My story: After having Ziva, my high prey drive Kuvasz pup in bootcamp for having unwanted pack behavior, I started to introduce play time with her during our walk. I would have her on a 20 foot line and we would play in the soccer field or other open areas and have her spend some energy and be a puppy...It did not take long that she ended up with her natural high prey drive acting up during different occasions during the walk out of her play time. She started to chase cars as we were walking. She never had done that before. Willie Tilton and I came to conclusion that having Ziva play during the walks on “time off” brought her high pray drive to peak and by being in that mental mode could not snap out of it entirely. After talking with Willie Ziva has her play time in the garden separately now and the migrating is like before, calm and not minding cars, joggers and motorcycles.

Ziva also chase our cat and is realy rough with him....they used to be best boddy sleeping together and grooming each other, but that was when she was much smaller and younger. It might be all game to her but it is not allowed. She is not yet capable not to run after him.

I believe that all knowledge is valuable and Willie and I would love to read your stories. Personal anecdotes wanted please...

p.s. I keept this thread in puppy training because I have not seen any other topics that could be related to this one....however this is also related to adult dogs.

When I adopted my mature GSD, we had a problem with bolting after cats, wildlife, official vehicles (mostly those in uniform), kids on bikes, motorbikes and atv's, etc, etc, etc.

She was much older than your pup, and immediately took to marker training. I was able to develop verbal containment by developing a solid recall and building an invisible fence through the use of verbal markers and corrections. The instinct to bolt is still present, and her dislike of certain vehicles is still strong, but she now has a strong sense of what is not acceptable and what her boundaries are. That being said, I don't fool myself into thinking that I don't have to be ever-vigilant.

I understand that more she will get into training and as we both gain confidence things will change....Can't wait to learn how to do marker training properly and start to work with her....I have read Ed's article about it and listen to the podcast Train your Dog with Markers.....Need to listen to it again and again. Also how to administer the proper correction with the proper tool.

Thanks Duane

One of the most powerful and strongly reinforced commands we taught our dogs, and especially our Mal, Bailey, is the "Leave it". Works with everything from keeping her from gulping up things dropped on the floor to being reactive to other dogs, rabbits, squirrels, cars, people, etc. on walks. I'm not big on compulsion-based training with dogs but, like Ed Frawley has pointed out in one of his e-articles, violating the "leave it" command is a bad mistake and results in a very strong correction. Eventually, they learn and actually correct themselves. Our Mal now knows when she has looked long enough at something she knows she is supposed to ignore, she snaps her own head back to the forward position. She also knows there will be a celebration and strong praise from me when she is successful at it.

BTW, good luck with training your dog, Solange. I have nothing I can offer with your particular breed but have been following the thread you started with great interest and have learned a lot also. I'm glad you're getting some great mentorship with Willie and others on this forum. Sounds like you're making great progress.

Yeah, I think leave it is an important command too. I don't bother with rewarding on it, because I don't use it as any kind of call to attention or as an end of any kind. Does that make sense? We're walking a car goes by, I say leave it and we just keep moving on, doing what we're doing. Not a major difference, probably. Just different.

What I would do with the cars, I'd teach her a place command. I use settle and have him lay down wherever I tell him. Start at a distance she doesn't want to jump up when a car goes by, and let her get used to them. Stay calm and reward her for being calm. You have to go out with the intention of working on just this, not just go for a walk and hope some cars go by. Its too hard to train something specific that way. Take her someplace there's traffic.

Something else I think will help you is a clear beginning to play and a clear end to play. Pick 2 or 3 times a day to bring her toy out and tell her, Ready? play for a while and then end it. Tell her, done, and put the toy away and crate her.

I have been working the leave it command with toys...I would take 2 toys out, then we would play, @ tug she wins one I win 2, she releases it right away in exchange for a treat with the "leave it" command, then I tell her to sit before she grabs it again, to avoid her jumping for it because she likes to jump a lot and have a high prey drive....I have been doing that for 4 weeks now. She is food driven as well, trading a treat for what she has in her mouth is not very hard.

I did not think to start a play time session however I say "OUT" to end it and give a treat and put the toys away then....I will start it from now on.... Use to do it before obedience sessions though.

And before she entered bootcamp I used to say "leave it" when it came to the cat, it was not ment as a command just came naturaly lol....she would then look at me and if the cat was smart enough it would escape, but sometime it just lay there....then it becomes harder....but I never thought to reward her with a treat when she would actually stop her persuit for the cat on the "words"....maybe I should start that. Good one!!

For the cars,I have taken her for socialization to a larger town then our little village since she is 10 weeks (3 times a week) I did that until 3 weeks ago. She has been introduced to trafic on those occasions. She doesn't mind the cars.....currious about buses and big trucks but not afraid....she even knows about trains too. I find it is always easyer to control any kind of reaction with stimuli if I can have her to sit before they come to close....for sure. The down command is not strong enough to be used in these situation just yet.

@ Greg....thanks for your good wishes

bump

"Leave it" starts from the day I get a new pup.
With that command I've stopped many of my dogs from chasing rabbits, deer, etc. That includes every hunting terrier I've owned and my present two GSDs.
Be consistent and fair!

thank you....will emphasis on that