Hi @Diablo Understand the issue. Believe me, the other handlers will be too busy with their own dogs to even notice what is going on with your dog. It's good to have high expectations. I understand dog training can be frustrating. I had kept a diary of each training session. When I reached an impasse I read the diary. i realised that I had attempted to progress too quickly. Perhaps a time for reflection. Setting it down on paper really helped me because I could see a different road to my objective. It might help you too.
Hi @Diablo - I've just been reading this thread and thought it might help to let you know that I have been working through the exact same issues with our pup Luna, and at nearly a year old it does feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. She has done almost everything that you have described in your messages, including making walking with my other half really hard, pulling on lead to follow the scent of other dogs, disengaging on off-lead walks, lunging on the long lead, jumping all over guests given half the chance...and so on....and so on.... She's generally so ridiculously interested in EVERYTHING in her environment that focus and training is really, really tough. Everything feels like 3 times the effort, and it is utterly exhausting. But when you do get a breakthrough - it's the best feeling ever Try writing down the break-throughs so you can refer back to them when you're having a rubbish day. Keep at it - it sounds like you're doing really well, it's just not what you pictured when you decided to bring a dog into your life. I've had to seriously change my short term expectations, and also accept that Luna is more challenging than some other labs. It's my job to work harder at understanding her and to help her learn in different environments. I'm starting to have a bit of faith that we'll get there - but boy it takes some patience
@LoopyLuna I have been following your threads as does seem we have very, very similar dogs and challenges (even down to the garden wood chipping) - imagine the chaos if they were in the same class ! I may well go back this week, had some more positive experiences recently but mindful of the steps backwards and forwards and how draining the sessions can be even on his better days. Keep up your good work.
Went back to training and upped the treats to fresh rare cooked rump steak left over from the previous evening meal. Arrived close to start time and sat in the car rather than allow any interaction with the fellow participants though he got pretty excited watching them outside. First exercise in Dexter managed to run loose and dash round the field and engage 4 or 5 of the other dogs tearing from one to the next one and I thought here we go again but he was probably making up for his lack of saying hello earlier ..... Made sure he had no other opportunity to do this as extended the lead and held on rather than let it drop to the floor, and kept a piece of steak at his nose for an hour almost non stop. End result was I had a hand sucked, licked and nibbled to pieces but he was (for him) very good for the rest of the class and he did everything asked of him including new exercises and as usual he did it all with great gusto and enthusiasm as he does not do things in halves. Due to his nature he tended to have only one go at anything where he had no lead on as always did what was asked but on return must then find another dog to play with. It is a good job he seems to get a lot of it first time and does not necessarily need another go but can work on these at home. He has a strong desire to retrieve the dummies which quite a few other dogs seem to struggle with and the fact that our walks mean he regularly jumps obstacles and goes under stiles or wire fences naturally meant he had no problems with those parts and just attacks them. He is so keen on everything that he is very easily distracted and wants to be permanently on the go which affects his attention span unlike at home where he really concentrates on what you are doing and looks well trained like many of his classmates - until you step outside the front door when it becomes very variable. Unfortunately I am away for the next class but will attend the final one of this group - depending upon how that goes we may sign up for another 6...... Not sure if I can afford a permanent treat upgrade to rump steak so might be back to cooked sausages or chicken again though even I could smell the steak as we drove over and took part so that might be a factor not there with the alternatives.
@Diablo well done. You might try Ziwi Peak Mackerel and Lamb with green mussels. The dogs in my class snap to alert when their trainers bring it out. And they are dogs that have a hard time focussing on the task.
Buy whatever roast joint is on sale in your local supermarket, cook it up and chop it into sections and freeze it, defrosting a section as needed! Or: Look in the freezer section and buy frozen kidneys, liver or heart. Boil it up. I don't find Ziwipeak as tasty for dogs as something wet/real food. Anything dry tends to be less tasty. But it is a good quality food.
