Rules Of Dog Training

[gareth]

I mean that sometimes it is hard to go to obedience school and simply be there to learn without wanting to look good or end up feeling shamed by your dog acting up. People can feel embarrassed by their dog's behaviour and it becomes about them and not the dog.

Sorry to take this off track, but for anyone who is embarrassed by their dog's behaviour, it SHOULD be about them because they have a big problem if they feel like that.

Anyone who goes to obedience school with the motive of looking good needs to

re-examine their motives I think.

Or have you confused me even further?

To add to this thread, I feel that the rules of dog training should involve working towards a mutual understanding and ultimately earning your dog's respect.

[SamAdams]

hard to explain: I have heard people say, My dog is being stubborn. Or my dog is being spiteful because he peed on the floor. chewed up his toy etc.

-In my opinion a dog cannot be "spiteful" he is simply a dog. If he's doing something wrong it is because you have not trained him to do it right.. not because he is evil, or spiteful.

-maybe others think differently. but I think sometimes people need to think like a dog, not assume their dogs are "thinking" like a human.

*not sure if any of this makes sense.

[Clicking Mad]

...

Edited January 7, 2008 by Clicking Mad

[Clicking Mad]

...

Edited January 7, 2008 by Clicking Mad

[Lablover]

Sam Adams,

I think you make perfect sense. I have a word in my vocabulary: TATLAD.

Try and think like a dog.

FHR:

My dogs know English - vocal cues. Starting with their names. All the same (I think) I know what you are implying. I feel dogs need to know the concept/exercise before they understand the vocal cue.

To those who have shown interest in the gundog training, the group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm, around the Berwick area. It is free of course!!!! We all get along well. Any age gundog is more than welcome to join us.

PM me if interested. Warning: Retrieving trials are life changing.

Edited December 15, 2004 by Lablover

[Sayreovi]

Have PM you

[whatevah]

I have also PMed you, I am interested as Josh loves this. He especially loves the water retrieves, would like to give Moses a go too.

With dog training my rules are

If dog is not understanding what you are trying to teach, try a different way. There are many different ways to teach weaving poles.

If the dog is still having problems, give it a break and train something else and come back to it later. This works great with Moses. I was teaching him coits. To put a hoop on a stick, it was little hard, then I gave it a break for a month or so, and then he learned much quicker and got the hang of it.

If you are still having problems get someone to watch you and give advice.

If a dog is having a behaviour problem try and fix as soon as possible, before it becomes engrained and becomes a habit it get worse. Moses used to bark while I was getting his food ready, I stopped getting his food ready till he stopped barking. Problem fixed. Some problems take longer to fix than others.

As for Ego, I think all dog training is Ego. Why do people compete in obedience, agility, flyball and showing. The dog doesn't care if it doesn't get letters after its name or a trophy. Why is the handler so disappointed when dog doesn't go well.

As for showing off. We went to Rosebud Pet & Pony Expo and won best trick. We are now banned from entering the fun comps next year, but they want us to do a demo for eveyone. My obedience club also wants me to do a demo next year.

I love hearing peoples comments and laughter when I do my dog tricks. People love watching Josh do his flying leap into the water, they get their kids to watch.

Watch this clip for lots of dogs doing fantastic show off things in canine freestyle.

http://landofpuregold.com/reb.wmv

[SpikesPuppy]

Listen to your dog.

Learn to read your dog's body language.

Be prepared to work as a team with your dog.

[Vickie]

Always set your dog up to succeed.

A behaviour is not known by a dog until it is taken on the road & proofed under distractions

Everything is much easier if you understand what your dogs highest value reward is (although I do believe it is possible to change it)

One command/signal can/should only mean one thing...dogs are not mind readers

As a handler, if you can't do it well without the dog, you can never do it well with the dog

[sidoney]

Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it.

[Guest Tess32]

Sorry to take this off track, but for anyone who is embarrassed by their dog's behaviour, it SHOULD be about them because they have a big problem if they feel like that.

Anyone who goes to obedience school with the motive of looking good needs to

re-examine their motives I think.

Or have you confused me even further?

To add to this thread, I feel that the rules of dog training should involve working towards a mutual understanding and ultimately earning your dog's respect.

hehe, hope I haven't confused you even more

I don't think that people who are embarrassed necessarily have a big problem, but it *can* be a problem. If I had an extremely nutty dog that misbehaved terribly, I admit I'd probably feel a bit embarrassed, even though it is unwarranted. It's a problem when they take their frustration out on the dog and force it to do things etc - so that's more what I was referring to, the negative effects ego can have.

I agree - Training should be renamed Learning - a joint effort

Nat

[Guest Tess32]

clicking mad - agree agree agree

Nat

[tommy15]

this is a related issue to the embarresed thing ...

i always make my biggest effort to treat my dog precisely the same when we have visitors, or when his out with me and some company, as i would when we are alone.

I dont want him to feel like there is anything to be apprehensive about around other people, and i dont want him to feel like some rules change around other people, because he is a rescue who had a tough life and i dont want to show any kind of incosistency or give him any reason to be unsure around humans.

For instance, outside in the garage theres a couch and a tv and that, he sits next to me on the couch, and thats it. visitors will stand before puppy moves, because thats his seat, and i wont have him thinking as soon as someone comes over his less important all of a sudden.

[Guest cloverfdch]

*Getting mad does not teach the dog anything .

Tommy i am the same with my dogs if we have visitors over who do not like dogs i will not make them go outside, yes leads get put on but they are not thrown outside.

[FHRP]

My dogs know English - vocal cues. Starting with their names.  All the same (I think) I know what you are implying. I feel dogs need to know the concept/exercise before they understand the vocal cue. 

Yes, Lablover, I meant untaught words. And even then a lot of things we say to dogs is about tone and body language (physical cue).. An action must be taught and then the verbal cue applied. Expecting a dog to drop because we say it over and over again don't work.. they don't speak english!!

Edited December 15, 2004 by FHR

[FHRP]

Not sureif it's been said.. Be consistent. Probably my biggest downfall in training

[dogdayz]

Unfortunately i work so 4pm is no good. Shame as Berwick is so close by.

Dogdayz

[Rusky]

When it goes wrong it is the handler's fault.

When it goes right the dog gets the credit.

I am with shadowboxer

This is my number one rule

[lubmylab]

It's ok for you and your dog to have a bad day.

Training is about the dog and handler learning to work together, not about advancement. (As an example of what I mean: there is a person at my obedience classes who argued with the trainer when she was not advanced into the next class when many others in the class were. The trainer thought that she and the dog needed more work, but she bullied the trainer into advancing them because she wanted to keep up with the Joneses.)

[Vickie]

Another good one,

Don't practise a mistake. If it goes wrong more than twice, you need to put your dog away and work out what the problem is.