#book-a-call We are looking for full time volunteer Puppy Parents to look a er our puppies in training. Volunteering to be a puppy parent is a rewarding opportunity to become part of the Hounds for Heroes team and providing puppies with the necessary training and care is crucial for their development to become a life enhancing assistance dog. For those interested in volunteering, it’s great to know that prior experience or quali cations aren’t required, but a willingness to learn and meet certain criteria is necessary. e ongoing support and training provided by Hounds for Heroes ensure that volunteers are equipped to care for the puppies e ectively. e commitment involved, from opening up your home to a puppy for over a year to attending training sessions and classes, highlights the dedication required for this role. However, knowing that you’re contributing to the journey of these assistance dogs makes it a worthwhile endeavour. It’s also important to know that Hounds for Heroes covers the costs of food, training equipment, and veterinary bills for the puppies. Overall, this opportunity to volunteer with Hounds for Heroes is not only bene cial for the assistance dogs but also for the individuals who will eventually bene t from their support. If you are interested, we would love to hear from you. To apply or for further information, please visit our new website today at www.houndsforheroes.co.uk Dogstival, is taking place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June, in the beautiful surroundings of Burley Park, BH24 4AA. A must-do for any fun-loving do’s doggy diary, this year is full of canine approved entertainment for all with shows to watch, things to learn, activities to try, dog toys and accessories to buy and delicious treats to taste for both humans and cannines! Plus live music on e Hound Dog Stage. Tickets are priced from £18 for adults, and from £10 for ages 6-16yrs, under 5’s go free. Weekend tickets also available. For the full line up and tickets please visit Dogstival. co.uk. Follow @dogstival on social for all the latest event updates. It’s Nearly Time for Dogstival! Superdog Diving at Dogstival Hounds for Heroes Needs Your Support! from Hounds for Heroes TABLE TOP SALES IN COPYTHORNE e next Table Top Sale at Copythorne Parish Hall will take place on Sunday 26th May from 9am to 12noon. With future sales booked in for Sunday 30th June, Sunday 28th July and Sunday 25th August all 9am-12noon. Tables are £5 each, to book a table please call Joy on: 07766 732242. Buyers admission is 50p, the café will be open and there are toilets onsite. 60 Years of Steam Ramblings e Railway Club of the New Forest meet on Friday 31st May in the Exhibition Room, Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst SO42 7RY. ‘60 years of steam ramblings’ by Simon Foote “I was born in 1947. Whilst growing up it was common for boys my age to enjoy trainspotting. This involved the purchase of books produced by the publisher Ian Allen which contained lists, photographs and technical details of the steam locomotives in service with British railways at the time. By 1964 it was clear that the ‘Age of Steam’ was drawing to an end and I decided to buy a camera and tape recorder to record this fast declining period. This audio/slide presentation looks back to that time and subsequent railway preservation achievements”. Visitors welcome. £5 on the door. Arrive from 7pm. Start at 7.30pm Find them at: www. railwayclubo henewforest.org.uk Mallory one of the fabulous volunteers at Barry’s Farm on Frost Lane in Hythe, recently entered the Farm’s two gorgeous donkeys into an online equestrian show. e online equestrian show is an online remote show which can be enjoyed by owners who cannot physically get their animals to events. Although no rst prizes yet, Harry won 6th place in a category called Rainy days receiving a rosette, the Farm team are very proud of Harry! Well done to Mallory and Harry! Show Success for Barry’s Farm Harry with his rosette Harry’s rosette
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