May 20, 2011
My dogs are so engaged with me but they don't want to leave me alone to take bathroom breaks. What should I do? I don't want to discourage their attention.
Full Question:
Hi Cindy,I've been working on engagement with my dogs after watching Michael Ellis' "The Power of Training Dogs with Food." They are all doing wonderfully and I'm very happy with the results. I've run into a small "problem" that I'm not sure how to resolve. The dogs are so engaged that when we go out for bathroom breaks, they will not leave me long enough to go to the bathroom. I certainly don't want to discourage their attention. Do you just not reward until after they've taken care of business?
Thank you!
Mary
Cindy's Answer:
I have different cues for my dogs, so they know what activities will be taking place. The only time I really reward engagement is after I've used my cue "Ready?"
I say "hurry up" or "go potty" for bathroom breaks. If they try to initiate some type of play or act like they want a food reward, I say "nope, hurry up."
Make sure your dogs know when it's time to train and when it's time to go to the bathroom and when training is over. I say "done" when a training session is over so they can relax and do regular dog things. :)
I hope this helps.
Cindy Rhodes
I say "hurry up" or "go potty" for bathroom breaks. If they try to initiate some type of play or act like they want a food reward, I say "nope, hurry up."
Make sure your dogs know when it's time to train and when it's time to go to the bathroom and when training is over. I say "done" when a training session is over so they can relax and do regular dog things. :)
I hope this helps.
Cindy Rhodes
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