boxagirl Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Bondi is getting bored of obedience I think. some days she absolutely loves it, others she lies down to sleep She does all the excersises well (on most nights, but they still could be improved) but isn't enthusiastic anymore. I use positive reinforcement, and treat with food/toys (she likes toys more) I think she has just gotten bored with the excersises at training (I do tricks at home and she loves doing them (like spin, back, up etc) maybe because theyre fast and active??? She would absolutely LOVE agility and is very good at it, but I can't start it until next year (hopefully) because my Dad can't drive me on the day that it's held I really want to trial Bondi in agility, but since I can't do that yet I've been doing obedience, and I would love to trial her in that too, but she just isn't enjoying it as much anymore. How can I get her enthusiastic again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Maybe she's telling you to take a break from formal obedience class for a while? I don't know what it's like where you train, but traditional hour-long obedience classes can grow to be stressful and boring for some dogs. You could use the break as an opportunity to keep practicing at home in shorter sessions, or as an opportunity to proof her obedience skills by taking her out to different places once a week for a short obedience session. I use positive reinforcement, and treat with food/toys (she likes toys more) If you want to keep going to class, my only other thought is that she doesn't sound particularly excited by the reinforcements you are offering. Whatever you choose to use as your reward, it has to be good enough to convince your dog to work for it. To me, it sounds like the rewards you are offering your dog just aren't exciting enough to motivate her at all. If you find a reward that truly excites your dog, I think you'll find her enthusiasm improves overnight! Do you restrict her access to toys at other times? She'll work harder for a toy reward if she only gets to play with the toy occasionally. Or perhaps you'll have to find some other reward to "float her boat" - does she have a very favourite game that you could use to reward her? Or if she's a social butterfly, you could even use the chance to meet or greet other dogs as a reward for obedience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Carthy Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 (edited) Amhailte "but traditional hour-long obedience classes can grow to be stressful and boring for some dogs. " | Denis I agree with Amhailte. I integrate obedience training into normal xcercise after teaching the action in a quite, as stimulus free place as I can get - I mix 1 min of xcercise and 1 min of play. Edited September 26, 2005 by Denis Carthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Nova was the same, he used to be great in obedience and then he burnt out a bit. So we started in Agility and gave obedience a break for awhile, his obedience has actually improved and we are hopefully gonna start trialling soon. I also use positive reinforcement, with special food and toys i guess after awhile he got bored doing the same exercises over and over again and too be honest so was i and maybe he was picking up on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 Yep, she has "special" training toys, which are only for training and she doesnt get to play with any other time- SHE LOVES THEM! LOL her toys get her little stump going It is an hour long, and i think it is the waiting for other people in the class to do their individual things (like stand for examination etc) that could be boring her too. I was going to give her a break, but I didn't want to because, while she is less enthusiastic about the training bit, she has been PERFECT around other dogs now and has actually started playing with them onlead! (which she never used to do) and I think if I took a break she would go back to how she used to be. She does really enjoy going to classes (and tells me when its time to go! lol she starts whining 15 mins before we go to tell me i need to get ready ) but she loses intests half way through. Maybe I should try teaching her something new at training, while we wait for the others? I like your suggestion denis. I think that will be the case with Bondi too Tollersowned. LOL But she will be an absolute shocker when we start agility classes I think she gets nervous around new things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Haha, Agility is really fun though. While we were waiting around during obedience while they talked, i started doing tricks with him or started training them, he loves doing his tricks so keeps him somewhat amused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 Yeah, I love watching agility! and doing it at home with bondi (but we only have a jump, hoop and tunnel lol I built a a frame but i wont use it coz its too unstable, and I don't want to make Bon scared of a frames if it falls or something, so my aframe will find the bin haha ) I want to teach Bondi to weave, what is a good "home" weave pole? are plastic garden stakes alright? and the dog has to enter on the left doesnt it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I used white plumbing stuff and just stuck those in the ground haha Dogs should enter with their left shoulder going in first, make sense haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna H Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Chelsea did the same thing... we've only just returned back to obedience classes in the last fortnight after not attending since April. I've been training from home in short bursts, but mainly just incoporating obedience training in day-to-day stuff only. She had a bit of a slow start once we returned to class, but now she's back to her usual happy self and responding so much better. The break from the classes did me the world of good as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I get bored of classes too, Leila gets absolutely bored after half an hour. It's just the same thing every time in the novice classes. We've taken a months break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 It's just the same thing every time in the novice classes It's the same thing all the time in advance classes too but we are going to start practising movement changes from a distance soon (like drop to stand, although Bondi already does this so It'll probably still bore her lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedds Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Would it be possible to leave class for 5 or 10 mins when she switches off and come back later? Then if she doesnt get back into it, leave it for the day totally. You see this everywhere, and it's very sad. Bored dogs standing around for way longer than their attention span. IMHO, you are undoing your good work and if you can guage when she has 'had enough' and leave it there, even for a short break, it might really help. If I asked to be excused because fido needed a break and an instructor said no, I'd be looking for another club. Oh, and I'd also do tricks and stuff as soon as she starts looking around with that 'ho hum' expression. Doesnt matter what it is, ANYTHING, as long as it gets her focused again..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 yeh, its pretty laid back, I think i'd be able to take breaks. Im thinkin it has undone some of her training aswell, she is very inconsistant now... somedays she is 100% some days she is away with the fairies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjk05 Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 yeh, its pretty laid back, I think i'd be able to take breaks. If you train with the club I think, you might want to check that... maybe its different in the advanced classes (its been a long time since we did them) but in the beginners classes you're considered to be "not participating fully" in class if you do short stints and break off to give your dog a rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2tollers Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Todd gets bored with obedience too and every time we take a break from it he comes back better than ever. He's doing flyball as well just to have some fun at the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I admit to not having read every post in this thread , but you say Bondi loves doing her tricks (because of the pazzazz involved, as you suggest) but not obedience. Have you given thought as to whether you treat the ordinary 'sit' or 'drop' etc. with the same 'pazzazz' you would when getting her to do a trick? The same happy look of anticipation and expectation on your face? What about getting her excited, all revved up with her favourite toy. Frustrate her with it ... push for prey drive. When she's a bit more wound up than usual, but focused on getting the toy, give the sit command (with 'pazzazz'). As soon as she's thrown herself into sit, give her release command and give her a 'win' on the toy. Turn "sit" into like as if she's doing a trick, if you get my drift. And like Denis and Amhailte .... I tend to throw in my obedience training during our walks. I might get my girl to leap onto a fallen log (she loves to climb onto things) and then command "sit". She feels very clever (well, that's what the look on her face seems to say) and very happy to sit. I release her and call her off the log and give her a treat. She sees this as 'fun' .... don't think she realises it's "usual obedience training" stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Brodie loves obedience classes, but I found this week that she was very distracted -partly because of the wind and partly because we were working right next to the agility ring and she wanted to see what was going on. We got promoted last week, so this week there were new moves to learn and she has taken straight to it. She really does love working, but that is temperament at work. She loves nothing more than getting praise when she gets a move right. Try to keep it upbeat and keep the interest levels high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I don't know if anyone's already asked this, but are you actually LEARNING anything each week or is she just repeating things she knows over and over? Maybe she's just in need of something new to learn so she can use her brain Breaks are fantastic...they DO work. Nat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 27, 2005 Author Share Posted September 27, 2005 I don't know if anyone's already asked this, but are you actually LEARNING anything each week or is she just repeating things she knows over and over? Nope, usually we are just repeating things (lower classes are the ones that teach new things, higher class just revises mostly) Have you given thought as to whether you treat the ordinary 'sit' or 'drop' etc. with the same 'pazzazz' you would when getting her to do a trick? The same happy look of anticipation and expectation on your face? I try to ;) Maybe not every single sit (because its very repetitive) and maybe this is why. I'll try and make an even bigger fool of myself on every sit she does now What about getting her excited, all revved up with her favourite toy. Frustrate her with it ... push for prey drive. When she's a bit more wound up than usual, but focused on getting the toy, give the sit command (with 'pazzazz'). As soon as she's thrown herself into sit, give her release command and give her a 'win' on the toy. Yep, sounds good. works when I do it at home.. I just don't want to annoy other people and their dogs by doing it I guess if it is bothering them, they can say something.. if they don't, they can put up with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess32 Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Ok - but if Bondi already knows it all, AND can do it under those particular distractions....then no wonder she's bored There should always be something new/fresh to learn. Not that every class should be something new, but that there is no point going every week for a full hour and doing the same thing she knows well over and over. Are you rewarding her for every behaviour....maybe she'd do best being rewarded randomly. Nat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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