Teaching him to learn...

[Balian's_Mom]

So, I've been a BAD mommy and haven't really done anything with my BC cross Balian. He knows sit for his breakfast (and occasionaly other times as well), and while I do plan to take him to obedience classes (my life in is flux at the moment), I'd like to teach him to learn! I try and teach him something, and generally all I get is the blank stare. I know he's smart, but I just don't think he gets what I'm trying to do! I am a horse trainer, but I know that dog training is vastly different. I may be treating him too much like one of my horses!! Any tips? Books I should read? I've ordered the Idiot's Guide to dog training from Amazon, anxiously awaiting it's arrival!! But I'd like to activate his mind...oh, and he's about a year old, and we live on a horse farm, so lots of room to run and play, and he has Sandy, the 11 year old pointer mix for his best 4-legged friend!!

[collies4me]

So, I've been a BAD mommy and haven't really done anything with my BC cross Balian. He knows sit for his breakfast (and occasionaly other times as well), and while I do plan to take him to obedience classes (my life in is flux at the moment), I'd like to teach him to learn! I try and teach him something, and generally all I get is the blank stare. I know he's smart, but I just don't think he gets what I'm trying to do! I am a horse trainer, but I know that dog training is vastly different. I may be treating him too much like one of my horses!! Any tips? Books I should read? I've ordered the Idiot's Guide to dog training from Amazon, anxiously awaiting it's arrival!! But I'd like to activate his mind...oh, and he's about a year old, and we live on a horse farm, so lots of room to run and play, and he has Sandy, the 11 year old pointer mix for his best 4-legged friend!!

I am in the beginning stages of training my puppy at 15 weeks, and while I am not a dog trainer for a living, I have read alot.

 

Before you teach him to learn, you have to motivate him/inform him that learning is fun. So creating a very fun/rewarding environment for him to learn is the first step I would imagine. A high praising voice and lots of rewarding with the appropriate treat/toy can take you a long way.

 

Mixing it up and keeping him mentally stimulated through out the day will also take him a long way. I am sure others with more experience will chime in here soon, but be consistent with your commands, and have realistic expectations, and all it takes is some time and some dedication

[Root Beer]

I ran into this a little with Dean when we first adopted him. I knew full well not to try any training with him for a few weeks so he could settle in, but I was just dying to get started, so the second day he was here, I got out my clicker and treats and tried to do some work with him. He had started on clicker at the rescue, so I figured he would jump right into the game. I was getting the blank stare when he wasn't looking confusedly at the ground!

 

So, I put on the brakes and started with something simple. I put a treat in my fist and let him sniff at it. That was interesting for him. I gave him the treat. Then, I did that again, but this time I waited until he stopped sniffing at my hand and I clicked and gave him a treat. For a few days, that's all I did - I put a treat in my hand and clicked and gave it to him when he stopped sniffing. After that, I waited until he finished sniffing and then I waited some more. When he looked up at me to see why the expected click wasn't coming, he got the click and the treat. And all of a sudden he was learning.

 

Games are a good way to start your dog with learning to learn. You don't need to use a clicker, although I personally prefer to use one - especially at the stage of teaching the dog to learn. Instead of the click, you can use a word like "yes!" to mean that the dog has "guessed" what you want and is going to get the reward.

 

Some simple games you can play to get this process started:

 

1. Toss a treat and let your dog go get it. When he turns back to you click or say your word and give another treat when the dog looks at you and starts to move toward you.

 

2. Hold out your hand to your dog. When he pays any attention to it, click or say your word and give a treat. Gradually move the hand further away from your dog so he has to move to touch it.

 

3. Put a treat in your hand and let your dog sniff it. When he stops sniffing and moves away slightly, click or say your word and give the treat. After doing this a few times, wait until the dog stops sniffing and looks at you and then click or say your word and give the treat.

 

The point of those games isn't really to train anything, although there are things you can train based on those games. It is just to get your dog engaged and start thinking.

 

If your dog has a favorite toy, you can also use that to get your dog thinking. You could put it under a laundry basket so the dog has to figure out how to get it out. Speedy used to love that when he was a puppy. Or, you can hide the toy and make your dog find it.

 

Dean is none the worse for me starting these games with him before he was really settled in. They really did the trick to get him learning. If I skip his morning training session now, he runs to the door and acts like he wants to go outside. When I open the door and let all four dogs out, he quickly darts back in and runs to the pantry where the food is kept. He's using his brain, all right!!

[painted_ponies]

I was sort of in your position when I got horses. I'd trained dogs all my life practically, but ran into a communication barrier applying dog-training techniques to 1/2 ton flight animals.

 

So what have you tried to teach your dog? How'd you go about it?

[Balian's_Mom]

So what have you tried to teach your dog? How'd you go about it?

 

I've tried the basic stuff, we've been having issues with housebreaking still, would love to teach him to TELL me when he needs to go out, not just do him on a schedule.

 

I would also love to teach him to COME reliably (we live on a scary street), and a good sit stay, and to keep him out of the indoor arena...I know, some random stuff. I'm also interested in teaching him fun tricks to impress the friend's and family!! I need basic off leash control, since I often have him out with me on the farm with being able to have him leashed.

 

I generally try to reinforce the good behaviors (praise, cookie, a pat, throw a ball for him), and discourage the bad behavior (NO!, or clapping my hands). But he seems to react in a hit or miss way, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.