Fixing training problem....update - Page 4

Marions,

I put my dog in a platz then continue telling her platz in an even tone.  Most of them are smart enough to put their heads down because you are still asking for the platz.  Don't try to tell me a GSD can't reason.  If he has nothing else to platz, the head goes down.  Sometimes you will need to reinforce the command by putting your finger down in front of the nose so they understand but both of my girls figured it out on their own.  God I love GSDs!

VomMarischal

If you put her in the platz and she is so good about staying there, will she stay if you tease her with say the kong or a ball?  If that would cause her to break, I would back tie her, maybe have someone with a short leash to the side for corrections then you out in front tossing the ball.  That should get her to perk up and look interested.  You could also try standing close to her and tossing her treats.  My girl can catch so I will stand away from her and toss treats to her to get her to focus on me instead of another dog or person on the field.  The only bad thing about this trick is if you are lousy at tossing treats and you miss the dog will get up to retrieve it (unless she knows "leave it" and that's iffy) But she is always eager to see me coming!
Good luck!
Deb

Does she love the ball?

I have a dog who would look away as I returned on the Sit in Motion exercise - same thing - not punished, but showing that avoidance behavior. He'd also look around the field as he was left on the Sit.

I fixed it by using those exercises as ball-reward ones.  We'd heel along, I'd say SIT and as I continued walking I'd pull the ball out of my pocket and swing it around as I walked on.  As I returned to the dog I'd hold up the ball where he could see it; he'd focus on me and that ball and be rewarded when I got back in front of him (later he got the reward after I was back in position at his side).

Now when I leave the dog on these exercises he intently watches, ears up, body language alert and eager, but solid on the stays.  Those exercises now mean "ball play - incoming!" and it's reflected in his body attitude.

OK, Tess, that's yet another good idea. Will try all of them this weekend. 

hi ... some good post s.. snaiper had the first thoght which you need to adfdress .. is the resultant behavior originating from  genetic  factors /environmental  factors ,  [which includes the surrondings and/or experiences or BOTH ? . I have seen this many times . a common scenario ....  you can send a message to the PM section  / or  leave me an email address and I will be gald to help you. there is misinformation .. for example .. you do not go back to the first step .. the reason being .. DOGS  DO  NOT UNLEARN behaviors or responses . BUT we can change a behavior of a dog or it's outlook to facilitate another response / behavior. case in point : when a dog learns a sit in your kitchen the next time it sits at the grocery store .. to you it is the same requirement but to the dog , in it's outlook the context is different . therefore that is not the same sit that youare thinking of. so once you taught the dog THAT DOWN which you described .. it is learned by the dog . yes. so... you just don't go back to the begining . enough said . If you choose i will be glad to help without giving a seminar here.  alphapup.   ps. whatever word you used before for the long down .. then you will most often get that same ol' behavior that you associated that word to previously 

I saw the photo and the dog is stressed out in the down.  The problem is you.  You need to find the answer within.  GSD's, assuming she is of solid DNA, are masters in reading body english, your feelings, and emotions.  I suspect you are worked up, tense, or even frustrated with this matter.  You are sending that message to your dog.  I would stop the training exercise for a while and then only do it where it is fun.  You need to relax yourself and make sure you are not the problem.  I have seen the look before myself and I fixed it by relaxing and having more fun with my dog. 

Good luck.

I decided that going out there today on day 6 of a throbbing migraine was probably going to be counter productive. So it'll have to wait. 

OK. So at training today I decided to tackle the cringing posture of my bitch when I returned to her after her long down. I could see my TD staring at me from across the field looking like he thought I'd really lost it, and finally he did yell at me, but so what! It worked!

I kept returning to her in different ways. The first time, I went back to her in a big serpentine with long loops. Each time I turned the other direction, her head would tilt to the side like I was making squeaky noises. When I got toe to toe with her, I released her to the ball. The second time, I returned to her by veering off to the side and then approaching her from her side, so like a big triangle. She looked at me like I was whacked. I went toe to toe with her again and released her to the ball. By this time my TD was yelling at me IS THAT ALL YOU'RE GOING TO DO TODAY? The third time I just kind of wandered around aimlessly until I got near her and finally my TD yelled PICK UP YOUR DOG!!! 

So not one time did she put her head down or her ears back. She was wondering what the hay I was up to, and frankly I was having fun too. Not sure if my fun cheered her up or the wacky returns.

Thanks for all the ideas, people. I came to the conclusion that I was BORING her to death. I need to keep that dog interested. So I tried everyone's ideas, with success.

Sounds like you are getting a handle on it!  Congrats and keep up the good work.  Thanks for keeping us updated.
Deb