Hi there,
I'm new to the forum and from Australia. Similar issues to the one I have have been addressed here, but I'm looking for a bit more tailored advice.
I have a 6 yr old male desexed sheltand sheepdog who is pretty energetic, but not aggressive. if he's bored he tends to bark rather than get destructive etc. he is generally very obedient, undertakes agility courses and gets along well with other animals.
I am working from home fortunately so am able to take him for a run every day. he usually gets about a three hour run on average per day.
Our local park is off leash with a large dog running area. There are lots of little birds that dart about and Jasper LOVES to chase them. I think its his herding instincts kicking it. He seems to have endless energy- he will run for three hours straight without stopping, and gets tired for about 5 minutes before doing it for another three hours.
The trouble is that he won't come back under any circumstances if we let him off lead and there are birds around. In all other circumstances he runs back happily to his name. its just the birds that are tricky. and only those specific birds- he doesnt give a darn about ducks etc.
unfortunately traffic has been building up around the park area and it is not fenced off. i am really scared that one day he will get too close to a road and get hit by a car. i would love to be able to have him come when called in case of emergency, or just for those days when you dont have the time to wait around for six hours until he gets exhausted.
We've tried keeping him on leash but i personally feel his quality of life decreases if he doesnt get the joy of chasing them. plus he gets barky and a bit destructive without a three hour run, and im not up to running at his speed for that length of time with him on lead! we've also tried a super long leash but he gets caught up in the other dogs leashes!
can anyone offer some suggestions? we're tried everything under the sun to do with food and it doesnt work. we've tried having a special toy that he only gets if he comes back, but he doesnt care. we've tried training him on lead when the birds are around, and that works fine till we let him off. i've tried following him around, being noisy, being quiet, getting in the car as if im pretending to drive off, hide-and-seeking etc.
any tips would be much much much appreciated! he's such a stubborn dog with birds but perfect every other time! i dont know if i should just deal with it and stand near the road to chase the birds away from it, or if i should switch to another park without them and just hope he gets enough exercise from a normal run with me...thanks!!
I'm new to the forum and from Australia. Similar issues to the one I have have been addressed here, but I'm looking for a bit more tailored advice.
I have a 6 yr old male desexed sheltand sheepdog who is pretty energetic, but not aggressive. if he's bored he tends to bark rather than get destructive etc. he is generally very obedient, undertakes agility courses and gets along well with other animals.
I am working from home fortunately so am able to take him for a run every day. he usually gets about a three hour run on average per day.
Our local park is off leash with a large dog running area. There are lots of little birds that dart about and Jasper LOVES to chase them. I think its his herding instincts kicking it. He seems to have endless energy- he will run for three hours straight without stopping, and gets tired for about 5 minutes before doing it for another three hours.
The trouble is that he won't come back under any circumstances if we let him off lead and there are birds around. In all other circumstances he runs back happily to his name. its just the birds that are tricky. and only those specific birds- he doesnt give a darn about ducks etc.
unfortunately traffic has been building up around the park area and it is not fenced off. i am really scared that one day he will get too close to a road and get hit by a car. i would love to be able to have him come when called in case of emergency, or just for those days when you dont have the time to wait around for six hours until he gets exhausted.
We've tried keeping him on leash but i personally feel his quality of life decreases if he doesnt get the joy of chasing them. plus he gets barky and a bit destructive without a three hour run, and im not up to running at his speed for that length of time with him on lead! we've also tried a super long leash but he gets caught up in the other dogs leashes!
can anyone offer some suggestions? we're tried everything under the sun to do with food and it doesnt work. we've tried having a special toy that he only gets if he comes back, but he doesnt care. we've tried training him on lead when the birds are around, and that works fine till we let him off. i've tried following him around, being noisy, being quiet, getting in the car as if im pretending to drive off, hide-and-seeking etc.
any tips would be much much much appreciated! he's such a stubborn dog with birds but perfect every other time! i dont know if i should just deal with it and stand near the road to chase the birds away from it, or if i should switch to another park without them and just hope he gets enough exercise from a normal run with me...thanks!!