Bored with training?

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by alexav

That is because too many owners use food as a BRIBE and not a REWARD.
Jeez, give the guy a break and start paying him for his efforts.

Exactly! - When microwave hot dogs were old hat - SALMON treats brought an amazing amount of attention. To paraphrase an expression:

"If your DOG is bored with obedience class it is due to the failure of the trainer to keep it interesting"

[MrsBoats]

Originally Posted by Ilovemypuppy

There are alot of things that could be causing your dog to act bored.

Treats.....should be mixed up so that the dog never knows what's coming next.... works well...put several different treats in your bag or pockets..I typically carry, tuna, salmon, chicken hearts and chicken liver treats (made at home..cut into 1/4 squares)..that way she's always curious..what's coming next for a job well done.

Also..YOU have to stay interesting and being playful or a bit un-predictable.... really makes a difference there. The tone of your voice...gotta keep it up and animated...smile..and even act goofy from time to time.

Play in between exercises.

Bailey and I are training for OB trialing..just starting with Pre Novice (CKC), but our training sessions include (for variety and fun) some of the advanced exercises like retrieving the dumbell over jumps, the seek back, moving stand, etc. The harder stuff really gets her fired up and then the heeling gets better and more animated.

Are you sure your dog is bored..or are you ? Maybe the class structure is boring ?

My trainer is using a lot of play in her classes this time around. I took the same class two years ago and what a difference this time around. I would get bored with class the first time around...I can only imagine what it was like for Sam. If you make training and obedience a big, fun game for the dog, you see a huge payback from the dog. How many times do you hear someone who is successful say "My job doesn't even feel like work, I love it" I swear, if I could ski for my job...I would be the biggest work monger! LOLOL

Also for the treats, I've started to make a mix of stuff and use that. Sam was getting all burned out on string cheese that we have been working with. I switched him to another treat I grabbed from the pet store....and Wow, completely night and day. I'll always keep him guessing what's coming next.

If your dog isn't food motivated, how about rewarding a good job done with a toy or a game he lives for?

[Bastianboy]

Originally Posted by MrsBoats

If your dog isn't food motivated, how about rewarding a good job done with a toy or a game he lives for?

This is exactly what I will try to do. We are also not allowed to have treats in Obedience class, so I can't do treats in class even if I wanted to. In agility he has a ball he gets when he does things well.

[MrsBoats]

Even though you can't use treats in class....you could use them at home when you practice. I can't imagine being in an obedience class where you can't use treats. We've been working on attention heeling for like 7 months and the whole premise of that is based on using food to get the dog to watch you. Granted, we don't use food now as we did at the beginning as a lure to get the dog's head for the "watch" command. Now it's for a reward only. I think I would incorporate both food and toys at home and then use the toy at school.

If I missed this before in the discussion, I'm sorry. What sort of obedience class is it (and to take from another discussion from the weekend) and what is your goal with the class?

[alexav]

Originally Posted by Bastianboy

This is exactly what I will try to do. We are also not allowed to have treats in Obedience class, so I can't do treats in class even if I wanted to. In agility he has a ball he gets when he does things well.

Not ALLOWED???? Who is paying for this class? Is your instructor living in the dark ages?
This just amazes me. I can understand an instructor who won't allow students to bring sticks to hit their dogs with, but to ban motivators? That's just nuts!

You must be using force-based methods and your dog seems to "love praise" because he has come to learn that means he has successfully avoided the compulsive part of the exercise.
Using a ball or toy is definitely a step in the right direction but only if it is used wisely and with proper timing. It sounds to me like your instructor won't be much help with that...