Basic Obedience

samckinner · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:12 am Post subject: Basic Obedience

Hey All

I started training Haus when I first got him home. He knows his basic commands. We started obedience last week. He did very well in class, after he settled down. He does very well in our sessions at home. The problem is that he knows the commands but he will only do them if he feels like it. If he is the slightest bit distracted forget it He is 8 months old and I have only had him for about a month, am I just expecting way too much or is there something I'm missing. We are doing treats but no matter, sometimes, he could not care less. I am really needing him to come when called and sit more than anything. Any suggestions

Trene · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:17 am Post subject:

Try using hot-dogs, turkey hot-dogs, chicken or cheese.

Sky would take and love ANY treat.

Storm, it has to be something special or he'll spit it out, and won't train.

PamK · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:36 am Post subject:

He sounds like he is still testing his limits, or yours. My trainer won't let us give up. If you give a command you must make him do it before moving onto something else. I know that can get very hard and frustrating, but if you give up your just reinforcing that he can listen to you when he wants to but not always.

DukesMom · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:11 am Post subject:

I agree, you need to make the treats something REALLY exciting or if he is not that food driven how about a toy that he is crazy about. How long are you working with him at a time? It is better to do several short (10-15 min) training sessions a day than one long one. By 8 months he should be getting pretty good. To me, "come" and "stay" are the two most important commands and we do them all day long throughout the day just in our normal business. When my dogs are outside I will randomly call them many times throughout the day. They have gotten so good that 99% of the time they stop what they're doing immediately and come to me. With the "stay" command, I use a hand up like a stop sign and when I'm walking around the house and don't want them to follow me into a room, I just put my hand up and they immediately freeze. When we go outside or come inside I always make them sit/stay and they have to wait until I give them command for "come" to follow me. These are things that you can do all day long and it's not a boring 1 hour training session...ya know what I mean? Make the training exciting! By 8 months your dog should be getting pretty reliable. Gracie just turned 9 months and I am now working with her in public places off leash.

DukesMom · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:13 am Post subject:

(I just reread that you have only had him a month) Give it time and keep working with him.

kcolsey · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 1:16 pm Post subject: give it time...

I had a similar experience bringing Gracie to obedience class the first few sessions...she was highly distractible and selectively obeyed the commands. It was so frustrating, but it got easier once she got used to what was expected of her and she was familiar with the other dogs in the class. Give it more time and I'll bet Haus will be eager to please you. I had success with giving Gracie bits of a mozzerella cheese stick during training. I would hold it in my hand with only a small bit of cheese at the end that she could nibble on when she followed a command. Another thought...have you been introduced to clicker training? It really works well to reinforce positive behaviors!

samckinner · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject:

Actually Haus' problem isn't in class, they all think he is doing wonderful and think that he should definitely be trained to compete in AKC trials. Boy are they fooled Laughing

His problem is when he wants to do it he will otherwise forget it. For instance if he is in the front yard and I say come, he does not even give me a glance. If I am in one end of the house and he is in the other and I say come, he leaves skid marks on the floor. Go figure Rolling Eyes

Sam and Haus

versatilek9s · Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject:

1. He's a weimaraner and will always think for himself. Part of the "fun."

2. He's 8 months old and you haven't had him for long. He was a gooey lovey baby for a month, but now wants to see what you're really all about. Weims go through that funny adolescent period (neutered or not) until around 18 months. It's all a test.

3. What they said.

Very Happy

Keep it up! He'll be fine.