Different Personalities In My Stafford

[staffit]

Hi ,

I was just wondering what people have done to make a timid dog not so timid.(if thats what it is) Every time i call her she comes over and goes straight on her back. I try to stack her and she always wants to put her hind legs on the ground, she doesnt hold her head high she always droops it down and when i run her on a lead, she runs close to the ground.

I donot know why she is like this, she gets heaps of attention , i have kids who play with her all the time, i am constinantly trying to train her , but she just doesnt seem to be interested. (its kinda like she is scared)

But she is happy when im not training her, she will chase the kids, wag her tail, jump all over us. (she turns into your happy go lucky stafford)

I have a male stafford who does everything just wonderful and i havent trained him any different to the way i am trying to train her. He is 18mnths and she is 8 months.

What do i do? Any suggestions?

Cheers

[laffi]

Do you use treats and positive reinforcement?

I found that my dogs become much more confident when they learn how to get a treat ;) Clicker training is great for that because there is no such a thing as a bad behavior so you never have to correct. You just shape the good behavior.

ETA: How have you been training your dog so far? Have you used any corrections (verbal and/or physical)?

Edited July 23, 2007 by laffi

[Erny]

Have a think about your body language. When she reaches you from the "come" are you bent over her? Try standing up taller as she reaches you - reward her (without bending over) for "upright and "confident".

What method are you using for the "stand"? Is it 'guide, show, place' with your arm over and around the outside of her? This is quite a dominant pose - although many dogs do cope with it without any problems, some dogs can't help but feel intimidated by it. Another method (eg. lure into position - but remember to quickly wean off so as not to develop the method into one of 'bribing') might assist.

Is your dog receiving attention for rolling over? You might need to think about whether this action has been being inadvertently reinforced.

[staffit]

I have now gone into the position of being on my knee calling her in a happy voice to come as this is the only way she will come when called. She comes with her body close to the ground(like crawling) and then when she gets to me she rolls over.

I do pat her for comming over as i want to let her know she is a good girl for comming. But then i stand up so she can get off her back. Once she is up i go to her side , stack her and tell her to stand, but she keeps wanting to flop to the ground.

I dont ever yell at her or mistreat her. I do use a hard firm voice when i say , come stand sit ect.

I feel like she is afraid of me the way she crawls to me and i feel terrible for it.

[Erny]

I do use a hard firm voice when i say , come stand sit ect.

Don't feel terrible - if she felt terrible it's unlikely she'd want to come to you - and besides, you're working on it. ;)

Try softening your voice when you give the commands. Make the commands 'happy'. In fact, why not have a game of it - but instead of calling "come", call "pup, pup, pup, pup" in a high pitch voice and a happy expression on your face. As soon as she reaches you have a game with a toy or something that she really likes to do - something that might 'jolly' her up a bit. Because you've not used a command word, you won't need to worry about giving a release word (if that's how you are training).

Try doing this exercise also when it's meal time and when she reaches you, offer her her food and leave her to eat it.

Try separating the two exercises. In other words, do a recall but don't immediately follow up with stand. Give a little break in between exercises.

ETA: Where are you located, Staffit. Maybe you can arrange to have someone help and show you.

Edited July 23, 2007 by Erny

[staffit]

She is great when it is meal time , she will sit up straight with her ears pricked high , wait and when i put the bowl down she will only start to eat on my release word `ok`

I give her a pat tell her she is a good girl and leave her to eat.

It seems thats the only time she will do things the way ive trained her to.

[staffit]

Sorry erny, forgot to mention i am north brisbane.

[Erny]

She is great when it is meal time , she will sit up straight with her ears pricked high , wait and when i put the bowl down she will only start to eat on my release word `ok`... It seems thats the only time she will do things the way ive trained her to.

It's really difficult to think of what a person is doing that might be affecting and/or that you can change without having the opportunity to see them and the dog in question, in action. Unfortunately Brissy is a bit far away from me ;) so all I can do is offer the tips that I have.

Something is affecting her perception of you when you are (a) feeding her and (b) not feeding her. Think of your body language when you are feeding. (When people go into "train the dog" mode, their bodies are often held differently - a bit more rigid. Voice tone changes to something more stern.) You'd be busy with her meal and as a result not so conscious about being stern or holding body in a certain way. These small nuances can be so easily picked up by our dogs. Your tone of voice may also be a bit different at that time.

Do you recall her when you are giving her her meal?

Have you tried changing tone of voice as suggested above?

Edited July 23, 2007 by Erny

[staffit]

Thanks so much for your advice erny, you have been super. I will go try a couple things now and see how she goes.

It doesnt happen over night , but it will happen right ;)

Cheers