Saluki Cross Progress

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Just wanted to see what people thought about my pups bizarre progress and if it typical of saluki cross or just a bad first time lurcher owner, Lol.

 

Basically I got my pup (Saluki/Whippet/Greyhound) at 6 weeks old. For the first couple of months I hammered him with training (sit, stay, retrieve etc) and have since realised this was wrong and I should of let him be a pup and bond.

 

Due to lack of bonding, by 5 months he would run off and not come near me, play up all the time etc and I would bollock him for this - making things worse.

 

All of this time his retrieve has been non-existent, sometimes not even picking the dummy up, sometimes running in the opposite direction with it. Same with recall.

 

At about 6/7 months old (10 months now) I switched tactics, started really concentrating on bonding, taking him everywhere with me. When off lead I would call him to me just for a fuss. Whereas before it was either to go on the lead or to get a bollocking.

 

Anyway the last few months have been great. Recall 1000% better. Not perfect. And he will throw the deaf ear sometimes. But 90% of the time he will do as I say. He is a pleasure to walk on and off lead pretty much anywhere.

 

Now for retrieve, the last retrieve work I did was before the "tactics change" about 4 months ago.

 

I was starting to come to terms with the possibility of him never making a lamp dog due to poor obedience, I had mentioned to the missus that I may end up keeping him as a pet and starting again with another pup.

 

Anyway, last night I went for a walk with Mick (off here) and he brought his rabbit skin dummy with him and his 18 week old sal/whip/grey - who's retrieve is superb. General obedience literally left me gobsmacked - full credit to the lad.

 

First short field we come to, throw dummy, my dog chases, stands over it and walks away.

 

So his pup shows him how it's done. Retrieve to hand.

 

Second throw. My dog chases, picks up and runs in big circles of excitement for about 20 seconds before lying down 12 feet away and letting me take it from him.

 

Third throw. He brought it within about 6 feet of me.

 

I was so chuffed you cannot believe! It's like he knew what the crack was. Made a massive fuss of him. Lol

 

We continued walking a bit further. Came to a gate and style. I threw the dummy over the gate really far. We walked in opposite direction and over the style. Fingers crossed, I gave 1 whistle and a "come on boy"...

 

Under the gate, over the style and to my hand.

 

He did a similar thing further on the walk.

 

I know at 10 month this may sound piss poor to some lads but I have had some testing times with this dog and many a time I have wished I never got a saluki as first pup to bring on.

 

He is nowhere near the finished article, but I can now see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Gaz

[Wallace1 17]

Been hard on the dog at a young age can/will f**k them up for life , let them be puppys youll know when they ready to learn pal , dog needs trust before hand then itll start taking shape in training Atb

[millybot 3]

well pleased things are going well, took your advice on my saluki cross was doing my head in not coming to recall and just generally being naughty switched tactics plenty of love treats now comes back and gets a lead on most times retrieves back ok so at 7 months i think i,m getting there looking forward to winter coming will post some photo,s

millybot

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Been hard on the dog at a young age can/will f**k them up for life , let them be puppys youll know when they ready to learn pal , dog needs trust before hand then itll start taking shape in training Atb

 

Cheers. This is what I have learnt over last few months.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

well pleased things are going well, took your advice on my saluki cross was doing my head in not coming to recall and just generally being naughty switched tactics plenty of love treats now comes back and gets a lead on most times retrieves back ok so at 7 months i think i,m getting there looking forward to winter coming will post some photo,s

millybot

 

Glad you are making progress too. I can't wait for winter either :-)

 

All the best.

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Well done you for seeing the error of your ways And for admitting it was your fault and starting again instead of selling him on or blaming him.

 

I say he's only 10 months old and you'll get him to come right soon enough.

 

Keep it up!

[bird 10,014]

well done mate, good honest post. We all drop bollocks with dogs (everybody) even after 25 years , and as its your 1st lurcher, just try to learn from this dog. But to be honest mate i think with all the differnt xs out there,i try to pick a type x that that will go with my ( personallity). And even though saluki xs are brill hunting dogs, i know really that i would fu*k it up with lack of patience. Ikeep colliexs and bullxs which suit me, but even with biddable colliexs+bullxs they still piss me off.There is a old saying ( its better than the devil you know) With all lurchers they are all sensitve nature from bullxs to whippetxs, even pure pits are . So you have to mates with your dogs 1st, then try bit of training, and when things go wrong just take it home, and fuss it when you put back in the kennel, even you might want to kill it lol. There is always the next day

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Well done you for seeing the error of your ways And for admitting it was your fault and starting again instead of selling him on or blaming him.

 

I say he's only 10 months old and you'll get him to come right soon enough.

 

Keep it up!

 

Cheers lurcher girl.

 

I think that if I really keep on top of him now with recall and retieve then he will come good for this season.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

Gaz

[bird 10,014]

well done mate, good honest post. We all drop bollocks with dogs (everybody) even after 25 years , and as its your 1st lurcher, just try to learn from this dog. But to be honest mate i think with all the differnt xs out there,i try to pick a type x that that will go with my ( personallity). And even though saluki xs are brill hunting dogs, i know really that i would fu*k it up with lack of patience. Ikeep colliexs and bullxs which suit me, but even with biddable colliexs+bullxs they still piss me off.There is a old saying ( its better with the devil you know) With all lurchers they are all sensitve nature from bullxs to whippetxs, even pure pits are . So you have to be mates with your dogs 1st, then try bit of training, and when things go wrong just take it home, and fuss it when you put back in the kennel, even you might want to kill it lol. There is always the next day

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

well done mate, good honest post. We all drop bollocks with dogs (everybody) even after 25 years , and as its your 1st lurcher, just try to learn from this dog. But to be honest mate i think with all the differnt xs out there,i try to pick a type x that that will go with my ( personallity). And even though saluki xs are brill hunting dogs, i know really that i would fu*k it up with lack of patience. Ikeep colliexs and bullxs which suit me, but even with biddable colliexs+bullxs they still piss me off.There is a old saying ( its better with the devil you know) With all lurchers they are all sensitve nature from bullxs to whippetxs, even pure pits are . So you have to be mates with your dogs 1st, then try bit of training, and when things go wrong just take it home, and fuss it when you put back in the kennel, even you might want to kill it lol. There is always the next day

 

Cheers Bird. Oh yea I have definitely wanted to kill him at times! Lol.

[lurchergrrl 1,441]

Gaz my bitch is 4yrs old nearly, and there's been many a time she's lucky I don't have a shotgun license She's brash, mental, forward, bossy, short tempered, occasionally pig ignorant .. but she's mine. I love to hate her

[willow 53]

make him your mate that bound with that x works well WE LEARN EVERYDAY well done

[skycat 6,174]

Good for you for learning from this experience. Saluki types are so very different to your run of the mill Collie or Bull crosses. Their brains just don't develop in the same way as other dogs, of that I am sure. There is a reason that no one does classic obedience comps with a Saluki! They just don't 'do' obeying for the sake of it, but once you get that partnership sorted they are amazing dogs. I always feel highly honoured when my Saluki types retrieve to me: and it means I've got the bond right. You just can't expect them to sit, down, stay etc like Collie types. Yes, it can come eventually, but never with that robotic/desperate to please the owner attitude.

 

To be honest, I don't even try and train my Saluki types in that way: as long as they come when I call them (most of the time ), retrieve what they catch, then I'm happy. If I wanted to have a down/stay type of dog I would have got a Collie.........or an Airedale If ever I get it into my head to do endless retrieving or heel work, then I turn to the Airedale

 

However, the more you work with your pup, and the more you do interesting stuff with him, the better he'll get: and don't forget that he'll be at least 2 years old before he's mentally mature.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Thanks for the positive replys folks

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Okay so those who read this thread last week will know that I was making progress with my saluki x pup.

 

Or so I thought...

 

Just been out with the dummy again, absolutely terrible. He didn't retrieve it once. The couple of times that he came when called, he didn't being the dummy. The once or twice that he lay down with the dummy (about 10 feet away) he was growling and not wanting to give me the dummy.

Then even after I put the dummy away his recall was none existent, completely playing the deaf card.

Complete different dog to last week.

 

At 10 months is this something I can turn around? And if yes then any tips?

 

Cheers

 

Gaz

Edited July 20, 2011 by gareth_daniel