Our lab puppy is now 9 1/2 months old. We have come through many hurdles and have developed may a couple new ones. All in all he has been great. One thing that I am really struggling with is the puppy not listening to my husband, it's not really the puppies fault either. I have always worked with our puppy, do all the training ect. hubby just flat out wont take the time to do it and when he starts to get frustrated because the puppy isn't listening to him, I keep telling him it's because he knows he can get away with it.I try to help him through it but as the puppy will do for a moment what he asks and then and goes back to not listening, he just gives up. I want our puppy to be obedient with anyone will this every happen even if no one else trains him? I mean even a guest, if someone asked him to sit I would expect him to sit ect.
Hi @mom2labs I'm afraid dogs don't generalise well, and that applies to leadership. I have been in a class with very obedient dogs but they will not immediately follow my cues. It's partly to do with the obvious fact that I am not their leader, but also to do with the issue that my cues are subtly different to their owners. Cues have to be proofed to other handlers. It can, of course, be done. Guide dogs follow the cues of their new owners. Individuals take someone else's dog in trials, shows and classes. But in all these cases the dog has to learn to follow the cues of their new handlers. I was working someone else's dog just yesterday. By the third attempt, I had her sitting on a cue in a stay next to my own dog. But I had to work at it. I gave her rewards and lots of enthusiastic praise. If your husband wants your dog to follow his cues, then he will need to work at it. Lots of positive reinforcement and bonding is what is required. And, of course, it helps tremendously if you use identical cues.
Thanks that's what I was afraid of. He will try but then gives up too easily when Oakley wont do what he wants him to do. He will do it most of the time but usually his most difficult time is when he's wanting to go outside, he can't get him to not run out the door, he will put him in a sit which Oakley will and tell him to stay but as soon as he starts to open the door Oakley gets up, then my husband just gives up. Most of the time I can get Oakley to stay and wait, but on the occasion he doesn't I just don't open the door and let him out. Our 11 1/2 yr old black lab was never really trained in any of this and since our kids were younger at the time all of us did and said different things to Harley but over time he learned each of our own ways of talking to him and he knows what each of our expectations are of him and they have always been different. For instance. begging for food, my son and I have always made it a point to not feed him much table scrapes but my husband allows him to be up on him therefore he knows this is OK with hubby but not others. Harley walks way better on a leash with me than he ever did with anyone else. So I think because we had no clue really what we were doing with Harley and he learned he thinks Oakley should be and do the same. I do have issues with Oakley listening when there are distractions but I do work with him and I noticed it as the weather has gotten bad here and we can't take him out much so he's kind of losing some of it.
Try getting him to do it in small increments positively rewarding each step. You might have to do several repetitions at each step. 1. Walk to the dog. Yes and treat. Reset. 2. Go to door, touch door handle. Yes and treat. Reset. 3. Go to door. Turn handle. Yes and treat. Reset. 4. Go to door. Turn handle and open door one centimetre. Yes and treat. Reset. And so on and so on. Open the door by small increments, one or two cms at a time. You don't have to do all the steps in one go. Vary the increments based on reading your dog's ability to handle the progression. Yes dogs can learn from mimicry. But it can be hit and miss. And it takes time. You have a young dog. Learning can proceed at a rapid rate. One of the issues with young dogs is that while they learn quicker than older dogs, they forget more quckly than older dogs. The hare and tortoise story is particularly relevant here. It applies to dog training. The implication for you? You have to maintain your training despite what nature offers. When it stops snowing grab that moment and do 2 or 3 minutes of training with your younger dog. Train in your garage. The hall of your house. Ask a close friend whether you can train your dog in her house. Why not take a cake with you so that you can bathe in the post-training bliss over a coffee with your friend. Your mentally exhausted dog at your feet. Training to be calm in different places is all part of good training.
