Motivational obedience training

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Feb 14, 2005 2:01 am

This is a 12 wk old Pitbull puppy at the schutzhund club. No leash, no corrections. He only gets rewarded for being correct. Ignored for being wrong. It's amazing how fast they learn what's correct when they don't have to worry about being corrected. Most of our training is based on the style of "Purely Positive" companion to competition by Shelia Booth. I don't believe in correcting a puppy/dog if it doesn't understand the command. Once it fully knows what you want, then I have no problems with a correction. Teaching a puppy to sit, for instance. Commonly, we pull up on the collar and either push on the rear (bad) or tuck the back legs. With motivational methods, food is held above the pups head and then moved towards the rear. This movement will make the puppy sit. It then gets the treat. It may take a bit with some pups, but once they get the idea, they fly.
This pit pup is already taking a few steps in heeling and doesn't take his eyes off of Chris.

Patrushka · Post by **Patrushka** » Feb 14, 2005 2:06 am

Aw, he's so cute! What a great way to train them!

Tundra_Queen · Post by **Tundra_Queen** » Feb 14, 2005 2:35 am

What a sweetie he is!

patsue53 · Post by **patsue53** » Feb 14, 2005 2:42 am

What a great picture of that little pup! Hugo picked up on the sit, lay down, etc but I was never able to get the heel command to work. I think we'll take another class.

LucyGoose · Post by **LucyGoose** » Feb 14, 2005 8:42 am

What a cute puppy!! Whenever I get my Papillion, I want it to be trained like that, and I will be for sure talking to you, Bro.....I think I will have to train DH more than the dog, though.....

PeggyC · Post by **PeggyC** » Feb 14, 2005 9:02 am

What a cute pit! Looks like the motivational training is working great!

Ginger · Post by **Ginger** » Feb 14, 2005 4:29 pm

AWW, I would have all that training gone in a sec! One look at that sweet little puppy face, and

Oh well, he sure is cute!

Ginger

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 15, 2005 7:24 am

I'm with you Ginger. I'm too much of a sucker for a pretty face.

The next dog we get I would definitely like to work on training.
OED...would you recommend ALWAYS going to an obedience class for dogs ? I wouldn't know what to look for in a good obedience class. Or is it something we could read up on and do ourselves?

jmboyer · Post by **jmboyer** » Feb 15, 2005 1:09 pm

That's one sweet looking pup.

Kas · Post by **Kas** » Feb 15, 2005 4:40 pm

Lucygoose, I just had to laugh! My first thought was of a Papillion doing schutzhund!

And then I realized that OED was talking about obedience training.

Yes, I am a blond, though it is a dark blond. I don't know if a Papillion's mouth is even big enough to go around that sleeve. I am still laughing!

Kas

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Feb 15, 2005 11:05 pm

Joan, my quick answer is yes. Go to obedience classes if your not expierienced. At the same time, even people that go to classes may never click when it comes to dog training. Others just do it naturally. IT's something that has come naturally to me all my life. The thing to remember is that classes don't teach the dog anything. They teach you what to do. Then you practice at home where there are no distractions for the dog. There are a number of good books, videos, etc that I consider to do a good job of teaching. Again, some people can do it with a book/video, some can't. You have to decide that for your self.
The best web site for dog training, problems, you name it, is Dr P's Dog Training. If you can think it up, Dr P's will have something on it. Leerburg kennel and Video is a great source for videos. Expensive but good. I have a small fortune in Leerburg videos.

Old dogs love to learn new tricks.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 16, 2005 9:15 am

I figured that is what you would say, Oed.

And yes...I am inexperienced when it comes to dog training. Our doggie is reaching the ripe old age of 18 and every winter I don't think she will make it through ,but she does. She enjoys her walks everyday still, but her eye sight is slowly going and she is almost deaf now. I told my DH that when she is gone I don't want to get another dog...at least not right away, but he said we'd probably get one because I'm such a sucker for cute little furry animals.

(and he's right). Instead of buying one , we are more inclined to go to the local pound or the humane society and find one there that needs a loving home. If that happens I'll probably be back on here asking you what traits should I look for in an older dog.

The only problem with the pound is just trying to pick one and leaving so many others behind.

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Feb 16, 2005 10:58 pm

I've only had one pound dog in my life. It was a GSDxDane that my daughters grew up with. Awesome dog! The dog I would pick out might not be the best for most people. I like a pup that is totally obnoxious, in your face, bite you every chance it gets kinda dog. The sweet, stay in the corner, shy dog that most people are drawn to would drive me crazy. In training, the crazy pup is easier to calm down than the laid back on is to pep up. Course I've had terriers for 30 yrs.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Feb 17, 2005 7:40 am

That's very interesting, OED. Some of those hyper pups scare people away, don't they? I think people have to realize their own abilities and take into account their own situations before choosing the perfect dog. I've seen too many pick those adorable playful pups and then later they become too much of a handful because they don't know how to handle them. It breaks my heart when people get a dog and raise it from a pup and then two years down the road get rid of it. Some don't even bother to find a good home for it. They just dump them. So cruel!!!