First obedience class

[Tracey Burns]

Izzy, my 10 month old cocker, had her first obedience class on Sunday. She was fantastic! We had spoke to the people before we went and they had advised us to change the way we feed Izzy, ie when she stops eating remove the bowl and don't allow her access all day, and we have also implemented much longer walks then we had been doing. Izzy really did us proud and was very well behaved.

However, next week we are hoping to take our nervous/agitated border collie, Molly, as we couldn't take her this week because she was on heat so next week should be much more trying!

[jude09]

moving this thread to a proper place hope you don't mind

[Tracey Burns]

Okay, so putting this into practice isn't quite as easy! I thought this wouldn't be too bad without the distraction of the other dogs but apart from sitting to heel nothing else seems to be going as well! After 15 mins of tugging on the lead I gave in and let her run, although she was slightly better on the return trip (we do walk 4 miles every night!). She is completely distracted and I can't get her to look at me, no matter how many treats I offer!! I guess I just need to keep working at it. Although, on the plus side (and for those who have read my other posts) she is now starting to come back much more sucessfully when called; yesterday we met a very excited male cocker who loves to go rabbit hunting but Izzy even came back when he was still running him, his owner was very impressed with my well behaved pooch!!

[Rach]

I know what you mean! My boy is the perfect pup at obedience class but doesn't seem to get it when we are out and about every other day! I'm not worrying about it now, I know he'll get there and he is so much better at recall and being patient when tied up for a few minutes now. I don't work for too long on the heel work or we both tend to get frustrated! I still think going for walks should be enjoyable for both of us so he gets to stop and sniff and run every now and again and I just go along for the ride!

[Tracey Burns]

At least it is not just me!! I agree, as long as we can get the basics right and she will come to me when called am I not really going to sweat the other stuff and she must enjoy her walks first and foremost!

[MaryAnn]

Once you establish a routine of practicing the commands you learned in class everyday for a few minutes....everything will come easy. Your trainer should be giving you homework assignments weekly to practice with your dog everyday.

Remember not to treat your dog until he/she gives you eye contact. A good way is to put a small treat on the floor in front of them after they look up at you. They look - you treat.

Your trainer was right on when he/she said to remove the food bowl. One point I'd like to clarify is...put a time limit on it (Jude uses 15 minutes and I use 20 minutes (my dog is a slower eater))...after that time period, whether done or not the bowl gets picked up and put away.

[Tracey Burns]

Hi MaryAnn - we do put a time limit on the food, 15 minutes, and then the food goes up regardless! This weeks training session didn't go quite so well as we took Molly and Izzy together and I think this might have been a bad idea as they both cried to get out attention - although hubby did learn some very good tips on controlling our aggressive border collie. We were fussing her after she had jumped up as we wanted to calm her down but all this does is reassure her that her bad behaviour is acceptable! The trainer also taught Stuart another way to hold the lead so that the immediate tug is more effective and hubby has even decided to remove her halti when taking her for a walk as he feels he will be able to correct her better.

[MaryAnn]

When a dog jumps up on you...simply say "OFF" in a firm voice, and turn your back toward the dog. You will be surprised how quickly (most) dogs catch on.

They do something you don't like...they get ignored.
They do something you do like....they get lots of praise.

[Tracey Burns]

The problem isn't Molly jumping on us, it is her jumping and barking at other dogs. We don't allow her to jump up us, just as you explained above!

[MaryAnn]

You need to watch for certain signals your dog is giving you when you are out on a walk. He feels restrained from being able to approach. Frustration ensues, and after a number of times he begins to feel frustrated seeing other dogs while on a leash at a distace. This is called "conditioned frustration" or "leash reactivity". This can happen with any breed, and it is common in today's style of living. Also, this does not mean that your dog is necessarily dog-aggressive or less tolerant of other dogs or people, especially if your dog is fine playing with his select, properly-introduced friends off-leash.

The way to curb and/or prevent this behavior is to establishing good leadership with your dog. This also helps your dog feel that someone is in charge and gives him a better sense of security around other dogs and people.

As for the "leash reactivity", timing is the key. Don't even let your dog stare at the other dog or person at all. This eliminates the frustration before it can even begin. If you wait until he's already frustrated, lunging and pulling forward, he may not even hear you say "LEAVE IT" at that point. Again, timing is the key....so keep an eye on your dog's body language and cut off any escalation of frustration with a "CALM< ASSERTIVE" command and redirect to something else. Continuing to walk with your dog and having him look at you while passing the other dog or person is also very successful at keeping your dog from even locking into a stare-down.

You can also try a distraction technique to reinforce a different behavior. This means that you teach your dog to focus on something else. This can be a "sit" and "watch me" or you can also have your dog perform a "down-stay" and look at you at the same time.

These distraction techniques will prevent frustration from building up while on-leash. Also...a good leash manners class can help you learn these very simple techniques. then you can take these techniques outside the class and use them in life in many different situations.