Post by Clifford on Jan 24, 2011 21:23:50 GMT -6
I have spent the last few days working with our pack, training them to respond to individual commands, instead of just moving as a group when I let them in or out of the house, or vehicle...
As you can imagine, they are very anxious to be first through the door, and I have had to be very firm about making them stay until I tell the next one it is their turn.
The first step has been moderately easy. But, changing the order has taken a lot of work. And, of course, Jemma being the youngest is the most anxious of the bunch.
She doesn't like being left behind, and tries to creep!
Teaching them to only respond to commands that are preceeded by their name has also been a challenge. Try a$$embling your group, and then tell one dog down, and see if another one responds... Yep! That's what happens when you use treats as an incentive... If you are, you need to work towards praise instead. Using treats also trains your dog to watch your hand, which can be a problem when you are trying to point to something that requires their attention...
Training in a group is much more of a challenge. But, it sure is great when you finally get the result you are after! And, I promise you will get great satisfaction out of seeing them all work together, and hearing people say WOW!
As you can imagine, they are very anxious to be first through the door, and I have had to be very firm about making them stay until I tell the next one it is their turn.
The first step has been moderately easy. But, changing the order has taken a lot of work. And, of course, Jemma being the youngest is the most anxious of the bunch.
She doesn't like being left behind, and tries to creep!
Teaching them to only respond to commands that are preceeded by their name has also been a challenge. Try a$$embling your group, and then tell one dog down, and see if another one responds... Yep! That's what happens when you use treats as an incentive... If you are, you need to work towards praise instead. Using treats also trains your dog to watch your hand, which can be a problem when you are trying to point to something that requires their attention...
Training in a group is much more of a challenge. But, it sure is great when you finally get the result you are after! And, I promise you will get great satisfaction out of seeing them all work together, and hearing people say WOW!
