Hey guys, This is my first post here. Im considering getting the drive an focus dvd. Was Curious if i should get the basic obedience to go along with it? I was in a puppy class with my dog, he knows sit, stay, down, come, finish, and heel. Since he knows all this should i still purchase the obedience dvd. My dog is a rescue shepherd mix, 6 months old. What do you guys think? Thank you for your time!

Mike

Drive and Focus is a great DVD. What sort of training method was used in the puppy class?

Hey Mike.....Welcome.....

That is a good DVD. Also, owning the obedience DVD will not hurt and is a great tool to have if you need a refresher on something.
Your Puppy 8 wks to 8 months is really good as well.

Don't forget....we LOVE pics so remember to post in the members bio section.

Don't listen to carol. We hate dogs, especially pictures of them.

Has your dog training to this point involved any correction work?

Well.. the training method used was we taught him the command for a few weeks, 4-5 weeks in we began using corrections if they did not do it, once we were sure they knew the commands. My main thing is hes not motivated enough during training, his recalls are good, but slow. He has good prey drive i think, because he is always trying to get at my pant legs, and loves when i chase him, or vice versa. Thats why i thought the drive and focus would be awesome for him. He is my first dog, ive had one with my parents which they trained. He is the first one i have owned and trained.. so im trying to to make any mistakes lol. Is the orbee ball really that much better? Ive currently been using Kong toys, he loves the one that looks like a jack. Thanks Guys!

Oh, obviously I was completely joking about not listening to Carol. She's awesome. And has probably forgotten more about dogs than I know.

Sounds exactly like Ed's method. I know what you mean about him sounding bored. How long are your training sessions? Try doing many sessions per day, but keep them around 3-5 minutes long and be really upbeat. Do that for a couple weeks and the dog (what's his name, by the way?) should start to get pretty excited about working OB.

It sounds like you're really on the right path. I'd definitely recommend Basic OB, just to flush out your understanding of the training technique. I still pull it out and watch the intro every few weeks. Your dog will LOVE drive and focus.

His names Dakota. Training sessions are definately once a day when i get home from work, sometimes two. FOr recalls what i have been doing to speed him up, was put him on a sit/stay, get him excited about the toy in my hand.. run away from him ( instead of walking ) then he comes at me with some speed.

Here are some pictures guys, from when we went to an agility course http://community.webshots.com/album/561601982jPmJEJ

Perfect! You've got an idea of how you can manipulate your dogs speed by your actions.

Next time you're doing OB...at the end of your session, if for instance you're doing sits and downs, alternate between them, say the words of the commands faster, clip the ends, and issue the commands at shorter intervals. It might look like this "Siitt(notmal speech).....Doownn....siit...doown..sit.down" -- By increasing your cadence, clipping your words, and slowly speeding up the routine, you can bring his energy level up. Make sure you do a big finish. Give him a treat, tons of praise, release him, and go into play (drive building). After doing this a few times you'll find that just saying the word fast and clipping it will get him to move quickly between positions. And he becomes excited about it! "This is fun! What's he going to throw at me now?!"

Remember, it's not necessary (and should be avoided) to raise your voice. Also, don't change the phonetics of any words, as this might be confusing. Just amp it up!

If he's not motivated during training, it's because you're boring. (sorry!) If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty boring too. I really have to push myself to be fun for my dogs.

But bring up the excitement level of his training sessions. Reduce their length (3-5 minutes, more if the dog is actively engaged beyond that point, but he's 6 months old so I REALLY doubt this will be the case), increase the number per day, and always end on a super high fun note.

awesome thank you for all the great replies/info guys! I think i will purchase both dvds. Now if i can only get him to stop jumping, and biting.. thats the next challenge.