# In-Kennel Training



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I would not ever send my dog to trainer who I didn't personally know. Absolutely no way. An e collar , used properly by someone who is experienced is a valuable training tool used by many terrific trainers. My problem is that a professional who is on a time schedule for payment and wants to give you big results in the shortest amount of time can be a risk to use methods that you may not agree with in order to get those quick results. And generally without taking into account the individual dog's temperament or personality. It would typically be one size fit's all, the method the trainer uses and is accustomed to without much accounting for your dog as an individual. Without owner supervision you are placing a huge amount of trust in a complete stranger for the well being of your dog. It's a risk that I find completely unacceptable for a dog I love.

If you have that kind of money to spend please consider having a private trainer come to your home and help you learn to manage your dog, you could purchase a nice package of weekly visits and you'd learn a lot. If you don't have time, your wife needs to do it. Do some research, contact a local obedience club for a referral to someone who has experience working with large dogs. There is a reason that you have a nice dog but he isn't cooperative, sending him for training will teach him some things but it's not going to teach you much and it's your management style that is a big piece of the puzzle here. A trainer who will work with you and your wife privately on skills to manage this dog effectively would be worth every penny, both for this dog and any you choose to have down the road. 

Have you tried a head halter called a "gentle leader" or even a prong collar which if properly fitted will not cause the dog discomfort as long as he's walking along with you. Basically it will do what the ecollar would, give him results that he won't care for when he pulls or lunges. An experienced trainer can help you properly fit and properly use a prong collar without injuring the dog.

1) What kind of schedule is your dog on for being home alone (is he home alone sleeping during the day?) Who is spending time with him every day for a little while working on teaching him new things or playing games like "hide the bumper" in the house (he waits in a down/stay while you go hide a favorite toy and then you release him to go find it) or makes him work for formal retrieving? The fact that he won't bring the ball back even though he loves retrieving tells us that you don't have a good obedience foundation. Purchase a 30 foot long nylon cord and a clip and put that on him to wear when retrieving. Use it to bring him back to you so you can get the ball. Make him sit at your side before you throw the ball again. It won't take him long to figure out that he has to cooperate to make the game continue. THis is an important skill to teach, controlled retrieving is the best way to exercise a retriever.

2) What kind of aerobic exercise does he get each week? I'm talking about physical work that gets his heart rate up and leaves him tired and panting? About 20 minutes a day will make for a dog who is much easier to live with. Leash walks around the block are simply not enough for a young, healthy Golden Retriever. Your dog needs aerobic exercise most days of the week, that means almost every single day to help him with this overflowing energy both physically and mentally. It's a lot for a busy family to manage, but it's a requirement for owning a sporting dog, they were bred to work and work hard, not lay under the kitchen table every day. It's another big piece of the puzzle on getting a dog to do what you want.

Your dog needs consistent training and exercise to make him a great dog. You all brought home a large hunting dog who needs exercise and attention. These are smart dogs and it's unfair to expect them to sleep 7 or 8 hours in a crate at night and then spend another 8 hours asleep while people are at work and not have behavior issues, he has way too much energy and intelligence. It's unfair not to uphold your end of the bargain and not give him the care he needs to fulfill his potential.


----------



## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Nolan said everything I basically would have said. I'm a physician and had a puppy during my insane residency. And no, didn't go to a crap residency in a lifestyle specialty. I wouldn't do a board and train. Especially one that utilizes e-collars. Don't get me wrong, an e-collar can be a highly effective training tool, and sometimes they are necessary for dogs with significant issues refractory to traditional management. But that doesn't sound like the case here. It sounds like a lack of a strong obedience training foundation, not enforcing boundaries, and possible under-exercise 

An E-collar based training "boot camp" is tough for a few reasons. Goldens are sensitive. They don't always respond well to positive punishement methods. Furthermore, if your dog has was even remotely trainable, its just not needed. You could do some psychological damage. Furthermore, your dog has only been trained the way you have trained him up to this point. Whether you use positive reinforcement, Koehlerize your dog, or use an e-collar, if you abruptly throw a dog into a completely different and opposite training method, that can be highly confusing and intimidating for a dog. Furthermore, for anything to really stick, it would require you to continue that training method, which would mean continuing e-collar training, which is absolutely not recommended without 1:1 interaction with a trainer and classes. You'll be taking the dog to boot camp, upheaving his world, and then putting him back into the same situation, with people who might not be enforcing boundaries and rules. And then are going to communicate with him differently than the trainer did. If someone forced you to go be an OBGYN and deliver babies for 2 weeks--you'd probably pick enough up to be able to do something, but as soon as you go back to being an orthopedic resident, you would go back to your own routine. And in 2 weeks you wouldn't learn enough to pass the boards. Real training doesn't take end after 2 weeks, or even 6. That just going to build a rudimentary foundation. It requires MONTHS and MONTHS of work. Even after all is said and done, it still requires effort to maintain those skills over time. 

My best friend has a lab/pit/rottweiler mix with serious leash reactivity and is overprotective of her owner. She worked extensively with a behavioralist and her dog has failed all "easier," "softer" training methods. She's doing an e-collar, going to class, and working with a trainer 1:1. Her dog is getting better, but my friend absolutely hates it. Her dog was literally shaking and refused to go into class the other week. She was petrified, because she knew what was coming. She's not a fearful dog. 

I personally think a Golden needs about 45 minutes to an hour of good aerobic exercise a day. Thats in addition to walks etc. With some work, its worth building that retriever drive, and the only way to accomplish that is with consistency and good obedience. 

Furthermore...2400 price tag for two weeks of doggie boot camp in Alabama is a lot. The board and train places up here in Boston charge that much for a month. And thats boarding and training here in the city proper where the cost of living is significantly higher that it was in the South when I lived there. 

Your money would be far better spent by arranging for 1:1 sessions with a private trainer, to help you develop the skills YOU need to train, and maintain your dogs training. 15-30 min of training a day, plus a trainer weekly goes a LONG way. 

An easy walk harness, gentle leader head collar, or prong collar are helpful tools to help with pulling. I've never met a dog who pulled insanely on a gentle leader. 

I know you are both in healthcare, and residency sucks. But you should be getting 3-4 days offish a month, and have the luxury of knowing your schedule far in advance. There is time if you make it. There's a reason many people don't get a dog during residency....its far too much work. I just finished my training a 1.5 yrs ago in a program that laughed in the face of ACGME. I adopted a psycho puppy during residency who needed a lot of exercise and a LOT of stimulation to thrive. By myself. I had a lot of help from friends for walks etc, but I did all of the heavy lifting. I had a trainer come to my house once a week. It meant I didn't have the luxury of doing other things, but having a dog was more important to me. It was a choice I willingly made, sometimes begrudgingly but I had to be an adult about it and be fair to my dog. There are trainers out there who work in the evenings, and many work on the weekends, so between you and your wife, there may be time if you prioritize it. 

A good friend of mine is an NSGY resident. He got married, raised a puppy and has a 2 year old and one on the way and his wife works full time in healthcare. He's barely halfway through. I have no idea how he does it. Chaos. There's a reason people wait. I did it this year as an attending and it was SO much easier. Its really hard, but it can be done!

With work, and creativity, it can be done. It just takes a lot of effort, but you will get out what you put in. And = the end result is so worth it.


----------



## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Ditto what others have said. I would never send my dog to a trainer I didn't know personally and well: there are too many people who have had horrible experiences. In fact, I would never send my dog away to be trained, period, because the human element of the partnership needs training just as much as the dog. 

If you don't have time to train him yourself - and believe me, I understand how difficult it can be - then a head halter might be a good solution. My last dog pulled like a train, but was very manageable with her Gentle Leader. If you choose this route, make sure the halter is fitted properly, and make sure you know how to use it.

Good luck, hope you find a solution.


----------



## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I have sent my dog out with a professional trainer. Not for basic obedience, but field training. I see absolutely no reason to use an e-collar for basic obedience. It's not a learning tool, it's for reinforcement when the dog is refusing to do something it knows. I can't believe the one training facility only takes them for 2 weeks. So much of learning is repetition, you can't fix a dog overnight. I know it's hard to find time, but dogs learn best in short burst. Have you tried just working at home twice a day for 15 minutes? There are plenty of books to help you with training techniques. Consider that even if the training place takes the dog out 3-4 times a day to train, I bet the whole process takes an hour or less. The bonding between you and your dog is priceless.


----------



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Good advice from all. I used to get people wanting me to train their dogs the basics but truth is the training is more for you than the dog. Pups would come and stay with me and I never had the issues the owners did. Training is about teaching you and the dog to work together. Even if you ship them off the trainer is going to have to spend time with you.. with your dog. No reason to spend lots of money teaching your dog to work for someone else.

Now field training is a very different situation but what I hear you saying is you want to be able to walk your dog, right? 

Joining a class is only a couple of hours a week, inconvenient maybe but you usually can get the basics in just a few weeks. Not that I'm a big Dog Whisperer fan but if you watch the show you will notice he teaches the people, not the dog. The dogs are responding to you. 

If walking is your biggest concern, start in your own back yard with a leash. Each time they come close and look at you give them a treat. If they exceed the leash limit, give a sharp yank and when they look at you just smile and let them come get a treat. You have to become the most important thing to look at. It doesn't take them long to figure out that staying close brings goodies. Going away from you gives them a yank on the neck. Once you have mastered this in the house or back yard, move to the front yard where there are more distractions. This only takes a few minutes each time you want to take the time. Like anything else in life, the more involved you are.. the greater the reward.

I had a trainer years ago that taught me a simple trick when walking a dog. They told me to just stand still, quietly. At some point they will always turn around, when they do... and return to me, they get a treat. We start again, can't say we get very far but it doesn't take long before they figure it out. If they want to get where they are going they have to do it without pulling. I was 12 and had to hug a tree for stability, I was training a german shepherd that outweighed me by 60 lbs.

You can do this and the reward will be a bond that will last a lifetime. Having a trainer come to you can be good but you will still have homework to do on your own. Good luck with whatever path you choose. There is nothing like owning a well trained dog.


----------



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I wanted to add something about playing fetch... have more than one ball. He doesn't want to give up the prize he just got.

I have a tub full of tennis balls. When she gets pretty close I throw another ball so she doesn't have to give up her prize, it's more of an exchange. At some point they will bring it back and you can start working on "give", "let go" or "drop it", whatever command you want to use. I had a rescue golden that could hold 3 tennis balls! But eventually they will learn to let go because it's the chase they enjoy. 

As much as my girl loves tennis balls I have found the cloth frisbee is easier for me to get a hold of and less slimy. This is what I used when it was time to work on the "give" command. Because I do competition obedience I want her to hold it and not drop until she is told. But if this isn't important to you, just toss out another toy.


----------



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

nolefan said:


> I would not ever send my dog to trainer who I didn't personally know. Absolutely no way. An e collar , used properly by someone who is experienced is a valuable training tool used by many terrific trainers. My problem is that a professional who is on a time schedule for payment and wants to give you big results in the shortest amount of time can be a risk to use methods that you may not agree with in order to get those quick results. And generally without taking into account the individual dog's temperament or personality. It would typically be one size fit's all, the method the trainer uses and is accustomed to without much accounting for your dog as an individual. Without owner supervision you are placing a huge amount of trust in a complete stranger for the well being of your dog. It's a risk that I find completely unacceptable for a dog I love.
> 
> Have you tried a head halter called a "gentle leader" or even a prong collar which if properly fitted will not cause the dog discomfort as long as he's walking along with you. Basically it will do what the ecollar would, give him results that he won't care for when he pulls or lunges. An experienced trainer can help you properly fit and properly use a prong collar without injuring the dog.
> 
> ...


I am definitely not tied to a certain training method. I just didn't know anything about this in-kennel training. And you won't know anything unless you ask. I like the idea more of having a trainer come to our house. I found that my training sessions where I took him somewhere and had a private session were short lived because Sonny has a hard time with distractions. Very hard. And most of the training I have read about needs to start in a controlled environment and then works its way out to more distractions. 

When I am home with him I try to do tricks with him. Everything is positive reinforcement with treats. I will definitely work on the fetching thing with the long cord. I bought one of the 30 foot leads to work on that but got a couple hand burns from the cord and got frustrated. 

As far as his activity goes, he gets to stay outside more during the day now because the temperature has finally decreased a good bit. But usually 2 times a day we go out and throw the ball with him. Even though he doesnt bring the ball back, I always have two or three balls that I can at least walk to where I threw the last one and throw the other direction. He gets pretty tired from this. And then usually on the weekends we go to a dog park near the beach where he can run and play in the water and drink the entire lake. My wife and I would like him to run with us, but because of his pulling and inability to heel, its really an impossibility right now.


----------



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

All these suggestions have been wonderful, so thank you first of all. I can't say that Sonny is a total lost cause. I know some of my basic leash training has worked with him, its just frustrating sometimes when you want to take a walk with him but its literally impossible. He knows that when I stop and he comes to the end of his leash that queues him to go into a sit position. So thats a good thing, I guess. And when we do the leash training in the house, like I was taught, he stays beside me and changes direction when I change and he gets treats. I guess the best thing to do is go outside in the BACKYARD and make that work first before I expect it to work with all the distractions that a neighborhood holds. 

Are there any other books/tips/manuals that you swear by? I don't intend to show him off or anything like that. My main things are being able to walk beside me and not rip my arm off, come when I call him, and play fetch and bring it back. What do you guys give as treats? Dude is overweight by a bit and my wife is convinced I am starving him giving him a cup and a half of Adult Science Diet, twice a day.


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Consider working on getting and rewarding 'eye contact'/attention from your dog. Often when dogs are out in the real world 'distractions', and natural curiosity, desire to see and smell it all, are the root of their inability to walk nicely on leash. 

this article may be helpful to you.

http://www.clickertraining.com/files/auto-eye-contact.pdf


----------



## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I like to use Zuke's minis for a higher value training treat because they're already small so you can give lots of them without worrying about weight gain. You can also just use his kibble to train with, especially if you train at meal time. Our companion obedience training facility follows the book "Beyond the Backyard" by Denise Fenzi


----------



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

*Youtube is your friend *

Both Connie Cleveland & Pat Nolan have short, simple to follow videos. Sounds like you have the right idea and got off to a good start, without focus on you it will never happen. Just back up a step in your training and master the attention part before diving into the deep end of the pool. Usually if you are getting frustrated it means you are training too long. Keep your lessons under 10 minutes and end with something he knows, like maybe a sit?? Something where he gets a reward to end the session. Try again when you have a few minutes free and keep it short. It's good if they are hungry so might take a few minutes before feeding time?? He will be jogging with you before you know it. 

Pictures when you accomplish something???? When I 1st started training I was told to keep a sort of journal, date it and you will be pleasantly surprised how much you have accomplished. Sometimes if you are looking so hard for the final result you loose track of all the little things you have mastered along the way. Good luck!


----------



## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Until you can get your dog to walk properly try a gentle leader. We still use it with Chloe. Although she isn't bad on her collar.


----------



## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

You also might want to consider daycare a few times a week if he is neutered. This way he gets some energy out.


----------



## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

With your schedules I wonder if she needs more exercise. Perhaps you can talk to the local obedience club and see if there is someone there you could hire to come in and walk her more often. If it's someone with obedience training under their belt, they may also be able to help. But excess energy not allowed to be let out can cause behavior problems.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Please consider printing up all the responses you've received here and reading through them with a highlighter or making some 'study notes' for yourself. You've received great advice and implementing it would go a long way to improving your dog situation. You sound like very caring dog owners, with a strong effort to focus on this dog for the next year or so I really think you will be rewarded with 10 years of an awesome Golden in your lives. Just treat it like an intensive project for a while. Hire the private trainer to come to your home and work on helping you become a better trainer and help him learn self control and exactly what is expected of him.

1) Sonny is getting too much food. He probably only needs 3/4 - 1 cup of food twice a day. If you do a lot of training and he is getting a lot of treats, make it more like 3/4 cup, if you bump up his daily exercise you can make it more like a whole cup at each meal. I guarantee you he will act like he is starving to death but he will have a much longer and healthier life if he is a bit too lean than a bit too heavy, just like with people. If your wife has a soft heart, you can give him some low sodium canned green beans on top of his food to help fill him up a bit with less calories. Also try to see if he will go for carrot bits or apple bits as training treats - it works with some dogs.

2) A trainer who can show you how to properly fit a gentle leader head halter or a prong collar so that you can walk him with control and help him learn what you expect is going to be worth every penny for you. I hope you'll keep us updated on how this goes.

3) If doggy day care isn't an option could you all see if there is a boarding facility or groomer in your area (what town do you all live in? we can help you locate likely trainers if you tell us where you are) and see if they would work with you on a drop off schedule where Sonny could go for interaction a couple times a week and they would work with him or match him up for play time with another nice young high energy dog.

Sonny is FAR from being a lost cause. A Golden with a nice temperament is a dream dog with some training and effort, don't give up. Please keep us updated.


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Some training resources

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=kikopup loose leash walking

https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

Clicker Training For Dogs New Expanded Edition l Dog Training Book l JJ Dog



Alabama Dog Clubs - Contact an AKC or obedience club in your region, obedience people all know each other and if you let someone know you need help and ask for them to help you find someone good close to your home to help you with private lessons you will be amazed at the network. This is exactly what I would do if I were relocating to a new state and needed training help

Birmingham Obedience Training Club
Montgomery Alabama Dog Obedience Club (MADOC) - Montgomery Alabama Dog Obedience Club
Huntsville Obedience Training Club
Mobile Dog Training Club, Inc.


----------



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

So I am finally back home after having to spend three weeks away from home for an away rotation for residency. Yesterday when I got home we immediately started working. I have my clicker and I started using some of the "Levels" that someone had mentioned to me. Sonny has a bad habit of doing all of the tricks he knows at one time hoping that he will get a treat. So I am saying or showing a command and clicking and treating for the behavior. We are hammering down sit and down. He knows roll over pretty well also. 

I took his Kuranda bed out of his crate and put it in the living room and I am teaching him "Go to your bed". He catches on very quickly and he will do it even if I'm sitting on the couch about 6 or 7 feet away and I click him, and throw him a treat. However, if I am further away, like in the kitchen, he won't do it. I am guessing this is a distance thing and I just need to build up the distance gradually. 

We are also working on "touch" as I read that this is a good thing to have them hammer down especially when working on leash training. 

We bought a gentle leader and yesterday and today I have just been working on exposing him to it and treating him for it. He obviously tries to paw at it and try to get it off. I tell him no and whoops. Speaking of which, what do you guys use when your dog doesn't do the trick that you wanted me to do? Do you say anything or just ignore it? I then gave him his breakfast while was wearing it so hopefully he will associate it with good things. The training video said that you shouldn't actually take him on a walk until he gets used to the halter, but I really want to take him on a walk. 

I took down his breakfast and dinner to 3/4 cup since he is getting nearly an entire small bag (6 oz) of Zuke's treats a day. Just trying to do a lot of training with him but we usually only do 10 minutes at a time. 

I tried to work on the fetch thing. He Has a 30 foot leash that I strapped on him and I got one of his balls and threw it in the living room and tried to haul him back. Id say about once in every 8 or 9 times does he actually bring it back to my feet. He can't always seem to keep his mouth on the ball (I guess because he has a soft mouth) and will just drop it and pick it back up constantly. I don't want to reward him if he drops the ball 6 feet away from me and I have to walk to it because thats not what I want him to do. I wanted to start inside the house away from distractions, but I'm not sure if its going to work. Any suggestions on this would be good. 

Also I was looking into buying a book I could read to help with the training. I was looking into Training the Best Dog Ever. I also have the 101 Dog Tricks, but that doesn't really give you everything you need I feel like. I also saw those books by the Monks but I didn't know about this.


----------



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

Oh and I've tried to contact the Mobile Obedience Club and never received an answer from them of people they suggest. I emailed one person at Pet and Praise Obedience and never got a response back. I am running low on options but I live in the Daphne/Fairhope/Mobile area of Alabama. Looking for some private trainer that will come to the house and maybe a good daycare option. Thanks.


----------



## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Just reading your thread now and boy do you have a lot on your plate. I applaud you for stepping up to the task and taking the time (which I know you have little of) to put into the training of Sonny. I know your efforts will be rewarded many times over and Sonny will hold a special place in your heart. Where "go to your bed" is a wonderful command a trainer taught us simply a "go to" command pointing to where I want her to go. This would obviously be used when her bed is nowhere in sight. We use it all over the house, the fireplace, the kitchen corner (when we're eating) a towel (when visiting my son). Just something to consider . Lastly, my DH completed his orthopedic residency in 1988 so I know first hand what you're going through. Also, that happens to be when we got our first golden Bones (hehe) in 1986 . Hang in there and Good luck


----------



## jhmullens (Oct 26, 2015)

So, Sonny has being doing better but definitely have had some relapses. I have been doing some more purposeful training with him and he catches on very quick.

I got him set up with Gentle Leader as far as leash training goes. I spent a couple days just feeding him treats when I was fitting him for it and putting it on him and I feed him his meals with it on to hopefully associated good things with it. I have taken him on some walks out in the neighborhood with it on and it is night and day. The guy walks beside me and sometimes will walk a little ahead (which I am okay with) but always ends up back at my side. Over the course of a 20 minute walk he will probably roll down in the grass three or four times trying to get the halter off, but I just tell him Let's Go and then i treat him when he starts coming. Hopefully that will reinforce that when he stops doing it he gets a treat. I have been using the clicker training a lot because I think he understands that. So I click him whenever he looks back up at me while we are walking. He is also very good at sitting whenever I come to a stop and I click and treat him for that. 

As far as fetching goes, he was never very good at bringing the object back. My wife and I started with our long 30 foot lead and threw the ball a little ways and then pulled him back to us and treated him. This led to us taking the lead off after about 10-15 throws and see if he would bring the ball back. He brought the ball back! We kept clicking and kept treating. I have tried to do this type of training twice a day for the past week or so. However, over the past day or so he will run after the ball but is not returning to me. I start to walk away like I am going into the house, and we will run after me with the ball. I don't know if I should reward him for doing this because while he is returning the ball to me, he is not doing it right away in the way I want him to. Maybe I need to return back to the lead and do some more training with that.

Does anyone have any tried and true way of teaching a dog recall? That is something I want him to do all the time but its definitely one of his weaknesses. 

Also, I feel like I need to go back to crate training him better. He sleeps in his crate about 6/7 nights a week and sleeps in a king sized bed with us the other day through the week. We are living with my wife's parents temporarily and so they usually get up early early in the morning and let the dogs out and then Sonny ends up wanting to get in bed with us. I need Sonny to learn to stay in his crate in the morning and not whine. I don't think he necessarily MINDS his crate, but he definitely doesnt LOVE it. I don't think it helps that we reward his "whining and barking" by letting him out of the crate, or when he barks outside of our room, "he gets in." But how do you positively reinforce that he shouldn't do those things?

Thanks for the help.


----------



## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Yay! So glad to hear that Sonny is doing well. It sounds like your training efforts are really paying off!

Just FYI, many dogs eventually don't need the Gentle Leader. But some just never grow out of it (or people get training fatigue), and they end up being on it long term, and there's nothing wrong with that if its working for you. 

As far as retrieving, it just takes a lot of practice. Its easy for dogs to slip back into what they would rather be doing. I would continue to do practice with the long lead, and do some trials with it off. But if he's doing 10-15 times in a row--lead on...thats excellent! Dogs get bored easily. I personally--since he's still relatively new at this skill, would reward for eventually coming to you, even if you have to walk away to get his attention back on you. He's still doing what you want ultimately. When he gets really good you can start shaping the behavior more (where you start only rewarding for "perfect" behavior, but he might not be there yet. Another thing that can help is to keep it interesting by adding some high high value treats (like string cheese), or periodically giving him a bunch of treats at once. It will motivate him to keep doing it in hopes that it happens. Working with two balls, or a ball and frisbee, is also helpful, you show them the new one when they are running back to you, and it will motivate them to come right back. 

Recall is just all about practice, practice, practice...and then more practice. Inside the house, and outside, gradually adding distractions. Try working with higher value treats outside (zukes or even more high value, like string cheese or meat). The reason I like string cheese so much is that you can cut it into the tiniest pieces, and its not greasy, and still gets great results). 

In terms of crate training...I don't have tons of advice because I don't know quite what your set up is. Is it possible with your home set up and your in-laws schedule conducive to the parents keeping him outside your room after he's let out (or like, if there's a way to use a baby gate to prevent him from getting down to your room or something and keep him in the common areas). Or if he's outside barking to get in, you could teach him "quiet," (say no no--and then quiet). And be strong and don't let him in, because you are reinforcing it when you do. It might take him a couple weeks to get the picture, but it will pay off. Depending on how much earlier your in-laws get up than you, they could put him back in his crate or even just keep him outside with a frozen stuffed kong, that might keep him occupied, and things like yogurt don't have as many calories as peanut butter. You can also add some of his kibble in there. 

Other people on here who have dealt with this issue personally might have better advice. 

Its really hard for dogs to stay crated when parts of the family (and especially other dogs) are up and about in the house. 

Keep up the good work! It sounds like you guys have made a lot of progress in just a short amount of time!


----------



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I don't know the level you are at with recall so will just tell you a couple of things I did and hope it helps in some way. 

I started in the house with a 5 gal. bucket turned upside down. I let my girl watch me put the treat (hot dogs or cheese squares) on the tub. I hold back the pup and once they are focused on the treat I let them go. I'm only a few feet away when we start and only do this 4 or 5 times to get started. As soon as she gets the treat I make a fuss, call her to me and give another treat. Slowly you move back. My girl figured out the game quickly and in a few days we moved out to the driveway on a long lead. In just a few weeks she was sitting and waiting for me to put the treat on the bucket & working off leash.

I also have a nice quiet park near by that hardly ever has anyone there. We went every evening we could (only when no one else was there) and let her run on the 50' leash and yes you can get tangled or trip but worth it to keep them safe. As soon as she shows interest in anything I make a big happy fuss and call her to me. I snap the lead at the same time I call her to me and she was rewarded with boiled chicken. Sometimes you have to run away from them to get them headed towards you. Let them go as far out on the leash as you are able to snap it when you call. It didn't take long for her to know she would get really good treats when she came back. I did this on a buckle collar but it works just as well on a harness. It's more about getting their attention than a correction. 

I started the retrieve training with a broken broom. She loved that silly broom, no handle just the whiskers. She carried it everywhere so I tossed it a few feet and she ran to get it. Within a few days I was tossing that silly broom across the yard and giving her a treat when she brought it back, if she didn't bring it back I just ignored her. Didn't take her long to figure out she only got the treat when she brought it back. She also figured out if she doesn't bring it back I won't toss it again. Not the most picturesque retrieve training but it worked. She is now a retrieving Diva and the broom found its way to the trash.

My training sessions are very short and as often as schedule allows. I like to make the training fun and love to see them enjoy the process.

It sounds like you are making great progress. Sometimes you just have to improvise and figure out the method that works for you and/or your dog.


----------

