Dog And Wolf-Dog Training: Emergency Recall For Runaways

It’s the moment we all dread, the split second you realize your beloved pet is beyond your reach.

Maybe a gate was left open, or he slipped past a friend at the front door. Whatever the reason, you’ve got to act fast.

The trainer’s number one rule, don’t chase your dog. It’s a good one. Getting them to chase you to a safe area is recommended.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a little insurance that could give you a slight advantage.

Like all training, preparing for such emergencies takes practice, and the more you reinforce the “return” behavior the better it will work.

There are a few variations and techniques to use but they all lead to one thing, as fast response.

Choose Your Words

You can use any word or very short phrase as long as you always use it with an upbeat tone and reward.

I personally don’t use the word “come” because I sometimes ask my dogs to “come” and all they get is praise. The same goes for using their name. 

I use three words for an emergency return... “treat”, which means they are getting something, so I have their attention, and “let’s go”, which means they will get a HIGH VALUE treat if they get over here now.

High value treats are, moist, yummy and special, they are not dry biscuits, and if your dog eats raw, the bloodier the better.

Guard Your Words

Keep your return words sacred. Never speak them unless you can produce a high value treat. This is especially important during practice. Whether you’re at home or out, it’s not a bad idea to keep something with you.

Sealed Slim Jims are really handy for the car, pocket, and purse. Other goodies can be kept by the front and back door. If your dog has a pen, keep something nearby, sealed and out of reach.

*Special consideration for wolfdogs. Understand that being single event learners, wolfdogs will quickly learn the return and just as easily learn to ignore it… if the goods are not delivered every single time.

Getting Their Attention

When you practice your return words make it fun. I always start on leash. Like training to “come” they should not have a choice at first. Say your attention getting word with excitement, when they look, immediately treat. Keep the sessions short (3-5 tries) but practice several times a day.

Make Fun Runs

Start in the areas where your dog could get loose then choose a threshold for delivering the goods.

I worry my dogs will get loose in the front yard because that’s where we get into the car and it’s where I walk them at night. So, I want them to know that following me or anyone into the yard is the best thing that can happen all day.

First leave the yard, house, or pen gate open. Then lead your leashed dog out of the “safe zone”, let him sniff, or whatever, then with excitement use your phrase, “treat, let’s go” and run him into the yard. Once past the gate or threshold, reward and praise.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Think of several scenarios and exits and practice those thresholds too. At first, practice every day, you’ll know when they have the idea because they will start pulling you to the yard. That’s when I start phasing out daily practice.

But don’t stop there; reinforce it at least once or twice a week. This way they will know the result but won’t expect it every time you go out.

Share Practice

Let others who spend time with your dog use the same return command and let them practice on occasion too.

Always Keep Your Cool

Never, reprimand your dog once you get him safe inside the safety zone.

For Timid or New Dogs

Sometimes when a dog, especially wolfdogs are timid, fearful or new to your home, praise and excitement may startle them. Be sensitive to their needs. A fun run to the yard may traumatize them and do the opposite of what you want to accomplish.

A good way to inspire them is to lead them out on leash and have a big treat or meal ready inside their pen or waiting for them on the floor at the door. This way there is no bending or movement that will startle them. Then leave them alone to enjoy it.

Thankfully, my foster wolfdog never got loose, but she was always anxious to get back to her pen because I would toss a chicken leg in there before we left, so it was there when we returned.

Other Places and Tools To Use

I travel a lot with my dogs. I taught them to come to a whistle (a bear whistle, not at full blast) by playing “hide, seek, treat” with them in the house. I also often treat them as soon as they hop in the car because …why would they want to leave a “happy fun place” to be confined to a car?

These are not foolproof methods, and while rare, I’ve had success using them.

If you have tried and true methods to get your dogs back, absolutely feel free to add them to this post.

Wolf-Dog Myths, Misconceptions and Facts

by Megan Lindsay

Some of the most popular misconceptions I hear are...

- They're vicious.
- They are unpredictable.
- They can turn on their owners at any time.
- They prey on children.
- They're wild animals that should be released to the wild.
- Wolfdogs are untrainable.
- Wolfdogs make great guard dogs.
- Wolfdogs interfere with the wild populations of wolves.
- Raw meat makes them aggressive and blood thirsty.
- Wolfdogs make great house pets.
- Mixing dogs with wolves results in an animal with the aggression of the wolf and the outgoing nature of the dog, leaving you with a confused animal with a battle going on in its head.

Wolves are not vicious at all, they are actually very shy by nature, and would rather run away and hide from a new situation or new things rather than confront them. Due to their shy nature they will hide from any intruders making them an awful guard dog, but a great watch dog in the sense that they will watch as people come in and take all your stuff. LOL

Dogs are domestic wolves, there is no battle going on in their head for which is in control. Wolf body language and dog body language is the same. Wolves are the animal from which we try to understand our dogs. Wolves tend to be much more exaggerated than dogs, they let you know when you have started to push their limits, and they will let you know when they are on their last nerve without biting or snapping. They dont "turn on you", they will give you plenty of clear warning. Dogs have been bred by humans to easily adapt to new situations and to not express their feelings as much when uncomfortable (aka growling or snarling). Dog body language is the toned down version of wolf body language with some aspects removed due to selective breeding. Hence why wolfdogs aren't "unpredictable".

Wolfdogs of today are the result of breeding captive animals together. These animals have been in captivity for generations stemming back to zoos and fur farms. There is no "my dog got loose and bred to a wild wolf" . Wolfdogs are not wild animals, they are captive bred animals and if released into the wild they will die. They don't know how to hunt and rely on people to feed them and care for them. If released, they will starve to death or be shot by approaching people due to their socialization to humans in captivity.

Training is all about reward. Unlike many dogs, they don't have much of a desire to please you, more of a "what's in it for me?" mindset. They absolutely can be trained to do basic commands, very easily actually. These are highly intelligent problem solving animals, if sitting gets them what they want (aka a treat) they will pick up on it immediately. It should be kept in mind these guys are "single event learners", meaning they only need to do something once to remember it forever. A bad experience can scar them for life, which is why caution is so important, otherwise they may be to scared to do what you want them to.

I don't often use the term "pet" to describe wolfdogs. The lower content wolfdogs can sometimes be trusted in the house unsupervised, as they act mainly like their dog counterpart, but anything with significant wolf content requires an outdoor enclosure due to their destructive tendencies. They make excellent companions, but require a huge commitment and many life sacrifices. Like any big dog, they should be supervised around children, not so much because they are out to eat them like little red riding hood, but because these are large animals whose idea of playing is jumping up and mouthing. If a 80 lb wolfdog jumps up on your 4 year old, it's not going to be a fun time. The same thing goes with ANY large breed canine.

Megan Lindsay socializes and trains wolfdogs as a volunteer at HWF. She is co-manager of In the Company of Wolves: Wolfer Magic Facebook and helps administer many wolfdog pages, including Wolfdog education for beginners.

Wolf-dog Socialization: Can Wolf-Dogs Walk On A Leash?

Yes, depending how comfortable the animal is with his handler and new situations. But... realize people will stop, stare and ask questions, so you'll want to make sure your wolfdog can handle being approached without going into a panic state, which is just sad.

Also be prepared to handle questions, especially about content.

Advertising your DOG as a wolfdog misinforms the public about what to expect from a wolfdog. 

I personally don't have a problem denying content at all if you choose. It's like when people ask my nationality because they can't figure it out. What does it matter? I'm a beautiful person, with a good heart, who doesn't like to draw attention to myself, respect it.

From The Wolfdog Project

Why does it matter?

Advertising your dog as a wolfdog misinforms the public about what to expect from a wolfdog. A shepherd cross or a malamute cross behaves much differently than an actual wolfdog, though they are often sold to unsuspecting purchasers as 90% Timberwolf or 98% Arctic Wolf.

When this bold claim is made, others go out in search of a dog like yours. What they may end up with is an actual high content animal, and being woefully unprepared for this, they doom the wolfdog to a short and unfulfilled life.

If you are in doubt about the content of your animal, DO NOT claim they are a wolfdog. Wolfdogs carry serious ramifications in areas of insurance, ownership legality and are excluded from many dog sport arenas.

If you have a dog, love your dog for what it is. Don't try to make it a wolf.

And leave wolfdog ownership to those with the containment and experience to give these animals fulfilled lives where they can be representatives of the 'breed.'

Photo used with permission. For photo credit information, please inquire.

For more information about wolfdogs, the following site is a good resource.

http://wolfdogproject.com/

Dog and Wolf-Dog Behavior: Why Are They So Aloof?

Naiche & Katori HWF Ambassadors

Some Northern Breeds and Wolfdogs are known to be aloof, aka...not friendly or forthcoming; cool, and distant. Some people go as far to say the trait makes them a "Cat Lover's Dog".

Wolf-dogs especially are known to walk away when your lovin' has reached full capacity and... just when you think you have their undivided attention they turn on you, butt first.

It's not personal. They're hardwired to seek the next best thing. What could possibly be more interesting than you:

- Food
- A human or wolfdog with food
- Anything another animal or human finds enjoyable- like a water bowl
- Water another dog's foot in it
- Hoses ejecting water
- Someone starting or stopping play
- The sound of a freezer door being opened
- The smell of freshly dropped bird poop

The list could go on and on.

So, if you want to get back your wolfdog's affection or attention... look to the list, starting with food.

Video Of Wolves Attacking A Police Officer: Must See

What did you believe?

Last Friday on Wolfer Magic Facebook, I posted the video people know as the one where a policeman gets chased into a car by wolves. 

IT IS FAKE!

I thought it was common knowledge since it went viral years ago as did the truth behind it. It was part of a very digitally mastered Vodka commercial. 

The video and others like it were sent out to become intentionally viral before the commercial's big release.

Though the truth is not as funny as wolves running down the street and scaring a police officer into a car. I don't know where people got the idea they attacked the policeman, they obviously just ran past unconcerned.

However, it shows how quickly people want to believe the worst. Many offshoots of the video were labeled as "Policeman gets attacked by wolves". 

It also shows how once bad perceptions are started they are hard to stop. 

Even after I posted the video as fake, it was reshared and a whole new slew of comments came from wolf and wolfdog forums wondering if the wolves were real wolves or just dogs. 

 
Then...even after I attempted to comment several times to explain it as a FAKE, people still discussed it around me. Either they didn't want to see my comment or they didn't want to believe me.

I can assure you, they are wolves.

The video here is the real commercial.

Here's how you can make a difference... Click here for the Vime video and comment explaining the truth so its hits surpass the faked viral video.

Dog and Wolf-Dog Calming Signals: Avoidance

When dogs and wolfdogs feel uncomfortable about something they will look away or turn away entirely from the trigger. This is called avoidance.  It's one of many calming signals they use to diffuse a situation and avoid conflict.

Avoidance is also sometimes accompanied by other calming signals such as licking, or or scratching.

Bella, the german shepherd in this video usually rears and lunges at running deer, but reacts quite differently when two does with fawns turn and confront her. At first she turns her head, then her entire body to prevent what she feels will result in an attack.

Shy wolfdogs of higher content will use avoidance quite regularly when confronted with strangers. Unlike dogs, it's rare for them to bite, even when cornered.

You can help a wolfdog using avoidance feel more comfortable by not staring and pretending they are invisible.

In the animal kingdom, staring and focusing on another animal is a threat. It's means, "I want something from you." That something could be you, your food, or they want you to move on.

As you can see in the video, the deer where posturing, facing the enemy, and they did not back away until we moved on.

For more about calming signals along with a list of signals reviewed here, visit the Wolfer Magic Blog calming signal page.