Hello,
I have a question about how to train my dog (come, sit, stay, heel, etc.) commands when she seems to become fearful when I use these command words. Fearful meaning running away from me in the house, tail between the legs, refusing to sit, etc. Basically my dog is NOT enjoying training and I would love to find a way to help her enjoy training with me. Her obedience and responsiveness are better outside of any "formal" training scenario.

Background:
Two months ago I adopted a rescue dog named Hannah. She is a 15 month old Vizsla mix (lots of people feel she is mixed with pit bull) from Utah. She is lovely. And as agreed I have signed up and have attended obedience classes (not using treats). She does know and has obeyed the "sit" and "stay" commands. Not so good with "come" and "heel" in a formal setting.

When I begin "training" her at home and use the "come, sit, heel, etc." commands she either walks away from me or looks at me with fear, head down, body slumped. At obedience class she will slump, fade away. Even when the instructor works with her. When he "heels" her at class he will literally drag her around the room until she gives in. I never really saw her "give in". At home she only becomes this way when I start to "work" with her on commands. The obedience instructor did recommend I work with her in a more playful setting. This seems like good advice.

When I run around and play with her in the backyard off leash (my yard is fully fenced) and then try commands she seems more opt to comply. With the leash it's like she knows we have to do homework and dreads it.

I'm wondering if someone else has helpful tips for me? Hannah is my first dog. I want to do right by her.
Thanks.......Christine

So, if treats weren't used in the class, how did the dog learn?

Sounds to me like this dog has some trust issues and isn't ready to do formal obedience lessons/tricks yet.

I would start by working on the beginnings of marker training instead which is nothing but positive. Keep her on a drag line or even better tether in the house and don't worry about the commands yet. When she happily follows you, when she is enjoying loading the mark, and when she's got the routines down in neutrality or even better joy then start forming that into something that can be called training.

BTW if you haven't read this yet it's a great place to start. http://leerburg.com/pdf/theoryofmotivation.pdf

Welcome to the boards

STOP USEING THE YANK AND CRANK METHOD OF TRAINING!!!! STOP DRAGGING YOUR DOG AROUND! USE CLICKER OR MARKER TRAINING. YES, I AM YELLING AT YOU


you have to keep the training fun and enjoyable. since the dog now associates the commands with coercive training methods you might want to train in a different language now. take some time to read thru this sight on training fundamentals

Hi,
I believe she knew the "sit" and "come" commands when I got her. I am not sure how she was taught though.
Thanks....C

Hey guys,

Before we all gang ho jump all over this person keep in mind the following:

1st dog also a rescue dog.

Sought information from an "expert" who was prob an old school trainer.

2nd may not know what some of these terms are.

Just remember what it was like to be new to this especially with the prevalence of craptastic information available on dog training from "experts".

Now Dennis, we all know yelling incomprehensibly only works on dogs.

Hi,
Yes, after my last class watching the instructor drag my dog I did feel that the session probably did more harm then good. I should not have let him go that far. But this is all new to me.

I will have to learn a new approach. Will have to read up on marker training. And starting over with new words/language is probably a good idea.
Thank you............C

Hi Christine,
Your dog sounds a lot like my shepherd when I first rescued her. I wasn't sure if she'd been abused or just never got anything but negative attention, as when I first tried training the basics (even just sit), she'd lie down- even cower, and try so hard to do the right thing and avoid a negative. I used treats on her a lot. She's still not as excited to train as my other dog is, but she is far from the cowering dog she was. Time, patience, play time, and all positive really did the trick. In a year she was a different dog.
I haven't met your dog, but if she's anything like my dog was, training her by forcing her to 'submit' is counterproductive, as the behavior she's showing is already her way of submitting. I don't see any problem with using food- none. Positive, play, marker training, and engagement are first steps. Then move on to more advanced training as she becomes more bold and engaged in the training process.
Just my thoughts from my experience with my dog. Time to bond is crucial, don't skip that step. And, personally, when I first rescued my dog, I wouldn't allow anyone else to handle her. She'd been neglected by enough humans in her life, she needed time to develop a strong bond with me before being handled or trained by anyone else. I can remember her just cowering when I stood upright and started trying to engage her for training. She's never shown any human aggression- but she had a rough start to life, for sure.
I hope this helps.

http://leerburg.com/markers.htm Christine this video will likely help you in learning how this is done. Please post back if you have any questions or problems.
I promise Dennis will only correct you if you 110% understand the commands we're giving