Thank you both a lot, Bob and Connie. Yes, i know what reloading means. My other three are used to different rewards (food, reward event and food, game or other exercise they love, also praise and petting).

Charlie knows treat rewards (when he's in the mood to take them) and all kinds of praise and cuddling. Games he hasn't really discovered yet, except jumping. When I jump he begins to jump too. Often he begins to jump, when he sees me and I then follow this invitation.(!!!) As far as I have read and heard I shouldn't do this.

Also you Bob have told me about NILIF. First he should fullfill a task. The invitation for jumping then should come from me, shouldn't it? It is already a reward. But with him somehow I can't resist. I can't do many things yet to put him in a sit- or down stay not possible yet., But what he knows quite well is the handtouch and touching items in front of his nose. Also the recall and coming between my legs.

What refers to reloading the marker: I used at first the clicker with the other three, still do it sometimes, but I changed mainly to a short OK, always in the same intonation. I've been made aware of this thanks to the course Relationship Games and have practiced like a fool first without dogs. As I use fresh meat as food rewards, my hands and for this also the clicker were always slippery, which hindered me to have an exact timing, which I think is really awful.

Going one ore more steps back is no issue for me as I have done this so many times with my other dogs and still am doing it when necessary.

What concerns Charlie I had to start to touch gradually all the different body parts, also the hind legs, but I didn't lift them. Bob's tip is very worthful for Charlie and me, not only for sitting. I also think it is good for a dog, if we have easy access to each part of his body, eg. for grooming, for the Vet etc. Today I could hold, lift and shake a little bit his hindlegs, he didn't block, though he was watching me a bit a suspiciosly. With the front legs I can do this and he adores it

He'll learn to adore all of it if he knows something good comes out of it.

I believe I told the story about my brother's now passed Presa Titan.

Titan was three when Mike got him from a very responsible breeder that got titan back due to a divorce.

I put him through a few tests at the breeders just to see how steady/stable he was.

The breeder was spot on but she said Titan wouldn't tolerate having his nails trimmed.

The vet refused as did a number of groomers.

He basically had to be hog tied to get it done.

Through marker work with his feet Mike was trimming Titan's nails within a couple of weeks with Titan laying on his side, relaxed.

Sounds like your doing great with Charlie!

Thanks so much, Bob. I think this guy is doing quite well if I consider his state of capacities. I only don't want to confuse him by doing wrong things. Is jumping now an exercise or a reward? Or can I use it both ways?

With reward based training the worse that can happen is the dog gets a freebee reward.

Jumping can be both.

Exercise if just playing around but reward worthy if it's asked for through a command.

If you want to make a command out of it then "capture" the behavior and mark it.

By "capture" I mean when the dog offers it without a command you can still mark and reward it then put a command on it when you get the behavior on a regular basis.

Some dogs take longer to connect the dots on a "captured" behavior but it should come.

Thanks, so i'll soon start with a command for jumping. Not a verbal one yet. If I'm not mistaken, my own jump can also serve as a command, ne? If he follows it I'll mark and reward.

But for the moment I think it will be necessary to first load the marker better, I think he hasn't fully understood yet that OK is a promise for a reward.

How to "capture" I understand. Socks has very easily learned the playbow and the rollover that way. I will try to teach the JUMP that way to Charlie, as soon as he understands the mark well enough.

Greatest news: Yesterday I tried your sitting-tip only twice or three times, but repeated this multiple times throughout the day. It didn't work, but he didn't give me that distrustful look any more.

This morning I tried again AND HE SAT!!! 2 consecutive times. Possibly merely lucky strikes. Nonetheless a good reason to toast for this with my hubby. At seven a.m !!! But just a small sip.

If Charlie responds to your jumping that is as good as a verbal command.
Dogs are much more responsive to visual cues then verbal.
Once it is consistent then start giving the verbal command followed by your visual command.
When Charlie starts responding to the verbal you can gradually eliminate the visual......if you desire to do so.

Yes, I've always done it like this with the other ones. (Learnd from LB DVDs etc.)
So with Charlie I'll only start to try with a verbal cue, as you say, once he understands the visual one fully. And in case he shows now and then uncertainty I'll help with the physical cue after having given the verbal one. I'm aware if I'd do it the other way round he wouldn't listen properly to the word.

Don't know yet, if I'll teach him the cue "jump!". His learning process will tell me. But the "sit", I abslutely want to teach him once he's achieved the right level. I'm optimistic about this. Why shouldn't he learn to understand this cue, if he has learned so well to follow the command "kennel" and "garage" . This guy isn't so dumb as I was told.

Thanks again for your advices.

Hard to tell why one command is harder for a dog.

It could be a lack of presentation, discomfort or many other things.

Just break it down in as many small parts of the behavior as possible then mark and reward those small parts.

I think you've done great things with Charlie and it's the challenges he's given you that will make you a better trainer.

Yes, it's great to work with him, although he learns slower. What helps to become a better trainer is also that I have 4 so different dogs. Socks for example learned the roll over easily, with Slippie I have to split it in varios parts. But in heeling she's much better, walks and turns much more exactly. This helps not to get fixed on only one technique. Thanks for the compliment.

You've worked hard for the compliments you get here.