Chasing

[jobo]

We don't want Brandy to go chasing after anything, unless we allow her to. If we are walking her out back there are some wild animals that could be dangers or smelly (skunks).
We have been having friends help us and if someone throws one of her balls (or other toys) she won't chase after it unless we tell her to. When the ball is thrown she gets excited and watches it till it stops, then she looks at us till we give her the command. Well the problem we are having is if we throw the ball, she will chase right after it. If I'm in control of her and my fiance throws the ball (or the other way around) she won't stay, as soon as the ball is released she is right after it. Even if I tell her not to before I throw the ball, it's like she didn't hear it. Will we be able to get her to not chase if we throw her toy, and any suggestions on how?

On our walks she sees rabbits and other little animals and get excited but she doesn't try going after them. The only thing she sometimes does is take a couple steps, because she lost sight of them. So it seems to be helping. She is still on lead but this keeps her from pulling our arms off if she sees something.

[poohbearsmom]

Do you have a leash attached to your hand AND the dog, so that you presumably could have some control over your command to her????? If so, you would be able to control her while teaching and reinforcing your command. ;)

Elisabeth

[jobo]

Yea we have her on her leash, but if my fiance is holding her it's more pulling then control.
I'm now holding the leash, but ouch it's starting to hurt. :)

[Mojave's Mom]

Well you can't just hold her there on a leash and do nothing when she disobeys your command.

First of all, how old is she? That bit of information is important in determining how to handle the situation.

[jobo]

She will be 9 months old on Monday (4/21)

[camille]

What I did with Daisy is put her in a sit (on leash) and make her stay that way. I would then throw the ball and let it lay for a minute. If she tried to move, I would reinforce the sit command with voice and a leash correction. When she was settled, I gave a "seek" command and let her at it. It took a while, but when she realized that if she sat still and payed attention to me, the sooner she would be released to go get her ball. Best of luck. She'll catch on soon enough.


-Camille

[Mojave's Mom]

I think Camille's description of what to do is excellent ;)

Don't wait for the dog to already be standing and at the end of the lead when you correct her. Whoever is holding the dog must be watching the dog and not the ball. As soon as the ball is thrown, correct the dog as soon as it makes that first small move to go after it (butt shifting, the body posture that precedes the lunging, etc.) Give her a stern "AHHH AHH! Stay!" and then praise when she does. The ultimate reward is the retrieve of the sent item...so let her have it as soon as she doesn't move and looks to you first for permission. She'll get it quick.

[poohbearsmom]

Your pup is still young. Rather than confusing her at this point, I would drill into her a SOLID sit and down.... meaning sit MEANS sit (or down MEANS down) until YOU request a different behavior, or give her a release command.... You could also practice a "wait" command at supper time by reinforcing a wait from a standing position before you OK her to consume her kibble, using the leash for control of course, then generalize the behavior by having her "wait" for a still object... like a ball being held in front of her, and so on...you want to set her up for success, not failure everytime you work on a command.....make sense?

At this age, any obedience practiced should be accompanied with a leash on, and plenty of "paycheck" on hand. She is still young, and training is best done in baby steps, building up the dogs generalization of the command over time.

Bottom line... if your dog does not comply with your request, your dog most likely does not fully understand the request, or is confused in some way due to lack of consistancy of it's handler... least that's my understanding of these things....

Helping your pup gain a greater understanding of your expectations will be the best gift your shoulders ever had... ;)

Hope this helps...
Elisabeth

[cpalenchar]

I agree with what others have posted... the only thing I didn't see very clearly was that maybe you should take the level of stimulation down a little. In line with what Elisabeth said, you should be setting the dog up for success. A fast flying ball is *really* exciting-- I imagine it's very hard to resist it. (Kinda like being will to break a diet for a cookie but not for a carrot.) Start her on things that will tempt her less--- like maybe rolling the ball slowly away from her--- or whatever works for her. Slowly work up to something as exciting as a full throw.

Another thing I noticed-- she behaves when a friend is throwing the ball, but not her primary owners. My only guess is maybe because you or your fiance have been throwing the ball for her since she was young-- so she has a strong reaction to this stimulus. But she has not had as much enforcement with other people throwing for her. Just a guess....

hmmm... re-reading I think Elisabeth was actually making the same point I was-- about bringing the level of distraction down. I guess I should just second her-- what you're looking for is a solid sit/stay. So work on that and it will work in every situation.

-chloe

[jobo]

I think it was we were working with an over stimulated puppy.
We removed the outside distractions, and worked on her in the house. The first couple time she started to twitch like she wanted to go, but I gave her another stay and she stopped (with out any leash corrections). The next couple time I just gave her an "Awww" and she straightened up.
We are going to get it perfect inside before we attempt it out side again.

Thanks every one, and more questions.
Is this something we should be working with her one on one?
Seeing I'm giving her one command and Jodi (my fiance) is giving a different one.
With both of us working together could we confuse her? Could it cause her to undermine our authority, seeing I'm telling her one thing and Jodi's telling her something different (Even though she's not really giving her a command, but brandy knows that's her toy and we are throwing it for her.)?

I can see where it would be ok with other people (other then her owner). Because we want her to obey our commands, and just because someone else is telling her to do something more fun, we are the boss.

[Rott-Wiley]

Hi Jobo, have you given any thought into getting your puppy into an obedience class? That would be a really great place for both the two of you and your puppy to learn basic manners and get exposure to a lot of different and new distractions.

[jobo]

Sorry it took so long for a reply.
Ok we have been planning getting her some training. However, Where we are there isn't anywhere for us to take her. Our Vet has a training course once a year, but that is still a couple months away. We have been on the list waiting since the first time we took her to the vet.

[Judi W]

I understand the critter chasing thing. The only thing that confuses me is why you are throwing a ball if it is not to play with her? Do you and your fiance play throwing the ball to each other and don't want her interference is that what you are doing? I've always considered playing ball a game with only one rule. If you want me to throw it again, you have to bring it back.

[TrinityRun]

Jobo,

Enrolling the pup in obedience class will be worth the drive - be it 1-2 hrs, one way because it will not only give her the exposure she needs at this age but will give you and Jody the tools you need to communicate effectively with your dog. (Or at least, that's what you should really be paying attention to when you go to class - how to teach yourself to teach your dog.)

The ball throwing exercise should be toned down, as was stated, to be more fair to the dog. Training should be fun - being with you should be fun. If she loves the ball, let's keep it that way by not squashing the drive to want it, learn to channel it and use it to your benefit.

Every training session you do with your dog, you should already have a clear-cut idea in your head what you want to accomplish - short-term goal (today) and long term (finished product). Taking training lessons will help you understand how long those sessions should be to work toward the goals. They will help you understand what kind of reward is working best for her. It will teach you timing and delivery plus you've got the added benefit of having the instructor physically show you how to do something you may not understand. (Reading only goes so far) Then, your job is to go home and practice it all week.

During the training phase, there should be one trainer and one set of commands. You and Jody need to be on the same page when it comes to this.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[jobo]

Originally posted by Judi W
I understand the critter chasing thing. The only thing that confuses me is why you are throwing a ball if it is not to play with her? Do you and your fiance play throwing the ball to each other and don't want her interference is that what you are doing? I've always considered playing ball a game with only one rule. If you want me to throw it again, you have to bring it back.

Well not so much Jodi and I, but our 8 year old nephew.
He comes to visit us a lot him and Brandy get along great together.
The weather is starting to get nice here and we do play catch. I don't want to keep Brandy trapped in the house when we are outside having fun, but I don't want her to chase after the ball and run him over.