# Passive Resistance



## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

Ben has a new way of dealing with unwanted demands - he lays down and doesn't move. First time was yesterday, when I was zig-zagging around the yard to teach him to walk on a loose lead. He lay down, not asking for attention, but just stubbornly saying "Stop pulling my leash." After a few minutes, he got up and we went inside. Today, while walking, I stopped and asked him to sit. Instead he just lay down in the street and wouldn't move. I showed him the treat and he turned his head away. I tried to encourage him and he just lay there. Eventually, he stood and came along with me. 

Then this morning we set up the flags for the invisible fence. We took him outside and I began the process of showing him the boundaries. After about the fourth flag, he lay down. Wouldn't budge. Pulling didn't get him to move. A treat didn't work. My husband walking off into the house didn't work. I sat down about 6 feet away and waited a few minutes. Finally my husband opened the car door and Ben stood up. I waited a few minutes, wandering around the yard aimlessly then tried again with the flags. No dice. He lay down and wouldn't budge. 

Suggestions? Training is going to be very slow if he won't even try.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

How old is he?

This isn't unusual for dogs who are anxious or confused. 

Using activities that make humans predictable and fun might be more helpful.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Ahhhhh, the classic Golden Retriever passive resistance! I think Goldens must have taught it to Ghandi. We see it all the time when people are trying to their Goldens into a tub at the Dog-O-Mat. I agree it can be caused by confusion or anxiety, but it may just be that he does not want to do something. I would work on lots of positive reinforcement fun obedience and tricks training to increase his confidence and trust in you.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

My Jasper is an expert at passive resistance! LOL. If he doesn't want to do something, he not only lays down, but he rolls over onto his back and refuses to move. Fortunately, he is really treat motivated, but for the days he's not, I just pick him up and put him on his feet and he starts doing whatever he was refusing to do previously. I have to say that it makes me laugh and I'm sure that doesn't help. LOL


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

Ben is three, but we just adopted him. I'm sure he's confused. As far as I can tell, he had no previous training whatsoever, so our attempts to teach him are definitely hard for him to figure out. "Why are you making me walk in circles?" "Why do you make me sit down all the time?" And now, "Why are you telling me to walk around the yard, then running away from the white flags? " We may be moving too fast. But I'd like to get him accustomed to the invisible fence so we can play out back without a leash.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

fostermom said:


> My Jasper is an expert at passive resistance! LOL. If he doesn't want to do something, he not only lays down, but he rolls over onto his back and refuses to move. Fortunately, he is really treat motivated, but for the days he's not, I just pick him up and put him on his feet and he starts doing whatever he was refusing to do previously. I have to say that it makes me laugh and I'm sure that doesn't help. LOL



Lol, Flora does the same thing! She literally flops over onto her back and stares at me like "nyah nyah nyah!" I'll stand there for a little while laughing and waggling my finger at her, but eventually I just end up dragging her by her leash until she gets back on her feet. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has a dog that does this!


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

GinnyinPA said:


> Ben is three, but we just adopted him. I'm sure he's confused. As far as I can tell, he had no previous training whatsoever, so our attempts to teach him are definitely hard for him to figure out. "Why are you making me walk in circles?" "Why do you make me sit down all the time?" And now, "Why are you telling me to walk around the yard, then running away from the white flags? " We may be moving too fast. But I'd like to get him accustomed to the invisible fence so we can play out back without a leash.



Are you running away and dragging him in the process? Don't blame him, I'd lay down too. Likely he's not getting the why of that training. Mind you I've never trained a dog for an underground fence so keep that in mind. I'd just take him on a long leash and walk around the yard naturally and go along the boundries/flags and away, and so on. He'd soon figure out on his own that the flags = a correction on the collar. I don't think you need to run away and act too crazy about it. Others might have some imput but that would be my approach.

Lana


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

GinnyinPA said:


> Ben is three, but we just adopted him. I'm sure he's confused. As far as I can tell, he had no previous training whatsoever, so our attempts to teach him are definitely hard for him to figure out. "Why are you making me walk in circles?" "Why do you make me sit down all the time?" And now, "Why are you telling me to walk around the yard, then running away from the white flags? " We may be moving too fast. But I'd like to get him accustomed to the invisible fence so we can play out back without a leash.


You may want to "up the ante" with the treats. I'm not sure what treats you are using now, but maybe you can find some smellier treats that you only use when you want him super motivated. Small pieces of liverwurst (really small pieces, a little bit goes a long way) works really well with my mom's non-food motivated pup. You could also use chicken hotdogs cut into tiny pieces. 

kdmarsh, it does crack me up when he does it. He's such a sweet well behaved dog all the time that when he does show a bit of stubbornness, I find it adorable. LOL


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Bender said:


> Are you running away and dragging him in the process? Don't blame him, I'd lay down too. Likely he's not getting the why of that training. Mind you I've never trained a dog for an underground fence so keep that in mind. I'd just take him on a long leash and walk around the yard naturally and go along the boundries/flags and away, and so on. He'd soon figure out on his own that the flags = a correction on the collar. I don't think you need to run away and act too crazy about it. Others might have some imput but that would be my approach.
> 
> Lana


I know when my parents were training Luke to their underground fence, the technician had them walk him around the yard for 2 weeks. They would take him up to the flags and when the collar beeped, they were told to give a tug on the leash away from the flags so he would associate the beep with staying away from the flags. After that time, they could let him find out for himself that if he kept moving forward when it beeped that he would get zapped.

I couldn't ever use an underground fence on my goldens. They are waaaayyy too sensitive and would likely never leave the house again if they were ever to get zapped.


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## Charlie1 (Oct 23, 2010)

fostermom said:


> You may want to "up the ante" with the treats. I'm not sure what treats you are using now, but maybe you can find some smellier treats that you only use when you want him super motivated. Small pieces of liverwurst (really small pieces, a little bit goes a long way) works really well with my mom's non-food motivated pup. You could also use chicken hotdogs cut into tiny pieces.
> 
> kdmarsh, it does crack me up when he does it. He's such a sweet well behaved dog all the time that when he does show a bit of stubbornness, I find it adorable. LOL


My Charlie has a passive resistance stance. When I want him to come into the house, he gets about ten feet away and sits there. (and with the cold his paws are alternating on which is in the air), I have had to coax him with treats, the leash, etc. If I stick my head outside and look away from him asking for him. "Charlie where are you?" he responds instantly and bounds into the house! But "Charlie come" doesnt work.
Weird.


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

The instruction manual for the fence says that for the first three days, we should walk him to the flags and then when the beep sounds, run back to the center of the yard so he gets the idea that when he hears the sound, he should run the other way. There is also the idea of making it seem like a game. We may try the introduction more gradually. Ben isn't big on games - though I'm sure he was laughing at me as he lay there motionless while I tried to move his 70 lbs of dead weight.


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