 Teaching Boxer to come
#240866 - 05/22/2009 06:08 PM |
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I have a male Boxer that just turned 1 on the 12th. My wife, my son and I have tried for months to teach him to come. We've done it probably 5 out of every 7 days, sometimes more than once a day for probably 10-15 minutes at a time. He will do it fine on leash or on a long line. Take him off leash and forget it. He'll come when he feels like it. It's driving me crazy. He sits fine, downs fine and heels fine but refuses to learn to come. This is my first non-rottweiler and I've never had this problem before.
Kory Fox
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Kordell Fox ]
#240867 - 05/22/2009 06:33 PM |
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So Kordell,
Have you gotten down to the dogs level? What is he trying to tell you?
Oops wrong thread, sorry.
I'll start over Kordell.
How did the teaching regimen go? Ummm, the method?
If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: randy allen ]
#240868 - 05/22/2009 06:50 PM |
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What do you do when he doesn't come?
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#240924 - 05/23/2009 02:20 PM |
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I guess I should have included that. He is very food motivated, doesn't care a whole lot about toy play. So, I did what I've done with every other dog I've had. I put him on a short leash first. Put him in a stay, wether it be sitting or standing back up to where I'm at the other end of the leash, wait a few second (extending the length of time as time went on), say come and give a quick tug on the leash. When he gets to me I give the treat. It wasn't very long before I no longer had to give the tug on the leash. He caught on pretty quickly, then went to longer distances with a long line and continued the same way, adding making him sit when he gets to me. He understands it, he just refuses to do it off lead. Doesn't matter if it's me, my wife or our 7 year old son. He does fine on lead, won't do it off. I'm baffled.
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Kordell Fox ]
#240929 - 05/23/2009 03:28 PM |
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He thinks come is something that happens from a stay, on leash.
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#240936 - 05/23/2009 04:05 PM |
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I think that Alyssa is right on about the come from a stay. Have you used marker training with food to work with him. Also, each dog has their own way of learing & sometimes you need to tweek things a little bit with each dog. You said that this was your first boxer & you are used to Rotts. I know that Ed has stated numerous times that training is temperment sensitive & not breed sensitive. That being said, marker training is the best, & easiest for the dog to understand, & way to shape behaviors. Have you read Ed's information on marker training? It will help you & your dog, with you dog's training. Also, I would not increase time or distance until he is more reliable with the command for an extended period of time. Maybe for a number of weeks of coming 9 out of 10 times most of the time. Make it a fun game with alot of happy praise & special food treats for coming when called.
MY DOGS...MY RULES
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Anne Jones ]
#240948 - 05/23/2009 07:19 PM |
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I have read Ed's article and I'll be honest. I don't really get it. Maybe I need to see it done in person. Take the come for example. I'm somehow supposed to get the dog to come to me without using the command, then mark the behavior and give the reward and then the command comes later. How do I get the dog to come in the first place, or sit or stay or whatever the desired action is without using a command? I must be missing something. I do understand what you're saying about Kody thinking that come means only out of a stay, I just wonder why my rotties never had that problem. They always got it and would do it whenever I asked from that point on.
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Kordell Fox ]
#240949 - 05/23/2009 07:26 PM |
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I don't want to sound like I'm on commission (I'm not  ), but I will say again that I believe this video will change the way you train forever:
http://leerburg.com/219.htm
I was marker-training, but I still changed many small and large pieces of my methods when I watched this video.
Just the chapter on trying to marker-train a human opened my eyes in many ways to communication with an animal who does not share a language with us.
Oh, and this specific challenge: Yes, I agree with Alyssa that the dog perceives the come command as something that's done on lead, from a certain position.
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#240953 - 05/23/2009 08:37 PM |
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The same way a child learns to say "mama" without a command. Every stumble closer illicits a positive response and keeps bumbling towards the correct combination of syllables.
Marker training respects a dogs intelligence.
A dog becomes an proactive learning partner instead of the recepient of commands.
If a child learns algebra and calculus better than a NASA scientist, but doesn't know it's called arithmatic, does he know it any less?
Which is easier to learn, the name "golf", or how to drive the ball down the fairway?
You can always learn the name later.
Teaching the name of something is worthless if the meaning is absent.
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Re: Teaching Boxer to come
[Re: Aaron Myracle ]
#240954 - 05/23/2009 08:45 PM |
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Also, here's a way to kind of re-order your thinking about it: You don't want to name it and ask for it by that name until/unless it's the way you want it.
I mean, if it's a half-ass (literally) sit, then why name it and ask for it by name?
We want to command (ask for a behavior) something that's exactly the way we want it.
But Kordell, PLEASE don't let this part turn you off and make you give up on "that crazy marker training." Teaching one tiny command with marker training is going to open your eyes to the possibilities. Doing it right, even for something like "sit," will demonstrate how much more there is, with shaping, and how unlimited the applications are.
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