Am very cheered up by the fact that we can use the clicker to stop him jumping up etc as this is making my kids lives a bit difficult he responds amazingly well to me saying "no!" so I'd like to do as you say, Helen, and get him to understand that it's an instruction and that he's been really good by responding to that. He does nip and paw a bit which we just wait for him to stop and then click - but he's so much better than he was...
Have also started carrying around treats and a clicker and so's my daughter as I'd really like Toby to "come" to her too as that's always gonna be helpful...I need one of those little bumbags that whats-her-name from "It's Me or The Dog" has...!
Which don't tend to fall off half as much as some I have tried and have a drawstring so when you're bending over the treats don't all spill out!
It's great to include the family in Tobys training, just make sure you're all agreed on what you're teaching him, and using the exact same words for things, or he will get very confused!!
We are getting very good at sit and he can more or less do it everytime now...I'm also working on down and stand and we're using the clicker to rewards positive behaviour...so it's all good...
He's a bit stubborn with "down" though,,,he now sits really well but when i go to put the treat (in my fist) between his paws he refuses to go down and just nips at my hand then gets up and walks away...should i stiop treating everytime for sit as he is pretty good at this now and maybe concentrate more on "down"?...think he may be taking the mick and he just doesn't want to work at down as he knows that sit works everytime...when he eventually does down (about 1 in 10 at the moment i go over the top praising etc so maybe i;m doing something wrong?...
Persevere with the down and stand Michelle and keep practising all three positions, one after the other. You can start randomly rewarding the sit, just pick the particularly smart or quick sits to reward.
When going for the down, try holding the treat firmly between thumb and forefinger so Toby can almost get it (he may nip at it a bit), keep the treat on his nose and then take it down directly to the floor and keep it there until his whole body follows. Don't use any words yet.
Down is their least favourite as I think it is quite a concession on the dogs part to lie down for us, it is their most vulnerable position. It's up to us to teach them that it is safe and a pleasant experience, so you are doing the right thing with the praise when you do get a down. Just be careful not to praise him so madly that he gets up, then he is being praised for standing up and will not associate the praise with the down. A good way to do it is to click the down and then give him a 'bonus payout' in the form of a fistfull of treats, on the floor, between his outstretched front paws. He is then getting the reward of the click and the pleasurable experience of yummy treats to eat whilst he is lying down.
Bosun used to circle my hand on the floor, fussing at the treat for some time before he finally gave up and lay down. He now does emergency downs at 20ms <proud mummy>. You'll get there
Our Charlie was very reluctant to lie down when he was a puppy so used to show him a treat, not lure him or anything but instead just look at him, he will probably just sit looking back at you for ages, but he will more than likely get bored and sink down into a down as soon as he does this click and treat him....then move position so that he has to get up again and then wait again until he lies down - he will soon do it quicker and quicker and when he is doing it 99% of the time, then add the word. Clicker training should allow dogs to think for themselves.
When I am training a new trick, I will allow the dogs to do something on their own, if I think yeah I'd like that to be a trick then I will click them - our Izzie can now blink on command, just because the other night she was looking at me ans blinked so I clicked her - took her ages to figure out what she had done to get the treat but now she can do it on command
Ok so i'm back on the forum a bit after a long break cos OH was away he's back now and we're just getting back into the swing of things...
Toby will now sit on command (with no click) about 60% of the time we're working on down - he'll do this everytime from sit and sometimes from stand. I've started introducing the command so we'll see how we go. Stand is also a bit of a tough one at the moment as he needs to understand that he only gets a click/treat when him is standing still and he tries it on with jumping/nipping and sitting! hehe...
I really want to teach him stay so would welcome any suggestions as to how to do this one?...
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he responds amazingly well to me saying "no!" so I'd like to do as you say, Helen, and get him to understand that it's an instruction and that he's been really good by responding to that. He does nip and paw a bit which we just wait for him to stop and then click - but he's so much better than he was...
i go over the top praising etc so maybe i;m doing something wrong?...
I'll read the rest of the thread with interest! (still have 2 pages left!)
he's back now and we're just getting back into the swing of things...
