I'm not sure I follow ya'll on this situation.
The "dog" is 9 months old why would he not receive a correction?
I don't want to start a fight but I thought the bribes stopped after 16 weeks? KOJAK

SchutzhundThreeFahrtenhundTwo

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Oh boy, I would suggest that this comment gets moved to another thread before the original topic gets lost.

Kojak wrote: "I don't want to start a fight but I thought the bribes stopped after 16 weeks?"

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

dj, one of my dogs also thinks that praise means she's done. What I do with her, is put her in the downstay, but do not praise her until I release her. If remaining in a stay is the action, why praise before the action is complete? Also, remember that for a dog as young as yours, it requires a tremendous amount of discipline to remain in a stay for more than 30 seconds! Just start with what he can do successfully, until he has it down pat, before you start pushing the time.

Praise is in some ways a form of distraction. The dog needs to learn that just because you said good boy, good platz, good bananna, doesn't mean he can break. This is where the release command comes into play. Praise is calming to the dog.

just my $.02

opinions are free, you get what you pay for in life.

Praise, food rewards, clicks, whatever... can be used as the release if that's what you want, but they can also be used as markers of correct behavior without meaning that the behavior is over. Think of it like the children's game of Hot and Cold. "you're warm, you're warmer, you're hot!" It gives information to the dog that he is "on the right track" so to speak. When I'm heeling, I praise verbally to tell the dog he's doing the right thing, but the behavior isn't over until I release and reward with the ball. Same on static behaviors like sit, down and stand. I will pass by the dog, give it a piece of food, verbally praise, etc, but he doesn't move til released. When a dog is learning something for the first few times, he's not sure WHAT you want; he's guessing. When the reward doesn't come immediately, many dogs will then try a different behavior to see if THAT is what you want. But marking the correct behavior with verbal praise will tell him he's doing good and he'll continue, i.e., the vorsitz (sit in front). Pup comes front and gives eye contact. If you stand there silently staring at him for several seconds, chances are he'll become unsure and fidget or try a different behavior (jumping up, platzing, bumping you, looking at your pocket, etc). But if you quietly praise, 9 times out of 10 he'll continue the behavior you want. Then you can release and reward.

There's also the concept that I want the dog to think the behavior itself is rewarding, not just being released is fun. If you only reward the dog for completing the long down, he spends his whole time eagerly anticipating the release and jumping up. But if you reward him while he is in the down position, it becomes a pleasant place in its own right.

This is all true. I've simply found that with my dog who is more high strung, the distraction of praise is just too much for her. I could spend a great deal of time correcting this, but since she is 6 years old, I feel it's less frustrating for both of us to let things be the way they are, as long as she obeys my commands. With my other dog, who is more "normal" in many ways, the release word marks the end of the behavior. It's a matter of personal preference in this case; what is less likely to give me high blood pressure. But I do know a lot of people who use praise to mark the end of the behavior just because that's how they like to do it.

I use praise and rewards throughout a behavior also. When I am heeling around distractions, if my dog keeps heeling without getting ditsracted I give her praise and keep moving, and happy"Good Fuss Hanah" keeps her spirits up and she knows that she did the right thing. At the end of the behavior she gets a toy and play time. When I was training the long down out of sight I would frequently go back into her and drop a few peices of hotdog between her front legs say "good platz" and move back out of site. I always thought it was a good way to tell the dog they are doing the right thing and remind them that are still suppsed to be doing it. I do limit praise during a behavior to spoken words or a bit of food and then at the end of the behavior she gets a toy.

Kojak - check your private messages