[babydolwv]

Ok heres whats going on..i just want to know if i am doing things right and if not what can i do to correct the problem...

Ok i have had my pup since she was 8wks old...she is now 4 months old...she knows how to sit, lay down, shake, twirl, and roll over, but my problem is if we dont have a treat she will do a trick but only when she ready. Not on command... i have been working with her 2 to 3 times aday...sometimes with treats and sometimes without treats.... im not sure if i am just not getting her full attention... i have thought about putting her leash on while doing the training...i have read that helps with any distractions and tring to find other things to do...i only work with her for about 10 maybe 15 mins at a time to prevent her from getting bored, then it play time (fetch and tug of war and what not) could it be that i am just not getting her full attention..i use the same command everytime as not to confuse her and use hand motions...alot times she will do the command if i do the hand motions, but i dont want to always have to do the hand motions. so i try to only do the hand motions at the begining so sorta refresh her memory as to what she is suppose to be doing..... I have also read not the repeat the command over and over or instead of learning sit she will learn sit, sit, sit as the command... but im at a total loss as to what could be the problem.....i dont want to wait any longer to get her to learn the commands....any suggestions of what might be the problem or things i could try would be of great apperication.... thanks for any help or suggestions u can give.

[opokki]

Seems like you might be missing some steps....

I start out using a food lure but quickly switch to a hand lure. The dog still gets a treat but not from the hand I'm luring with...this is an important step. You want the dog to respond whether you have a treat or not so continue to give him treats but do not make their presence so obvious. Keep the treats in your opposite hand behind your back, in your pocket, or on a nearby shelf. Later on you can fade out the treats.

Once the dog understands and is responding well to the hand signal, I add the verbal cue. At this point the verbal cue is immediately followed by the hand signal. After several repetitions you can delay giving the hand signal for a second after you give the verbal cue. If the dog doesn't respond to the verbal cue in one second, give the hand signal. Repeat over several short sessions until the dog responds to the verbal cue and no longer needs the hand signal. Now you can fade out the treats by only offering them intermittently and in combination with other rewards.

Other rewards can be anything the dog wants or needs including play, affection, access to the couch, access to the car, access to the backyard, access to his dinner,ect. Having the dog work everything he wants or needs will speed up his response time.

End result: A dog that responds immediately and reliably on verbal cue.

[babydolwv]

well see atfirst i thought she was just wanting a treat for a reward, but she will do the command without a treat sometimes and even sometimes when i have the treat she still wont do it...thats y i thought maybe i just wasnt getting her attention or keeping it.....i either put the treats on the table or in my pocket at the moment cause sometimes she gets excited over the treat if its in my hand and wants to try and get it out...so i learned fast not to have it in my hand at all....alot of times i will just move the treats (dog food) thro my hands so the smell is on them, make her do the command then just praise her...sometimes that works....so i reckon before i work on stay i will make sure she has the other commands down before i add stay to the mix.... or would it be ok to go ahead and add stay?? i really need to get that one down with her...i have worked alittle with her on it and i dont think she will be to hard learning it...i know it will take sometime before she actually gets it, but will take this next wk to get things straight and maybe start it in the next few days.... thanks for your help and will use it all i really appericate it....

[opokki]

I would master at least sit or down before adding stay.

Also try shorter training sessions. 10-15 mins might just be too long for your pup. I do several 5min (or less) sessions throughout the day with my adult dogs.

[babydolwv]

yeah she seems to have sit pretty well down...she sits for just about everything...i have noticed that yesterday... so for the next wk or so i will just work with her on the ones she knows..... and will try with out a treat at all just praise... maybe she wont expect a treat only praise.

I will also shorten the sessions down to about 5 mins and just do them more often...

thanks for all the advice i really appericate it!