Teaching basic commands

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Teaching basic commands

Posted : 10/3/2006 7:39:39 AM

My 8 mo old toy poodle now knows how to come, sit, shake and go down. We still have to work on the release command. She comes out of it when she wants to. Or if she plainly sees the "treat", she usually stays in position till i give her the treat and say "good girl". I'm teaching her "off" so she'll get off the furniture i don't want her on. And i try to teach "stay". if i go into a room only for a second i'll tell her to stay and i'll go in there for a second and come out. A lot of the time she stays. . .but i don't know if its because she understands or not. The problem i'm looking at right now though, is that she does these things real well if she knows i have a treat. She'll sit and go down fairly well even if i don't have a treat but she don't stay in position. . . she gets up quickly. I've tried sneaking treats so i can hang on to them all day in hopes to treat her when i get her to do a command but she hears me every time. She's bad about following me around which i think is too cute but i get frustrated because she won't let me pet her. she runs. if i squat down and playful tell her to "come" she'll come just out of arms reach. And if she gets to close, i'll try to pet her or something but she'll run. . . . and the little devil is FAST.

How do i teach her to stay in position until i release her? and how do i get her to come to me every time regardless of whether i have a treat or not? And to come where i can pet her or pick her up. I've never had an indoor dog. . .much less a poodle. Growing up, we owned Huskies and Samoyeds. and they LOVED to be petted and played with. I don't get it. I've NEVER had a dog give me fits about petting or loving on them. When i do get her its usually because i've cornered her somewhere. . .and sometimes it takes me and my husband both to get her (cut off all exits). I also coax her to her room when i want to put her up or feed her. I have a treat in hand, go in her room with it and she follows. I then give her the treat, tell her "good girl" and close the gate. I know she's still young but i've never had this problem before. Even when i do get her, i sit in the chair with her and try to pet her but the whole time she's trying to bit me. Only playing i think. . . she don't bite too hard anymore since she's losing her sharp baby teeth. But it's still annoying for her to bit the whole time i'm trying to pet her. I JUST WANT TO SHOW HER I LOVE HER!! ARRRGH!! hahahaha Frustrated in Alabama (Amy)

mudpuppy

Posted : 10/3/2006 9:28:03 AM

can't address the petting issue, sounds like she's scared of you in some way? are you grabbing suddenly at her and scaring her?

But stay, that's easy. Keep your pockets full of treats all the time. So you have the treats, but if it's a behavior she knows really well, don't always give her one for compliance. Praise instead.
To start stay, ask for a sit. Rapid-fire feed her treats as she sits. Release before she thinks about getting up. Repeat. Start moving around in between coming back and giving her treats. Do not work on both "duration" and "distance from you" at the same time-- for example, you want her to eventually stay for three minutes with you out of sight, so first work on getting her to sit for five minutes with you standing next to her, then work on getting her to sit for five seconds with you out of sight. Only when she is perfect on both do you work on combining the two.
Once your dog has a reasonable grasp of "stay", start sometimes rewarding for the stay, and sometimes rewarding for the release. Most dogs actually have more problems with the release than with the stay- they never really are sure what their release is, and that causes problems with them breaking the stay. So ask for a short stay, then release. If she immediately pops up on being released, reward. Toys work excellently well for release rewards, tend to build an explosive release.

jetty

Posted : 10/3/2006 10:32:30 AM

I am not a trainer or behaviourist but I wouldn't be "forcing" her to get cuddles - particularly holding her in your lap - I don't think that would encourage anyone to want to come! Right now, I would only move to per her when you have a reward, whether its a treat or toy - you want her to realize that good things happen when she's handled. What makes her happy? Make a list and try to incorporate gentle strokes into things that she enjoys - remember to keep it brief and as non-threatening as possible (don't lean over and pat her on the head - get down on her level and stroke her on her tummy or shoulder). HOWEVER, having said all this the biting does worry me - you should probably consult a trainer, particularly if she continues to resort to biting even when you are no longer forcing her to accept your cuddles.

Mudpuppy gave you excellent advice on the stay. I think you were making it a little too hard for her too fast (ie: leaving the room when she hasn't really grasped the idea). It's important not to ask your dog to do something that you know they cannot do succesfully - it just encourages them to ignore the command.
Good luck![

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