Fixing training problem....update - Page 1

My bitch always makes an ass of me by looking like she is cringing when I return to her on her long down. She has never been punished for the long down!!  Well, everyone thinks she has. I don't know what the hell her problem is nor how to fix it. Anybody have any ideas? Does it even matter? 

What is cringing? lol

got a video? 

cringe  /krɪndʒ/ verb, cringed, cring⋅ing, noun

–verb (used without object) 1. to shrink, bend, or crouch, esp. in fear or servility; cower.

thanks lol ;)

two things:
1) did you use hard correction during training platz?
2) bad nerves?
3) I would go back to the start, and use positive reinforcment to fix it, make it a game, use toy. Teach that down is fun and very rewarding experience. Work only on this for few weeks and make it a game. Do baby steps.

how old is she?
pjp

She might have punished for a long down, but was she punished for any down? especially when she broke it, if so than she is expecting it. Any issues with dogs showing fear, can be fix by making a very rewarding game, actually when I fuck up something with my dog and loose my cool I go back to that exercise and do only that one thing and make it a game fun game, and if I get frustrated I finish on a good note and put the dog away. Keep in mind that I am eastern European which means i got anger issues ;) 

Good question age ;)

ofcourse, some dogs mature much faster than others, handle stress better and have more confidence at an earlier age.  with most of the dogs we have, they are much slower to mature and often donot exhibit mature dog behavior ;or confidence until 3 years of age or nearly that age.    i would also add that sometimes trying overly hard to correct a problem does nothing but make it worse.  if you are having a problem with a certain excercise, sometimes (not always) it is better to leave it alone for a while and come back to it later after you have spent time working on something else with success.  that success will help to build confidence in the dog.
pjp

VM,
I would approach and calmly praise and toss some food between her legs and walk away.  I would repeat this several times in a  session with this dog.  Next, I would approach and stand next to her for 3 to 5 seconds then calmly praise and feed, then go back to standing but don't make her sit, instead walk away.  I would have a second person ready to correct her with a long line in case she breaks the long down.  I would approach her several times calmly praising and feeding on the ground before releasing her.  This way she learns your approach is a good thing and she looks forward to your approach.  This should get her very interested in you and put her at ease when you approach. 

I agree with others that she is expecting a correction when you approach, so make your approach a good thing.

JMO FWIW,

Jim

Is she a sensitive dog? Not really referring to correction sensitivity since you said that she hasn't been corrected for the down...I mean is she very responsive to your mood, facial expression, the possibility that you disapprove of something she's done. Regardless of what created the cringing, now that you have noticed it you might be reinforcing it through your body language or facial expression, especially if she is a sensitive dog.

Both of my dogs are sensitive like this...my collie especially so. I have to be watchful of my mood because even if I think I am controlling my body language, she will still pick up any frustration or displeasure. For this dog, I just have to make sure that I leave my emotions out. If something happens during a training session with the collie that makes me feel frustrated I pause, catch my breath, and end with some playtime. My GSD is less able to read me and so I am able to work through my frustration in a training session without him picking up on it too much. Or maybe he just doesn't care ;)