Dexter is continuing to develop and grow rapidly, weighing in at 16.5kg today (looks very athletic which might be his field bred Dad coming through). His chewing and play biting is much better and items of furniture which were subject to some abuse have now started to make their way back into the lounge. Though we did not want him on the sofa and chairs we have relented (trying to control jumping for his joints benefit) - the key gain is that he is settling down more easily and likes to cuddle at any time of the day. He now goes to the door and barks when he wants to go out (for toileting) which is really good though sometimes it is just to create mischief - he loves to sit half way up the garden and stare at you saying - you really think I am going to come back in ?!!!! With both of us being at home this week we have tried to ensure he goes for a walk with both of us once a day. The reasons behind this are that he seems to get much more excited when we are both present and loses focus. He is fine off the lead, recalling for either of us and running back to check in with us but on the lead he seems to lose all control and memory of walking to heel, basic commands etc. Off the lead we rarely call him back and put him on it if we see others approaching as he has coped with cyclists, dogs, runners going fast or slow, walkers, horses in the distance, dog walkers with 6 dogs etc One of our trips out was to a National Trust property which being school half term had a Halloween themed event on and hoards of children and adults even though we went late afternoon. There is a large lake with running water, ducks, swans (hissed at him), geese etc which were new to him. This meant we had to keep him on his lead and he went into hyper over excited mode - often lunging at anyone we passed as he is so friendly and wants attention (he did get a few takers), pulling like an express train on the lead despite the various techniques that work when pavement walking which he is very good at that now. It just seems he goes into sensory overload at times. Later on some children began playing football where we had sat and after watching for a while he was desperate to get involved and started barking vigorously so we had to move on. I don't know if we are expecting too much of him at this age but we are persevering and a trip up a local village high street went better though at times it feels like people are looking at you like you have some crazy badly misbehaving dog at times - due to his size not everyone realises his is a young puppy. Back to dog training next week after a break so will discuss in the group sessions there and see if he is a little more restrained this time and the excitement mist is less evident. Having great fun overall and really enjoying him !
Hi @Diablo I think your expectations might be a tad too high. Heeling is a very difficult exercise for a dog. To do it when there are lots of distractions is unbelievably difficult for a 17 week old pup. Keep on with the training. It seems to me you are doing an excellent job. I could not tell from your description whether you are using treats as rewards. Please use them, in particular, when near distractions. if he is getting too aroused to even listen, then you're too close to the distraction. Increase your distance from the distraction. If that is not possible, then pick less congested areas. I wouldn't do recall off line until you're absolutely certain he will come back when you cue him. Use a long line to make the transition from lead to no lead. I'm not sure why you are having so much trouble when you both take him for a walk. I'd have to observe what is going on. Perhaps try walking side by side. Or try walking together first in the garden before you take the show on the road.
I would take care with this, since you are essentially training 'demand barking'. And, as you've noticed, you can't always predict the reason for the demand. Sometimes he may need to toilet but especially as he grows, it's far more likely he'd just like to be outdoors which is far more interesting than indoors... Personally, I would never respond to a barking dog. A barking dog never gets what they are barking about, they are invisible to me. I'd far rather clean up the odd toilet accident on the floor than reinforce a dog barking to be let out - since every time they fancy a romp around the garden, they'll soon be barking at the door.... Take him out BEFORE he makes noise - more frequently than you think he needs to go, if necessary. That way, when he barks, you will know it's not that he needs the toilet, if he's just been. Don't respond to demands... Just take care that the other party is as willing to meet him (even just for a placid sniff) as he is ok with them. Don't let him approach dogs on lead (you might not be, but just to point that out) since they will be on lead for a reason. And take care around dog walkers with a pack of dogs - that can easily be overwhelming to a small puppy, to be besieged by 6 unfamiliar dogs at once. Essentially: If unsure, avoid the experience. One less experience is much better than a bad experience. Generally speaking, it is best not to have the approach of just taking the dog everywhere with you. It rarely works out well. The dog, on leash, just gets very frustrated about not being able to get to things and you need to be 100% able to focus on training and working with that frustration to make it into a useful training scenario. If you are also there because you want to view a National Trust house or run an errand or basically even just talk about other subjects to the people you are with(!) it's not going to go well because your entire focus won't be on the dog. It is much better to bring the dog out to places with distractions like these by yourself, where your sole focus is training the dog and working him in that location. You might not cover much ground or walk far - in fact, remaining in one spot is a good idea because that spot will start to get boring to the dog and your own treats and training comparatively interesting - so that you can make training progress. It will take a lot of this in his first year of life, before you can begin to bring him along when your attention is even partially elsewhere...
Kyko will be 16weeks tomorrow and his recall is coming along fantastic, we have to be aware of distractions & call him back before he spots them or he goes 'deaf'. Walking on a loose leash he can do again as long as there are no distractions around, and is actually getting better, I show him I have a treat and say nice to him and he trots along looking at me waiting for a treat. Sometimes when he's about to start pulling & picking things up (all the leaves are driving him insane at the moment) I just say nice & he comes and walks next to me looking for his treat
