Stubborness As A Trait

[hankdog]

Training is a funny thing. If I try to really work a skill then I get to a "nah, I'm bored of that "response. So I have to only do things on maybe two days a week otherwise he just gives me the finger.

I also find there's a limit to how many skills I can put together, so I tried to teach him "patty cake" just stringing together little skills he already had, once he cottoned on to that he decided he didn't like that. As soon as I start the rhyme I get a hurmp and he wanders off. I think if you define intelligence as the ability to gain the most reward for the minimum effort then I own Einsteins reincarnation.????

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think my dog is an "independent thinker" and extremely good at training humans, really fast at that. Will work for food, especially someone else's. Can spot a treat handout across an oval or several km down the beach...

But I think the stubborn part - is more a reflection of my (lack of) skill as a trainer.

If she's thinking about whether it's worthwhile to respond or not - then I haven't got a conditioned response. And I need to do some more and better quality training.

If I am not very consistent - she will be inconsistent with her response. And that applies across environments. For some reason I am much more consistent at club training environment than I am at home and her response (or lack of it) reflects that completely.

[nyssel]

Bella is just the sweetest silliest thing and will do anything with great excitement for just a 'good girl', and learns very quickly. She was a dream to train - she learnt three tricks within one training session and is really good at associating signals and commands with the desired behaviour. Her motivation is just to make you smile and maybe even get a treat!

Dallas on the other hand is much too clever to listen to me. I can see her calculating what I can offer her! "Why should I learn any other tricks when you always give me treats for just a 'sit'?"