Quote: alyssa myracle

Trust me, you'll never look back once you see the results you can get with motivational training. You'll wonder why you didn't discover it sooner.

I totally agree too!

Glad you came here looking to learn Michael. I had dogs for all my life but never had so much fun training and enjoying my dogs as I do now that I've "SEEN THE LIGHT!!!" HAAA!

Seriously, though, patience, motivational, purely positive training DOEs work--especially with pups in the learning phase. I'm going through it right now and it is a blast!

Everything your puppy does or does not do at this point is YOU. Pees on the floor, YOUR fault...FOCUSES on you with eye contact--GOOD! That's you too...then it becomes a team effort once you've taught him (fairly) what you want him to do...

You *can* do this. You will have fun with it. It just about changing up some of your behaviours and attitudes, and once you get it (training), it's kind of like riding a bike--it gets more fun once you really get the hang of it...not to mention the awesome bond you get with your dog. Priceless.

An acquaintance was reading about marker training and emailed me yesterday that it was "too complicated." New vocabulary, like shaping, and he didn't really know how to start.

But loading the marker and then teaching something simple (even if the dog already knows the command) like "sit" changed his mind in about 10 minutes.

And all that means, Michael, is that you give your marker ("yes," maybe, or a click; whatever you decide on) for anything..... say, for eye contact ..... and follow right away with the great little treat. Do this a few times and the dog understands that the marker means that the reward is coming. (This way, the notification of correct action is instant, rather than the tardy fumbled-out treat.)

Then when you mark, say, "sit," you can signal "Correct! Reward coming!" the instant his butt hits the floor.

I'd never give the marker without the reward, because I want the marker to be clear: It means "reward is coming."

("Random rewards" later still do not involve giving an empty marker.)

I hope that this is a simple start. Can anyone give a clearer "step 1"?

i have been learning about pack leadership, and the behavior that he is displaying now he is trying to feel me out and see if he can be leader over me.

i have also learned from the links posted for me to read that i should get an electronic training collar to assist me in his training.

i have been reading for hours now and have actually learned alot, the electronic collars, the aggresive dog collars witch i will be purchasing tomorrow. and the pack leadership, his playfullness and biting and nipping is the same thing he would do in his pack, so i have to act like the alpha mail and react the way his mother or alpha male would react to that stuff.

im glad most of you are taking the time to help me out, im verry stubborn soometimes, but also love to learn knew things.

i have also been thinking about taking classes from anthony jerone to become a dog trainer.

 Quote: michael curry

i have been learning about pack leadership, and the behavior that he is displaying now he is trying to feel me out and see if he can be leader over me.

But you see how you have created this? (The dog sleeps where the dog chooses, for example.)

How old is this pup, BTW?

And what in the world made you conclude this? "i have also learned from the links posted for me to read that i should get an electronic training collar to assist me in his training."

This is an untrained puppy, right? Or am I confused?

yes he has no training and hes is a 16 week old cane corso, the only thing he can do is give paw, and im not even sure he can understand the command yet..

and no i make him sleep in bed with me. normally he sleeps under my computer desk during the day, and when i cant bring him to work with me i put him in his crate. unless my roomate is home.

the one link that was posted on here, the trainer speaks of using electronic collars to correct certian behaviors in large domanent breed dogs, or the use of a nylon training collar

Corrections are reserved for dogs that KNOW and UNDERSTAND commands, and have had extensive training.

Your dog doesn't UNDERSTAND commands yet. You haven't trained it. The only thing you need right now is a gigantic bag of treats, a few fun toys, and lots of patience.

You're talking about correcting a baby.

And quit allowing the dog to sleep on furniture and/or your bed.

im sorry i meant corrections on bad behavior, not, not listening to commands.

ie.. chewing shoes, going through the garbage, etc...

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

Your dog doesn't UNDERSTAND commands yet. You haven't trained it. The only thing you need right now is a gigantic bag of treats, a few fun toys, and lots of patience.

YES!

Whoa Michael,

You are getting WAAAAY ahead of yourself. If I were you I'd concentrate less on DD and E collars, and more on groundwork and bonding. He is still such a baby. Please stop focusing on corrections. He is a puppy, and corrections should not come into play at this time.

Where did you get him from BTW? And who are his parents? I am a molosser person myself.

 Quote: michael curry

im sorry i meant corrections on bad behavior, not, not listening to commands.

ie.. chewing shoes, going through the garbage, etc...

No no! You haven't trained the dog.

He has no "bad behavior." He is doing what a puppy does. If you left the garbage in his reach, you made a handler error.