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Trying to link to photos!

Thanks The Spotted Devil, he really is a delight! He's hogging the blanket right now, it's so cold this morning!

Oh ok, that sounds easy enough. He doesn't have any issues with me holding or grabbing his collar at this stage, even though I've only really used it to restrain him and take him outside when he is hassling the cat. I will work on lots of games so he finds it fun. Luckily he seems quite robust and forgiving, he doesn't seem to build up negative associations very readily so far. Maybe I've just been lucky though

What is the 'collar grab' exactly? Today was training again and it went really well. For the first time ever we managed to do a little bit of loose lead walking to and from our group. He was still pretty excited and distracted, especially when his boxer bff came to say hello, but overall I was delighted. We did lots of LAT practice which really seems to help him relax. I tried to do a couple of repetitions and then move quickly to something else, either an exercise or some tug. I had the clicker and we did some new things like drop stays and crossing behind. He just seemed more attentive than usual, he was happy to do lots of repetitions without losing focus and I didn't have to work very hard to get his attention. The clicker is definitely making a real difference. I'm not totally confident using it for everything yet - I'm not sure when to click for loose lead walking for example - and sometimes I find it hard to coordinate holding everything and clicking at the right time. Anyway, just wanted to report! Thank you all so much

Today we went to the enclosed off leash park and had it all to ourselves. We did lots of recall and retrieving until we lost the ball somehow, and I tried the fence trick a couple of times, which worked! I also noticed he was more attentive to me in general than he usually is at the park, even when we're alone, at one stage he kept coming back and looking at me while offering sits and other tricks. I took the opportunity to do some off-lead drops, high fives and touches each time he came back until I ran out of treats. I hadn't brought the clicker which was a shame. He still raced off to greet the bin emptying man, and I didn't try recalling him away as I was pretty sure he wouldn't come back. Luckily the bin guy has met him before and knows there's no threat there, he doesn't jump or anything, just runs around wagging his tail and wanting pats. Not ideal though, I know.

Aw thanks Persephone! He is the love of my life (don't tell my husband) and I know he'd be getting along much faster with someone who knew what they were doing. But we will muddle along with alll this great help from all of you

Ok great, I'll bring his tug toy along next time I think. I'm trying to build up the time he looks at me in the LAM game, even just at home I can only get about four seconds before his eyes flick away to where he thinks the treat might be coming from

Oh dear, I need everyone giving me advice to agree :D. The area is totally enclosed, I'm really lucky. Actually we had a bit of a test this morning. I was out with him very early doing a leash walk and delivering newspapers. We had just got out of the car and we're heading along the footpath when his leash dropped off! I hadn't clipped it properly - it was still dark and I didn't check closely. I'm not sure he realised but I just quickly said 'Sebastian, come!" and he came straight to me. He was only a couple of metres away but I was very relieved he didnt dash off across the road, (it was a very quiet street where we were, but only about 50m from a big busy road). I had the clicker and treats with me and we did some good LAT practice with people going past and a dog on the other side of the road. He definitely snapped back to me each time I clicked and he didn't get really excited the way he usually would. One thing though, he looks at me, gets his treat and then looks straight back at whatever the distraction is. Should I keep clicking and treating as long as he is calm, or should I get him to walk away at this stage after one repetition? He still did some lunging at leaves blown garland and a plastic bag, but I think a lot of that is puppy excitement and will wear off a bit as he gets older. Or am I kidding myself?

Yes I was noticing he was looking towards where the treats were coming from, I'll have to hide them better. He was also pushing the clicker with his nose a bit, he seems to have worked out where the magic treat noise is coming from, and thought he'd give it a go himself! With stepping on the long line, would that be if he was running and trailing the line behind him? I've just been doing long line recalls still holding the line.

Ok we just played Choose Me in the front yard and he got the idea super quickly. But he just started following me around staring at me ????. At least I had his attention. I'll try when there's more going on in the street, it's so wet and cold no one was walking past.

Brilliant

On I like the look of that Choose Me game, we will definitely play that. We went to our enclosed dog park this morning, we had it all to ourselves so I did a bit of work on sit/drop/stand etc before he got to run free. also some long line recalls. Then while he was running I called him over when I thought he'd probably come and he did, every time although he still tends to run past me. Maybe 60% of he time he came right back to me and he got his favourite sticky cheese and I also played his favourite 'chase mum' game, where I duck and weave and he chases me. Three small dogs arrived and I put him on lead, he was actually still listening to me quite well until they came running over to bark at him. Then he lost it and started really pulling so we called it a day. Oh not list it in the sense that he was barking or aggressive at all, just wriggly and really wanting to say hello. I knew he wouldn't be able to listen calmly so I thought it was best to go. I so appreciate all the input in this thread, realising you're clicking for calm notice of a distraction was a light bulb moment!

Ok we started tonight with the cat as a handy distraction. I'm not sure he completely gets it yet, he kept offering a high five, but he was by the end shooting quick glances at the cat and then waiting for his treat. We will continue tomorrow with thmy chickens as distraction. I'm also going to start training an emergency recall, maybe using a whistle. I just need it to be able call him away from other dogs, I found a program recommendation in an old thread from here: http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/lessons/Lesson6.html I have a five metre line, but think I might get a ten metre, plus a bungee

Ahh ok, that makes sense. Thank you! We will start tomorrow

I think so. So the click or mark or whatever gets their attention?

Ok. If I can ask another question from the DOL brains trust, I've been reading about LAT. and watching a couple of YouTube videos and I'm a bit confused. There seem to be two ways to do it; one is, you see a distraction (I'll say another dog) and your dog reacts. You stand still and ignore, waiting for your dog to look around at you, however long this takes, you then click and treat. The other way seems to be; your dog sees another dog and before it reacts, you click to get their attention and then reward. Have I got that right?

It's wet and rainy here today so we've been playing "find it" and my daughter laid a scent trail for Sebastian. Then I thought I'd get the clicker out again for the first time in three months and after a few reminders about how click-treat works, I taught him high-five! It took about three minutes, I'm so impressed with him. Clearly the clicker is the way to go with him. Next stop - LAT

That's a great explanation of building value, thank you! And yes I think there is a bit of a novelty thing going on, although there's no doubt my timing could be much much better.

Thanks so much for all the great advice everyone. Persephone, he LOVES tug, so we do that quite a bit. He also likes balls, he's getting pretty good at retrieving actually although still has a "keep away" tendency. The Spotted Devil, I like the idea of getting him to do more stuff before he gets to go and play, so I will incorporate that. We've recently started "find it", mostly just as an indoor wet weather activity at this stage, but he seems to like that too. And hide and seek with my kids. I'm such a novice, could someone explain a bit about the idea of "building value" as I don't think I'm quite getting it. I know he'd be doing so much better in experienced hands, whenever the instructors do something with him he is so good and responsive. He's really a lovely dog.

It's something I've considered too, whether letting him play is a good idea, but he loves it so much and it's so good for him that I don't think I can stop it altogether, nor do I want to. I also have a feeling that it would just increase his frustration, if he was never allowed to play. But I am putting limits on it. I take him to an enclosed dog park earliyish when there are only ever 1-3 other dogs, all now familiar.' He must sit and wait for my "ok"'before he goes to play. His recall is great in the absence of other dogs and we are working on it all the time. I'm not testing it around other dogs right now as I don't want to reinforce not coming back and our park set up is one in which I don't need to call him, as the dogs meet and go home at the same time. When he comes over to check in, he gets a treat and released to play again. He doesn't play at training and he doesn't meet other dogs while walking on leash right now. My aim is to be able to greet calmly and move on, but that's going to take a while

Well, we had a really good day at training today. I actually bought a new lead - it's a chain link one that attaches as normal to his flat collar. I thought it might stop him from wanting to chew his lead, and it did! He tried a couple of times, but clearly didn't like it. He was able to focus well for the majority of the hour class, he did all the exercises beautifully and the instructor used him to demonstrate some clicker training. He even got me to drop his lead while he worked with him which I was pretty nervous about, but it was fine. He did do a bit of lunging towards other dogs, but it was easy to redirect him and I did a lot of playing with his tug toy as a reward for working and also during the waiting times. I'm hoping that's increasing my value for him and that he can see I'm fun too, not just other dogs. We were able to stay with the main group too, I didn't have to stand four metres away. The instructor said he could go up to the next class after the club's next fun day in a couple of weeks. I'm very proud of him! Our issue now is working on calm walking from the car to the tie-up point and to and from the class area. Right now he is still being zig zag pully during those parts. I can now imagine that one day we might even be able to do some agility. I was watching some of the beginner agility people today, and the dogs were still on-lead, which I didn't realise you could do. So I'm more hopeful as before it looked like an unattainable dream. I think he'd love to do agility for fun, he's really athletic and smart. So maybe one day. We are going to start working on LAT properly this week, thank you for all the great suggestions

Thank you Sheena, that's really helpful

Thank you Corvus, those are all great tips. I have tried the Look at That game a bit, but I don't think I was doing it very well - he didn't really seem to pick it up and I gave up after a few goes. I'm very inexoerienced so I'm sure it was my fault. I took him to sit outside a cafe today and he did really well. He sat with me quietly and although he did get up a few times, he came back and sat when I told him to. When he saw someone going past I made his positive interrupting noise and treated him when he looked around at me, which he always did. A few people asked if they could pat and he was happy but quite calm - no jumping, but some excited sniffing. I will try standing a bit further away in the classes and also take more breaks. Thanks again!

I know you've already settled on a shepherd? But my boxer would do well in your situation. We have chooks, a cat and Guinea pigs and although I wouldn't trust him with free range chooks or small animals, he shows no signs of trying to get to them. He likes to look at them but is easily called away. Same with the car, he's learning not to hassle him (he only wants to play). He's great with smaller dogs, although any puppy would need to be taught not to hassle older smaller dogs I think. Our GSD we had when growing up had a high prey drive and was so smart she could open gates and cages. She killed a few rabbits and Guinea pigs although was always fine with the cat

Oh thank you! I will read through the thread