Buddy's had his 2nd training session..."Heel" not so easy

[thebritt]

We worked on "down - stay", which he's getting pretty good at, once he's calmed down. He gets VERY excited when he first gets outdoors, but he's better at it inside. We also worked on "Heel", which he's a lot better at with the trainer than us. We're learning to use patting our left leg as the "heel" signal, along w/the word heel. When he gets ahead of us we turn around and go the other way , giving the command and patting our leg, as told, but he doesn't comply w/us like he did with the trainer. It's kinda frustrating! Any suggestions?

 

[WriterofWords]

You have to work with the trainer, being trained with your dog. I just had Bella my Heeler graduate from her obedience and she is going into her Agility Training now. Work with a short leash and then a loose leash, and then a long leash doing the heel command so you can "reel" him in as needed.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
We do - she comes out once/week, then we work on our "homework" till her next visit.

 

[()relics]

You have to say it like you mean it...Not as if you are merely suggesting he listen to your command. The trainer has the advantage over you because he/she doesn't live with the dog...Your dog "knows" your voice tones and can distinguish more clearly just exactly "when you really mean it"...Where as the trainer is a stranger and your dog listens because he isn't as familiar with him/he and wants to avoid a possible confrontation...Say the command firmly....Don't ask...then prompt him to follow the order in what ever way you have been doing it....continue until he does it....don't let him win or you are finished....Most good trainers can non-verbally communicate to the dog that they are in charge...the dog listens because they are intimidated, in a dog way....The failing of most trainers is to pass the baton to the owner= the dog does for the owner what he does for the trainer....JMO...1 more trick for you....MAKE Buddy run off all his energy before you try to "do your homework"...dogs listen amazingly well when they are dead tired...Same as horses....just smaller

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Heel takes lots of practice. Have you thought of using a Gentle Leader or Halti head collar? Spook was very head strong when she was a pup but learned quickly with the Halti not to pull. It's just like putting a halter on a horse. I've used both and prefer the Halti.

ETA--what kind of dog is Buddy? That effects training too.

 

[thebritt]

It's true - a tired dog is a good dog. But Buddy doesn't get tired! I've taken him on 5 mile walks (that's a walk for me, a 10 mile run for him (off-leash at the beach), and he STILL acts like he just woke up! As for the "commanding" tone, at what point is one commanding vs sounding p.o.'d? I don't use an asking tone - I definately try to sound authoritative. I have 5 other dogs that I've been using the techniques I'm learning, but none of them are nearly as high strung (of course, Buddy has serious issues from his past life - the previous owner didn't speak to him, he yelled at him, followed by an occasional punch in the face, as told to me by more than one witness).
I do appreciate the input - THANKS!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Also what kind of incentive are you using? Clicker training. Treats? Ball? Spook is food oriented. (She was starving when I found her) She will stand on her head in the corner for a little taste of cheese, lol.

Use short, quick commands. I don't use "No". I think she must have heard it all the time. I use "Not" with an empasis on the T, or just the "ent"sound. Now that she is 12 years old and knows what is expected, I do "ask" her to do things. However, when she isn't quick to respond she gets the a one word command, "NOW" and snaps to it.

Make your homework short sessions several times a day that begin and end with play.

What type of dog is Buddy?

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

In all fairness and honesty to what you are trying to do: its best that you rely only on your trainer at this point. The reasons being you'll get more information here than you can process and it will undermine the trainer who is developing a working (and real life) relationship with you and your dog. If you don't trust your trainer let her go and find another.

The best advice I can suggest is go with what she says. I love the updates however, please keep them coming

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
Buddy is VERY food oriented. He, too was starving when I got him. Buddy is mostly McNab, with some chow (black spots on his tounge). Thanks for your input!

 

[savingdogs]

I like to think "calm and assertive" like Cesar says when I'm trying to be the leader. I prefer to use the pinch collar and use the training methods described on Suzanne Clothier's website. A great book about heel and what not is The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell.

Dog training takes patience, they don't learn it all in one day. Day by day they make little progressive steps instead of things coming to us as a whole idea we suddenly "get". Dogs are not like that, it takes alot of repetition. Remember to praise alot for good behavior but kind of act like you "expect" it. Like Coyote Magic said, make every training session end on a good note (like play). Frequent short sessions are better than marathon ones. Praise the positive, try to ignore or stop the negative.

Your dog sounds high energy, you might experiment with different ways of tiring him. Doggy daycare and playing with another dog situations can be very tiring. Walking with a weighted backpack is another way (as long as there are no joint or back issues). Some dogs will chase a ball or retrieve something which is a good way of tiring them out. I once knew a high energy lab that could never be tired out until the family purchased one of those automatic ball tossers. Whenever he rolled the ball in, the machine would kick it into the air. But there are creative ideas like that out there. I've heard of people using treadmills as well.

Good luck and I hope all this advice on BYC helps.