Teaching the "fuss" - Page 3

I don't usually train my puppy or new skills actively using the leash.  If he is wandering off, then I am doing something wrong as far as not being able to keep him focus and wanting to play with me.  I will change up how I am training/playing and what I am using to motivate the dog rather than hold him in position with the leash.  I spent more time developing the bond with my dog and developing the way I will motivate him and reward him than I do on actually training and proofing the skills.  There is nothing the dog wants more than working with me for what I have and that includes chasing rabbits, cats, other dogs, etc (all these things are sometimes present while we train, and all which he will chase when we are not training/playing because I'm not actively keeping him engaged with me).

Now when the dog is older and/or has learn the skill already, by all means I have a collar and a leash or tab, but for a young pupy and/or dog just starting to learn the skill I don't use the leash other than a safety net that the dog is dragging.  I tend to use the leash more at club because I have less control over the environment and I want the dog to be absolutely sure that we are there to work, but at home I am more soft and train with no leash or a thin tab hanging (or walk him to the park and remove the leash).

No right or wrong, but that's how I do it.  My "foundation" is not teaching the actual skill correctly, but developing a relationship and communication with the dog so that when we do start teaching a skill, the dog is absolutely focused and wants to work with me.

Not true, I feel compulsion and prong collars can be used to train dogs in some places....but getting a young dog to fuss with "focus and happy feet" using a prong collar and compulsion.....I don't think so.

V.

That was good advice regarding learning the difference between a working command like Fuss and just walking free.  I also believe a dog has to be "free" and not always on a Fuss.  I do see some folks expecting their 6 month old puppy to walk down the street in a Fuss position constantly under all kinds of distractions.  Hence they end up tugging, pulling, jerking or talking their heads off all the way down the block to a pup who would rather sniff a leaf.  This is a recipe for failure.  That kind of expectation is too high at this age.   Teaching the dog when they are free and when they are to be working is very important.  How you do that?  Find an expert right?

Good call.  My dogs all have different commands for a formal "fuss" and a polite loose-leash walk/heel (the sort of heeling that would suffice in rally-obedience, for example). 

I do use a prong on my male now but not when he was 6 months and still just learning the fundamentals.  I do not use a prong on my female (pure working line) who is 6 years because she super super handler sensitive and it would shut her down (but she is a sensitive, somewhat withdrawn dog in general...very precise obedience and easy to train but nothing suitable for SchH competitively, not the same amount of intensity).

OK sitamom So you don't think so. All those National Champions and world competitors are all wrong in what they do,
OK that's fine,
You must have had a pretty bad experience and now you are negative with what others can do even if they have success.
OK i will go and train my bitch with my prong collar and continue to do the I don't think so thing method.
Thank you. I hope to see you at the nationals one day, I myself don't see me being their for a long time because my talent is still very poor, but i will not fool myself.

V.

oh hi   sitamom,        MASTER DOG TRAINER   "Experts in focus and happy feet."



can you give the list any advise on doing the retrieves.
Since  you are the most educated of all.
Im looking for a faster pick up and return, any advise would be appreciated.


V.

sorry i have nothing to do for a few weeks broke my arm at judo school, no it was not while i was using
compulsion on my dog while teaching her to fuss
So i sit here by my computer while my bitch tells me to put the prong collar on her and lets go train.
V

Well my dog has the so calle "happy feet", at least that is what I am told while we are heeling. I know she has a "prance" if you will and her tail is up and she is happy. I built on the imprinting that she had with the clicker. There was no force or prong during this point in her foundation, I won't even call it training. To me training comes after the teaching phase. Once you teach them what is expected, then you begin to truely "train" them. At any rate, when I am working with her I expect the "fuss", and when we are on a walk it is more relaxed and the emphasis is just on her walking with me and she knows the difference between the 2.

I did not introduce the pinch collar until she was a year old and she demonstrated to me she understood what the commands were. Every dog is different and you train every dog based on the dog. I started with a flat collar and leash for safety more than anything. I use the pinch now mostly for attention, so I give little "pops",  I am not trying to hang the dog or take her head off. However, I think that my girl has very nice focus during heeling and I am very much in favor of the methods I used during her foundation, and I will continue to use it and modify it to fit any other dog I use it with to fit that dogs personality!