Hello, new member here with a couple questions about off lead recall training. I’m looking for advice or tips on how to get my dog to not bolt when he’s off the lead. When he was a pup, I could take him off lead through the trails or on bike rides and he would stay within a reasonable distance and always came back when called (even if it took 5-10min of calling). Now if he’s off the lead and there are no fences he just runs like a bat outta hell like he’s trying to reach the next county.

If if we are at a fenced dog park he will roam, but comes back when called no matter where I’m at in the park. I tried him off the lead half way through a mountain bike ride the other day and he did fairly well until he hopped the trail and hightailed it cross country.

He does well on a long lead up to 40ft out and will break off what he’s doing and return. He’s an intact, almost 2yr old Jagdterrier. It’s only been since this spring that he’s taken to running hard off the lead without stopping. If anyone know’s these dogs they can go for miles without stopping. Like I said, in an enclosed space no matter how big, he recalls no problem. I’ve got him working with a standard 3 step e-collar and very very rarely have to go beyond the tome or vibration stage before he will recall no matter what he’s doing.

I’m planning on going the gps collar route but was hoping that someone would have some advice for the mean-time as those collar/handheld units are pricey. I just don’t want him getting lost or hit by a car if he decides to go on a hot ride. Thanks for the help.