Question
ginger
Our dog is a mutt mostly Rhodesian Ridgeback. She has been spayed and is about 2 years old. We rescued her when she was six months old. She has been through two obedience classes and generally will listen to sit and stay commands.
We walk her on wooded trails and this time of year there are deer carcasses, bones etc. on the trails and in the fields. She has an incredibly strong scent so if there is a deer part to be found she finds it.
Our problem is that once she finds a bone or part of carcass she will not listen to our command to drop it or to stay. She runs away from us. If we pursue her it becomes a game where she continues to run away while she chews whatever she has found.
We have thought about a shock collar and if would go that route we would learn the proper way to use it. At the same time we also believe that this is obviously an instinct. What do you recommend.
Harry
AnswerI never recommend shock collars. Here's a site that explains why: http://www.hollysden.com/say-no-to-shock-collars.htm
The problem is not instinct, which every dog has. The problem is that your dog has not been trained a proper recall, one that has been proofed with increasingly tempting distractions, before being let off leash. Now, your task is more difficult because you are trying to remedially train a dog who has already learned that some things she encounters while she is off leash are very rewarding compared to you and your desire to get her to leave them alone. I start all my dogs on long lines, and they don't get off them until their recall is pretty well cemented. The method I use, with a few minor variations, is Leslie Nelson's "Really Reliable Recall" which you can get on DVD at www.cleanrun.com. I advise you to try it, and please don't let her bother deer carcasses, even if you must keep her on lead. Recently, I have heard of someone losing two dogs because some hunters decided to poison deer meat with anti-freeze, presumably to kill coyotes. Instead, two beloved pets died horrible deaths.
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