Dog Community

Sally down--down--doown--DOWN!

Posted : 5/21/2006 7:06:21 PM

OK--I know you are not supposed to repeat commands, but what DO you do when the dog doesn't listen the first time?

Sally generally obeys the first time, but is she is distracted it might take me a couple of "downs" to get her to actually lay down. If she's distracted and I ask her for a down, she'll often sit first, and then lay down on the second or third (*sigh* OK sometimes forth) command.

I ususally use a hand signal in conjunction with the verbal command.

I know repeating isn't good, but I'm not sure what else to do. I don't want her to think that she doesn't have to listen to me, and obviously physically getting her into a down is out of the question.

Any help would be ever so appreciated.......

Mark R.

Posted : 5/21/2006 7:14:44 PM

Unfortunately I tend to do the same thing, but I really don't think it will become too common a word, because she ALWAYS does it on the fourth or fifth time so she will and obviously still is associating down with going down on the ground. And besides, usually a command becomes over used when it is used frequently, but with bigger elapses between usage. if its said a bunch of times with-in a minute, it will not become over-used, she will still go down and associate the command with down.

dasher

Posted : 5/21/2006 8:50:05 PM

I am no trainer but I can tell you what has been taught to me and also seems to make sense. When teaching any command, in order to master it you need the "3 D's". The 3 d's are duration, distance, and distraction. If your dog doesn't do whatever command under the 3 d's then the dog has not mastered the command. Personally I use the clicker, so if I ask Dasher to down, I only say it once, as soon as he goes down I click and feed right away. Dasher realized pretty quick that the quicker he goes down the quicker he got his cookie. Now if I have problems with down while there are distractions then I may try getting him to down using a lure and keeping him on lead. I would make sure he has a good down without distractions first though. I is hard not to repeat a command though...sometimes I have to catch myself sometimes before I repeat a command [

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Hope that helps!

Mark R.

Posted : 5/21/2006 9:14:17 PM

Oh, yeah the clicker..... I remember we were all excited about training our dog with the clicker, but then we stopped. Our dog only knows come and sit and stay, we definetly need to re-inforce our dog's training.

jensw

Posted : 5/21/2006 9:24:44 PM

When in a practice session (practicing one of the 3 D's for instance) or in a situation where I don't HAVE to make him go down (or whatever the command is) immediately, what I do is say "uh-oh" if he doesn't comply within the time limit I think he should. Then I leave him behind (or turn my back on him if we're attached by a leash). Give it a few seconds of being ignored, then turn around and repeat. He drops down immediately 99% of the time then.

If we're somewhere where he has to comply right then, I say "Roooosssscooooe" in a real growly, "disappointed in you" voice and he complies about 85% of the time. I don't know why that works, but it does.

Calypso

Posted : 5/21/2006 9:34:51 PM

I generally do what Roscoe's Mom does. Cousteau is a notoriously slow downer when he wants to be and will drop on a dime when motivated. I use a lot of highly valuable rewards after he downs to encourage him to down faster. In his case, it's things like getting to barrel out of the house, checking the cat's food dish, getting the ball tossed, picking up the tug, cleaning the floor after the baby eats, etc. If he wants it REALLY badly, then he has to down.

As far as the dog always going down on the 4th or 5th command - chances are the dog has learned that you don't mean it until then. Or that the command is actually down-down-down-down. Just like a child may not behave until the parent uses his full name or finally yells on the 3rd time, a dog won't do what he doesn't want to do until he feels it's really in his best interest, or until he's doing what he thinks you meant to train him to do.

dawnk777

Posted : 5/21/2006 9:49:12 PM

Is that like making Jasmine sit, before the door is opened to go outside for a car ride? She will whine in frustration, that she has to sit, before she goes out, but she gets so wound up about car rides, that we try this to get her to calm down and not be in such a hurry to get outside.

jaye

Posted : 5/21/2006 9:50:16 PM

why cant you physically make her go to down? ive heard thats the thing to do.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 5/21/2006 10:08:47 PM

Hey, look! It's calypso!!!!

Jaye, it's not a good idea to force your dogs into a down b/c... well... that's just not nice! In a very pushy or fearful dog, it could get you bitten. It's pretty threatening to assert your physical strength over any being, and it's not something that most positively inclined trainers would reccomend.

jensw

Posted : 5/21/2006 10:38:10 PM

There's also some evidence that they don't learn that way... that pushing them down doesn't solidify in their brains "'down' means I lie down on the ground" as well as letting them figure out for themselves what "down" means through positive reinforcement. [

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loveukaykay

Posted : 5/21/2006 11:26:20 PM

I taught Bailey by putting her down... it wasnt mean or anything, very gently actually and then all kinds of praise and treats. I agree just forcefully pushing them down is mean but you dont have to do it that way. I gently pushed and she didnt go so I pulled out her front legs (again very gentle) anyway it worked great and shes happy as can be.... oh btw- I only had to do that a few times before she pretty much knew what I wanted.

jaye

Posted : 5/22/2006 12:13:41 AM

thats exactly how i taught both jake and emma how to sit, and yeah, it only took a few times before they got it. it was very gentle, not agressive.

sillysally

Posted : 5/22/2006 4:22:16 AM

I'll give those suggestions a try. If you clicker train, should you take the clicker everywhere you go? When we walk I make her down before she gets to go into the stream, and am starting to do it before she eats (we always made her wait to eat, but she had to sit before). I am also having her down whenever people pass us on the walking trail. She USUALLY does that on the first try, but we really run into trouble if there is anything more distracting than 1 or 2 resonabley behaved people passing.

pumaward

Posted : 5/22/2006 6:32:04 AM

I don't take my clicker every where, but I think I'm going to start. It makes things so much easier and Maddi will listen to just about anything I say with it in house. I hope to eventually bring that enthusiasm outside.

Also, remember to pre-condition your dog to the clicker so she knows that the clicker means a treat is coming [

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dasher

Posted : 5/22/2006 9:51:40 AM

I don't take my clicker everywhere, but if you know you want her downs to be quicker while on a walk for example it may be a good idea to take it so you can practice. Also, I use a verbal "yes" when I click, so if I don't have my clicker, when I say "yes" I will feed. My yes praise works well if I happen to be "clickerless" [

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