Leash/Obedience training

[Mazzoni]

Im working on traing my pup on the leash and throwing some obedience training in there. Just a side note I have had alot of dogs before but never a EM and he is by far the hardest with the leash. Anyways I wanted your guys opinion on if I am doing right or what elese I should do. I put him on the leash and make him sit and then give him a treat then make him walk around from one side of my house to the other praising him along the way while he is walking then make sit again and give him another treat and then walk back to the other side. When he stops and just sits along the walk we go back the other way. For the most part it is working pretty good. Today when I was doing it tho I had to cut the training a little short cuz he tottally shut down and I couldnt make him move. In that case is it ok just to stop? Or am I letting him control the training by telling me when we r going to stop?

 

[ruthcatrin]

Well, as much as is physically possible I try to end training, no matter for what, on a positive note. Even if it means I have to revert to something seriously basic to get the response I need. Theres a couple reasons for it, forone if you end positively everybody ends up less stressed by the whole mess. For another you want to make sure you're in controll of it, and by ending such that he's obeyed you you've helped reinforce that.

How long of a period are you doing this for?

 

[DennasMom]

How old is he now?
How hard did he shut down? Do you need more motivational treats? or a favorite toy, instead?
It could be he's in the "been there, done that" mode, and doesn't see the point of doing it again... smart, independent dogs will do that. You might need a stronger motivation... Or, just plan on shorter training sessions, so you don't hit that wall and can end on a positive, excited note so he looks forward to the next bit of training.

When Denna and I were learning how to leash walk, the first few weeks I just followed her lead... if she walked fast, I kept up. If she stopped, I stopped, then talked excitedly and called her to get her moving my direction again. I kept it really informal. I tried to never let the leash get tight. We started when she was ~12 weeks old with just walking to the end of the block and back, then around the block, and then a little further every day - trying not to tire her too much. I wanted to make sure she'd be excited about going out the next time. We also get really, really good treats at the end of the walk, so she's always happy to run for the front door when we come home.

I'm bad... I use a flexi and let her wander on our walks, now - but when she hits the end of the 16' lead, she knows not to pull, and will wait for me to catch up - or come back to encourage me to walk faster.
We do spend time with the flexi locked at 4' and she has to stay "with me" for as long as I ask... we still need treats for her to think that's a worth-while exercise. But, she's only 8 months, and we haven't done much formal training at this point. We'll get back into classes and/or working with a trainer in January (I need the motivation of paying $$ to keep me on track, lol).

 

[DMikeM]

Do you guys like training on a traffic lead or a full length lead? I am considering a few sessions on the traffic length just to tighten up Jade's zone. She tends to like to lead just short of a tight leash.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I've always used a 4ft lead bundled up short. I just bought a 3ft lead and a 12" traffic lead to try instead.

 

[Mazzoni]

Ive was training for 5-10 minutes kinda feeling of what he was up for. Now I've cut it right at 5 and I think it's much better and productive. He's almost 10 weeks now and the last couple of sessions have been real good im adding things like stay and come.

 

[Kujo]

I had a similar issue with Kujo when we first leash trained him. He did not understand that we were connected and didn't like the feel of it. So we bunched up the leash and let him get used to the weight for starters. After that he didn't resist when we would hold the leash. Now it's a matter of getting our pack walk down, sometimes he tries to lead, which I firmly believe is a very bad habit for him to learn. We do not let him walk in front of us, it's either behind or right beside us. For the most part he is willing to let us lead and has no problem following, but his puppy mind can only focus for so long and he'll get distracted.

I don't think we're asking too much of him, he's only 5 months old and he'll come, sit, stay, shake, and go to his bed on command. Still working on lay down, but about 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening of training and he's very responsive and eager to learn. Sometimes he'll do the "shut down" and I know training is over, we still end on a good note with a simple "sit" before walking away.

This is our first puppy so I'm very open to criticism/feed back. Are we doing too much? Should I be expecting less of him? He's just so responsive that I don't want to slow down, he' sponging everything up so well that I want to get it all in there while he's still young...and still small, lol. I'm worried that when he's 140 pounds he won't listen and I won't be able to correct him because he'll be so strong.

 

[musicdeb]

You're doing the right thing and knowing when he has shut down and you stop the training session on a positive note. Continue to do what you are doing and he will get it. Patience...Consistency...Reward for what behavior you want

 

[Robtouw]

Training on anything for 10 min with total focus is pretty good. Once they understand what you want and they know they are getting it right, they get bored. Keep on doing it but when he stops, instead of giving in try to add something fun to the training. We did the same indoors, walked the hall, sitting at each end. When Cruiser stopped one day, we started teaching High Five right on the spot where he ended the leash training. We made a big deal of the high five with loads of yeahs, and good boys and used a different treat then we were using for leashing. He loved to do anything that made us excited and was pleased when he learned something new. We never allowed a training sesson of any kind to end when Cruiser wanted, sometimes it took some creativity to make it our end.

 

[Ben Curtis]

I am currently in puppy obedience training with my 14 week old CC. Our trainer insists that training a puppy to heel is a complete waist of time. The puppy has too short of an attention span, is too energetic, and heeling is just not fun for them. He recommends letting them walk with a long leash and just let them explore. Training to heel according to him is much easier to do and much more enjoyable for both later on. I have not made it far enough to know when this is, but it seems to make sense to me.

 

[DennasMom]

W haven't done a formal heel yet, but it's coming soon.
One book I read made a comment about tricks... dog's would rather learn tricks than commands... tricks are fun, commands are work. if you make it all fun, everyone wins!

 

[VentiandMe]

I agree that tricks would be more FUN, but our trainer stresses that obedience has to be top priority because when they are 200lbs or more, a dis-obedient dog is no fun and could be potentially dangerous (pulls your arm off! haha). Also that if showing, then obedience is a must as it can make the difference between first place and DQ.

We start with heeling every class and for the most part, my dog does this very well, but you can definitely tell when he's tired of doing it. LOL.

We are coming up on his first confirmation in Feb...and we both need A LOT of work.

oh and another thing, our Trainer asked that we used a 6' leash but most of the time 4' of it is curled up in my hand! lol. I think I will sneak my 4' leash in there next time. No need for the 6' IMO.

 

[DMikeM]

I bring my traffic leash (20") and clip it to my belt loop. And use my 7 foot for most of the class. But when she starts misbehaving or wanting to rollover and play I put her on the shortie. My trainer understands as she bred the litter and knows Jade is the class clown and will do anything for attention from her gramma (trainer).