"Let him be a puppy" - Page 2

In the end, he is obedient in all circumstances, but at a training where I provided a lot of structure since he was little, if you put him in a down, he stays there about 30 seconds in a sphinx down and then relaxes and goes to sleep. That happened very naturally.

In other environments, I had to go back and really train the down to relaxation, as the sphinx down was there for a good 10 minutes before he relaxed. He was not enthusiastic about doing the obedience in places where I didn't require it under age 1. He'll do it- just not with a smile.

It is very subtle and probably something only I notice - but I suppose the lesson to be learned for me was that "let them be a puppy" does not equate let run wild w/o OB, just minimize corrections and do all positive.

Thanks for all the input - I wanted to make sure I had misunderstood that way back when as it applies to my previous circumstance. My new puppy will certainly have plenty of puppy time, but I will get the age appropriate OB in more places.

I guess you have to look at what is important. Is the "sphinx" down important in SAR? If you want it to be important, and you are concerned about the dog relaxing and sleeping, then you have to change the down to contain FOCUS! This is done through your reinforcement and depending on your style of teaching not allowing the dog to relax. In public, if I put any of my dogs in a down it is an informal down. Just lie at my feet and relax. If I am downing my SAR K9 before working, it is Platz, keep your attention on me, because you never know when a reward or a command is coming. In Sch it is the same, down means relax, Platz means, you better be in the position you platz'd in and your attention had better be on me.

Make sense?

Puppies. Rambunctious=good.  Gangsta=very bad

DeesWolf,
Sorry if that didn't make sense. I don't want the sphinx down. I want the dog to stay there and relax (frequently we have the dogs in a down stay at trainings and on searches).  In environments that he was given more structure, I was able to get that result quickly (down- stay,  relaxed). In environments I believed I was "letting him be a puppy" I had to work harder later to get him to relax in a down (I got down-stay, alert and waiting to be let up).

I don't compete in anything so I only use a sphinx down other than as an alert behavior - which is very different than a down-stay.   At this point I don't have any problems - it was just a training obstacle I created for myself early on.
Sorry for any confusion...

DeesWolf,
No disrespect meant by the "i don't compete in anything so I don't need a sphinx" as I typed and didn't think about the way you are using a down prior to working. I do have people I work with who employ that method, that just hasn't been one of the tools I have used so it wasn't fresh in my mind.

Shannon :)