FranVT Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Hi all! Last night was my second night of obedience training with my 20mth old bull terrier, Atlas. He is a very headstrong dog so I knew training was going to be a challenge, but it has been even harder than I thought! The first night we were shown heel (walking forward with left foot, loose lead) and that is fine At is not much of a puller really (especially with a check collar) and then 'sit'. This is where we fall down as Atlas is never paying attention to me and he just stands there so 95% of the time I have to physically place him in a sit. I should mention that at home or where there aren't many dogs around he is quite good at this, he is paying much more attention to me because there aren't as many distractions and yesterday when we were practicing he sat on command 90% of the time. ( Slight problem there: when I say "good boy!" he would roll over onto his back grinning and wagging his tail because he was so pleased to be praised ) I know that dogs are distractable and there are lots of delicious smells and other dogs to play with and other people to sniff but he absolutely ignores me and it drives me mad! All the treats, "Atlas!" or other words to get his attention make not a jot of difference. So what I was wondering is, are there any exercises / drills etc I can use at home to get him to pay more attention to me that will hopefully make a difference at training? I know he will still be distracted but any improvement is going to make things so much easier. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!#$@#$ So many things probably, argh really beating myself up about this. I wish there was someone around my area (Rockhampton, CQ) who did private lessons because there are 30+ people in my lesson some with naughtier dogs than At and some with puppies just out of puppy preschool so we do not get much if any personal attention - not the trainer's fault she is lovely and is a volunteer I have no criticisms of her at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Don't beat yourself up - my GSD pup is the same way. He is very good at home but the moment there is some distractions he is a nutcase. I start obediences classes with him at the end of the month and I will probably have all the same problems. I have been working on building up the levels of distractions but taking him to quiet park and going through the same training there as I do at home. Where there is something happening that can cause a bit of a distraction, I wait until he looks at me and then praise - or it he is too focused at something then I walk away in the opposite direction and when I get his focus again - reward. I also reward when I call him name and he looks at me - so I do the same at the park. Hopefully someone else can give some better ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJB Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 ( Slight problem there: when I say "good boy!" he would roll over onto his back grinning and wagging his tail because he was so pleased to be praised ) how cute! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I agree with Tilly, try building distractions up slowly, going from a low distraction environment like your home to a really really high distraction environment like dog school is a big ask! Don't ask him to run before he can walk, in other words. Build his focus in distracting environments slowly. The general rule is time before distance before distraction. So - get him working well in a low distraction environment before gradually increasing the level of distraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 I have been working on building up the levels of distractions but taking him to quiet park and going through the same training there as I do at home. Where there is something happening that can cause a bit of a distraction, I wait until he looks at me and then praise - or it he is too focused at something then I walk away in the opposite direction and when I get his focus again - reward. I also reward when I call him name and he looks at me - so I do the same at the park. I have been trying to say "good boy!" or smile and give as much positive energy or general praise as possible on the rare occasions when he DOES look at me - usually when he sits and is bored and looks up like "wtf are we doing herrree I just really wanna go play!" - but I don't feel like it's happening often enough for it to make a difference! I will definitely take him to more quiet areas after working more at home. ( Slight problem there: when I say "good boy!" he would roll over onto his back grinning and wagging his tail because he was so pleased to be praised ) how cute! Hehehehh I know I can't help but fall apart laughing because he's so damn cute. And then I'm laughing and smiling so he thinks "I must be doing the right thing!" This is why I am not a professional dog handler hahahaha. I agree with Tilly, try building distractions up slowly, going from a low distraction environment like your home to a really really high distraction environment like dog school is a big ask! Don't ask him to run before he can walk, in other words. Build his focus in distracting environments slowly. The general rule is time before distance before distraction. So - get him working well in a low distraction environment before gradually increasing the level of distraction. You're totally right I am asking a lot of him, he doesn't see other dogs very often (and it's always the same dogs) so I am not at all surprised that all he wants to do is check them out. He must give off intimidating vibes because there's been a couple of "grrrRR" moments between him and other dogs, not started by him, but that is DEFINITELY something I want to nip in the bud because of his breed and because it's the right thing to do. I will keep working at home and then maybe at the park across the street when there aren't other dogs / kids around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Training Your Puppy Dog to Listen to You: http://ezinearticles.com/?Training-Your-Pu...n&id=249330 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Paying Attention - A Training Exercise for Puppies and Dogs: http://ezinearticles.com/?Paying-Attention...s&id=267680 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Paws Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'd suggest getting yourself a copy of When Pigs Fly - Training Success With Impossible Dogs by Jane Killion Lots of great infomation http://www.wagschoolbooks.com.au/shop/book...ur/wsbjkb1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 COOOOL thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'd suggest getting yourself a copy of When Pigs Fly - Training Success With Impossible Dogs by Jane Killion Lots of great infomation http://www.wagschoolbooks.com.au/shop/book...ur/wsbjkb1.html Omg and she uses her bull terriers and there's a BT on the cover! Perfect! Thanks so much buying it right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now