my pup is 3.5 months old now...and i have been 2 times to pup classes. i have FAILED to make her walk to heel on lead to date, she wanders, i have FAILED to make her SIT or LIE to command...but ? i have TRAINED HER IN PUBS AND ON THE STREETS ! ...
- to NOT FEAR or STARTLE at passing cars..
- to not CROSS THE ROAD without STOPPING at kerb first
- to CROSS on ORDER a road
- to NOT CHASE CHICKENS DUCKS COWS (have not met the sheep yet they are well penned in Red LAbel specials)
- to NOT approach strangers to greet them until i GIVE THE ORDER
- to NOT run after cats or children running

http://www.obcarskas.eu/resources/theperfectpuppy8stopatkerb.JPG
http://www.obcarskas.eu/resources/theperfectpuppyTRAVERSEouCestOK.JPG
http://www.obcarskas.eu/resources/theperfectpuppysi+PASsurLAISSEattendsNEtraversePASsansORDRE1.JPG
http://www.obcarskas.eu/resources/theperfectpuppynobarkatlivestock.JPG

i have MUCH to learn...and am finding THE PERFECT PUPPY book ordered from the USA by GB writer very good reading as i go to pubs here with pup to SOCIALISE her and ensure SHE DOES NOT PUT PAWS on people or disturb people EATING...pups are ALLOWED in RESTAURANTS in France i add legally...NOT THAT YOU SEE ANY OFTEN ! even the pup i met unusually at a bar the other day...was NOT with its owner the last 2 times since...sigh...JUST UNCONTROLLED DOGS here !

CLASSES !! and ORDER !!! and DISCIPLINE Is NEEDED to ENJOY Our dogs and for OTHERS as they ALL did today...COMPLIMENT my pup and like her ! yes ALL did today !

what should i look to do now ? what classes ? i have more books coming...another failing of mine ? bite inhibition...am getting local gardien telling me off for my arms...and here...i will end up with blood poisoning with my lack of French hygene for washing hands soon if this carries on !! LOL !! ooh non, no PARKING at hospital locally...and NO DOGS allowed no doubt...so ? NOT TAUGHT HER SEPARATION yet...so CANNOT GO !

LOL !!! ooh we do it to ourselves i say !! i do anyhows...GET THINGS WRONG !

what i HAVE achieved for DISCIPLINE and SAFETY of OTHERS on the ROADS and STREETS and me and my pup ? i did ALL of it WITHOUT HARSH WORDS PUNISHMENT PHYSICALLY OR TREATS ! ah...except ONE thing...to STOP HER EATING THE MASSES OF DOG POOHS on the steets and lawns here...i HIT her ...and ? she TURNED on me and we had a fight...a bad one..and ? never again...she was STARVING due to lack of food...I WAS TOLD TO STARVE HER TO MAKE HER EAT DRY FOOD !

never again.

and...she FETCHES her ball to order...lets it go to order...CARRIES to order her ball or her lead or my keys. FETCHES them if not thrown also to order. SHE ENJOYS IT !

the BREED ? is IRRELEVANT ! this is what ANY pup could do in 6 weeks with new owner. My view i add.

Ah yes, i remember the days when my pup was like this... and then she hit adolescence! LOL

LOL !!! thank you for the REMINDER !!! i am SURE it will be ? HELL !!! LOL !! ooh...it takes 2 years i think...sigh...for a BELGIAN to become MATURE ! ooh...Val of Crufts Champions JETAIME dogs told me her ADULT ones are still YOUNG MINDED !!! LOL !!! i hope so...for PLAY for sure...they LOVE play these dogs...and SO DO I !!! LOL !!!

> i have FAILED to make her walk to heel on lead to date, she wanders, i have FAILED to make her SIT or LIE to command...but ?

Sitting, walking to heel & laying on comand on not naturaly rewarding things for a dog to do unless there is a reward for such action. (then this will depend on the dog as my dogs second favorite thing in life is laying down! - the first is food)- .

Things like not greeting strangers untill given command, there is a reward - greeting the stranger. (allthough, people like me like to emphasise the point with food rewards too :) ).
Also, things like fetching objects is a rewarding job for dogs that enjoy it, so it is naturally fun to do - it's rewarding in iteself.

As you are set on not using food treats, you'll need to make things like sitting rewarding to pup for her to do it. As pup loves to play fetch, incorporating the need to 'sit' into the game (sit before ball is thrown), will make the action of sitting seem like a good idea to her. Once she has the positive association (sitting = good game of fetch), you can build on that without the game. But don't use the word 'sit' as a command untill she associates the word with the actual action of sitting.
Eg. - lure pup into sitting position using favorite toy, say the word 'sit' as soon as her bum is on floor, then throw the ball. Repeat as needed, untill she kows that sit=bum on floor. Then you can say 'sit' without luring it and she will sit to have her ball thrown.
When training, always keep sessions short & fun, you don't want pup to get bored/frustrated/tired as that is no good for learning.

Are you still going to puppy classes? I would as its great for socialisation with other dogs in a controlled environment, or I would hope they are. I tend to keep mine going for a good few more months yet, they get taken out and put back in during the 'kevin' stage.. All of this while doing training out 'n' about and at home.

yep mastifflover, she has done all those things as easy !!! LOL !!! she HATES cars as carsick...so ? seeing them parked or on road in movement ? is NO ISSUE to get her to AVOID them !!! LOL !!! not even a woman CALLING her from her car window could induce her to go near it !!! and she was a dog patter ! LOL !

I am fairy happy about this CHANCE carsickness making CAR SENSE easier for me ! not having the TRAIN GuiDe dogs for blind type knowledge !

the SIT and LIE DOWN ???? ooh...that is not something that is going to be easy...but i take advice....sigh...and ? PATIENCE ? withholding the ball until she sits ? might do it !?

now...the BITE INHIBITION thing...still an issue...however many distrations i give her...i just "lost it" slightly in the corridor with the frisbee with her...she was hyper...last night in fact i STOPPED the ball game there as she was PANTING so hard but NOT SLOWING DOWN and i thought she  will have a HEART ATTACK in the heavy storm brewing air we have here right now...overcast but heavy air...lots of positive ions in the air...the negative refeshing ones come WITH the storm...CLEARS THE AIR...

i lost it as yanks say a bit as a slapped her rump with the free hand as she had her teeth DEEP into a previous cut she had made...i had been using successsfully the STOP word command to make her LET GO before i threw the frisbee again...so ? she KNOWS it means LET GO...she yelled...quite exagerated volume level of course...and she could not make out if it was an ACCIDENT ...like when i sometimes step on her...or something else...was confused...sigh...she did not SEE my hand do it...but did feel it...

she does it ON PURPOSE i add...even catches her TEETH on my clothes...nips...hangs on...just ENJOYS it !to her ? it seems PART OF THE REWARD for coming back to me with the ball !!! the next toy to play with before ball is thrown again ! when hyper i add !

she LIKES her rope and rubber wheel thing yes...a bit too big for her still i find...but is AIMING at skin...me..does NOT do that to ANYONE ELSE i add...the men just today outside tried to rough play a bit with her ...and ? no go...just licks...

now she CAN have what i describe as a TEMPER a bit...like when i spent too long in bathroom just now washing my hair...she BARKED and whined at me...BIT nipped my back legs...almost like TALKING ...saying GET OUTTA THERE ! she does not like the bathroom...will go in it a bit...but avoids it mostly.

I'd find it easier to read your posts if you could try to cut down on the capitals, I know it's only for emphasis but it makes it hard to read. But if you're asking if classes take your dogs out on the streets for training, then yes my club did that, but not at the young puppy stage. In England we have the Good Citizen award, with 4 stages from Puppy, Bronze, Silver through to Gold. We went out on the street to practise road walking and crossing roads, getting in and out of cars in a controlled fashion etc, at Silver stage, which I think in Ellie's case was around 14 months old. Doesn't mean you can't start teaching control outside earlier of course, bearing in mind your puppy is very young still.

pup classes ? yes am about to set out today...is on Fridays...missed half of last time as they drove off somewhere without saying where to me...sigh...follow the car they said...sigh...great..meaning not great...when other cars are around i say...sigh.
...
it is hard to drive now alone with her...sigh...no harness no crate...and not trained to be anywhere but on my kness and now twice the size of 6 weeks ago !

but we will go. i was cross with breeders/trainers last week, said i wasn't coming again when i was hot one day and in a bad mood.

that is very FRENCH i add. so everyone ignores spats like that. that was MILD...ranting is more the norm...especially in the hot south ! LOL !!

i just WISH her brother got some more GUTS to her nipping and pulling his ears to pull him on the ground as on the video first classes day...THAT would teach her some BITE INHIBITION ! but ? he is a perfect gentleman...ok ok...not humanising dogs i know...but less confident than black fairy...so is less aggressive...which reading this book i have loads to read more of is contradictory, if he were timid it would make him MORE aggresive to bite acccording to the book which makes sense...that is NOT why black fairy bites i add..nothing TIMID about her ! it is PURE PLAY !!! rough play !

the DRATTED thing PEED just in front of my toilet..when i was doing mine...well that will teach me NOT TO SAY PEE PEE when i go to the toilet !! LOL !!! i said NANA PEE PEE..but ? she DOES NOT KNOW MY NAMEEE LOL !!

ja to capitals...it is just for emphasis...and habit as when using usa keyboard for French lingo avoids wasting time for accents needed otherwise...it is ok to have capitals without accents...you can have them on capitals too but is acceptable without...

now she is young...can't get in and outta car too small still and legs not to be strained issue...and i AVOID too much ROAD walking...whopps there go the capex again...anyhows i avoid them too much for same reason...too hard on legs at her age for more than 10 minutes i feel...and when she takes off BOUNDING and running when ON LEAD...capex...schhh...she does that as norm now when on lead...why ? makes me run...and shows me she is irritated with a lead...if i take it off ? she walks CLOSE to me no problem...sigh....i am not imagining this...is clear of photos of her on and off lead...she grabs the lead in mouth in fact...when on it...will not let it go...i somethi,mes thing i have a budding sledge dog on my hands !!! LOL !!!

i wish someone or something around France could help me with what is what in all this here ! now breeder posts results of his previous pups successes in obedience tests etc...and they have loads of them...so ? will try and get him or her to make things clearer to me...sigh...like going to dentist that is...getting info that is precise out of frogs is hard work...like pulling teeth out it seems...lol...

so ? time to do as you advise me...i will not wimp out just to not lose face after my spat saying i wasn't going to classes again...cant face you lot if i do that...so it is the lesser of 2 evils...the least loss of face !!! LOL !!!

I see a lot of shepherds and collies playing with the lead, no idea how the owners sort it I'm afraid. Perhaps they just teach a 'leave' or 'give' command. I nearly started Ellie doing it, my mistake when I was bored at class one night and gave her the lead to hold to practise her 'hold' command, and the next week she kept doing it without being told! :-D

> the DRATTED thing PEED just in front of my toilet..when i was doing mine...well that will teach me NOT TO SAY PEE PEE when i go to the toilet !! LOL !!! i said NANA PEE PEE..but ? she DOES NOT KNOW MY NAMEEE LOL !!

Hahaha that is funny! Ah, the curses and blessings of intelligent dogs..... You will soon learn what words can't be said in front of her, or even spelled out, and unlike me, you won't even be able to say it in French to avoid the dog hearing! LOL :)

lucydogs...that is interesting...i saw labradors doing that in past..none of my previous dogs were interested...not even the scottish colley...but then i did not go to classes then...they learnt only a few things with me...shame...there is so much one can do with dogs !