So training with Buddy is going great and he’s already doing really well with a lot of things. I really can say there are no really terrible issues and everything has gone pretty smoothly. But I do want him to improve on how he acts around a group of strangers or dogs when walking past them in public places. Normally, we take him to a school with a huge fenced grass area. To get to our spot on the field, I keep him on a leash while walking there. To get there you typically pass groups of people playing soccer games or just sitting down. And that’s when buddy just gets over excited and starts pulling. So basically I’m just looking for some tips that maybe I haven’t read on how to improve that. Once we get to the play spot, he follows us and doesn’t even realize anyone else is in the park and he listens to us great. So it’s literally just passing by people or dogs that are close when he gets too excited and loses his focus. He’s just so friendly and wants to greet every single human being and dog lol I’m trying to get him to focus on me and my girlfriend by saying “watch me” and then giving him a treat when he’s focused, but I can’t always find the time to do that when I’m so close to strangers lol and sometimes he is just too excited to really focus. Hoping for some tips other than what I might have read. Thanks!
Hi @Bud Light/Dilly Dilly You will need to train him to walk next to you when people/other dogs are in the far distance. Then gradually train that exercise by moving closer and closer to the distraction. That is, train for walking and not pulling at 40 metres from other dogs. Then 35 metres and then at the next session 30 metres and so on. Reward and reinforce calmness. Make sure your dog is always below threshold. Note you should not expect it to be smooth linear process. One session you may be at 25 metres and the next session you may have to train at say 35 metres in order to get the dog focused on you. Note also that distractions increase with noise and movement. So take into account whether the people are making a lot of noise or moving about in your training. The general area this training falls in is called proofing or consolidation.
the figures were just examples. First time approach the distraction, when he no longer listens then walk away from the distraction until he refocuses back on you. Remember that distance minus X metres because that will be your tentative below threshold figure at the next training session. What is X? Use your judgment and evaluation of the dog's body language to see how many metres you can move towards the distraction at the next session. As I said in the previous mail it may be + X rather than - X. Your dog's reaction to the distraction may have changed. Some things are better explained in person
Haha yes some things are better explained in person, but I definitely understood what you were saying in this case and the explanation was great. Next time I go to the park I will definitely try this with him before I practice his recall and off leash play. Thanks so much for the advice! I’ll let you know how it goes!
@Michael A Brooks so my girlfriend and I took Buddy out to the school/park we always go to with the intention of trying the new tip you gave us at the beginning for a little and while walking out. There was a whole bunch of people playing soccer and just hanging around. We did the excercise around 25 feet away to start and gradually moved in to about 15 feet I would say. Maybe even a tiny bit closer. We used a clicker for every time he looked at us and it really helped with the exercise. He did pretty dang good. A lot better than he has been before this exercise. Just got to keep practicing and it will improve as he gets more used to being around people. Also, I realized after I made this thread that my question could have been answered in the “look at me” thread haha I must have skipped it over. Thanks so much for your help!
I really feel like the use of a clicker made this exercise so much more effective. Don’t think it would have went as well without it.
Hi @Bud Light/Dilly Dilly In order to clear something up I wasn't trying to explain LAT training. I had in mind desensitisation. You don't necessarily need your dog to look at you (though it might help). All that I had in mind was treating the dog for being calm and focused on your cues. I wouldn't necessarily require my dog to look at the people and then back at me. LAT training is related but it is not the same thing as proofing.
Oh I see I see. I guess you learn new things every day. Haha so what I was doing seemed to be working ok. Should I continue doing it? The clicker was also helpful. I guess that’s what got him to look at me since I clicked it when he looked at the distractions calmly and I treated him. I don’t really care if he looks at me either. I just want him calm. Which he was a lot more of today.
Hi @Bud Light/Dilly Dilly Yeah the clicker is fine. I don't use one because I like to say Yeeeessssss when my dog does something brilliantly. Then a jackpot treat. But what you use is largely a matter of taste. I also found that out in a field on a windy day I can speak louder than a clicker which is helpful when my dog is well away from me. Continue to click and treat when he checks in. Looks at you. Click and treat if he turns towards you if he had been pulling towards the distraction. Click and treat when he gets into position, say next to left leg. Essentially what you are doing is clicking and treating any behaviour you want the dog to do more of in the future.
I think you would really benefit from attending a good training class. That's all about control around people and other dogs... The thing to say is: If you notice a problem, make it into a training situation. Make the problem the new goal. For example: Your original goal was to walk to a particular spot on the grass, and you experienced problems passing people on the way. I would immediately change my training plan for the session, I would abandon or delay any intention to reach that particular spot and just train 'passing people' as my target or goal for the training outing. I would deliberately seek out people, at the right distance, to work with. Probably using Look At That - there's a whole thread on training Look At That, pinned to the top of this group.
I definitely second the "look at that" approach. It's really helped in the last couple weeks and I've been applying it in as many situations I can. At the risk of being criticized for letting my pup ride shotgun in the car - and to underscore my American-ness - I'll say there is one situation that was really fun and effective for us. I often drive to the fast food drive through a few blocks from my house to pick up coffee, breakfast or whatever. My pup Minka would always bark, just once or twice, at the ladies in the windows (there are two windows, one for payment, one for the food). They've gotten used to my not paying or grabbing the food right away to do "look at that"/"look at me" without her barking or climbing halfway across the console. Not sure if using "look at me" as well is counterintuitive but so far it's been okay. I think the workers get a real rise whenever we show up. I'm that nut with dog treats in his lap and a clicker dangling from his wrist.
Does anyone have any recommendations on some high grade/tasty treats to train with in high distracting places?? Our pup trains very well with kibble and little biscuit treats, but I would like something more enticing to him for when a lot of people of around. Ideally, something easy to get from a US Pet Store. But any recommendations are welcome.
You don't want to purchase treats from a pet store, because you will get junk food which has additives and is bad for your dog, plus it won't taste as good as what you can get elsewhere! For all training away from the house, you can use things like: Cheddar. Any sliced sandwich meat (ham; chicken etc); frankfurters; or any roast meat; sausages; liver; kidneys... And for recalls, you will get best results with sloppy, messy smelly things like sardines, smoked mackerel, paté, gourmet wet dog food etc etc. At the moment in our fridge, we have half a roast chicken which I bought for the dogs and bagged up. A slab of cheap cheddar. Lamb kidneys which I boiled. And blueberries. (Not as tasty but good for them!).
Thanks! I have been using cheddar cheese for high distraction training and he really likes it. I also bought some sardines based on your suggestion but haven’t tried them yet. Will have to try soon.
@Jo Laurens buddy has been doing great with his long lead training. I have been mostly using cheddar cheese per one of your suggestions. I use it almost daily for long lead and recall training at the park near my house. Just wondering if it’s safe to have in moderation on an almost daily basis. I also tried the sardines for the first time and he absolutely loved them. I won’t be training with those as much since they’re super messy and make my hands smell but I definitely will use the sardines every so often since those seem to be his favorite. But mainly just want to know if it’s safe to use the cheese regularly. He hasn’t shown any ill effects, but just wanted to make sure.
This has been going very well by the way. Thanks so much for the tip. He enjoys it and I’m enjoying it too.
