We have Jedi in puppy training class. He will be 6 months old next week. He is learning great, the only problem is during training class - he just wants to play with the other dogs. He is constantly barking and and trying to get to the other dogs to play. He can't seem to settle down. We've tried taking him to the dog park to play for awhile before training class, but it doesn't tire him out enough to stop him from wanting to play at class. How can we get him to settle down during class so that he isn't the obnoxious dog in the room? He is a great dog and really smart...training is going well, but during class he is awful. Help, please! Thanks
As soon as he barks take him out to a boring place. Stay there two minutes, don't speak to him or look at him. Go back. Rinse, repeat until he gets the message. Clever dogs don't take long. I have been to two puppy classes in two days with Bruce (ten months old). The first class I had to leave with him ten times. The second, once. He got the message! ...
I took a kong to training classes and kept smearing cheese inside the rim for her. I held onto the Kong and she loved it and it really helped calm her down and focus on me. Might be worth a try?
I'm reading this with interest as we are starting training classes with Bailey at the beginning of Sept - he is 6 months old and so excited when he sees other dogs I am to be honest dreading how he will be. I've discussed with the trainer and she said there would not be a problem....huuum wonder what the reality will actually be!
In our training class Quinn would start barking at the instructor when he was explaining the next lesson if it was taking too long (haha) - he gave her a small rawhide chew for those parts of class for the first 2 weeks and she settled right down and didn't need them after that.
Try taking him to the dog park to settle down. The thing is, the more dogs learn that other dogs = play, the more they think other dogs = play. So you have to train other dogs does not = play. And you have to train this day in, day out. Ignore other dogs on the street. Focus on you and not other dogs in the park. Go out for a walk, sit down on a bench and read a newspaper. We are always training our dogs to do 'something'. And just forget to train them to be able to do nothing - for a bit, anyway.
