How Are Show Dogs Trained As Opposed To Normal Obedience/ Pet Dogs?

[ash&elar]

Well i am wondering as the title states the difference? I was under the assumption (i know very bad of me one should never assume) that to be a show dog you would have pretty good training? name reconistion, recall, basic commands for instance????

My new girl though i lovely dog doesnt seem to have any basic training other than to walk nicely and constantly paces when on free range in the yard, she is calm at night when she come and sleeps in our room or watches tv with us once the kids are asleep but during the day unless she is on a lead she wont stay still, we are on a farm and the other day i was gardening, went to open the gate to get the wheelbarrow out and she slipped past out of the yard that is fenced for the dogs and out the front near the paddocks so i start calling and she just keeps running circles off in her own lil world, i do believe that she does know sit but chooses not to unless i make her, other than that she doesnt seem to have any training..... i will be doing dog ob with her so i will be training her, i just assumed that a dog that would of had alot of work spent with it for showing (being a standard poodle) would have pretty good training with the basics, esp since i know how highly trainable poodles are, i know this girl is testing me she is trying to sus out whether i am a person who has to be listened to or not.... she will learn the way it is

I have sent an email to the breeder but they do not check their emails often, so asking here.

The breeder is a full on show person with 3 dif breeds and well looked after animals as to health and breeding. And had a very genuine reason for rehoming juliet.

I have trained a handful of dogs over the yrs in dog ob so i know i will be able to train her no worries once she works out im serious and not going to give up just cause she is being difficult. And we will have an even greater bond through the training.

Is there a reason that she would not of been trained in general dog ob for showing? I have heard show ppl dont like their dogs automatically sitting when they stop like you are taught at dog ob.

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

HI show dogs need to be able to , stand for examination , walk and pace on lead and thats about it I am afraid most train their dogs more than this but this is the bare bones of what is required .

She may well just be pushing your buttons as you are not the boss yet LOL I have had a few dogs perfect for me total ignorance for anyone else

[ash&elar]

HI show dogs need to be able to , stand for examination , walk and pace on lead and thats about it I am afraid most train their dogs more than this but this is the bare bones of what is required .

She may well just be pushing your buttons as you are not the boss yet LOL I have had a few dogs perfect for me total ignorance for anyone else

Yes this is what i am thinking, though i am pretty sure she only knows the basics that you mentioned. She has decided that i am hers and is not interested in anyone else i just have to work out what is going to be her motivation to do what i want her to do... i grew up with labs.... you have food they do what you want

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Yup rotties here they tend to act on their tummies too , when she settles a bit see what rocks her boat have seen poodles go nuts for squeal toys , she may just need to be worked like you would a pup , attach her lead to you and make her follow you around sit and wait for her dinner she will get the hint

[persephone]

This dog is reacting as do many dogs when given sudden freedom in an unknown area-show dog or not Please make sure she is always on a long lead/confined ,while she adjusts, so as to stop the forming of any bad habits . Set her up to WIN every time Reward her handsomley when she comes to you - or looks at you ! maybe use the Triangle of temptation, LINK to set up the relationship in a basic way?

[ash&elar]

Yup rotties here they tend to act on their tummies too , when she settles a bit see what rocks her boat have seen poodles go nuts for squeal toys , she may just need to be worked like you would a pup , attach her lead to you and make her follow you around sit and wait for her dinner she will get the hint

I do haver a sqeaky toy that i was trying to get her to fetch for me she went after it sniffed and kept running lol, yeah i have just been trying to let her settle in a bit before i go all hard arse on her and trying to get a bit of a feel for her personality, she is very ppl orientated and pretty much ignores all the other animals so that will be good at obedience, i am interested in learning about clicker training???? dont think there will be anyone who will be able to show me hands on though and that is how i learn best

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

there are workshops fairly often for clicker training so you might be able to book in for one , also lots of utube and DVD options to try out as well

think the most important part is timing it all right am hopeless at click treat lead altogether so just use the word yes LOL but works well for a lot of things I want them to do

[ash&elar]

This dog is reacting as do many dogs when given sudden freedom in an unknown area-show dog or not Please make sure she is always on a long lead/confined ,while she adjusts, so as to stop the forming of any bad habits . Set her up to WIN every time Reward her handsomley when she comes to you - or looks at you ! maybe use the Triangle of temptation, LINK to set up the relationship in a basic way?

The yard that she does go into is only smallish and sequire, i do have a couple of big crates but they are in the laundry atm as doing reno's in the lounge so havnt been able to use those, she is whinging when outside which i dont want her doing but other than having her inside 24/7 dont know how to control? she is a big dog and i want her to be able to move and use some of the excess energy she has. Thanks for the link i shall have a look now.

[freundhund]

Hi ash&elar

As an obedience and show person, a lot of show dogs have very little training. The dogs only know what you see in the show ring run around on a tight show lead and to stand. I have found that sometimes show dogs don't evern really react to their names.

What I would do would be to train her as if she was an 8 week old puppy and start right back at the basics, you will find you will progress faster with your girl as she will think, but pretend she knows nothing it is so much easier.

Good luck with your girl's training.

[Tassie]

What I would do would be to train her as if she was an 8 week old puppy and start right back at the basics, you will find you will progress faster with your girl as she will think, but pretend she knows nothing it is so much easier.

Yep - that's what I would do too. Lots of little excited training sessions - particularly getting her to focus on you and want to play with you.

[persephone]

yep - no need to 'come down hard' ..just from NOW show her her boundaries, make yourself a wonderful person to be near , and start teaching her leash walking, and basic obedience at home- indoors, out in the paddock- wherever!

It will be MUCH more difficult for her if the rules change yet again Start as you mean to continue :p

Edited August 6, 2010 by persephone

[Jumabaar]

Just to add- She has probably had a fair amount of reinfocement NOT to sit

ie everytime she sat she would have been asked to stand. Just sus her out but a friend of mind had an exshowie that simply never learnt to sit because of her prior training so you might have to "capture it"- so when she sits and you see her make a big fuss so that she begins to learn that it is a good thing rather than asking her which used to stress my friends dog out.

(NB it was more stress caused by confusion at being put in a sit rather than distress)

[cowanbree]

My dogs are show dogs and know a lot of commands and have great house manners but they are possibly different to what most pet owners would train. My dogs all know their name and have an excellent recall but otherwise the majority of their commands are for use in the ring. Stand, walk up, back, etc. I would never train sit and while I have trained down in the past I don’t really anymore as I don’t really use it.

How long have you had your new girl? It does take time for adults to settle into their new home, at least 6 weeks. The plus side of buying a show dog is they should be very well socialized and they learn quickly

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Well i am wondering as the title states the difference? I was under the assumption (i know very bad of me one should never assume) that to be a show dog you would have pretty good training? name reconistion, recall, basic commands for instance????

Recall - not necessarily. Also, a proportion of show breeders believe that obedience training removes show ring "sparkle" so they tend to be light on with obedience training. Certainly nothing other than what is required in the ring, and recall is not required in the ring. I think the view that it removes show ring sparkle is to do with harsher methods that used to be in vogue rather than obedience training per se.

Anyway, forget all that. You have behaviour you don't want, and behaviour you do want. Whether rescue, ex-show or whatever, it's up to you to set your criteria now and then train for it. Her past as a show dog may explain her reluctance to sit, but if you make sitting worth her while she'll soon get it. Recall, you'll have to train. She's a poodle, she is probably ridiculously smart, so you have that to work with. Good luck.

Edited for syntax

Edited August 6, 2010 by SkySoaringMagpie

[OSoSwift]

I know of a 12 month old Dobe that at that point barely knew how to walk on a lead as the person "liked a challenge" She was shown after 12 months, gaited okay and stood, but she love ro try and slip her colalr, and was quite successful at it.

Many ex -show dogs do not know things other than exactly what they need to be shown. You will see many jumping up and get loves and cuddles as a reward for working well or maybe placing. Not thinks the average owner likes.

I got Lewis at 8 months, he had an excellent recall and walked very well on a lead, had fantastic house manners and stood beautifully. He had never been asked to sit, drop or heel. I clicker train and he had some previous clicker training, so in a really really short period of time he was working beautifully.

Set your boundries now, train her now keeping in mind she may think you are very slightly nuts for a while asking her to do all these things she has never done before. As long as you are consistant and fair in your training she will pick it up in no time. Poodles are sometimes too smart for their own good

[Starkehre]

In my experience breeders and/or showies that do not participate in any other disciplines other than conformation showing often train their dogs just enough to be managable in and around the home and well behaved to perform as expected in the showring, but still with charisma, spunk and presence.

This is an observation, not a criticism. I do not see anything wrong with this at all.

Hence there is every chance that your SP does not know how to sit, heel or fetch. Many dogs do not fetch without being taught.

Be firm, but fair. Right now she needs boundaries and consistency. Do not expect her to do be able to do any of these things until you train her to. Treat her like a clean slate.

Having owned a SP bitch, they can be quite soft, so the last thing you want to do is make her lose her confidence. I doubt she is naughty, so give her time, guidance and love and you will have an awesome dog before you know it. The work is going to have to come from you. SPs are super smart. They will often only do what they really have to do, so she may be trying you out a bit, but I don't think you need to be hard on her.

They also have an amazing sense of humour, so you may find if you show her yours, you will get more out of her too, as she will enjoy seeing you have a laugh with her.

And keep in mind that she has just been uprooted from her home. She will no doubt be feeling somewhat lost. Make it your job to find out what she likes, and it may not be squeaky toys, food or fetch?

Best of luck with her.

Edited August 6, 2010 by dyzney

[ash&elar]

Hi ash&elar

As an obedience and show person, a lot of show dogs have very little training. The dogs only know what you see in the show ring run around on a tight show lead and to stand. I have found that sometimes show dogs don't evern really react to their names.

What I would do would be to train her as if she was an 8 week old puppy and start right back at the basics, you will find you will progress faster with your girl as she will think, but pretend she knows nothing it is so much easier.

Good luck with your girl's training.

Yes she def does not react to her name, just the tone of my voice, yes i am pretending she is a puppy she def thinks im a lil crazy and gives me the why would i want to do that when i ask her to do something.... but we are getting there.

[ash&elar]

yep - no need to 'come down hard' ..just from NOW show her her boundaries, make yourself a wonderful person to be near , and start teaching her leash walking, and basic obedience at home- indoors, out in the paddock- wherever!

It will be MUCH more difficult for her if the rules change yet again Start as you mean to continue

Yes that is what i have been doing but i dont want it to be work work work from the start so i have been keeping the training short and trying to let her settle in first and bond with me.

[ash&elar]

Just to add- She has probably had a fair amount of reinfocement NOT to sit

ie everytime she sat she would have been asked to stand. Just sus her out but a friend of mind had an exshowie that simply never learnt to sit because of her prior training so you might have to "capture it"- so when she sits and you see her make a big fuss so that she begins to learn that it is a good thing rather than asking her which used to stress my friends dog out.

(NB it was more stress caused by confusion at being put in a sit rather than distress)

Yes i stand near her and ask her to sit and when she doesnt i ignore her until she naturally sits and then i say sit and good girl, she is already learning i think. she realises im not going to give her attention just because she wants it, if she wants something from me she has to do something for me.

[ash&elar]

My dogs are show dogs and know a lot of commands and have great house manners but they are possibly different to what most pet owners would train. My dogs all know their name and have an excellent recall but otherwise the majority of their commands are for use in the ring. Stand, walk up, back, etc. I would never train sit and while I have trained down in the past I don’t really anymore as I don’t really use it.

How long have you had your new girl? It does take time for adults to settle into their new home, at least 6 weeks. The plus side of buying a show dog is they should be very well socialized and they learn quickly

Have had her 1 week tomorrow and yes i know it can take them a while to settle in so thats why i have been trying to go easy on her while she settles with only short bits of training, and the socialised part of things is what really made me choose this girl being a ex show dog i knew she would of been exposed to alot and not be too worried bout noise and crowds etc the smarts and easy learning i knew was in the poodle anyways