Dog Community

Great puppy "training" video

Posted : 3/25/2010 12:31:52 PM

I thought this video of Roni and her new puppy was very nice. It shows how easy and fun it is to "work" your puppy - it's not all about formal obedience, but just having fun and developing a bond so the puppy comes to you to work, not you struggling to hold the puppy's attention. Also one thing I saw a lot in the last puppy class I was in and at Schutzhund is that the puppy owners are not rewarding their dog enough. They see older dogs doing combinations of behaviors and heeling and expect that from a dog four months or less. My dog is 18 months and I often reward him more than some of the puppies at club are getting rewarded (we've got some of the "old skool" type trainers we're trying to convert!). Roni is constantly moving and constantly rewarding the dog. You can see she's creating a great foundation for some obedience skills like competitive heeling, a formal front recall, sit, down, stand, and the entire time the puppy shows enthusiasm and drive. I am not that into puppies but this makes me want to go play with a puppy!!

http://www.youtube.com/RoniTristar#p/a/u/0/f-etXQ9GC9w

akyramoto82

Posted : 3/25/2010 3:35:59 PM

That pup was definitely engaged!! very fun.

i noticed in my puppy class I was really the only one that was rewarding Zoey alot for calm behavior while the trainer was explaining things - she'd get rewarded for sitting quietly or laying down quietly.

spiritdogs

Posted : 3/28/2010 6:21:18 PM

One thing I really like about that is that, unlike some people, when she is doing the restrained recall and the pup gets to her, she is rewarding immediately, not waiting for, or asking for, the dog to sit. I find that is a great way to have a dog that associates getting to you with having something great happen! Plenty of time for sits later;-)

Liesje

Posted : 3/28/2010 7:14:10 PM

Definitely! Nikon is trialing in a few weeks and I *still* change up his recalls. Sometimes he is restrained, sometimes I want a sit, sometimes a formal finish, sometimes I toss a ball between my legs and he runs through, sometimes I turn off to the side at the last second and let him take the reward. The front sit is so easy to teach and easy for the dog but you want them coming in with enthusiasm no matter what. I've seen someone's dog actually crash into them doing a recall in trial and that gets a chuckle and a point off whereas a dog lacking enthusiasm or showing avoidance will get docked points.