| I have no way of knowing whether your dog really understands the exercises or whether you have simply been luring him into position all this time. It might very well be that if you have only been luring the dog, he really doesn't have the concept. If the dog understands the exercise, then a correction is in order. On something like the stand, I'd put my hand on either side of the collar, give a brief shake and a tongue lashing, and tell him to pay attention. For a moving exercise, I'd use a leash correction. As I said, however, you cannot give corrections on a head halter, so my suggestions all presuppose a training collar. Don't expect Sam to take the work seriously if you don't. Like I said, it must be your mental decision first. If you have determined that you only want to use a head halter and cookies and don't intend to impress upon him that he has responsibility, then you are exactly where that leads. As far as treats go, after an initial introduction to a new exercise, they should be a reward for good performance, not a lure. A lure puts the dog in control, not the handler. (dog can choose to ignore the lure if he wants with no consequences).  |