# Commands at a distance



## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

How do you train your dog to do a command at a distance? Kylee is very good with sit,stay,lay down,come, and getting better all the time with heel. However, if I give her a sit command when she's not next to me, she'll come to me and then sit.

Really like to get her trained in doing this. If I'm mowing the lawn and she's walking over to me, I'd rather she didn't come right next to me with a lawn mower going before she sat down.


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

I just started doing this Monday with my one year old. I got a bowl of kibble and a clicker. I said sit. When she did I clicked and tossed a treat behind her. So she had to get up and move away from me to get the treat. Once she ate the treat, I asked her to sit again, and again clicked and tossed another treat. At first she was coming a few steps in, but since all the treats were being tossed behind her, she eventually stopped and would sit where she was. It seemed to work well. Good luck!


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I use something as a little barrier to keep the dog from moving forward. I start right in front of the dog, reward every correct response and gradually start backing away - still using the barrier to keep the dog from being able to move forward. After a while, the barrier gets smaller, and eventually goes away.


----------



## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

Thanks for the responses. I just did a little exercise with Kylee and found out she's not as solid as I thought in some areas, which is part of the problem. I found her down is lousy if I don't use a hand gesture along with the command, so I'll be working with her on that for a while then moving on to the barrier. Thankfully she's quick as a whip.

I took her to an advance class last night and there was only a couple dogs there. It was all off leash and most of the stuff I only passively trained her on. She was pretty solid on a lot of it, even with a dog running around out of control the whole time. Even out performed the instructors dog in a few areas. She had one bobble on the first stay of the night, and after that she out performed the other dogs. Quickest recall and most solid down stays the rest of the night. You can tell I'm still beaming


----------



## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> I use something as a little barrier to keep the dog from moving forward. I start right in front of the dog, reward every correct response and gradually start backing away - still using the barrier to keep the dog from being able to move forward. After a while, the barrier gets smaller, and eventually goes away.


Yup, I love this board. I need to work on this with Rookie and using a barrier wouldn't have occurred to me. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Loboto-Me (Nov 13, 2008)

I'm dense, what's a barrier? I also have the problem of Sophie coming in front of me for all commands.


----------



## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

My plan and understanding is something like a baby gate. I was going to put her in the hall with a baby gate and start working my way back away from her. Then I might move to a shorter box in the hall, etc.


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

I have also seen people tie a leash (connected to the dog) to an unmovable object. Then work you way away from the dog, although I have not tried this myself


----------



## Loboto-Me (Nov 13, 2008)

Ahh I understand now. Thank you.


----------



## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

At our class we used a short piece of PVC pipe. It was also used to teach 'stay'.

It was put just in front of the dog, about 6 inches out where they could see it!


----------



## JoelSilverman (Oct 21, 2008)

Putting the dog on something elevated has always worked best for me. It eliminates the dog learning to "cheat", and learning to move forward. Here are some examples. Play Clip #12:

http://www.companionsforlife.net/Sit_using_treats_members1.html

Once the dog is trained on the elevated area and is consistent, you can bring him on flat ground. If you want to see how it works and the consistency and control, play the clips under "Watch Foster" on this page. Watch his feet. You can see that going from the sitting position to the standing position, there is very little moving forward (whether he is facing me or not). This comes from training on the elevated area. It takes a little more time in the beginning, but most people that train animals for movies and commercials that are going to potentially need to have an animal working from 20 to 30 feet away, start off using this elevated area. Remember too, that this can be something as simple as the curb in front of your house.

http://www.companionsforlife.net/index.html


----------

