Alf often doesnt do what he is told (but generally he is quite placid, gets a little excited sometimes but not overbearing) so I need to know what I can easily teach him at home before DH gets home to be able to take him to puppy preschool. I have a big packet of schmacko's here, and have been trying to teach him sit and stay, but he also pulls on the leash and everytime he sees another dog he wants to get to it (he is very much a 1 dog family type of dog) He tried to take on another dog at the vets the other week. So what can I teach him with little physical exertion, and how?
Alf is 2 and a half, but what is the difference between dog obedience and puppy preschool? I just want him to be able to behave when I need to go outside, and to stop barking at the neighbours cat that sits on the fence too
I can't take him to obedience at the moment because there is noone to look after the girls and I can't run.
Ali, if he pulls really badly, maybe getting a halti would help? As he is only pulling against himself then, not against you and will soon learn to stop because it's uncomfortable to him. I got my dog one (about $20 from Petbarn) to take him walking as he loved pulling me to the side, and now that I'm pg it's too hard to hold him back. He does walk nicely on the lead mostly, but a bit like Alf, he gets excited when he sees other dogs, particularly if the other dog is wagging its tail and getting excited at my dog as well! Halti has made our walks a lot more pleasant.
Another good command to teach is to wait for their dinner, makes the dog realise that they must wait patiently before you, the "top dog" allows them to eat. Basically hold the food bowl above their head so they sit, slowly move to place it on the ground and the second they get up from that sit position, bring the bowl up back over their head until they sit again. When you get the bowl on the ground use a release word, such as "dinner" or "eat" to let him know he can now have his food. Over time extend the time the bowl sits on the ground before you release him, and make sure he gives you eye contact before releasing him. It might take a few goes before he starts to realise that if he just sits and waits eventually the food bowl will reach the ground and he gets to eat. Makes food time a lot easier as the dog won't be trying to knock you over with excitement.
Another good one we learnt at puppy school is "watch", to get the dog to keep eye contact with you. It means they will concentrate and listen to you, no matter what other distractions are around.
I wouldn't worry too much about trying to teach him a lot before going to classes though, although we did start teaching sit, drop and stay before we went. Also our trainer said to use "high value" treats to start off with, such as chopped up cheese, frankfurts and chicken, particularly in situations where they are likely to be distracted as they are more likely to be interested in you if you have a yummy chunk of chicken than a schmacko. We were also taught, when first starting teaching a new command, is to get the dog to do the thing you want them to do (such as sit, drop etc) and then introduce the word for that action.
Thanks girls!! I dont take for walks much at the moment because I can't do too much, but he runs around the yard and keeps himself pretty occupied at the moment.
Sarah gives him his dinner, as a way to help her learn that she can touch him and look after him and he won't bite, which is working, she is now willing to pat him. He sits infront of her at the door and gingerly takes it from her (He is on a raw meaty bones diet and gets it frozen and it thaws while he eats or if he decides to leave it for a while)
I will google Halti - I have never heard of them before.
I am not using a choker chain, just his normal collar, I found with my sister's dog that he was usually better behaved with a normal collar and the dog obedience place says to use a normal collar.
I went out the back after your first list of commands Mis_Tree, and he seemed to pick them up pretty quickly. He did get bored after a handful of snacks, so I let him go and went back inside. I figure if I do a little bit every day it will sink in.
Hi there!
Puppy preschool is for pups and goes through socialisation and some positive training but also all of those puppy things like toilet training. Obedience is for older dogs and usually goes through a series of particular skills. A word of warning though that I would only recommend going to a positive trainer and would look into one qualified through the delta society because they are taught by vet behaviourists and have to complete a pretty full-on course with prac work etc. They also use the most up to date training methods. Some trainers say they are positive but then use check/choke chains, or other aversive methods which lets face it you wouldn't get away with any other species. (OK enough rambling about that!).
Basically if your dog is motivated by food it is easy to teach lots of skills or tricks even just using a piece of food. Because dogs don't speak english you do need to reward them straight after they get something right. (for more advanced type training you then need to move to a bridge - eg a clicker or whistle generally but it gets complicated to explain online and is more than you are looking for right now).
Use your food as a lure which means you hold it in front of them. Where food goes they will follow! But remember to use a food they love. Something they don't normally get is great (eg. cheese) and keep the pieces small. They don't care if the pieces are big or little.
The most important commands to having a dog you can live with are: sit, mat, calm, stay, come, gentle walk and wait. The others you can live without in a pinch. Teach one thing at a time and move on to the next when they can do it on command. Otherwise it can get confusing. Keep training sessions short and fun - about 10 mins. If you or the dog feels very frustrated then pack it away and try again later.
Sit: Hold the lure in front of their nose but keep it between your fingers so if they can't just take it when they want it. Push the lure forward over their nose and just over their head (not too high) so they need to put their head back. This usually makes them sit but if they step back or try to jump just keep it where it is. They usually then try a few things and eventually sit. Reward immediately on the sit. Once they have the idea start to say 'sit' at the beginning but elongate the word so it is easier for them to understand you (eg. 'siiit').
'Mat' - a mat is a station point for the dog and is very useful if they are inside dogs. Usually you would use a place they like and are comfortable such as their bed or a mat. It is somewhere you can ask them to be if things are getting chaotic in the house. Never use the place as a punishment.
Choose a spot and an appropriate word for you to use (can be mat or bed or whatever as long as it is consistent). Use the lure to get the dog on the mat simultaneously saying the command word. As soon as their paws touch the mat give them the treat. Then work up to at least 2 paws on before you give the treat, then 3 paws, 4 paws. Then sitting on the mat etc. Then you can move onto staying there.
Calm: Calm is important for keeping household chaos to a minimum. Often when things go crazy our dogs get worked up too and start jumping, barking etc. Often this leads to us getting angry at them which hypes them up even more. Calming down is a skill and is easy to teach a dog. Hype your dog up with some rough play etc so they get realy excited. Then teach them to calm by slowing down your movements to a normal calm speed (not super slow as some dogs then like to chase), talk to them in a nice calm voice, bring your hands down low to discourage jumping, and give them nice long pats along their back. Finish when they are back to normal. Discourage your dog from jumping up when they greet you by greeting them with your hands down as if you are going to pat them. Jumping is not a sign of dominance but actually submission which is why they jump more the more you are upset with them. If you go straight for the low pat they don't need to jump up for your attention. Then you can even ask them to sit for extra attention.
Stay: Ask your dog to sit and stand directly in front of them. Don't let them see the treat otherwise it encourages them to come towards you. Ask them to stay and wait only a sec before treating them. Ask them again and wait 5 secs or so. The trick is to build it up once the dog has gotten the idea. They usually catch on very quickly but are often pushed too far too fast. You will be able to see when your dog is going to break stay and try to stay under that time that is comfortable for him.
Come (very important for safety especially in off-leash areas): Ask your dog to sit and stay and walk a couple of paces away. Show them a treat, bend down a bit to their level and say come. Give them the treat when they get to you. Work up the distance and the situation so they are likely to come when you are out as well. Never ever chase a dog who is offlead. They will run away from you either in fear or in fun. If you are desperate you can try running away from them to encourage a chase and then capture them. If they are unreliable at coming keep them on a leash.
Gentle walk: So important! Try out a halti as they work on the same principle as a horse harness.
Otherwise on a flat collar and lead start by walking your dog where it isn't too exciting eg. the backyard (you need to set your dog up for success - taking them somewhere with lots of activity doesn't help them to understand what you want but just increases their frustration). Start walking when the lead is loose. When the lead goes tight immediately stop. Don't pull on the lead as it can do damage to their neck. Once the lead goes loose immediately start walking again. If the lead goes tight immediately stop. Once the dog understands you can build up to longer times and outside along your normal walk path. It is easier to train this if you walk at a normal pace. It is tempting to slow right down but dogs find it easier if you walk normal to slightly quicker. If you choose to use a halti use exactly the same method. Haltis are great but if you use them to check you can do alot of damage. The method outlined by a previous poster where you turn is also good as it encourages them to keep watching you.
Wait: Ask your dog to sit. Hold a treat in front of them and say wait. If they don't approach your hand give them the treat. If they try to take the treat front you keep it tight in your fingers and repeat wait (unless they bite fingers while trying to get food - in that case pull the treat away). As soon as they stop and move their head away give them the treat. They will quickly learn to wait temporarily and not to take the treat but wait for it to be given. This helps prevent snatching food etc.
A few general dog training points:
Once your dog is very reliable at doing the command randomise when you give the treats as this helps prevent extinction of the skill. If you continue to give a treat every time then stop totally the skill often disappears. So mix it up. They will do it anyway just in case you give them a treat for it. But always end the session with a treat.
Dogs aren't good at generalising. That means that if you teach your dog to sit in the backyard only it won't be good at transferring that across to other situations. Once they know the command practice it in many situations so your dog can respond more reliably.
Keep the training fun. Dogs usually find training quite interesting and rewarding. Don't do it when the dog is overly hungry or tired. An overstimulated dog (gets over excited by little things) can mean that you dog is a bit bored during the day. If you find this is the case do a google search for environmental enrichment and it will give you some good easy ideas to keep your dog entertained. Just like kids - a tired dog is a good dog!
Anyway I hope this all helps.
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