How is your kai off leash?
Hi all.
I'm now closing in on getting my first kai ken, and I am thinking a lot about how to make it as good for my future kai as possible. I'd like to hike with him/her off leash, as I have heard this is their favorite passtime next to hunting (since they may very well hunt a bit on the hike), but Denmark is such a small country with relatively many people, and dogs are not allowed loose just anywhere. So I have to really make an effort to find places, which is fine with me, but stille there will be people in close proximity (we're talking kilometers here) and I just wanted to know how your kais are when off leash? Do they wander far off or stay close? How long time does your kai go off without coming back to check on you?
Do you have any general advice with regards to having kais off leash?
I'm now closing in on getting my first kai ken, and I am thinking a lot about how to make it as good for my future kai as possible. I'd like to hike with him/her off leash, as I have heard this is their favorite passtime next to hunting (since they may very well hunt a bit on the hike), but Denmark is such a small country with relatively many people, and dogs are not allowed loose just anywhere. So I have to really make an effort to find places, which is fine with me, but stille there will be people in close proximity (we're talking kilometers here) and I just wanted to know how your kais are when off leash? Do they wander far off or stay close? How long time does your kai go off without coming back to check on you?
Do you have any general advice with regards to having kais off leash?
Comments
Hopefully a Kai owner will chime in soon...
I worked with Haru on her recall from the day I picked her up. I don't know how much of it was her, and how much the training, but she pretty much always sticks very close even when we're out hunting. She has excellent recall. I can even walk around the neighborhood with her off leash. Only thing that she's not good about is cats. She will chase them, and calling her off of them is only successful around 90% of the time. Not bad, but not enough to feel safe walking her off leash in areas where there are cats. I haven't really done much obedience training with her for a while now, I've been thinking I'll start up again during this lull before the hunting season.
My advice would be to start training your pup as soon as it arrives. Simple things like calling it's name and treating in different environments. I've got a 18 meter long training leash that I use for pups when they start getting older. Every time I take them out I'll throw out a random recall just to keep them on their toes. Start with situations where the pup is just walking around and not really 'into' something, as that increases your chances of getting its attention. Eventually work your way up to the harder situations. For me the key has always been to do everything in my power to set up my dogs to successfully accomplish what I'm asking them to do. If they're still getting the hang of something like recall, and some really strong temptation comes along, I won't even bother trying to call them. That's for when they're further along.
Haru is the most well trained out of my dogs. I think she's been the easiest dog to train that I've owned so far, but because of her NK prey drive, I can't count on her to listen as well as say my Newfie mix I owned previously. There are just some situations that I have to be careful about. That being said I've seen SAR certified Kai that are amazing. They can handle all sorts of temptations, and even ignore game while in the mountains. So it can be done.
I agree with what Shigeru and Casey have said. I basically cringe at the thought of my two Shibas being off leash. Joey I've done a bit of off leash hiking with in the past, but it can be a nerve-wracking experience. Tyson I've had off leash since day 2 or 3 I had him. I started him on a 40ft check cord but quickly learned I didn't need it. From there, I made sure he knew I had a pocket full of treats and would randomly throw in a recall every once in a while. I'd say his recall is 99% and, like Shigeru, I can let him walk off leash around the neighborhood. He'll chase birds and rabbits, but I can call him off almost all the time.
Ultimately, it comes down in part to the individual dog and the training you do. If you start them early and practice all the time then you're going to have more success with it.
Another one is that I don't usually call her if the fun is about to stop. I call her for treats or a game of tug, but when it's time to go, I generally just wait until she's next to me, attach the leash, and then I sometimes let her drag the leash and keep having fun and when it's time to go, I just pick up the leash and leave without saying anything. Of course, I have to call her for non-fun reasons sometimes, but those are the minority.
Shigeru >>
I will ofcourse be training recall from day one, and I'll make sure to do as you suggest. Makes a lot of sense to me... Thx! :oD
Dave >>
Sounds great! I hope I can acchieve that success with my future kai too
I have worked with Koda since day 1 with off leash and recall. At first, I would say his recall was 99%. Now it's down to 90%. He's becoming a man and feels like he can make his own decisions. He is a bit of a tracker and likes to get a scent to follow. He also remembers anywere we have previously seen some type of game, and likes to venture off to go find that squirrel, rabbit, quail, etc. He's a bit stubborn. But I knew this from day 1 as well. I still feel totally safe hiking in off leash areas with Koda. Rather than recall, I use "walk with me". He is amazing at word recollection, and it is very easy to communicate with him this way. I have always said "walk with me" before I have even taken him out to go on walks. He has such a positive connection with these words that he comes running back to my side as close as he would be on a 4 foot leash. If I feel his recall would fail, ie squirrel running by us, I use that command instead. So, in essence his recall is 100% because I don't always use the come command.
Now Maymay is a rescue. She came to me in March, at 1 year 5 months old. She has an extremely high prey drive. She can spot or hear something before Koda and I can. She too would chase a cat, and probably catch it. But her recall is 100%. It's the reason why I never changed her name. She would never want me to be outside of her visual range. This may be the rescue in her. She is very needy of my attention and love. But it makes her an amazing off leash/high prey drive dog.
Off leash hiking does take constant work and reinforcement. It's not for someone who is going to do it every once in a while or every couple of months. I'm lucky that I have an open space within two miles of the house that I can visit a few times a week. If we did this once a month, then I don't think they would be as trustworthy. Especially Koda with his stubborness.
The part about Maymay wanting to keep an eye on you, sound so much like my parent's dog. She was also a rescue of a sort, since she would have been put down if my parents hadn't taken her in. She is the same, even inside the house, she is afraid of losing us and is very fussy about doors being closed for instance...
I would have to journey longer to find a suitable spot to hike, but I hope I can manage, otherwise my kais will have to be on a leash all the time except at home... Wouldn't that be a bit sad for them to not run free at all, or am I just too worried?
We have special fenced forest areas in Denmark where off leash dogs are allowed, but there will for sure be loads of other dogs, whom I do not know, so we could run into anything there. Not too fond of letting my kai loose there
I agree with the comments above... training, consistency, forgiveness when they don't mind as a young pup... All these will help with recall when off-leash. I think a lot of recall reliability has to do with age/maturity, too.
Josephine, our Kai, is about 3 1/2 years old now, and I would judge her recall at this time to be above 95% for everyone who spends a significant amount of time with her (me, my two adult children, etc.) and perhaps even close to 99% when its my husband calling her, who she sees as her primary caretaker and who has worked the most to train her. For example, she will now wait for a command before she chases a bunny or a squirrel. When she was younger, not so much the case due to strong prey drive. She has been fortunate to spend a lot of time at our farm property, which has about 140 acres for her to roam; and my husband has worked with her to be off-leash in the neighborhood at our suburban home, as well. She has gotten better and better, but after reaching the age of 3 she now seems to be extremely reliable. I noticed the same thing in our former dog, Joe, who was a mix of Rottweiler, black Labrador, husky and perhaps some German Shepherd. So, work hard with your doggie when young, and also be patient, because I'm sure the dog will get better and better and close to 100% reliable with age.
Based on our experience with Josephine, Kai's seem to be highly trainable, eager to please their owners, and therefore can be trained to have excellent recall when off-leash. I think you will have a great deal of fun with your new doggie!
Thanks I do plan to enjoy myself enormously when I get my kais
Great advice, thanks!
I bought 80m long rope for her and it has worked very well when we are rabling.