dog training question

[Cara]

People also train their dogs not to come to them by making it boring to be captured. If 'come' means their leash is going back on and playtime is over, soon they won't want to. If you call her to you, reward, then let her go back to playing, she won't be as reluctant.

 

[redhen]

right..come has GOT to be a good/happy/treat time for them at first..until they learn the command well...

 

[WriterofWords]

Also I didn't notice if anyone else said this, but no matter how frustrating it is not to have her come, when she does come DO NOT punish her!! No one will come to you willingly if they are going to get swatted or yelled at.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
yup!

If you punish/scold her when she finally comes then it will just make her more hesitant to come to you...

 

[todd walker]

I don'y understand what a few mean by no treats???
op,said clicker,clicker (start) is nothing but treats,
I have FC-AFC labs and sch 3 and ring titled malionis,they all start with treats(cut up hotdogs)and the clicker,then later will switch over to a ball or tug,treats are the best and fastest way to mold a behavor in a dog,or any animal.
But your dog has got to like spending time with you,I do it by when I let them out to air we go for a walk aroud the place(40 acres)just let them have a good time when we get back to the yard will get treats and only the young one will get treats he wants to play but has come to think I'm just there to give treats,and will get between the older dogs and me,he is now ready to learn the clicker.

 

[domino7]

While I see nothing wrong with giving treats, I don't like it. I've never had a problem training a dog without them. I think the biggest thing is to not let the dog fail, so the long lead is imperative. My dogs come racing when I call them. If I whistle, all 3 come running, or I can call them individually. My rottweiler also knows hand signals. I've always had the most success using ONLY positive reinforcement, which could be a treat, pat on the head, atta girl, or whatever works.

There's nothing worse than a dog that won't come when called.

 

[Godsgrl]

Thank you all for the wonderful input on this topic. Okay, so keep Sweet Pea on a long lead to reinforce my commands. Yes, I'm going to start her on treats, as they are a great motivator. Eventually I'll phase them out. My favorite is cut up hot dogs, just quick and easy to use. Praise praise praise, and never punish on a recall. Got it. We'll try the recall game as well, to see what happens. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
It depends which breed you're working with

 

[Slinkytoys]

One of the things I taught in my obedience classes was something I learned in my Psych class. Give the command and enforce it Each and Every time. We tend to get lazy with pets and kids. I remember when I was a child (yeah years and years ago) in my neighborhood our parents would call us to come home from playing. You know the drill, nope they don't sound like they mean it yet. It's easy to nag at our pets and kids. Fluffy sit, sit Fluffy, now I want you to sit, now sit, sit sit sit Sit SIT SIT SIT Darnit. One command, then enforce it. We have to get off our butts and make sure the pet sits. Same with kids. No you can't go to Joey's house. That's it. Let them whine, throw a tantrum. Doesn't matter, they don't go to Joey's house.
If you call your dog, then you have to be prepared to make sure your dog will understand the command and respond. I raise Sighthounds (Irish Wolfhounds to be exact). People are surprised when my dogs listen to what I say to them. It's because they think my arms are long enough to enforce what I say. I'm not mean to them, but if I tell them to be quiet, I expect them to be quiet. If they are chasing a bunny and I call them off, I expect them to come back to me. I never give a command that I cannot enforce in one way or another. If you start when they are young, you will enjoy them when they're old.
Funny how my friends' kids depend on me to tell them exactly how it is...... children and pets really like consistency. They will test the boundaries but are reassured when they know exactly where they are.....always.
Slinky