Feeling disheartened

Discussion in 'Labrador Training' started by Nichola, Apr 9, 2017.

  1. Nichola

    Nichola Registered Users

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2016
    Messages:
    28
    Our beautiful black lab Fred is now 7 months old and I thought we were doing really well. Walking around our village he walks mainly on a loose lead I reward him regularly when he isn't pulling and get him to sit when other dogs or people approach and he is getting much better at not pulling towards them. His recall is pretty good too and I am slowly trying to proof it around distractions.

    Overall he is not perfect but I have been training every day and following the threads on the forum and trying to reinforce good behavior and ignore any mistakes.

    But then yesterday we took him and our other dog to a local park a car ride away which he hasn't been to before and it was like I had never tried to train him at all! Fred pulled on his lead the whole way from the car to the park and then all around the park. I tried in vain to get his attention on me I had cheese as his reward which he usually loves. It was like he was deaf to me and I didn't even exist on the end of his lead! It was not an enjoyable experience.

    The children are on school holidays now and we have some days out planned with the dogs and I am now not looking forward to taking Fred.

    Also he has started jumping up which hasn't been a problem before.

    Did I expect too much of him in a new place? Have I been doing something wrong?

    Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated
     
  2. kateincornwall

    kateincornwall Registered Users

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2012
    Messages:
    9,936
    Oh dear Fred ! I used to call this Sensory Overload , when taking a young dog somewhere completely new , all senses are heightened and often, training goes out of the window ! I truly don't think you have been doing anything wrong , but I would start to take him to new places on a fairly regular basis , so that he becomes used to it , and just reinforce the basics as you have done .All in all, it sounds like he has been doing really well , but what you experienced is completely normal , just keep doing what you`re doing , he will improve, honestly he will .
     
    Emily_BabbelHund and Jojo83 like this.
  3. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2013
    Messages:
    14,194
    Location:
    Canberra, Australia
    Don't worry, this is normal for a dog encountering a new place :) Especially a young dog. He was just overwhelmed and probably could not pay any attention to you at all. To be honest he probably did not enjoy it all that much either, despite appearing to be very excited. The thing to do is to dial down the environments you're taking him to, so he can cope more easily and still have enough attention left over to listen to you. As Kate says take him to new places but start with places that are much less full on than a dog park :)

    With the jumping up the best thing to do is to get in first with a 'sit'. If you don't manage to get in first either turn your back or hold out your hands so you are blocking his view of your face (not with the intention of physically blocking him - just blocking his view).

    And don't feel disheartened - nothing is wrong :)
     
  4. JulieT

    JulieT Registered Users

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2013
    Messages:
    20,186
    I do understand how depressing this can be, and not everyone experiences it to the same degree. My younger dog (she's just coming up to one) has her moments in new places, but she's not too bad and never has been too bad. My older dog (he's 4 now) can still be a complete nightmare in new places and when he was younger he would practically explode in a new place.

    If you have a dog that struggles in new places, and is particularly excitable, you just have to buckle down and train them to be able to cope with this.

    What I found was a big mistake with Charlie was to take him to a new new place and spend a long time there - he didn't calm down, he got more and more excited. So I had to drive him to a new place and do a few focus exercises, walk round the carpark then go home. It felt extreme at the time, but I thought everyone had to do it. Now I have a much calmer dog in Betsy I realise that not all dogs are like this, but if you have an excitable one then the quickest way to deal with it is to accept what you are going to have to do, and get on and train it in small bits.

    Hopefully Fred won't be as extreme as Charlie, but it took me 5 months to get Charlie to walk 50m inside the park - just a regular, local, everyday park. Nothing special or madly exciting. Seriously. It was very painful. But we got there, in the end. He is never going to be a calm dog in new places and I am always going to have to do my focus exercises and calming circles (I don't have to do this with Betsy - I can get her out of the car and go) but it's just the dog Charlie is and that's that.
     
  5. Boogie

    Boogie Supporting Member Forum Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2014
    Messages:
    8,416
    Try to relax and take it as a training opportunity.

    It's certainly a surprise when the suddenly forget all they have learned - but they all do it sometimes, I find.

    Sit is your 'go to' behaviour in all difficult situations :)


    Bb
     
  6. Nichola

    Nichola Registered Users

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2016
    Messages:
    28
    Thank you for your replies it helps to know that others experience this too when going to new places. I will do as suggested and go to new places more often. I guess we got into our comfortable routine and I need to widen his experience.
    He is so lovable and I really want to do my best for him.
    Thank you
     
    selina27 likes this.
  7. UncleBob

    UncleBob Supporting Member Forum Supporter

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2013
    Messages:
    1,534
    Yes and no respectively. ;)

    Think of it like this, imagine a car journey that you drive regularly (daily work commute, taking the kids to school, etc), you know the route, how long it normally takes, the difficult junctions, the places where numpties take leave of their senses and you have to be extra careful! Now imagine a journey somewhere new, say into the middle of London during rush hour, with no satnav or atlas, no checking a route planner on your pc or laptop before leaving, and you don't know where you are going or how long it will take. Stressed yet? ;)

    Going somewhere new is hugely exciting for a dog, especially a young one. Keep taking him to new places, with your expectations adjusted accordingly, and he'll soon get better. Keep going!
     
    Emily_BabbelHund, selina27 and Stacia like this.
  8. Nichola

    Nichola Registered Users

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2016
    Messages:
    28
    This is a great way of explaining it! I hate driving to somewhere I don't know and get really stressed about it! I will keep this in mind when we are out and about.
    Thank you
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 9, 2017
    selina27 likes this.
  9. leejane

    leejane Mum to the Mooster

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2014
    Messages:
    1,286
    Location:
    Nuneaton, North Warwickshire
    I do felt your pain on this, and it's still a tricky one for monty at times, I did lots of work last year and was feeling quite pleased (smug)with myself in the run up to a holiday in Cornwall. He was just over 2 years. We arrived at the Eden project and it was honestly like I had a freight train on the end of a lead all the way down that long sloped entrance. People were looking at me like I had a devil dog on a lead. I was so embarrassed. Fortunately once inside he was loads better and actually very well behaved for the day but I'll never forget those ten minutes on arrival, where he was almost out of control. It gave me a reality check of going back to basics, and keep exposing him to new places often.

    We are back in Cornwall in a few weeks time and in anticipation have been taking him to the pub quite often :)
     
  10. Nichola

    Nichola Registered Users

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2016
    Messages:
    28
    Just wanted to update everyone. I took Fred back to the same park the other day armed with lots of cheese and no expectations! He was very excited again when we arrived but I did a few sits without attempting to walk anywhere and he calmed down. If another dog came into sight I let him look at it from a distance and when he looked at me treated him. We then walked up and down the same part of the path and he was soon walking well by my side! We then left before he got overwhelmed again.

    Then today we went to another park and again he calmed down much more quickly and if his loose lead walking wasn't perfect it was definitely better than last week.
    He even had his first swim and came back beautifully to his whistle even though there was the distraction of a football nearby!

    So overall I feel much more positive and wanted to share our tiny steps forward with you all. This forum is a great support and I am sure I will be here alot !
     
  11. Beanwood

    Beanwood Registered Users

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2014
    Messages:
    7,303
    Really good news! :)
     
  12. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2013
    Messages:
    14,194
    Location:
    Canberra, Australia
    Great job :)
     
  13. leejane

    leejane Mum to the Mooster

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2014
    Messages:
    1,286
    Location:
    Nuneaton, North Warwickshire
    Great news, well done! I think it's all about those tiny steps forward , and not getting too stressed about the backward ones:)
     

Share This Page