Hi there, We have a lovely 7 month old lab, Molly, who we need help training. She is really clever and learnt commands early but I think the issue is that i never proofed them properly. We have essentially been in lockdown since we got her so she doesnt meet many people at our house. I want to train her to sit until given the release cue. She can and does sit but gets up when she wants and under any distraction and doesn't do it for everyone in the family. Do I need to start with a new command word or what should I do? Jumping on counters - does this continuously in my house - hoping to fix by really re-training the sit - any other advice please share? Overexcited with visitors - barking for attention (i think) - she has a very big bark and people are scared by it. Very rarely get visitors but could be someone we meet on the street... Tried click for quiet but obviously havent done it right. She rarely barks at us but sometimes i suppose. She can walk to heel but again doesnt do it on all walks and with all family members. Should I be aiming for 90% here i.e. no sniffing or walking to to the side or what is realistic. Should I go back to the very beginning of heel training? I am always unsure of how much food/treats to be giving and when to stop treating when training... She has never made it to an obedience class as they are always cancelled due to Covid? Should i look into zoom classes - I dont think 1:1 trainers are coming out at the moment (we are in Dublin, Ireland). Sorry for all the questions - just want to get a plan in place and start to improve the situation. Thanks so much for your help
Hi Paula I think you are being too hard on yourself. You are expecting too much from a seven-month old dog. It takes a while for them to mature. And as you realise, proofing during the pandemic is a real headache. On my reading I think you are doing really well to get your dog to follow all the cues. For your specific questions, let me address just one of them. Since you are finding a lot of things problematic I think the best way of dealing with it is to drill down into what you have taught for say just one of them. In doing so, we members might be able to spot an issue. Take sit for duration. I would not change the cue, unless you have poisoned the cue. How long are you requiring your dog to sit? How did you teach duration? How did you teach the release cue? What are the level of distractions when your dog chooses to self-release? How long will your dog sit for without releasing herself?
My girl was 2 yesterday, we are still working on some things, we are both always learning new things and I still reward many good decisions she makes. With regards to walking on the lead, I allow my dog to sniff at times on a loose lead, our daily walks are her time and I understand that sniffing is enriching for them, so I don’t aim for ‘no ‘ sniffing. She is walked mostly off lead so gets plenty of time to sniff away then too and use that nose. Just sharing what works for us and totally agree that tackling and hoping to achieve all your goals at once maybe too much. As my dog has matured she has been able to apply what she has learned over time, none of our training was wasted, the outcomes just may not always have been achieved for a while in our experience!
@Paula Maguire Hi to your seven-month Molly from my seven-year-old Molly. In response to your question about training your dog to sit until released, have a look at this video. (I suspect that perhaps you haven't trained a specific release cue which could be why your dog chooses when to get up again.) I used this Kikopup method with my Molly and she has an excellent stay (though I usually use a down for longer periods), being able to stay in one corner of a sand school while I work with another dog further away. It does take time and repetition and building the duration and distractions slowly, but it sounds as if you are keen to work at it.
Hi everyone, thanks so much for your messages and advice. Actually i am just relieved to hear your advice and we have really been focusing on training this week and she has done much better. For the sit command, honestly I didn't not too much after getting her to sit initially so I really have to put time into it and commit to that because that would solve some of the jumping up issues and general rowdiness!! She has been doing much better on walks and really does respond to training so I have to just put the time in now. This weekend is sit and release training! She's just so big and strong that sometimes its overwhelming on walks and meeting people as they think she is a big crazy monster that's going to eat them and not a lovely little puppy!! Thanks so much and I will keep you posted on how this goes!!
