Pack structure.


Pack structure.



Pack structure.

If he can do it without distractions, but is not doing it with, even for brief bits of time, he's CONNING you.

He knows what you want, he's actively choosing not to do it.
He's not nearly as distracted as you think.

Now do I have to redo the pack structure?

Follow this advise by Ed http://leerburg.com/groundwork.htm
Right? Will that correct his behavior to make him less stubborn? When he chose not to listen, what kind of correction should I give? He can be on prong collar, but he is a little dog.

If my dog isn't paying attention to me, then I'm not interesting enough.

You can manipulate food drive, toy drive and many other privileges your dog has.

You say in your first post that your dog likes to watch dogs and other people. I don't allow this! If my dog is out with me in a training scenario, and he doesn't want to pay attention, guess what? He goes back in the crate.

everything fun and yummy comes from me, but as Alyssa says this is all a part of pack structure.

I get emails from people who think their dogs will benefit from watching other dogs do agility or bitework. WRONG. That just teaches the dogs that what's going on around them is more exciting than what I can offer.

I also have to say that I don't like it when people give negative labels to dogs (i.e. Stubborn, dumb, demon spawn, hellion, etc..) I think it's never the dog, it's always US. If our dogs are behaving in a stubborn manner, we need to look at what we are doing to contribute to that. Are we consistent, are we fair, are we boring? I wouldn't worry about giving a dog like Lindsay's corrections because in my opinion, he hasn't warranted it. What would you be correcting him for?

Instead of using corrections, think about what you can do to make the dog more interested in engaging with you. Corrections are for blatant disobedience of a behavior the dog 100% knows and understands.

Cindy,

I'm not sure if you are confused to what I'm trying to do. I am looking for some tips how to make myself more interesting. Roo isn't paying attention to me because I believe I have been too boring and appearing like it is pack issue. I will have to work on my pack issue with him then, but will it fix him? I don't know how to explain. Not even at once I have corrected him for ignoring me. I want to show two videos.

I have never used a prong collar or a shake can to correct his behavior. I'm not sure what do you mean by "Lindsay's correction?" I used a link that suggested a shaking cans will help him with his attention. At first, I didn't know what to do when he watches other people/dogs. I didn't put him back in the crate when he does it. I actually let him stand there and watch.

I do appreciate your input though.

Consider this.

"Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free?"

Don't give your dog free milk. NILIF.

You can bring this dog around without really having to administer a single correction.

The dog just doesn't see the point of killing itself working for you at training, when at home, it doesn't have to work near as hard to get the same things.

I do practice NILIF all the time. You will see this in the video.

I can't get them hook up. I'm having a problem with it.

Here it is. It is very short, but there is more to it than just hat.

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m238/LMJanes/sas/Sas/?action=view&current=Picture001.flv

Hi Lindsay,

I think that I would work on really getting the behaviours solid at home before proofing them in more distracting environments. It is pretty common for dogs to kind of lose their brains in obedience classes.

From the video, I think that you still need to get sits and downs on better stimulus control before you expect him to listen well in classes. I noticed that you cued multiple times both for the sit and the down. You should work on getting the behaviours consistently from the first cue. Once you are getting that, then start to increase distractions slowly.

Good work though, and Roo is too cute! He's showing good focus in the video and he'll be an awesome obedience dog with some more work!

Thank you very much. It helps a lot when someone can see what i'm doing wrong. I have been working hard to keep his attention on me which is not easy!

1. Stop comparing Roo to Teddy. They are not the same. I don't know what Teddy is but I suspect he's not even the same breed as Roo.

I have an Australian Shepherd/Lab mix female. I also have a Catahoula Leopard Dog male. Aussies and Labs have been carefully bred since their inception to work hand in hand with their handlers, observing and following their signals to do their work effectively. Catahoulas, which are hunting dogs, were specifically bred to work apart from the handler, to think and make their own decisions with little or no guidance from the hunter. I would not expect to use the same training methods on both these dogs! They respond VERY differently. My Catahoula is constantly looking for things to hunt and barking his head off when he finds them. Holding his attention is very difficult. My Aussie mix, on the other hand, could care less about squirrels or what the neighbor's boring old cat is doing, as long as I throw her BALL!!!

I don't know what a Min Pin was bred for (I know they are in the "toy" group in AKC) but he may not be the hand in paw type of dog. Once you figure out what motivates him, you'll find training much easier.

OK I my computer finally got over itself and your video loaded. I thought the dog had great attention, and tried to figure out what you wanted, and desired the treats. He doesn't seem to be ready for distraction yet though. (Although he didn't even look at the person holding the camera). I'd say he is still learning the cues. When he can do the exercise perfectly, (you give ONE hand signal and he complies immediately) every time, over the course of at least three sessions, THEN add distractions like someone walking into the room. (As Tabatha said).

Do you have any speech capability? Is there a way you use to get his attention before working with him? I like to use my dog's name and then the command, "Rusty: Sit." So he knows he has to pay attention and do what I am asking. The treat delivery timing (I thought) was good, and your praise - you patted him to let him know he did well. If you can (again I don't know if you are vocal) laugh or make squeaky sounds (I call these "party noises" so the dog knows how happy I am).

Again I thought the dog showed really good focus. He didn't seem distracted, he seemed to like the treats, he just wasn't 100% sure what you wanted.

Instead of the marker video - since you can't hear it, I **HIGHLY** recommend getting a clicker book. I have these two: http://leerburg.com/979.htm and http://leerburg.com/982.htm The first one even comes with the clicker, and I think your dog will really benefit from the use of the clicker. I'm a beginner trainer too and my dogs ADORE clicker training. Good luck.