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Subject: My dog's in need of some new "who's in charge training".

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mjbuck

Hancock, MI

MH
Posts:144

07/03/2012 5:55 PM
While the title of my post might seem harsh, my dog has forgotton who has the last word on some of her behavior. Lately, she's been a little slow to respond to commands such as "whoa", "stay" and "come". There is a beach near my house that is perfect for dogs. Few people ever there and plenty of area to bring my dog even if there are. Lately, my dog (Sadie is two years old) has been increasingly paying attention to more things than just me and her throw toy. Today at the beach, she ran away from me in chase of a duck that appeared to intentionally circled just over us to entice Sadie to follow her. Sadie ran parallel to the shore after the duck and I had to run after her and she would not listen to any commands. She ran about 150 yards. While I will admit my dog is not the greatest at obeying 100% of the time, she will listen once you break her concentration from what ever distracted her. It has been a long time since I've had to put her E-collar on. I think it is time to get back to that to get her realizing she has to listen.

Smylinacha User is Offline

Connecticut

MH
Posts:1208

07/03/2012 6:26 PM
Onced my dogs are focused on something there is no turning back......I have roadrash to prove it They listen to the hubby though.

smatulewicz User is Offline

Michigan

MH
Posts:1197

07/03/2012 7:05 PM
How dependent on you is she in terms of needing to know you're near? I mean...if she ran after a duck and didn't respond to the first recall. Do you think she would eventually come back without you going after her? I have told myself if Bella did this, unless immediate danger, I would not chase after. I would trust that once she realized she had run off she would turn back and look for me as she needs to know I'm nearby. I just feel like me running after her puts her on top of the power chain. If I recall her off a person or a dog and she ignores to keep playing, I will calmly walk and retrieve her. With the weather we have had, I take Bella to the beach everyday. I go to the dog friendly beach that has less people and I go all the way almost to seagull territory where most don't bother because of the feathers and poo. Here, I can still have distractions and I can train with Bella. I spend the time intermixing play and train. She is more willing during the training because she wants to get back to play. BUT sometimes there are other dogs about 20 feet away and if they are playing...she has a hard time focusing. She will go through a repertoire of tricks rather than just listening to what was actually command. She is still wanting to please me but can hardly stand to listen. From her perspective...she has performed these commands and heard them 100's of times, BUT the new dog down the way looks new and much more fun. If this is the case, I revert back to her easiest commands and then return to play. I try not to expect too much during GSP ADD moments. Though, it is hard sometimes because I know what she is capable of. Do you train with Sadie daily? I train with Bella at least once a day (on top of incorporating the necessary commands throughout a day). You may want to go back to the basics for a while until she relearns you're consistent and mean business. try inside...then move to your yard...beach w/e-callar... She'll come around!

pixie bee

MH
Posts:4452

07/03/2012 7:19 PM
What you are experiencing is a dog who has become comfortable with the low standards. At some point you settled and she knows it. Raise the standards. Don't let her wear you down with attrition.

"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle

Texas Belle User is Offline

Austin, TX

MH
Posts:7856

07/04/2012 11:33 AM
Pixie is right. If you give an inch they will take the mile. You have to expect the same level of response all the time and be prepared to enforce if she blows you off. I teach a recall (use here for this one) that means stop no matter what and get your behind to me fast. That is the one command that I never give them any slack on because it could someday mean the difference between life and death. I train that one with the ecollar, but only after they completely understand the command. I also put the ecollars on some of my dogs whenever we walk in an area off leash just in case. Some dogs will test you more than others and you need to be always prepared for the test.

Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna) Yellow Rose GSPs "A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato

mjbuck

Hancock, MI

MH
Posts:144

07/04/2012 3:00 PM
Thank you all for the advice. Some common sense stuff as well as stuff I didn't think about. Only twice in the two years I've had Sadie has she run off and not returned to me shortly. I chased her down the beach yesterday because she was heading in the direction of a road on the other side of a small running along the water way. I'm pretty sure she will come back after a matter of time. It is so true that once they get concentrated on something, it's hard to get their attention. Sounds as though all these dogs (GSPs) are about the same, with the only difference being the amount and type of training they get.

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