The only good thing about is the air is so fresh! But yeah, my wife, Blade, and I all got pretty soaked on our walk

I make my dog look like an idiot and wear a coat. A foal blanket, actually.

True about the air being wonderful!! Thats the plus we get this time of year- 0 smog or air pollution!

 Quote: jonathan holen

A quick question if you don't mind. So if my recall command, or any command for that matter, has been taught through avoidance methods, or for some reason tends to have a more negative response from Blade (ie. only sitting or recalling to avoid pain/correction), would it be practical to teach the same command, ie. recall/sit/down, with a completely different command name? I know some people use German commands, instead of English, etc. So for example, with my sit command... instead of trying to re-work sit, possibly use the Swedish word (my Mom came from Sweden to the US when she was six - always enjoyed the language) for sit and start from scratch.

I apologize if my question doesn't make much sense, I'm just really trying to do my best here. I'm sure some of Blade's commands that we've worked on haven't been black and white, and have been more of him trying to avoid my mis-timed corrections.

Thanks,
Jonathan

p.s. It's reassuring to know that I can admit I've made mistakes with his training, and not feel like I'm getting shunned here on the forums. I know there are some very highly qualified trainers on here, so thanks for making me feel welcomed!

Jonathan, the best of trainers started out making mistakes, and truth be told, do so still - just not the same ones or as often. The fact that you are comfortable saying "I think I screwed up and want to change" makes a huge difference.

Initially, before finding Leerburg, I tried training "heel" and was not doing too well. Like you, I was new to "really" trying to learn how to properly train my dog.

I found Leerburg and learned about Marker Training. Then I changed the command to "foos" and began again using markers. Nothing negative - only treats for foosing - which in our case was my dog's favorite toy (he loves treats for all other behaviors but it has to be the "chuckit flying squirrel for foosing!). It worked very well.

If a behavior has been "tainted" by poor/harsh training - begin again, using only markers and a new word. It is a whole new world and what makes marker training so great for training new behaviors.

Be sure to first "load the mark" as explained in the free ebook, and only introduce one new behavior at a time. Short training sessions, several times a day, always ending on a positive note.

Post any questions - someone will chime in!

Awesome stuff Barbara!

I will definitely try new commands then Always liked the idea of having commands be in a different language or different compared to the normal English commands.

Yes, we all understand the enjoyment of speaking to our dogs (in public) in a different language. German Shepherds obviously have to be spoken to in German - it is their native language! (You can make up a word - the dogs don't know and strangers will think you realllly know what you are doing.)

Welcome to the forum!

I don't really know what it is like to screw up. I'm pretty awesome and do everything right the first time. I've only been wrong twice in my life.:smile:

 Quote: Michael_Wise

Welcome to the forum!

I don't really know what it is like to screw up. I'm pretty awesome and do everything right the first time. I've only been wrong twice in my life.:smile:

LOL... And pray tell, what were those two times? (I'm trying to guess - but I can't!)