Improving a terriers recall

[shivvy]

I have a little rescue ?terrier/?lurcher cross who is approx 14 months old. Things are going well with her but I would like her recall to be better. She is generally not too bad eg when out walking or playing throwing games etc but once she becomes interested in something/anything else, off she goes.
What can I do to improve her recall?

[terambulan]

its the carrot & stick. Throw toy for her to chase, call her back with lots of 'hands slapping ur knees' for attention. When she returns give her a treat - biscuit or such.

Do this often till she responds instantly.

[shivvy]

Yup - I do that terambulan and while there are no other major distractions eg squirrels etc she will come back the very best. It's when the distractions are there that I have probs. No amount of animation will bring her back!

[kita1]

With a terrier/lurcher cross you will have a hard time with the recall - especially in areas where there are scents of rabbits and other interesting things!!!

It is what they are bred to do.

You could try some teaching scent games so that the instinct to 'find' is more under your control/direction. Then when she becomes interested in something, throw your own ball/treat etc. and shout 'find it'.

Some good games are explained here:

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/scntgame.html

Here is a forum that has a lot of lurchers/whippets etc. you could get some good advice from people who really understand terriers/lurchers.

http://www.k9community.co.uk/forums/index.php? showforum=1

[shivvy]

Thanks kita. Some of those games sound great, and right up her street. I am sure we will enjoy playing them (and hopefully learning) together!