Chloe08 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hi everyone. I would really appreciate some advice about how to train my 3 year cavalier to drop. He will do it every time when I have a treat to lure him but won't do it otherwise. We have been training for a year and practice nearly every day. Our training school doesn't allow food treats in class so we are making little progress. He stands, sits, heals etc without treats just won't drop. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 When you use the treat as a lure, how often does he get the treat? It sounds like he has worked out he only has to do it when he knows there is food and you need to break the link between action and food for him. If he gets a treat every time then try using the food as the lure but only rewarding with food every second drop and using either love or a toy as the reward for the second one. Then space the food treat out further over coming weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 What method does the school encourage you to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe08 Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thank you for your replies. I do not give him the treat every time. I usually give it to him every second or third time and sometimes mix it in with other commands but he knows if I have treats available or not. The training school suggested trying to have him drop before I feed him dinner (he refuses but will sit/stay until I give a release command) praising him when he naturally lies down, and physically putting him into position (which I don't think is a very helpful strategy). I think you are right about him wanting the food.it's just strange to me that he learnt other commands with food first and then we eased off and lent more towards praise but with this one command he won't budge. Thanks again, this is a great forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I have to admit we have the same issue with Gus. I'd never place him in position, that doesn't sound great at all on the schools part! Sometimes he will do it if you lure him without a treat, but I still have to get low and 'lure' him down and reward with praise, which works. I'll be keeping any eye out for a solution too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Can I suggest...place a treat in each hand, lure with one hand and reward with the other. After a couple of repetitions lose the treat from your lure hand but continue to lure as if you have the treat and reward from the other. Repeat this over a few training sessions until he is reliable, then add in your drop command, "lure" and reward from other. Soon he will drop on your verbal command and then you can mix up praise and food rewards. There is more to this in terms of timing but it's hard to describe on an iPhone! Feel free to put up some video if you're still having trouble :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I agree with TSD! Definitely post some video if you can and we can help you further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hmm your club doesn't permit the use of food as rewards but I bet there is no rule that says you can't have the treats in your pocket while you are there. Just a rule that says you can't use them. Your dog will know that they are there in your pocket. This is a short term solution only, you will also need to work on getting him happy to drop for a lesser reward - the above suggestions are well worth pursuing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Very sorry. Gremlins multiplied the post. Edited February 18, 2014 by RuralPug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe08 Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thanks for the replies. I will try to post a video soon and will try treats in both hands too. I have tried rubbing my hands with a treat before class which works once or twice until he realizes his not getting the actual treat! He is a bit cheeky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thanks for the replies. I will try to post a video soon and will try treats in both hands too. I have tried rubbing my hands with a treat before class which works once or twice until he realizes his not getting the actual treat! He is a bit cheeky. He's not cheeky - he's a perfectly normal dog! If you waved the smell of cheese in my face but never gave me any I wouldn't be very impressed either! If your dog works, then he should get paid. It doesn't have to be food but it has to be something - tug, play, going outside etc. If he doesn't value praise and pats in such a distracting environment then you have to find something else. There is no way my Dalmatian would have worked for praise and pats when he was a youngster. He will now but I still use a lot of food because I am always teaching more and more advanced skills. Your class sounds a bit "old school" - do have any other options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe08 Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Sorry if this posts twice something went wrong. Yes, I agree that the club is a bit outdated. Lovely people bur perhaps old fashioned. However I am struggling to find somewhere that doesn't train Sunday morning. My kids have sport Sunday. Would anyone have a recommendation for a club in Melbourne North( I live inner city) that trains on a different day? I would really appreciate any ideas. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I'm out in the west on a Saturday. In werribee, probably too far but so far so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal1 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Check there is no physical reason the dog is reticent to drop. If no physical issue, I would work on the drop command in isolation of any other command, rewarding heavily with food or tug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superminty Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Four Paws K9 Training is in Keilor Downs, they train on Sat mornings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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