Must run in the family

edited July 2012 in Kai Ken (甲斐犬)
So Ciqala decided to go solo today on our morning walk.
Her leash fell out of my hand as I turned to pick up the trash which, i guess, for her is THE scariest thing in the world. At this point the wild side has been unleashed. She bolts down the stairs, pees and keeps on booking it out of my line of sight and into the street and into the parking lot greenbelt. I send Saru after her, no such luck because in typical shiba fashion, suddenly he doesn't care. thankfully she stops in the greenbelt and now wants to play "catch me." but she was still on edge. I grab some random toddler;s ball who was paying in the street (sorry kid) and throw it, she's interested, but still no dice. I ease my way across the street and pretend like I'm greeting her knowing her greeting protocol is to do the happy ears and stand up, SUCCESS! One crazy Kai in hand...no Shiba. WTF. I yell out, "Saru Bu don't move!". luckily, he listens and I find him standing by a tree waiting for me. Phew. I think recall training is in order.

Comments

  • Yikes! Ciqala, dont do that! Glad she let you catch up :)

    We've been proofing our recalls with Juno lately too in light of recent events, but I know that that's working her in her 'front brain.' I don't how much good it will do in the event of her clicking over to the Wild Side in a pinch, because the problem isnt that dogs dont know to come or want to, its that nothing matters when on the Wild Side. I know this from Sage, because all the best treats and methodical click-to-calm positive reinforcement training couldn't cut thru the 'noise.' Perhaps in addition to recall proofing, distraction work is order for our kais, a-la "Control Unleashed'...to exercise the 'switch' so that they can bring their brains back from the wild side/hind brain. Possibly (I hope, anyway) the fact that she can divide her attention in the woods offleash between me and a really stimulating environment is the best exercise this particular dog has established in her toolbox. It's not recall on a dime though...
  • Sounds scary. :\

    Yeah trash cans can be scary to some dogs. I remember on a forum a shiba was afraid to walk by trash cans on trash day when young.

    I have to drag my trash can to the house it makes loud noise and Bella isn't fond of it luckily she just stays in the yard, but doesn't run off Saya she doesn't care about the sound.

    Glad you got the two back safely.
  • yikes is right! I'm glad she is safe... Damn these Kai and their flight response. :oT
  • aykayk
    edited July 2012
    Had you been practicing recalls with the leash dragging? If so, maybe start adding plastic doggie bags to the end to recreate some fluttering/oddness?
  • I've been thinking I need to figure out an entirely different way to train Leo, too, just for these sorts of circumstances. His recall is pretty good since like many Kai he loves being with us--BUT that's when he's not scared. I've seen his flight response kick in twice, and luckily both times he could not get away. Once at the puppy play group when he started scouting the perimeter of the play area for a way out and wouldn't come to me or look at me. And yesterday, he got spooked on a neighborhood walk (first a big mastiff barking at him from behind a fence, then a lawnmower) and his hair was up and he hit the end of the leash and his eyes were blank, and I couldn't get him to pay attention to me or settle for about 5 minutes.

    Both were scary.

    So I'm thinking, yeah, some special training (and a gps collar) are needed.

    In fact, maybe I'll start a thread about the Kai Ken flight response and we can figure out some strategies and what has worked for people.
  • It hasn't happened out in public, but Mosura too gets terrified of things and goes into flight mode. I have yet to find a collar/chain/harness/whatever that an Akita can't simply pull out of the moment they've had enough of it. So I worry about what will happen when she gets scared, gets out of her collar, and bolts.
  • That's scary...
    I usually don't just hold the leash. I wear a thick leather belt all the time and have heavy duty D rings slid all over it, usually 3 of them since I've got three dogs. If the leash isn't double sided (two clips), I use a high-quality carabiner through the leash's handle and clip it to one of the rings. That way, if I drop the leash (if I happened to he holding it) the dog can't get away. I do that with long-lines too.
  • Claire- my dog Sage is a slippery guy and he pulled out of everything, till I got the webmaster harness. That tummy strap in the back helps a lot. His slipperyness comes from having a thick coat and a lot of skin- and he's reactive and panicky and very strong when in panic mode. Once I was walking him in a front clip harness and he flipped about something and backed out in an instant, took off after a dog. (then I flipped out...but he just danced around it barking, didnt do anything to it, thank god.) He doesnt escape from his martingale collar, either. We also have done years now of reactive-dog training for surprises, so he is better at looking to me when the shit hits the fan, rather than bucking and bolting. He still barks and lunges about half the time, so he needs my undivided attention.
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