Leah82 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Hi, I wondering if I could get some tips for training my rescue poodle x that I've had for about 4 weeks, she's a 7 year old puppy farm dog so came to me without knowing any of the basic, sit come etc. We went pretty well with sit, she'll do it nearly everytime (not always straight away) but I'm struggling to move on from that because she gets a bit nervous when it's just me and her and when she's confused she'll just run back to her bed. She's a lot more confident around our cocker but being an eternal puppy it's impossible to do anything without him getting in your face and demanding attention (not to mention he starts whining when you take her into another room which then makes her more anxious). Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm keen to get her up to scratch with the basics fairly quickly. She loves to run at full speed at the park but at the moment she's doing so with a long rope dragging behind her just incase she starts wandering off. She'll come to me but only if I'm crouched down and preferably with treats. At home if she's nice and comfy in her bed the only way to get her to go outside to go to the toilet is to lead her by her collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I was in the same situation 18 months ago. K9-pro website will give you info on the behavioral interrupter which would be the first thing I'd teach because it's a rescue from all possible bad situations. Get yourself a clicker and on the Internet is a program of 101 things to do with a box, after that the sky is the limit. For my boy he learned to offer actions and that things he did could earn him treats, for dogs without a human interaction history I think this is a huge lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I was thinking that you may want to read Megan's posts. I don't know if you can somehow just look at her posts in the reactive dogs thread but her girl Lucy was also a very fearful product of a puppy farm. She wrote a detailed post not so long ago about how troubled she was when she first got her she wouldn't even come in the house and now she even does agility and is a happy little dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 At home if she's nice and comfy in her bed the only way to get her to go outside to go to the toilet is to lead her by her collar. Any reason you don't use a lead? IMO that is much preferable to grasping her collar .. ( just clip it on calmly ..no conversation) it can also be used as a training time .. Use a word/phrase to call her out of bed ... another as she follows you, and another for toileting :) ..followed by a happy praise :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 We went pretty well with sit, she'll do it nearly everytime (not always straight away) but I'm struggling to move on from that because she gets a bit nervous when it's just me and her and when she's confused she'll just run back to her bed. ;) she can't if she is on a long light lead . My first aim for this dog would be a recall .... sit isn't so important ..but coming when called IS :) use whatever she is most fond of as a reward ... and have her on a long light leash until she does it automatically :) Train only for a couple of minutes at a time ..and set her up to succeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 The only thing to worry about with this dog is confidence and relationship building. Spend time on the reeeeeal bare bones basics - being handled, basic house sounds, her name (say name, she looks, treat, say name, she looks, treat) where to toilet. These dog's are usually emotionally stunted and some can actually stop learning to learn. Such a sterile, repetitive environment for that prolonged period needs to be taken into consideration. 4 weeks in a new environment with a dog that has such an upbringing is nothing. Just spend time with her, be happy and love her, when you see the brain start focusing and wanting to interact with some more confidence then try tricks through luring. Do everything in ever so tiny baby steps and slowly so she doesnt get confused or fails which obviously shuts her down quite quickly. Poor little poppet, she sounds like a little angel though :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 J ust spend time with her, be happy and love her, when you see the brain start focusing and wanting to interact with some more confidence then try tricks through luring. Do everything in ever so tiny baby steps and slowly so she doesnt get confused or fails which obviously shuts her down quite quickly. Poor little poppet, she sounds like a little angel though ..and don't forget photos !! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 (edited) I had to really go back to basics when I got my current scaredy-boy. It was a bit of a shock after previously having either dogs from puppyhood or our girl who would wiggle herself inside out for some human attention. The boy just had no value for human interaction at all. I still don't know his past, but like Nekh said patience was the biggest part of getting him back to a good place. Also hand-feeding, rewarding with food for just coming up to say hello (obedience was a distant second concern), and letting him approach new things in his own time. He was encouraged to face his fears in controlled situations, but not forced. He will always have lower-than-average ability to cope with new things but now he's my little buddy and has learnt that humans aren't *always* for running away from :) Good luck with your girl, and remember that 7 years of living in fear and deprivation is a LONG time. Sending good vibes Edited June 21, 2013 by TheLBD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Yes, photos please. What an awesome person you are for giving this girl a chance at a good life. You rock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Just an idea, but if she's very sensitive when it's just you and her, can you lie down prone and see if that takes the social pressure off her enough for her to approach you of her own volition and explore you, give some licks and maybe even (might take some time) engage in very gentle play when she seems responsive and confident enough to enjoy it?? You can't force her enjoyment though, only do your best to help her build confidence using whatever techniques seem she finds easiest to respond positively to. NB, all my posts in this forum should come with this disclaimer: Noob trainer alert! Suggestions may be incorrect due to lack of experience. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 Good advice Wobbly. I always find if you sit on the floor or get down on their level you can came across as less scary/threatening. Noob trainer alert in use here as well :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 It may be worth checking out Kay Laurence's book "Learning Games". http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Learning-Games-Kay-Laurence/9781890948368 From what I have heard she has a very good program for rehabilitating shy and fearful dogs and building confidence that involves problem solving, body awareness, and connection with their human handler. I haven't seen this book, so I'm only guessing, but it sounds like it might incorporate those kinds of games. There's also another book by James O'Heare called Empowerment Training, but it is pretty heavy on theory and light on methodology. I would love to see people trying out body awareness/balance, problem solving, and training persistence. I don't know if it will work, but we did this with one of my dogs with pretty amazing results. I didn't exactly realise there was a problem with him until I started teaching him balance exercises and taking him into the bush. Twelve months later, though, he was a very different dog with vastly more confidence and far easier to train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Thanks for a tips guys. I tried the behavioural interrupter on the weekend then took her to the park with Collie a few hours later and used the cue (armed with treats of course) she put her head up straight away and came running over, tried it a couple of more times and it didn't work but definitely getting there - possibly distance was a factor. And Wobbly I do find she had a lot more confidence when you crouch down to her level. As far as being a puppy farm dog goes she's actually a very happy and intelligent girl, just looses her nerve every now and then. She really hasn't warmed up to my partner as much as me, I'm not sure if it's because he's a tall intimidating man or possibly our other dog has communicated to her that he's his human not hers :p I haven't managed to take too many photos of her yet but here's a couple. Also while at the park on the weekend she was running circles around Collie and with the long rope that follows behind her it looked like she was trying to hog tie him, would have been a great photo but unfortunately i didn't have my phone. Here's Collie and Sarah curled up on the bean bag Looking like a Meercat... simples! After I took her for a clipping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Oh she's beautiful. :love: Glad everything's going well for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Beautiful dogs, I'm a big fan of the cuddly breeds....Collie looks like a big snuggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Awe bless.. She is lovely. Lots of praise with smiles and encouragement. It would be harder if she is timid girl. I find with my boof head that the more I am happy and smiling at him, wide eyes, head nodding, yes, yes - the more he responds to me. If I just so sit Zig, stay Zig, he gets bored with that really quickly.. Sometimes they don't get what you want, so gently moving them into position can help. Maybe find a treat or toy that she really likes and use that to train - the only time she gets it is when you train. (Zig loves tennis balls, he only gets them when we train. The same with devon and cheese - he never has this any other time). I wish you well with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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