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Post by bobbenson on Feb 14, 2007 2:30:22 GMT -5
5 month old boxer puppy - doing well on a leash. Off leash, in the house he pretty much knows he can do as he pleases. Grabs shoes and plays keep away. If I put a choke chain on him he immediately obeys (pretty much). He just pushes things to the limit off leash. And it is intentional. I have yet to come up with a non choke chain correction that means anything to him.
My initial approach is to keep doing leash training as I have had success with this in the past. Long walks practicing heel, sit, etc. He is still a puppy, and I don't know what I should expect at this age.
Any suggestions??
Thanks as always.
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Post by Dom on Feb 14, 2007 9:12:39 GMT -5
It sounds like not only has he become leash smart but he also knows how far he needs to be away from you to continue his keep away game. I would buy a tab or let him drag a leash around all the time. I like to use a 15 foot leash outside that way I can correct Sadie at different distances. The trick is to never let them know that after 15 feet, you can't correct them. I don't suggest leaving it attached to a choke chain when you aren't supervising him though. Aussie's advice on a warning would work too. Warn him BEFORE he grabs hold of something he isn't allowed to. From what I remember, you haven't had him long. He doesn't know your rules yet. That and the fact he is still a puppy, means constant supervision and removing objects he isn't allowed to have is essential. Besides "keep away" is FUN! Of course he is going to do it if he is allowed to. Restrict him to being in the room you are in by using a baby gate. He will have a hard time playing "keep away" when he doesn't have an escape route. Eventually, you can trust him with more space by moving the gate out further. We did a lot of "trading" with Sadie when she was younger. We let her know that toys or chewies are much more fun than a discarded paper towel. I can't count how many times we had to stop Sadie from chewing on the end table or couch. She would actually stare at us and inch her way closer to the table then slowly open her mouth to begin start to chew on it. The little bugger! The entire time she would be staring at us to test "Lets see if it is okay to chew the table at 3:00pm...okay what about 3:10pm. Nope. 3:30pm?" We rarely had to give her a correction. A verbal warning of EH EH(after she knew a correction would follow if she continued) became enough. It is much easier to train a dog not to do something than train an enjoyable behavior out of them. Sadie was never given the opportunity to steal food from our plates. To this day, she wouldn't think about taking food off the table. I know, because my husband left part of a pizza on the coffee table by accident over night. She didn't touch it. She was sitting in front of the box staring at it when we got up though. We gave her small piece of the pizza as a reward and my husband gave himself a correction. Teaching " drop it" and "leave it" helped a lot too.
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Post by bobbenson on Feb 14, 2007 10:32:12 GMT -5
Thanks Dom. That helps. I have taken to walking him on potty walks with a 15' rope attached to his choke chain. I haven't wanted to work on to much to quick, but I think it's time to start working on come as well as the ones you mentioned. He's got heel, sit, and down reasonably well that I don't think another command or two will confuse him.
Instead of your coffee table situation, he nudges closer and closer to a garment on the sofa until he grabs it. "no" goes completely ignored. He doesn't even look at me. I'll pinch his gums while saying drop until he drops it. Then I put it back on the sofa and he will go for it right away again. Sometimes looking at me, sometimes ignoring me.
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Post by Dom on Feb 14, 2007 10:53:44 GMT -5
I wouldn't use "no" as a warning. That is just my personal preference though. I will tell you why I think that. "No" is too common of a word. People say "no/know" (sounds the same to a dog) in every day conversation. Usually the first thing anyone thinks to say is "NO" when a dog is about to or does something wrong. I am willing to bet your wife has used "NO" not followed my a meaningful correction. I know I have. It loses its importance. And worse, it confuses the dog. It isn't black or white. Safe or not safe. It becomes a meaningless ramble that SOMETIMES leads to a correction but other times doesn't. The word holds no value.
Nothing wrong with teaching him commands. Just always keep in the back of your mind "He is a puppy". Don't expect more than he can give. It will frustrate you and your dog. Make it fun. I used treats, tug time, and Sadie's kibble as rewards when she was a puppy. Half of her supper was given to her for short sits, "watch me", 5 second stays and downs.
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