Tips on training a dog?

[Yogidog]

A very good dog, who has learned to sit and go down, walk right next to me on a short leash in three days

 

[Odyssey]

Love those ears and bushy tail like a fox. looks like a sweetheart.

Lots of positive reinforcement, lavish praise, say dog's name often in your kindest voice, small treats and petting. I had some early success with a clicker.

But my dog has much to learn. They say the recall is most important. You want to get the dog's attention and be able to summon it immediately to assist you or to move it from danger.

Mine's a 3 year old 140 lb Blue Great Dane. Most of the time she's a big shadow following me everywhere, mannerly and calm. Doesn't eat a ton or require hours of exercise, calm and sweet.

She likes to jump up on people, in a friendly way but geez that's dangerous. She doesn't like little yappy dogs (and neither do I), or dogs who bark and act like they're tougher or bigger than she is. She wants desperately to catch a rabbit or squirrel or something small. On those types of occasions, I am bitterly disappointed that she doesn't yield to my very clear and firm instruction.

She will not be traveling with me.

 

[Queen]

When we trained our Border Collies, the experts taught to have a specific command word that was only used when we wanted instant compliance. We chose "come" and only used it rarely, but they knew when they heard "Tess/Skip COME" in a firm tone it meant to stop and immediately come and stand by me. Worked every single time.

 

[highdesertranger]

dang Odyssey you beat me to it, love those ears. highdesertranger

 

[ArtW]

another admirer of the ears
the negative command word is as Queen said, of highest importance
Once Buddy knew his, he would stop ANYTHING he was doing when he heard it

 

[Yogidog]

Love those ears and bushy tail like a fox. looks like a sweetheart.

Lots of positive reinforcement, lavish praise, say dog's name often in your kindest voice, small treats and petting. I had some early success with a clicker.

But my dog has much to learn. They say the recall is most important. You want to get the dog's attention and be able to summon it immediately to assist you or to move it from danger.

Mine's a 3 year old 140 lb Blue Great Dane. Most of the time she's a big shadow following me everywhere, mannerly and calm. Doesn't eat a ton or require hours of exercise, calm and sweet.

She likes to jump up on people, in a friendly way but geez that's dangerous. She doesn't like little yappy dogs (and neither do I), or dogs who bark and act like they're tougher or bigger than she is. She wants desperately to catch a rabbit or squirrel or something small. On those types of occasions, I am bitterly disappointed that she doesn't yield to my very clear and firm instruction.

She will not be traveling with me.

That sounds like mine dont trust her with squirrels ect! Lavish praise and loud quick voice has taken us far!

 

[Yogidog]

Arnt those ears funny? They found her running through silver city new mexico, I think she may be some chiwawiwa fox coyote mix

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

She likes to jump up on people, in a friendly way but geez that's dangerous. She doesn't like little yappy dogs (and neither do I), or dogs who bark and act like they're tougher or bigger than she is. She wants desperately to catch a rabbit or squirrel or something small. On those types of occasions, I am bitterly disappointed that she doesn't yield to my very clear and firm instruction.

She will not be traveling with me.

This can be overcome with a little work.  Starting with the "leave it" command.  I think starting this command while walking on a leash is the easiest......every time the dog wants to smell something you pull him back and tell him to leave it.  Depending on the dog, after a few walks over a few days or few weeks they'll start understanding what "leave it" means.  You can then progress to doing it with treats.  I start by putting a treat on the floor and saying "leave it"  then after they've left it I give them a different treat.  As they get better you increase the stimulation......you throw a treat on the floor by which it's very  nature is much more exciting than a treat placed on the floor.  Once they master that you move it to the yard and do it with a favorite toy.  Like the treat, start by placing the toy on the ground and saying leave it and when they do they get a treat or another favorite toy.  Then like the treat you throw the toy but don't allow them to chase it, it sometimes help to have them on a leash at first to prevent them from chasing it and using the "leave it" command.  And then finally you get to practice with live animals by taking them to a park or where other dogs are etc.  Working on their recall in stimulating environments can be done with a a long lead....buy a 50' leash then they can get 50' away from you and when called back if they don't come you can pull them in, and even if you have to pull them in praise and reward them for coming and soon it will be 2nd nature for the dog.  The end goal is you want the dog to want to come to you over all else because you want the dog to think you're the best option.........you have to be more rewarding to come to than chasing a squirrel or small dog is to them.  

It takes patience and a little bit of time, but a few months of effort translates into years of reward, plus you get to spend more time with your dog and the dog gets to go more places with you.  My rescue dog has an intense pray drive and when he sees something to chase he goes into tunnel vision mode as many dogs do.  We're on week five and he's doing very well.  If he's on his leash and I say leave it he won't even acknowledge other people, animals, etc.  We got a really good test of this last week.  I took him over to visit my elderly aunt in her condo.  We were walking down a narrow hallway to her unit as a little yippy dog and it's owner were turning the corner. She had zero control of her dog and it was circling and yipping at my dog for a good 90 seconds, in my mind I thought oh crap, in this tiny enclosed space my dogs going to feel threatened and eat this stupid thing, but I said "leave it" and he kept walking forward as if there wasn't even a dog there in his face barking and nipping at his heels.  Was very proud of him! His off leash skills aren't as strong as his on leash skill yet but we practice a little every day and am confident they soon will be.  

All dogs were bred to do a task, regardless of what that task is it translates into they were bred to work.  Teaching them basic commands is teaching them to do something which they are hardwired to want to do.  I honestly believe dogs are happier when they can understand and do what you want them to do as they are literally bred to "work" for you.  The more stuff I teach Camo the happier he seems to be.  You can see the look of satisfaction in their eyes when they know they did the right thing you asked them to do.

 

[Yogidog]

This can be overcome with a little work.  Starting with the "leave it" command.  I think starting this command while walking on a leash is the easiest......every time the dog wants to smell something you pull him back and tell him to leave it.  Depending on the dog, after a few walks over a few days or few weeks they'll start understanding what "leave it" means.  You can then progress to doing it with treats.  I start by putting a treat on the floor and saying "leave it"  then after they've left it I give them a different treat.  As they get better you increase the stimulation......you throw a treat on the floor by which it's very  nature is much more exciting than a treat placed on the floor.  Once they master that you move it to the yard and do it with a favorite toy.  Like the treat, start by placing the toy on the ground and saying leave it and when they do they get a treat or another favorite toy.  Then like the treat you throw the toy but don't allow them to chase it, it sometimes help to have them on a leash at first to prevent them from chasing it and using the "leave it" command.  And then finally you get to practice with live animals by taking them to a park or where other dogs are etc.  Working on their recall in stimulating environments can be done with a a long lead....buy a 50' leash then they can get 50' away from you and when called back if they don't come you can pull them in, and even if you have to pull them in praise and reward them for coming and soon it will be 2nd nature for the dog.  The end goal is you want the dog to want to come to you over all else because you want the dog to think you're the best option.........you have to be more rewarding to come to than chasing a squirrel or small dog is to them.  

It takes patience and a little bit of time, but a few months of effort translates into years of reward, plus you get to spend more time with your dog and the dog gets to go more places with you.  My rescue dog has an intense pray drive and when he sees something to chase he goes into tunnel vision mode as many dogs do.  We're on week five and he's doing very well.  If he's on his leash and I say leave it he won't even acknowledge other people, animals, etc.  We got a really good test of this last week.  I took him over to visit my elderly aunt in her condo.  We were walking down a narrow hallway to her unit as a little yippy dog and it's owner were turning the corner. She had zero control of her dog and it was circling and yipping at my dog for a good 90 seconds, in my mind I thought oh crap, in this tiny enclosed space my dogs going to feel threatened and eat this stupid thing, but I said "leave it" and he kept walking forward as if there wasn't even a dog there in his face barking and nipping at his heels.  Was very proud of him! His off leash skills aren't as strong as his on leash skill yet but we practice a little every day and am confident they soon will be.  

All dogs were bred to do a task, regardless of what that task is it translates into they were bred to work.  Teaching them basic commands is teaching them to do something which they are hardwired to want to do.  I honestly believe dogs are happier when they can understand and do what you want them to do as they are literally bred to "work" for you.  The more stuff I teach Camo the happier he seems to be.  You can see the look of satisfaction in their eyes when they know they did the right thing you asked them to do.

Thank u so much for this I have time to do what u are saying. And u are right she is super happy doing what I want, I thought she be less happy, not so, thanks!


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[rvpopeye]

Every Road is a good example to follow.

This is all IMO but I learned from some very capable trainers and have had AMAZING results using these methods . From sheppies to poodles and chihuahuas. YMMV some breeds just get it and others take a while longer , don't ever give up .

(My all time star was a dalmatian , bred to be very aggressive "before", but not after".)

#1 You have to be the leader of the pack.
I know you love your fur kid but.....this is part of a dog's instinctual programming.
If you share your food with it , you're part of the pack not the leader.
If you share your bed with it , you're part of the pack not the leader.
Give them the best food you can (they deserve it).
Give them their own place to sleep and call their own (they will love it).
They will love you above all else and want to make you happy more than anything.

#2 Learn time is NOT play time.
Do learn time every day , at the same time , 15-20 minutes for starters.
After a week or so they will understand you want them to learn during that time and you won't believe how fast they will learn (to make you happy)!

Start every learn time with something they know well and praise them like crazy.
End every learn time with something they know well and praise them like crazy.

Everything you teach them , do one thing at a time till it's on the know well list.
If they screw up show you don't approve ( growling is effective here , remember you're the pack leader , they do) and take them back to the spot they started to mess up and do over , do over , do over till they get it down and praise them like crazy !!!! "GOOD DOG" !
Then keep doing it . till the learn time is up ( don't forget to end with an easy one and lots of praise ), sessions can get longer as you go too.

Praise is all you need , treats are secondary and unless you plan on ALWAYS having treats for the rest of their life will become a point of confusion.

"COME , sit , STAY , sit and stay , HEEL , down , roll over , LEAVE IT , NO" , speak , no barking , (capitols for the biggies) balance a favorite treat on your nose till you get a "go" command .
Whatever ,,, Etc etc . Start with the easy ones and go to the complicated ones later . You can even try "stay" , chain a bunch together and then "go" ! You will be amazed what is possible. Even aggression on command K9 stuff ....."watch 'em" , anything at all. You can even train them to crap on command , very handy while traveling and doing rest stops..................

(Go to you tube and search Jumpy see some of what I'm talking about)

Play time is not learn time but is important too , give them plenty of that too just at a different time .

Good luck with the pooch-icles........

 

[TrainChaser]

"Praise is all you need , treats are secondary and unless you plan on ALWAYS having treats for the rest of their life will become a point of confusion."

Well, not really. Food works. But you have to use your brain. The best way to use food is using the Slot Machine Training Technique. It works just fine on humans, and it works on dogs, too. And cats. (Are you familiar with Didga on YouTube?)

Slot Machine Dog Training:
http://3lostdogs.com/slot-machine-dog-training/
(WARNING: You have to be smarter than the dog.)

 

[rvpopeye]

I never said treats wouldn't work , they do !
But if you don't always have them the dog will always be waiting for you to give with the goods ...............

I also forgot to mention . It's a good idea to use hand signals to the verbal commands .
Sometimes it's too noisy for the dog to hear you...but may be looking for the hand signals. AND just using hand signals can be very gratifying (and impressive for the audience).

 

[jimindenver]

I am dogless for the first time in 30 years, I'll offer what I can.

Tone of voice has as much to do with your dog as anything. Ever have your mom get pissed and say "I said now" It wasn't angery but there was no mistaking what was expected. You can't command your dog in a sweet, asking voice.

To me treats are like spankings to a little child. It's a start when they understand nothing else but if it's all you have when they get older, you have lost the battle. Yes a dog will do just about anything for a treat but they will do it to please you if that's what you teach them. Again tone of voice is the reward they will want.

Ever pet a dog a few times on the side and say good dog? When I was upset with my dogs a disappointed tone of voice was all it took and a tap lighter than a good dog pet would have made you think I beat them for days. You want a dog to want to please you, not fear you.

So a dogs drive to eat will let you use treats to teach it but it will make you a slave to the cookie jar and leave you with a dog that only does things because it expects a treat. Using tone of voice and your approval/ disapproval will leave your dog acting the way you want because it wants to.

 

[MrNoodly]

As the Dog Whisperer would say, the first step in training a dog is training the owner.

 

[rvpopeye]

True a lot of the time.
But then , any time someone tries to do something they don't know how to do a little training really helps. No matter what the project is.

 

[Yogidog]

This. Is excellant thanks for writing it! I don't share food bed ect just started better food now we just really need to do what u guys are laying out. She learns fast. Biggest part is me being pack leader. Scared enough of those other dogs I am doing it thanks!

 

[DannyB1954]

Your dog seems to be very attentive to you. I bet they are a quick learner. I posted this in another thread, so this is cut and pasted from there.

I think there are two mistakes people make training a dog. Being too gentle or too harsh. Dogs don't understand sweet talk. A dog misbehaves and people try to comfort the dog and tell them how much they would prefer they didn't do that. Dogs really don't understand sentence structure. They most understand physical action and body language. When you pet the dog while you tell them how bad they are, what they get is the opposite instruction than you desire. Being harsh to the point of abuse trains the dog to be abusive or violent to others. When in a pack the leader does not say pretty please don't do that. Nor do they usually cause physical harm. It is more a matter of dominance or intimidation.

When I got my dog from the shelter she was what they call resource guarding. If she had something she liked and you got near, she would snarl. I addressed that by flipping her on her back putting a hand around her neck and I growled and snarled at her. Then let her up and we both stopped our aggression. It hasn't been an issue again. Dogs don't understand being disciplined for whatever happened 5 minutes ago. To them you just freaked out over nothing. You have to react quickly. Dogs live in the now. If the dog runs off and then comes back disciplining it for leaving doesn't work. All they know is they came to you and you freaked out. Better be real carefull coming to you.

Another thing she did was bark at people who were outside of the vehicle. I would pull into a shopping center and she would start. Anybody walking outside was something to bark at. Using stern NO's and a tug on her collar when she would bark at others cured that. She got the message that this was not acceptable and not her job to try to scare away parking lot intruders. Now she curls up and takes a nap when I leave her in the truck. We are both happier.

In most cases it isn't the dog that needs to be trained, but the owner. Many good books have been written. Cezar Millan would be a good start for a read. Your first job is not to be your dog's friend. You are it's pack leader. After that is established then you can be buddies.

 

[DannyB1954]

Here is a link if you would like to see what other members pets look like. Mine is on page 14 in post 138
https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Show-Us-Your-Pet

 

[TrainChaser]

The 'alpha dog' theory has been pretty well debunked, although it is still offered by people who seem to have some dominance problems themselves.

Dominance and Dog Training from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers:
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/dominance/

And you can offer all kinds of theories about what dogs pay attention to, but food rules in that respect, so it would seem to make more sense using it to get and keep their attention, and then gradually removing it when they understand the associated voice and hand commands.  Anyone who has used food and then became the slave of the dog forever afterward, failed to finish the program.  You have to follow through, you have to finish the job, and it really helps if you have a higher IQ than the dog.  (That's why Border Collies are turned over to rescue groups so often.)

 

[Yogidog]

u all's suggestions have made theas life much richer thank u. Didn't trust either of us in groups of people, it is the owners responsibility to have them under control. Here she is under table at McDonald's this am Starbucks yesterday. Sitting lying down no leaping! Will keep working up to being around other dogs and kids