# how do i motivate myself to train my pup?



## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

just as the title of this thread says how do i motivate myself to train my pup?

the fault is not with the puppy but with me i have realized. i keep putting off training him with several excuses like "he is too young" when he was a couple months old....and now the excuse is "wait until he is older" when he is 9 months old. i dont even know why i am doing this.  i do love him a lot and find the training sessions fun cuz Yuki always follows my commands and is eager to please me. i always end up cuddling him and babying him instead of training him. i also feed him all the treats :doh::doh::doh: is this too much love that has turned into ignoring training or what?

also i feel broken hearted when Yuki plays with others and doesnt play with me like that. he doesnt jump on me but stands with his head held low in submission and waits for his petting....but he jumps on others and goes after them seeking their attention.  i know what he is doing with me....he thinks of me as the alpha leader and others as his pack mates....i do feel proud that he acknowledges me that way but i want him to play with me more. i want him to jump, bark and wag his tail for me...he doesnt do this with me but he does it with other family members esp my mom and aunt.

i have bought several books on training dogs but i have yet to read them or teach my pup new stuff. i plan to take Yuki to dog shows and with me doing this sort of thing there wont be a chance for us in the ring at all :doh::doh::doh:

So far Yuki follows these commands:

sit, sit-stay (max=20 seconds), down-stay (10 seconds), wait, come, go out, down, shake right/left paw, high five left/right paw, sleep, spin, stand, stand-up (stands on hind legs), jump (jumps over my extended legs about 1 ft high only), walk with me (walking without leash and beside me), turn (does a 180 deg turn while walking), get on (climbs onto couch, bed etc for cuddling), get in (goes to the room pointed and waits for further directions), get your toy (gets the toy), get your ball (gets the ball), drop it (drops w/e he is holding), give (gives what he is holding), take (takes what i am holding), fetch, catch.....i think thats all the commands i have taught him so far and he follows all of them.

i was working on roll over but quit teaching him to do it after 2 days :doh:

any help guys!!


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

If you seriously want to show him I would stop teaching him tricks ( which he knows a lot of, far more than my Tess...), and concentrate on the things that he needs in the ring. That will give you more focus, too. Are there by any chance handling classes in your area? How do the show people in your country teach their dogs to walk and stand properly in the ring? Are there any shows around where you could start to take him? Or go to yourself, so that you see what is required?
And for what it is worth: Tess doesn't jump on me, either, and she is much, much more excited when she sees the neighbors in the street or my son come back with his friends, or....etc...but she comes to me when she doesn't feel well, when she really wants to relax, when she wants to go for a walk or play fetch, or support when her baby sister is behaving like a brat. And as I don't think in terms of pack mates and alpha leader, I think that is perfectly fine!


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

When my husband, daughter, dad, or neighbors come in the door Helie runs around aroo-ing grabbing his toys giving large butt wiggles he is so full of excitement.  When I walk in he follows me but doesn't give me the wild happy greeting. Every time they come in they are new and exciting. I am Helie's partner. I am there for him all the time. He knows if he gets snow/ice balls in his paws that I will fix it. He comes to me. He knows that if he wants to go for a walk that he has to tell me. If I am not here he will tell them but if I am home he tells me. If I ask for behaviors he listens. If they ask for behaviors he doesn't always listen. I bath him, walk him, feed him, train him, take him to the vets, take him to school, and PLAY with him. Most of his reinforcement comes from me. I don't get hung up how happy he gets to see his loved ones and friends because we have a solid partnership. After someone is here for a little while he will choose to hang out more with me because I really am fun to be with. 
I look at it like we are dance partners. Just because we are a team doesn't mean we can't dance with someone else a dance or two. 

I think sometimes we get to serious about training. Make it all fun for both of you. It is all a game. 

For myself if something isn't working the way I want it to it is usually something I am doing. I re-evaluate each step and see where I could be confusing my partner. Then I set up a new plan and try it that way. We have our dogs lifetime to accomplish what ever it is we want. We want that lifetime to be filled with Fun.


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

you are right. i need to focus more on the commands needed in the ring. i will stop teaching him tricks and start focusing. we do have loads of fun when training. i dont act too strict with training and always try to make it fun for both of us. i play with him more often than i train him lol.

there are no puppy or handling classes near my place  i dont know much about how they show their dogs here, i think the same rules apply here as US or UK. i will be going to the kennel club next month and gather more info on shows within my city etc. i hope they will help me. i plan to attend some shows before taking part in any. 

 Tess is lovely. Yuki too comes to me if something bothers him.

@solinvictus you are right. Yuki and i are partners indeed  i will step back a little and start over again. i want my baby to have fun. today we played with a stuffed toy....in the end i had to take it away from Yuki cuz he ripped one of the arms of the stuffed bear...but we both had fun.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Yuki said:


> you are right. i need to focus more on the commands needed in the ring. i will stop teaching him tricks and start focusing.
> 
> there are no puppy or handling classes near my place  i dont know much about how they show their dogs here, i think the same rules apply here as US or UK. i will be going to the kennel club next month and gather more info on shows within my city etc. i hope they will help me. i plan to attend some shows before taking part in any.
> 
> Tess is lovely. Yuki too comes to me if something bothers him.


I bet if you start asking questions about how to show on the forum, that people are more than willing to help you and get you started! And by all means keep teaching him tricks if that makes you and him happy! Just have fun doing what you do!


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

inge said:


> I bet if you start asking questions about how to show on the forum, that people are more than willing to help you and get you started! And by all means keep teaching him tricks if that makes you and him happy! Just have fun doing what you do!


guess i will ask  

he is always so excited when we train that i end up teaching him more and more. he loves to train and learns really fast  its a lot of fun cuz i play with him as i train him. 

only problem is these days i am more into playing than training him


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Yuki said:


> guess i will ask
> 
> he is always so excited when we train that i end up teaching him more and more. he loves to train and learns really fast  its a lot of fun cuz i play with him as i train him.
> 
> only problem is these days i am more into playing than training him


Playing is bonding...just as important.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Training sessions should only last about 5 minutes. You want your dog having fun but you want it to end with him wanting more.  

I use a lot of tugging and fetching as rewards along with food and praise during the early stages of training a behavior. As the dog learns I will ask for more things building chains of behaviors before giving the reinforcement. I want the dog guessing what will I get and when.

I see training and playing as the same. 

If I ask a dog to sit and he sits he just won the game. The game was can you sit. Dog sits. Which is him saying yes I can. He gets a prize. It could be a food reward, a tug game or I may throw the ball for him to chase. He won the game. 

If I ask a dog to walk with me as I drop food on the floor and he doesn't go after the food I purposely drop he has won the game and gets reinforced for it.


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

solinvictus said:


> Training sessions should only last about 5 minutes. You want your dog having fun but you want it to end with him wanting more.
> 
> I use a lot of tugging and fetching as rewards along with food and praise during the early stages of training a behavior. As the dog learns I will ask for more things building chains of behaviors before giving the reinforcement. I want the dog guessing what will I get and when.
> 
> ...


thats what i do with Yuki  thats how i was able to teach him a lot and keep his behavior in check


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Are you having fun? It sounds like Yuki is having fun? You need to find out why it isn't motivating to you to do it?


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

solinvictus said:


> Are you having fun? It sounds like Yuki is having fun? You need to find out why it isn't motivating to you to do it?


well....i do have fun but it lasts only little and i start to get bored with training him so i switch to playing immediately and run around with him, play fetch or catch etc. 

i was on anti-depressant meds since past 4 months and i just quit the meds maybe thats why i feel not so motivated as before. it could be the reason. i think it will take me a couple weeks to get back to normal. deep in my heart i want to show off my boy to others and even win...i am using that for motivation now and working on his "stay" commands. i still have to teach him to retrieve dumbells.

So far i have trained Yuki so that he will pass the beginners tests in obedience and also trained him to stand still while i brush and groom him. i have to train him to pass the advanced obedience test but for now i think i am doing good with a 9 month old pup.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Never stop antidepressants cold turkey!

Best of luck to you and Yuki


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

MikaTallulah said:


> Never stop antidepressants cold turkey!
> 
> Best of luck to you and Yuki


oops i did just that...last week :no:

and thanks


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

Changing up your medicine can affect you. Since we have a possible reason. You lose focus.  Use a timer for the training. Set your self up to succeed. If you only last 3 or 4 minutes with training back it down to the 3 minute level. Train/play for that time. Then reward yourself. (reinforcement works with us too) After some time if you can do the 3 minutes and still want more add in the next 30 seconds or so. Use the timer and make sure you maintain your focus and follow your training plan. It will become habit.  If you need to change up those times do it with the time that you can if it is just one minute training to start go with that. And most important is to reinforce yourself when you meet your challange. 
If you have a set plan in place before you start it will help you to stay focused during that time frame.


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

Solinvictus thats a good idea!! i can do that  thank you so much *hugs* guess i will start timing myself from today.


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

solinvictus said:


> When my husband, daughter, dad, or neighbors come in the door Helie runs around aroo-ing grabbing his toys giving large butt wiggles he is so full of excitement.  When I walk in he follows me but doesn't give me the wild happy greeting. Every time they come in they are new and exciting. I am Helie's partner. I am there for him all the time. He knows if he gets snow/ice balls in his paws that I will fix it. He comes to me. He knows that if he wants to go for a walk that he has to tell me. If I am not here he will tell them but if I am home he tells me. If I ask for behaviors he listens. If they ask for behaviors he doesn't always listen. I bath him, walk him, feed him, train him, take him to the vets, take him to school, and PLAY with him. Most of his reinforcement comes from me. I don't get hung up how happy he gets to see his loved ones and friends because we have a solid partnership. After someone is here for a little while he will choose to hang out more with me because I really am fun to be with.
> I look at it like we are dance partners. Just because we are a team doesn't mean we can't dance with someone else a dance or two.
> 
> I think sometimes we get to serious about training. Make it all fun for both of you. It is all a game.
> ...


I could not agree more. It took me a while to understand this and now that we have Summer is the best companion I could wish for. Because she was a scaredy dog, I especially conditioned her to love strangers - weird huh. Now if she does crazy tail at someone, its something to celebrate! 

We've had to re-adjust my expectations and we gave up training for obedience trials seriously because of structural problems.. It was just too physically difficult for Summer to sustain heeling at a trot. 

One way I've found that motivates me a lot is watching videos of people working with their dogs on youtube. There are many excellent teams on there, and they always challenge me to do more with Summer. It is a beautiful thing to see a bond between dog and handler. I used to think "what? that trick is IMPOSSIBLE" but Summer has proved time and again that she can do it  Lots and lots of patience, and stop whenever its not fun. 

I don't think Summer sees me as an alpha... She listens because she has been reinforced for making good decisions, but she doesn't submit or fear consequences from me


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

If you need some extra motivation, you can also take on "online" class! I like how it makes me accountable when I have to post an update weekly


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## Yuki (Oct 5, 2011)

Summer's Mom said:


> If you need some extra motivation, you can also take on "online" class! I like how it makes me accountable when I have to post an update weekly


thats a good idea too  i will look it up right now.


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