I am new to Leerburg. In a fact I am basically new to the whole concept of dog training although I have always owned well behaved dogs using the "pull and yell" method. On top of that I am a first time Belgian Malinois ower.

So here is the issue followed by a question.

We invested a gazillion dollars in Obeidence Training for Tasha (on and off leash) at a professional dog school where she was boarded for two 2 week training programs. We have attended puppy classes and group classes, watched the popular dog shows, and read tons of books trying to do all the "right" things with our best friend. After a year and a half we discovered Leerburg and Michale Ellis training videos! A day late and a dollar short!! I feel like an "idiot" now that I know what the videos and articles are teaching me. Somebody please just shoot me and get it over with!!!

What I want to know is this, how do I undo some of the "wrong stuff" I have done with Tasha such as being told by the professional trainer to give the "heel" command when walking Tasha. Now I find out that "heel" command really means "heel with focus". That is not what it means to Tasha. She thinks it means walking nicely by my side which she does beatifully. UHG! I was told to use "ok" to release her from commands but the release command should have been "yes" with the marker training DVD I have been watching. Double UHG!

Somebody please help me...I want Tasha to be 8 weeks old again so that I can have a do-over with this magnificant dog!

We are hoping to enter Rally competition (I have never done competition before so I am starting off with the more relaxed events to allow myself to learn the ins and outs of competion.) Eventually I would like to explore some other competition options because Tasha is an amazing dog and she deserves to excel.

Please reassure me that I am not hopeless and then offer your advise for how I give myself a major correction and learn to do it right - bad Alpha, bad Alpha!

Hi and welcome! You'll get lots better advice from those more experienced than me...but my two cents worth:

You can pick anything you want for a release command (or any other command word, for that matter). If Ok works for you, no biggie. There's nothing magic about the word yes.

As for heeling--are you happy with walking nicely by your side? If so, great. There's no need for the looking-at-you-focus while heeling unless you plan to use that.

There's also no reason you couldn't add focused heeling as a new command. If "heel" already means something to your dog, create a new word for the new thing. The dog doesn't know what the words mean until you give them meaning.

Sounds to me like you're doing better than you think!

Not "bad Alpha"--"learning Alpha." !!

I had the same exact excperience with puppy training my Tasha. Spooky!

You have a really smart dog. You can absolutely do it all over if you want, it just may need to be broken down in smaller steps so that she understands the new way. It might take a little longer than if it was done correctly the first time around, but you will get there.

You can change the command for heel, or you can change the command for a the casual heel she already knows. My dogs casual heel command is now "with me" and her focused heeling command is "heel".

You can do whatever you want, you just need to pick commands you will use with consitency. We are much harder to train then they are.

Not all is lost.

BTW "pull and yell method" made me laugh! Thanks

Welcome to the forum Debbie!

Relax! Just because someone recommends "yes" as a release word doesn't mean "okay" is wrong! You could have used "poppycock" for all the dog cares; it is the end result which matters, not the verbiage used (although simple is better than multi-syllable).

Since your dog knows heel means to walk nicely next to you, when you want to train a "formal" heel with focus, just use another word (many of us use fuss). Then you will have a dog that knows heel means walk nicely looking around and fuss means a sharper "heel" with attention to body position and looking at mom. Two commands, two different behaviors - it is all good!

The great thing about marker training is that you DO get a "do-over" (although we can't make your dog eight weeks old again). You get to start again with a new, wonderful means of training your dog, and at the same time, teaching the dog to THINK and engage with you. You can't change what you did in the past, but you certainly have discovered an amazing tool which is going to make training your dog from here on out - a blast.

Shake off the "shoulda/woulda/coulda" mindset and have a great time training your dog. We've all made mistakes and wished we could hit "rewind" at one point or another.

I wouldn't worry about the focused Heel if you have a Heel already.

I've inadvertently taught Jethro to offer a focused Heel as I was working to get him into a better Heel position during our walk. Here is what I did: He would go into his Heel but then start drifting slightly forward. I started playing a walking game with him, which was to bring my hand down where I wanted his head and give him a treat as we continued walking. Very quickly he figured out if my had was down there there was a treat in it and he would fall into position. Click. I started making a chk chk sound when he would take the treat. When that was becoming old hat I changed the game and gave the treat with my opposite hand, so that brought his head up and across. We started to play a game of catch, so that I was tossing the treat into his mouth as he walked (got to keep things interesting!). Then I started putting the treat up between my eyes and getting eye contact before bringing it down for him to catch. Now he automatically offers me this amazing focus as we are walking along and I toss him a treat. We haven't named the position because I am already working on a few mission critical cues, but this behaviour is amazing and everytime he gives it I feel wonderful. Now we are extending the behaviour with a very loose leash, sometimes I drop the leash and he walks with me like that for a few steps.

I play a lot of walking games because I can't let Jethro off leash on the big field for very long. We are out walking everyday for 2 - 3 hours a day (3 walks a day), so we all need things to do to keep it lively.

Dogs forgive.
Don't forget to forgive yourself.

Edited by Aaron Myracle (03/10/2011 10:25 AM)
Edit reason: Dong and don't have very different meanings...

 Quote: debby meder

I am new to Leerburg. In a fact I am basically new to the whole concept of dog training although I have always owned well behaved dogs using the "pull and yell" method. On top of that I am a first time Belgian Malinois ower.

So here is the issue followed by a question.

We invested a gazillion dollars in Obeidence Training for Tasha (on and off leash) at a professional dog school where she was boarded for two 2 week training programs. We have attended puppy classes and group classes, watched the popular dog shows, and read tons of books trying to do all the "right" things with our best friend. After a year and a half we discovered Leerburg and Michale Ellis training videos! A day late and a dollar short!! I feel like an "idiot" now that I know what the videos and articles are teaching me. Somebody please just shoot me and get it over with!!!

What I want to know is this, how do I undo some of the "wrong stuff" I have done with Tasha such as being told by the professional trainer to give the "heel" command when walking Tasha. Now I find out that "heel" command really means "heel with focus". That is not what it means to Tasha. She thinks it means walking nicely by my side which she does beatifully. UHG! I was told to use "ok" to release her from commands but the release command should have been "yes" with the marker training DVD I have been watching. Double UHG!

Somebody please help me...I want Tasha to be 8 weeks old again so that I can have a do-over with this magnificant dog!

We are hoping to enter Rally competition (I have never done competition before so I am starting off with the more relaxed events to allow myself to learn the ins and outs of competion.) Eventually I would like to explore some other competition options because Tasha is an amazing dog and she deserves to excel.

Please reassure me that I am not hopeless and then offer your advise for how I give myself a major correction and learn to do it right - bad Alpha, bad Alpha!

Wecome, Debby!

Just my two cents worth as an owner of a Mal that made a few major mistakes along the way...

I think you'll find that Mal's are very forgiving when it comes to training - at least JD is. Retraining in a different more positive way seems to get a much faster, happier result on JD's part. Once I started with the trainer I have now, who pointed out what I was doing to supress JD's focus and energy and I made those changes, JD bounced right back when things became "fun". Even with minimal work during a month when I was sick, Les commented on what a different dog JD had become when working. I think his term was "easty-westy different".

Make it fun for your pup and for you and don't fret about what happened in the past. Worrying about all that stuff only hampers what you're trying to do from now own. Dogs pick up on that anxiety no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that they don't.

Again, just my opinion based on my experiences with my JD.

Thank you all soooooo very much. I feel better. I have reduced my self imposed "time out" now to only 1/2 of my life instead of a life sentence of guilt!

The funny thing is that I have always owned dogs...can never remember not having one "by my side"...but after all these 50+ years this dog has opened up a whole new world to me. I am so excited about it that I just want to make sure I am giving Tasha my best so that she will be the most successful dog she can be. When she learns something because of my training it makes me feel like I am accomplishing the impossible...even though I am discovering anything is possible (well almost anything) with the right training method and a willing, capable dog.

I appreciate your encouragement that "all is not lost" and that training is just as much an adventure for Tasha as it is for me.

I am grateful for your advise.

Now that I can relax a bit because it is not the end of the world tell me "good girl" and give me a treat...preferably donuts or fresh baked cookies! Thanks again...you all are the best!

Good to have you with us Debby...and to reiterate what the others said -I do use "heel" as the standard walk next to me command and have started integrating "fuss" for keep watching me for focused heeling -just because my trainer is starting to teach that..it's a clear distinction to the dog and my husband will never be "fussing" anyway when he walks her..
Do you have pictures of your girl?
Last, I was curious how you found that "board and train" experience...a subject we have discussed her. How did you find her affect and ability when she was returned to you, etc?
WELCOME!

 Quote: debby meder

Thank you all soooooo very much. I feel better. I have reduced my self imposed "time out" now to only 1/2 of my life instead of a life sentence of guilt!

The funny thing is that I have always owned dogs...can never remember not having one "by my side"...but after all these 50+ years this dog has opened up a whole new world to me. I am so excited about it that I just want to make sure I am giving Tasha my best so that she will be the most successful dog she can be. When she learns something because of my training it makes me feel like I am accomplishing the impossible...even though I am discovering anything is possible (well almost anything) with the right training method and a willing, capable dog.

I appreciate your encouragement that "all is not lost" and that training is just as much an adventure for Tasha as it is for me.

I am grateful for your advise.

Now that I can relax a bit because it is not the end of the world tell me "good girl" and give me a treat...preferably donuts or fresh baked cookies! Thanks again...you all are the best!

"YES! Good girl!".....(tossing Debby a Krisy Kreme donut)