I HAVE TO REPEAT THE COMMANDS

[pascual]

Hi everybody!
This is my first posting in this forum, nevertheless I have been reading your messages for several weeks and I have learned a lot, thanks to all you.
My beautiful 4.5 months old Frida has learned all the basic obedience commands (come, sit & stay, down & stay, heel) but usually, I have to repeat them vocally several times in order that she obey me. What should I do for making her to obey at the first voice?

PASCUAL

[WorkinDogz]

Welcome to the forums! http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

I think your expectations and beliefs that at 4 1/2 months she "knows" all the commands are the problem.

She's a baby puppy in the imprinting phase of training (the learning phase). The reason you're having to give multi-commands is because she's unsure of the commands.

No correction for this in order at this point in my opinion. It would be like correcting a 2nd grader, who knows how to add, for not knowing Algebra. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/wink.gif Pretty unfair for the most part.

I'd keep training happy; correction free and continue to SHOW her where the command positions are. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

Happy (learning) heeling! http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/biggrin.gif

[Orville Story]

I agree that "correction" are not the best for such a young dog. However, I don't like to see any command given more than once. So what to do? You must help the dog when you give a command, for example.

I tell my puppy "sit". And after a second my puppy does not sit I am ready to help my puppy. I never give a command in the early part of learning without being prepared to help or praise my pup as I give the command.
So now my pup is still standing I have many different ways to help a pup sit. I can bring a treat up and backwards which will cause him to look up and then sit down. I can pull up on the lead and press down on the rump. I can simply give a little nudge on the lead upwards.

Always give the pup a chance to do the excersize correct. Counting mentaly to one thounsand and one is the correct time period to give to any dog to do the excersize.

The biggest problem most people have in giving puppies command is the fact that the puppy is not giving the handler attention at the time of command. So first work on attention drills to build a good foundation then work on commands.

[Augustus`s mom]

Mr. Story, could you tell us how to do attention drills? BTW my Gus is responding pretty well to the new training, but I still need MORE training!! Carole

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[Orville Story]

First find what the dog likes the most food, ball, rag, whatever. Hold this up to your face and encourage eye contact. At first when your pup makes eye contact throw the toy, food or whatever. Then over time you will hold it longer and longer causing the pup to build longer and longer attention. Over years you will have a dog that will focus on you for 5 to 8 minutes watching every move and twitch that you make. These are the dogs that are the top preformers in obedience.

[Dogfolks]

I have to say again this is a great board!

Our baby Linda is now 3 mos old and is able to sit, lay down, sit (from the lay down position), shake, eats from the right hand only and crawls. I have been using advice from this board and a great book I found The Dog Whisperer - yes the title sounds a little hokie but it is complete non-violent training. When she does not respond to the command the first time I turn my back on her - and it works! All of our "training" is fun and in short increments - she seems to love it. The only time I find I have to repeat a command is if she isn't focused on me so I make sure she is paying attention first.

[Mick Trainer]

I agree with the posts above. Teach your pup what you want it to do using praise, food etc until it truly knows it. Remember also that dogs learn a sound means an action, and are very specific in what they pick up. So if you repeat commands before they do it they will learn that, that is the sound that means "SIT". For example the dog will listen for "sit, sit, sit" before it does the action and not just "sit". A lot of people teach there dogs to wait for the third or forth command.

Mick.

[pascual]

Thanks a lot to all of you! Really I feel my self very proud and grateful for being in this forum. Living in this country (Cuba), I don't have the opportunity to get/buy those wonderful books that you recomend in your postings and I full depend on what I can read in the WEB about how to train my Frida. Can you recommend me any good site, besides the forum, where I could learn sequentially what and how to teach, in addition to come, sit & stay, down & stay and heel?

[WorkinDogz]

One command....one response (desirable or undesirable)....and one reinforcement.

The "response" part is the only thing the dog is responsible for...we as their trainer are responsible for the other 2/3 of that.

From the sounds of your original post Pasqual, you've chosen a training method that has been somewhat effective (maybe your expectations of what a baby puppy should be able to do is a little much; but the method you've chosen to teach sounds like it works for you and your dog.)

Maybe, just maybe...your method isn't faulty as much as your expectations for a young pup are.

How about continuing with the same method; just taking the advice from all of the above post and continue to SHOW THE PUPPY what you want; instead of switching methods of training? At 4 1/2 months; no method has really had an opportunity to "work" for the dog. It's just too soon to expect *obedience* from the dog.

I wish I could send ya a bunch of books or toss out some exceptional website for "How To" in training. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/frown.gif

I really think you'll be successful in training by just slowing down and readjusting your expectations a bit. Keep on imprinting (showing the puppy) what you want.....I think you'll be very glad you did http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

[LisaS]

take everything on the Internet that you read with a grain of salt - anyone can post anything... that being said, here are some links to articles that I have found interesting:
Dr. P's Site for some obedience articles http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/dog.htm
M. Shirley Chong's Really Reliable Recall http://www.kaylar.com/users/wmdog/keepers/Lesson6.html
(check the rest of the site for other interesting articles on training many other behaviors)
Some articles by Ian Dunbar:
the Sit test: http://www.clickersolutions.com/clic...es/sittest.htm
early puppy training: http://www.clickersolutions.com/clic...s/puptrain.htm http://www.clickersolutions.com/clic.../deadlines.htm
from a Great Dane site, some articles: http://www.doglogic.com/obedienc.htm

[pascual]

WorkinDogz: Thanks a lot for your advices. Really, I don't have any particular method, just I followed the instructions in http://home.att.net/~vlea (a wonderful site) for the most elementary commands (come, sit & stay, down & stay, heel), the owner of the site is a very kind lady and I am very grateful of her, but I want to go farther, in that site there aren't more commands and that is why my appeal to the forum.
LisaS: The links are just what I was looking for! Thanks very much. Of course, I'll take your advice about the "grain of salt".
THANKS AGAIN!