# What to do What to do??



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Around that age, I think they try to test the boundaries. Keep at it and I think he will get better.


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

It is getting me frustrated because I have seen how good he can work with me....and then training isn't fun when your frustrated and the dog probably senses that....


----------



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

It sounds to me like he wants to have some play time. Personally I think he is still a puppy and needs be allowed to be a puppy. If he starts trying to play when you are working with him, give him a really easy command that you know he can and will do, once he does it, release him and let him play. That way the training session ended up on a good note and you are the one changing it over to play time, not him.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

FishinBuddy said:


> It is getting me frustrated because I have seen how good he can work with me....and then training isn't fun when your frustrated and the dog probably senses that....


It might help to tucker him out with a less regulated game before the training sessions, but it sounds like he's just going through adolescence and trying to play with you as if you're a buddy rather than a leader. If you can make yourself really, really boring when he misbehaves (fold your arms, turn away, and don't move), you should see the behavior flare up and then start to peter out as he both learns not to do it and gets more mature with age.


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Pups when they are young think of training as playing. Then we can get too serious about it and it takes some of the fun out of it for the pup and they have also learned more fun free form ways to play. My feeling is you need to make it as much fun to train as it is to play.




FishinBuddy said:


> It is getting me frustrated because I have seen how good he can work with me....and then training isn't fun when your frustrated and the dog probably senses that....


BINGO! Whenever you feel this way you need to stop and take a break. All this training is meant to bond you with your dog and have fun, not frustrate.


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

He gets a lot of play time, fetch, he chases me around the yard catching the frisbee.......Just recently he started misbehaving more. This morning I tried to make training fun with a lot of praise and tried to make it into a game....2 minutes in he was crazy and uncontrollable and I had to stop......I am hoping he grows out of it and i think I will try to really tire the crap outta him before training sessions...


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Sometimes "praise" can escalate the problem. When my pups get as you describe I actually use very little praise and then it is very low key, soft spoken. What I like to do to keep it "fun" is numerous times during a training session is have short little play sessions. I try to keep them guessing. While heeling I will all of a sudden fall to my knees and play. Some times when I set her up for a recall I will throw a toy off to the side while "releasing" her. Other times I will throw the toy after she comes and sits front. And so on. Everything is fair game. And when I get her "too high" we go back to the soft spoken praise. And I do agree it is a stage that they are again trying to test the waters of boundries with us.
Hope this helps.


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I think he's bored!

Time to step up the training to a new level of fun- games, toys, challenges, new tricks and behaviors (even if they're not "useful" in the same way as basic heeling is, they keep that brilliant mind working).


----------



## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Instead of stepping up the training I would go back and reinforce the basics...


----------



## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I would step it back a bit too, maybe even give him a day or two off. Ask for very simple things, like three steps of heelwork, then PARTY. Short stays, even if it's walking away from him, back into heel and done in 20 seconds. Rather than 'fight' with him about doing things that he's not able to handle right now, back it up a bit.

If he's loosing his mind after 2 minutes of training, you can also do 1 minute at a time then put him away. If you have another dog it's a great time to play them against each other, if he starts being too goofy put him in his crate and take the other dog out (you can borrow one too, that REALLY blows their mind). He'll soon start to get the hint that when he gets too silly it's game over and he's going to sit on the bench.

He's likely coming into the wonderful world of hormones and much like a 13 year old human. Good luck with that.:bowl: 

Lana


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

What I meant is make it more fun. Heelwork is boring, boring, boring... unless you make it more interesting than anything else.


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

AquaClaraCanines said:


> What I meant is make it more fun. Heelwork is boring, boring, boring... unless you make it more interesting than anything else.


I nevver thought of it that way....3 weeks straight of the same heel exercises turns stops and sits.....he might be bored. Holy crap! He was doing awesome for weeks then all of a sudden BAM...bored....I need to step it up....Maybe he is telling me okay learning the heel was fun now I need some new stuff......
p.s. Good luck with your new addition, my wifey is 4 months along now and boy am I happy,scared, excited, nervous...all at one...Ill be asking you next for parenting advice....



AmbikaGR said:


> Sometimes "praise" can escalate the problem. When my pups get as you describe I actually use very little praise and then it is very low key, soft spoken. What I like to do to keep it "fun" is numerous times during a training session is have short little play sessions. I try to keep them guessing. While heeling I will all of a sudden fall to my knees and play. Some times when I set her up for a recall I will throw a toy off to the side while "releasing" her. Other times I will throw the toy after she comes and sits front. And so on. Everything is fair game. And when I get her "too high" we go back to the soft spoken praise. And I do agree it is a stage that they are again trying to test the waters of boundries with us.
> Hope this helps.


Great advice as usual. I always liked your style. I need to try some of your methods.


----------



## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

Hank always has such great advice! I love his posts! My Leo is now 9 months and we go to "school" with 3 of his littermates. Around this time they all became NUTS! Even Scorch the one that the breeder kept. Her idea was to start doing a 30 minute down stay every other day. We could start sitting on the floor and the move to a chair right next to them and gradually move further and further away. It's supposed to help teach the pup who's the leader. I'm not sure if it's working but, he does stay down for the entire time now even if someone moves I'll also say I agree with the boredom. When Leo is bored he just goes crazy and won't do anything for me! Remember.....I'm not the greatest at this but only trying.


----------



## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

p.s. Good luck with your new addition, my wifey is 4 months along now and boy am I happy,scared, excited, nervous...all at one...Ill be asking you next for parenting advice....

That's funny!


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

Update:
So last night we go to training class and the Pup was on Point! My instructor even said "wow, look who is looking impressive" also she used my lil boy for her demonstration last night. As I was walking she said "nice work with the golden". I was nervous about going to class because he has been acting up but he really surprised me. He seemed to "get" it last night. And this morning at his 6 oclock walk he was also doing great. I wonder if he was just anxious for the past couple days from all the snow?


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Good job last night! 

I do agree, re-enforce the basics. I just meant (and you seemed to completely get what I meant) that heeling can be a tad dull... that's why I like to mix in some tricks, games, and other stuff. 

I think we're in the same boat with the baby on the way- scared, excited... anxious to have labor/birth done, and then... omgnowwhat?! LOL 

Do you guys plan to find out what you're having? It's interesting to hear a dad's perspective, since most of the people I talk to about this stuff are chicks lol


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

AquaClaraCanines said:


> Good job last night!
> 
> I do agree, re-enforce the basics. I just meant (and you seemed to completely get what I meant) that heeling can be a tad dull... that's why I like to mix in some tricks, games, and other stuff.
> 
> ...


Heeling is kinda boring...it looks nice to people who's dog pull like banshee's...... but after a few weeks working on it you want more of a challenge....I just started to try and make it a game where he gets praise for really PAYING ATTENTION to me...a ton more starts, stops, sits turns...he seems to get into it when we are not just walking....I am going to add in some fetch during our sessions...

Yea im scared s#*tless.....Not as much as a woman would be im sure (due to the whole ACTUAL DELIVERY). We are going to find out what we are having....We should know in a few weeks....I have already begun to renovate the baby's nursery....and since it's our first child the wife want's the nursery immaculate so I am doing the whole thing over from floor to ceiling. Everything will be brand new....He/She is already getting spoiled....Good luck to you.....I am sure you are really excited and can't wait to meet your baby.....


----------



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I just read through the Thread. Ike went through phases where he seemed to have lost his manners and forgotten everything I ever taught him. His were around 6 months, 1 year, and 18 months. In between these periods he was my perfectly behaved boy. I've also noticed that the colder the weather, the friskier Ike is. The cold wakes him up and energizes him. You mentioned having snow. Ike had the zoomies for a full 2 hours the other day...it was his first real amount of snow to play in. His zoomies usually last a few minutes and then he calms down. The snow sent him into Hypergear. Maybe your little guy is going through his phases right now and the snow was another distraction. 

I bet you're proud of how well he did in his last class.


----------



## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Great to hear how well class went last night!! :dblthumb2
Another thing to remember is dogs can be like people sometimes, they have their good days and then they have their not so good days.  The most important thing is anytime you feel frustrated you need to stop. You can do more to set back your training progress in 1 minute of frustration than you can in a week of not training at all.


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

AmbikaGR said:


> Great to hear how well class went last night!! :dblthumb2
> Another thing to remember is dogs can be like people sometimes, they have their good days and then they have their not so good days.  The most important thing is anytime you feel frustrated you need to stop. You can do more to set back your training progress in 1 minute of frustration than you can in a week of not training at all.


hahaha sooo true...even our trainer stresses that....she always says...do not train if your drunk, had a fight with the significant other, or get frustrated mad at the dog.....when he acts up I just bring him inside and wait it out.....I must admit I have broken the training while/after drinking rule....not formal training like I am working now but me and a buddy get our three dogs toghther and have mini competitions to see who can train a new/cool trick....I had my dog doing a backwards heel I would say heel and walk backwards and so would the dog.......


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Our baby room is a mess, but... an organized mess! We did paint... and it has new floors, whole house did when he bought it- pergo, which we like. 

We are a bit odd... (who'd have guessed?) and baby has a disco ball for looking at, and all kinds of neat posters- several black light ones. He hasn't got a chance of being normal, but that's okay


----------



## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

AquaClaraCanines said:


> Our baby room is a mess, but... an organized mess! We did paint... and it has new floors, whole house did when he bought it- pergo, which we like.
> 
> We are a bit odd... (who'd have guessed?) and baby has a disco ball for looking at, and all kinds of neat posters- several black light ones. He hasn't got a chance of being normal, but that's okay


thats awsome.....disco ball.....I still have to get baby furniture but we are waiting to see if the baby sits or stands to pee.


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Yeah all we got so far is a bassinet as far as furniture. Figure we'll go from there. But we have so much STUFF. It is unbelieveable how much STUFF they need. It is definitely nice knowing what it is, so far as getting everything prepared.


----------

