# Spits out treats, won't take praise....Help



## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

I am at a loss as to how to positively reward my three year old GR when I am trying to train her. She spits out everything I try to treat her with, and acts indifferent when I try and pet her, I have tried every place, and she doesn't care. 

She is very obedient on commands I can make her do on a leash, even if she is off it, but I want to teach her more than just sit, down and heel. 

Any ideas for other ways to show her I'm happy with her and make our obedience sessions fun?


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

How did she learn sit, down and heel? Was she more food motivated as puppy perhaps?


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## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

Lucky's mom said:


> How did she learn sit, down and heel? Was she more food motivated as puppy perhaps?


I got her at one year old. She came with basic training but ignored me when I tried to give a command, and was a wild beast on the lead. "Sit" was acomplished with hundreds of unsuccessful repititions of command, place, praise(I tried every time), for a week or so with no luck. Finally she caved, when we came in from being out for a while, I told her to "sit", and both my wife and I ignored her, denying her the attention when SHE wanted it, it took her about three seconds to sit perfectly. "Heel" was done with a training collar so I could get some control of her, once she knew I could control her she was perfect. "Down" is her favorite thing in the world to do, although I can't keep her from rolling on her back.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

This is a tough one--but you are going to have to study her and find 'her' currency. We all have something that motivates us--don't give up.


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## Baileysmom (Aug 5, 2006)

Have you tried "special" treats like liverwurst, boiled chicken, etc. that are so special that most dogs can't resist them? How about a favorite toy? Does she have one of those that she can't wait to play with?


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Some dogs in our training classes aren't food motivated, but they will do anything for a tennis ball. What gets her excited? 

Do you know anything about her first year of life? There may be a clue there about her behavior. How much time do you spend with her on the floor, petting and brushing her? I've found that to work well in creating a "touch" bond with our rescued golden.


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## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

There are treats she loves, but she won't take them if you give a command first. She only wants them with no strings attached. Same thing goes for affection, she goes crazy for attention from my mother-in-law because she has never asked her to so much as sit.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

You might want to investigate the "Nothing in Life is Free" concept. She doesn't even get fed without sitting first, that sort of thing. Mother-in-law is not allowed to pet her unless she does something first. 

Right now it sounds like she thinks she's in charge.


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## Baileysmom (Aug 5, 2006)

I agree with Brandy's mom. It sounds like she is the boss. 

Here is a link that was posted in another thread about NILIF (Nothing is Life is Free) 

Nothing in Life is Free


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## PeggyK (Apr 16, 2005)

I would absolutely use the nothing in life is free method. No food until she sits and waits for you to release her. It does work to show her you ar ethe boss. She'll come around-just be consistent. Good luck!


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## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

I do a little obiedience before her meals, but when I put the food down she ignores it. She waits until I leave before she will start eating. She acts like she could care less if it were there, she doesn't care if I take it away either.

If she thinks she is the boss, why is she so submissive to me? Is that her M.O. to get me to give up, "If I just show him submission, then he'll stop asking me to do things"?


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Try making her sit before you put the food bowl down. If she doesn't immediately start eating, pick up the bowl. Make her wait until the next meal (she won't starve!) and repeat. She'll sit and start eating on command if she's hungry enough. I've used this technique on my shih tzu who acts the same way sometimes. If he so much as even LOOKS like he's going to ignore his food, I pick it up and walk out of the room. 

What do you mean when you say she's submissive to you? What is she getting in return for sitting and heeling? Is her reward that she gets to run off leash? 
Try to figure the cause and effect from her perspective. 

I highly recommend picking up a book called The Other End of the Leash which talks a great deal about how to understand dogs' motivations. It's a fast, easy read and it's filled with great insight.


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

Brandy's Mom hit the nail on the head!
BEFORE she gets anything food, water, attention, tennis ball, a bladder matter trip, etc. ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! Not just from you but from 
everyone on two legs be it mother-law, visitor, etc.
Some of the worst habits Nugget tried to take advanage of behind my 
back was supported by my mother! At first, after a two day visit by my 
parents Nugget was a mess! It would take me 5 to 7 days to correct the two days of breaking "MY" golden rules of positive behavior that "I" permit!
I started this with Sandy, and it soon became a game for her. Now, so does
Nugget. When I feed, I make sure Moi scent is all over her food as I place it in the bowl that she thinks is hers put knows before the bowl and contents is being chewed, it's MINE!
As I hold MY bowl and walk to the other end of the room. Of course Nugget follows me. I turn and face her give her a command "SIT" when she does,
I give her one piece, then tell her "DOWN" when she does, you guessed it!
I give her another piece. Then I tell her to "SAY" and I walk to the other end of the room with MY BOWL OF FOOD. I turn to her and set the bowl down, and say "OK" And this command releases her, dinner time! I tell her "good girl"
with a pat. Now as everyone knows here, this wasn't as easy as I'm typing it here, it took a few weeks to get it down, to the point that it made me happy! One important thing that you can not permit is any grrrr from your golden if and when you approach the bowl of his/hers or pat them as they a eating!
Correct that very fast!
A friend of mine used this method with her young Shih tzu
and it worked great.


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## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

Wow, thanks to everyone for their two cents.

I guess what is most confusing for me is the way she responds so easily to negative commands. It is very easy to tell her what NOT to do, waits for doors and at the stairs, no jumping or pawing, drops anything out of her mouth, pretty much anything you DON'T want her to do she is very responsive for me. The problem comes when you want her to do something(a trick) , it's as if she is saying, "I'm not being bad, isn't that what you want" If I continue she trys even harder to just "not be bad", flopping on her back, sometimes peeing. Is this submissive or a passive aggressive protest?


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Dogs don't protest the way people do, but the peeing could be a stress response. It sounds like she's a very good girl and that she's following the house rules. She just may not have the personality to "do tricks". 

Our first golden, Reyna, did not like to retrieve. No amount of coaxing or bribing could make her.


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## Acadia (Dec 8, 2006)

She's not bad at all, it's our relationship I want to change. I'm tired of being viewed as the "bad cop" for simply wanting to give attention to her on MY terms, while my mother-in-law is her hero because she asks nothing of her.


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