Less than a week ago I wrote about a German Shepherd I was training. First time I met him he kept barking and lunging at me. After a week he showed how excited he was to see me and was very eager to play around.
http://www.pawsitiveeducation.com/1/post/2012/03/never-underestimate-the-power-of-kindness.html Although he was doing well I was worried that he may not learn some of the things he needed to learn because he is neither food nor toy motivated. All I could really do was give him a rub on his cheek or on his chest as a reward. Even if I try to give him a treat he'll accept it the first two or three times then ignore it after, but kindness really goes a long way. All I have to do is show him he's doing well by rubbing his cheek and give him gentle verbal scoldings when he does not want to follow. It comes to a point when he does not want to execute a command I just tell him "You know what I want" or "You know what you have to do" and he does it. I am now able to drive him places - just the two of us and he behaves like an angel. Although he is so eager to go out - sometimes he jumps in the driver's seat if all the other doors are closed - he just sits when he gets inside the car. If he starts shifting around I just remind him to stay down and he does. When he starts barking because he can't tag along with the other dogs when they go out all I have to do is call out the command quiet with him and I don't hear anything anymore. Same thing when he is jumping against the screen trying to watch the training of other dogs. I just have to call out the command off and he walks away. I don't have to go near him for him to follow. What surprises me is how much he trusts me. There are times I would sit on a swing. The first time I did, he started struggling to get away, the second time he stayed still but he stayed about 5 feet away. The third time, he sat right at my feet, he did not move even if he showed a bit of uneasines about the swing. Of course he got rewarded with a body rub. We still have to work on his excitement level but overall I am very happy with his progress. Here's a video of him now, training how to walk without a leash. He is so comfortable with me now that when he knows he's doing well he will request a cheek rub by nudging me. Off Leash success 1 - http://youtu.be/ca7tdTohS0U Off Leash success 2 - http://youtu.be/RxKf9O3N4k4 He's been with me two weeks now and we still have another week to go but even when he leaves the training center I know I will miss him terribly. So will Charis! To us he is family!
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AuthorJoy has had 17-20 dogs, four cats, at least a dozen rabbits, three to four chickens and one turkey in her lifetime. She was close to her brother's bear cat and the snake, who she rescued from the attic. While in Canada she decided to get a cat and ended up with two. Since she lived alone she had to find ways and means to develop a harmonious peaceful relationship with her cats by "training" them. Eventually she decided to get formal training and invited dogs to join her family. Archives
May 2012
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