Erny

On lead - you need to retain control. We're not there, so it is difficult to tell what's been going on, but I strongly suspect inadvertant reinforcement (by way of attention from you as a result of his behaviour) as well as possibly that the visitors reward him at inappropriate times. You have actually answered your own question in your previous post. Schaef10 :

He does it because he's been able to. And probably because, in addition, he's received attention for his efforts. Take control and prevent it. And have your guests/visitors ignore him. Crate training is handy in these circumstances too.

All the gismo and fuss regarding correct handling of the head-halter, double leads/collars etc. seems a bit over the top for a pup of this age who quite probably could have been learning loose lead walking if only the training technique could have been explained and demonstrated.

Add in a "guide, show, place" method (eg. pick up the paw with your hand) and click when you do so, then treat. Repeat a few times, then go back to your original method and see if that gives him the idea. ETA: And as Myszka suggests .... make it easy for him to start with, by having your hand low and closer to his paw.

Oops! I got distracted. Sorry. :rolleyes: Will PM in a moment. :cool:

Will PM you, Monie

I agree - this is the problem when there are trainers who don't have a broad knowledge base of training techniques and of equipment and their proper use and effect/affect. It is not the shame of the people who go there. After all - it is because they 'don't know' that they go to training in the first place. I am not a head-collar 'basher' ...... they have their place but IMO in limited circumstances for them to be a necessity. But like any piece of equipment, need to be understood so that appropriate handling can be taught and undertaken. Limitations of equipment need also to be understood. More often than not, dogs are fitted with head-collars when it is unneccessary and often-times harmful to do so. And if the trainer had any expertise with the head-collars, he/she should've known to at least explain that they should be introduced to dogs bit by bit - that it is not ideal nor helpful to simply fit one on a dog and proceed with training.

You need to reduce the 'value' of the sight of the clicker. He needs to be trained to understand the sound of the clicker is the 'value' and that he will only hear the sound of the clicker when he has exhibited a behaviour that you want.

Too difficult to train over the internet - one-on-one tuition can't be beat. Having said that, are you saying it is the 'sound' of the clicker that gets him going more than usual, or is it just seeing the clicker that sets him off?

I agree, PF. In these sorts of cases it always strikes me as a substitute for being able to teach technique. Complete puzzlement with me too, other than it's an 'easy sale' because the tool looks nice enough. "You can't tell a book by its cover" is an ancient saying .................. and yet the powers that be and authorities who should know better have themselves breached these very wise words - worse because they would be aware that the unknowing public will hang on them, as will the dogs.

I don't think it is a battle of wills, Saltwood. Is this dog a rescue? Sorry - if you've mentioned this in earlier posts, I've forgotten. If she is a rescue, her behaviour could relate to how she was brought up as a pup. Perhaps she got in trouble for snatching food and perhaps it was with the larger type of food (eg. bones etc.). So I suspect her bark and play growl is due to some frustration/confusion/puzzlement at the change of 'rules' that she has been previously conditioned to. Possibly a "hey, I'm doing things as I was previously taught but not receiving the reward ...... what is it that I'm supposed to do to get it - but I don't want to stuff it up and not get my reward, or get into trouble ... " If you've had her since a pup, then I guess we'd need to look to you to give us the history of how you've hand fed her from the very beginning. But if that was the case, I expect reflection would provide you your own answer. Either way, it sounds as though a step in the direction you want has been made. Give her time. Give her a chance to work things out in her own mind. This is where the 'patience' comes into it.

FP - what was it that went so wrong in jumping? I'm probably completely off-base here, but you mention that your girl had been going under the tyre in the last week. Now jumping not going well. Is it possible that she is a bit skeletally uncomfortable somewhere and her "not listening" relates to some sort of avoidance behaviour?

Pelvic floor exercises. If you can teach your dog to do these, please share your methods. PS - there are tabs you can get from your health food store, designed for these probs in children. But I've forgotten what they were called. Sorry - that's not much help, but maybe if you pop into your local health food store and ask they'd point you in the right direction?

You could try giving a 'jackpot' of the smaller treats she'll happily take from your hand and without changing your demeanour or your method of delivery, pop in a (eg) 1/2 chicken neck ....... whilst she's in the "stop thinking, just open mouth and take from hand" mode. Then revert back to smaller treats. Then pop in a slightly bigger piece of chicken neck. Repeat until you can give a whole chicken neck. You don't have to do this all in one session - I expect she'll get rather full. With every delivery of each treat, give a verbal reward marker as well (by way of encouragement). Use appropriate tone of voice. Having said this, I still am not entirely sure of the overall problem this causes you. But obviously it is something you'd like to change, or you wouldn't have posted here. ETA: You can still work on the previous method. Patience, if you want to overcome the 'problem'.

Break it down a bit further ..... lower your hand so that it is resting on the ground, palm up with biscuit in the flat of your hand. All other things the same as above. See if she takes it a bit easier from that position. If that makes no difference, keep going with what you did above. Give it time ...... and patience before you decide it is making no difference. Mind you, if it were me I don't know that I'd worry too much that I had to drop the biscuit on the ground given she takes other tastier treats (which I'd use for training) from me no worries. But for experimental sake, it will be interesting to see if things change using the above over time.

Steve at K9 Force He might not be as local as you might like, but a consultation for private tuition from him would stand you in good stead and would be worth the drive. Dogtech is a franchise. How good they are (or aren't) will depend on who the person is at that particular franchise. IMO, the franchise name is only as good as the trainer/behaviourist behind it. If you use the DOL search engine (check in both "general" forum and "training" forum) you'll find many opinions. Generally speaking, Dogtech and similar franchises do seem to have a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

It is interesting that there are no probs in taking liver treats from you, but that there is when it comes to dog biscuits. Perhaps the liver treats etc. are more highly prized? In any event, try this as an experiment. Have the dog biscuit and offer it to her - but don't look directly at her (in fact, semi turn your face and body away from her). See if she is more likely to take it then. Oh - and hold it loosely. Don't make it difficult for her to take from you. Even if she hasn't gripped it properly and it falls to the ground first as a result of her semi-gripping it, it is a start.

If a dog needs to be on a tight lead () and dragged around by it in turns for heel, then IMO the dog isn't 'trained' in that skill at all.

Not as a general rule - would very rarely find the need for it. But have done so for a deaf dog in for basic training.

..... that's the whole point - there's NO cooking. All raw. I'm a hopeless cook too. Hence very little time in the kitchen spent for MY benefit.

By a whole 18 minutes, too Jeff!!! Come on man ...... you gotta do better than that!!!

It's only easy when you know. It's only a few years ago when the initials didn't mean anything to many people here. Now it is like a household name. It stands for National Dog Trainers Federation

The webbing style with the stainless steel fittings are the most common. K9 Force sells them. Don't know his price, but you could check his website. I have seen Martingales made of all chain too, though.

Sorry, Sonovagun. The BARF I was speaking of and I believe that Kelpie-i spoke of, is the "do it yourself" variety - home made.

Naaahh .... it's the logo's on our shirts and the words "dog trainer" printed on them. On campus would, I expect, be more intense - but probably more packed with practical work and experience. Check with NDTF regarding differences. As I've mentioned to you previously - I think you would do well.