Be sure to keep us posted and keep it fun

yes! will keep all informed.

signing up for the obedience class that i did was not all a loss. because of it i know my dog so much more now. i can see baby steps are needed for her right now.

i need to learn more about marker training. i will order the video as well as read what i can online.

i've been keeping it simple with hannah lately -- trying "marker" training with just come and sit. using hot dogs. happy voice. no force.

thanks for the support!
c

Christine, I've yet to hear anyone who has put the effort into Marker training who didn't enjoy it and make great progress with their dog. Let us know if you have any specific questions once you get "into" it!

Hi Christine,
I'm a little late to the party, but just word about the treats. Use really good ones, like small pieces of chicken breast or leftover steak, real cheese, etc.

You will be surprised how a higher value treat can help your dog to engage with you. Also, try to schedule your play time/training time when she's hungry...

hi,
thank you for your advice.

i have started "marker" training these past few days. i'm using cheese and meatballs.
today after our morning run i did some training in the backyard with her using meatballs. she is already happy to "come" and "sit" and "down".

last week in my obedience class she would not do the "down" command for the life of her. now with "marker" training she is doing it so nicely.

i'm doing this in my backyard with no leash. should i have her on a leash as well?
when hannah does what i command i say "yes" and then give her the treat. this is correct, no?

i try to get her back in a "sit" position from being in "down" position. she does not know this yet. seems hard to do? she ends up rolling on her back. i say "no" and then do not give her the treat. then i start over with "come", etc. is there a trick to get a dog from a "down" position back to a "sit" position? should i try and prop her up to a sit position?

hannah seems happier when we do this. i'm really enjoying it. but i know i still need to read more and get the video.

thanks again........C

dog in down position, hold securely the treat right in front of her nose give the sit command and raise the treat so she follows it. as soon as she gets into a sit position, mark (YES! or CLICK) the event and treat. with practice you can start doing doggy push ups. I was in a class that turned it into a game, "How many push ups can your dog do in thirty seconds?"

awesome! thanks so much -- that makes so much sense! i'll try it next time i train with hannah.
C

hi,
i have been working with hannah these past few days thanks to all the advice from this web board. i have focused on the "come" "sit" and "down" commands using the marker method. also using dennis's suggestion and trying to get hannah from a down back to sit position (this has been more difficult but it's coming).

from reading more on the leerburg website i'm sure my dog has medium to low drive.

i train/play with her after our run in the morning which is before any meal. this time of day has worked out great. this morning she was SO focused on me. i had her sit and stay. i had her stay for a couple minutes before i called her to come and mark. she was looking right at me with her ears up. it was so nice! and she waited for my "come" command.

this afternoon she was good but less interested/shorter attention span. probably was less hungry. but she still did well.

i'm wondering, should i keep on working on these few commands or should i add something more so she doesn't get bored? is it best to get the come, sit and down commands rock solid before adding "heel"? and is "heel" mean having her come sit by my left side? would i say "heel" and have the treat by my left side for her to come to?

any comments are much appreciated.........thanks
C

hi,
i'm not sure where to ask this -- but is prey drive (i.e., chasing birds, etc.) different from food/treat drive?

hannah has prey drive but not so much for food/treats.
does that make sense?

c

Yes, it's different. How does your dog like toys?

Are you using really high value treats, and doing marker training when the dog is hungry?

(sorry if you've covered this; I have not read the entire thread)edited to add: I see you are using cheese and meatballs; that's pretty high value in my book...

If she likes toys, you can transition to a toy reward like a tug; this will keep her drive up. Remember to keep training sessions very short, with lots of play in there.

Try a fun command like 'touch' if you want to add another command. This is fun, easy to teach and most dogs like to do it...