Hi, My puppy is nearly 8 months old and so far has been really good at training class, that is until a couple of weeks ago. Now everytime I go she is a nightmare she seems interested in sniffing the floor and looking for treats that people accidently drop and takes notice of me on the odd occasion. At home she is so focused on me when we practice and does everything brilliantly but when we get to training its totally different. I get so flustered when in front of the class she sometimes wont even do a simple sit. Please help I dont know know if I can face going back.

We've all been through this, I'm afraid dogs are expert at 'showing us up' and embarrassing us :rolleyes:

Please persevere, it's more important that you do carry on as your dog does need to learn to work with distractions - and will eventually - honest :)  The times you'll really need her to obey commands will be outside when there are other things competing for her attention.

If it's any consolation I've felt like this many, many times but be assured everyone else at training are too busy concentrating on their own dogs to look at you.

Other people will be along soon with lots of helpful tips for getting your girl to pay attention to you, my post is merely designed to let you know you're not alone.

Chin up :)

at 8 months shes maturing & reaching the "teenage" years,where she WILL start pushing her boundries.
so DEFINTALLY keep going.
as long as the training is kind & fair of course.

its EASY to have your dogs attention when theres nothing else going on,the difficult bit is when other exciting interesting bits are happening.

if you work thru this at club youllbe much better equipped out & about on walks in the park etc,where there are LOTS of interesting things going on.

this stage is totally natural, &  it will pass. & youll find  she hasent really forgotten what you have already taught her ;)

Ooooh Sam,
ditto the wise words above me!
and heres a {{{Hug}}} for you! there are many anecdotes on here from people who had 'The worst dog' in the class only to turn the corner and be the one that got pulled up infront of the others as 'Look at the best dog in the class'.... every dog has his day, so if your feeling the pressure because all the others in your class are paragons of virtue,just remember that!
    I would have a word with the trainer, just to put you back at ease if it flusters you,tell the trainer how your feeling,I garuantee you'll get lots of support and encouragement, as you have here, tell them what youve told us!

Good luck, hang on in there..it will get better :) xxxxx

If it makes you feel better, in class this weekend my dog definitely decided it was a good day to embarrass mom. Part of the silver test is to show control getting in and out of the car. Well he just looked at me when I asked him to jump in. And looked, and then looked some more. I finally got him in with a lure of liver cake. Of course he refused to sit when it was time to come out. So, it's not just you and everyone in class will take turns at having the dog who won't look at them. When you get really fed up just have a good laugh. Remember it's not just about being obedient it's about having fun. At least I hope that's how your training class works. We all have a good laugh when we get a runner who decides it's playtime.

One game I play that helps with the watch me it to give the command, then when he's watching me I do a quick hop and turn so I'm facing away from him. Then I give another watch me and he has to run around to keep up. I try to make it a really fun game.

Hang in there and don't dispair. We all have our on and off days. Keep it light and keep it fun.

Oh yes, we've all been embarrassed by our dogs :D

I remember when I took my BSD to her first class after puppy - she had the attention span of a gnat :rolleyes: :P
She was amazing out of the class and I at least knew that.

What you need to do is not lose heart, and not let the worry and concern override your fun and relationship with your dog, but just try to relax and remember to train a little bit on every walk so that your dog gets used to things.

Training classes are very distracting places to be honest. There is so much happening and so many dogs and noises. Some dogs can shut down if they get stressed, others bark or don't listen. HOpefully your dog is not stressed (she shouldn't be if the training is positive) but just like my pup was, distracted.

Work through it, play and train on walks. However, remember - never try to call her away from anything yet unless you know she will obey; never start off by training sits etc when in the presence of any distraction. A K9 trainer in the US, Steve White, suggests dogs need to learn behaviours such as Sit in many new locations before they start to generalise. And each Sit may need to be taught almost from scratch - not something dog trainers will always pass on!

Not sure what breed yours is, but mine also had a weird 3 weeks just before her first season - sniff sniff sniff, most unlike her.

Good luck,,

Lindsay
x

>class this weekend my dog definitely decided it was a good day to embarrass mom

Was there a full moon this weekend then because I thought my dog was the worst too :D

My dog is over 2 yrs and although a nightmare on the lead she is usually very good off lead.  The class went into a new training field to practice send away and emergency downs and I was confident she wouldn't clear off because well, she just doesn't......usually.  She reached the spot I was to tell her to "down" ok but wouldn't lay down straight away but wandered around sniffing and on the third attempt she took off and kept going down the field, through a hedge and left me standing looking a proper Plonker. :rolleyes:

Don't be put off, it happens to lots of us

Thanks for all your advice and encouragement, it has made me feel better. I think you are right about everybody being too busy with their dogs to notice my nightmare moments, as I never notice if there dogs are misbehaving or not. I will persevere as I know she can do it and I would love her to keep improving. I noticed LORI that you gave your dog liver cake is this something that might motivate my poppy to pay attention to me ? I think she may be bored of the treats. So what is liver cake exactly or any suggestions on yummy treats ?!!! Thanks again everyone.

Good idea Sam, liver cake certainly makes my lot think I'm the most interesting person on earth. I go for the easy option of making it - a smallish pack of ox or lamb liver chucked in the food mixer and mushed up. To this I add a pack of Tesco value sponge mix, an egg, a heaped teaspoonful of lazy garlic and a bit of water. I zip it all around int he mixer for a minute or to then pour it into empty plastic take away tubs that I have greased. Put each one in the microwave on full for about 4 mins and hey presto - a weeks supply of liver cake :)

I should add that I find it's more rubbery if you microwave it so less likely to turn to crumbs in your pocket. I then chop it into little bits and keep it in an airtight container.

liver cake/tuna cake/ sausage/frankfurter/cheese.

dont feed puppy before hand!

a hungrey pupsy is a attentive pupsy!

Ah, the person in class with the best treats always gets the most attention. Regular dog biscuits like JWB mini jacks are OK for in the house or for treats for things like grooming. But in class its sausages for recall/off-lead heel work, liver cake, dried liver, liver scones for other treats. Anything smelly and special is good. There are several recipes on the forum for liver cake if you do a search. One of the trainers at the club tried tuna cake this weekend and that went over well. (subsitute tinned tuna for the liver) You can also boil some liver, chop it into small pieces and dry in an oven at 150 or so for around 20-30 minutes. Freeze the leftovers for all the liver stuff as it doesn't keep well. If you want more detailed directions I can fax or post to you.

I'm glad you're encouraged. Venting can help. Bake some liver cake for the next class and all the dogs will be following you around!

If you've got a food orientated dog then treats are very important.  I think mistake I made this week is that I took leftover chicken which is something she gets a lot anyway.  Usually I try and take something that she doesn't get at any other time so it's extra special.  Livercake doesn't seem to thrill my dog too much but spam and smelly cheese.

End up scrubbing my fingernails on and off all Saturday afternoon :rolleyes: :D

You should meet my dogs..they act like I never feed them! 

They are really really good when they want to be but at training club if they see any speck on the floor they keep an eye on it all the time and as soon as they are asked to do an off lead recall they take a tetour to eat whatever muck is on the floor.  My 17 month even sometimes goes to check out the bins or peoples pockets on her way to me....then she arrives in a nice smart sit in front of me!  I think when I compete this will loose me a few points!


I think you are right about everybody being too busy with their dogs to notice my nightmare moments
...sorry...not quite so.... in or club we delight in other peoples  nightmare moments! It makes one feel much better to see other dogs play up!  :D

Well, I had that nightmare at OdedienceTraining Classes until my GSD was 18 months old!! I have lost count how many times I nearly gave up. Thank goodness I didn't, at 3 years old he does listen, he still has his momemts, but he is obedient! When your puppy is old enough, if you fancy it try agility. My boy loves it & is actually more obedient when doing that. We had our first show yesterday (EMDAC at Asfordby, Melton Mowbray) & I was absolutely chuffed to bits to win a rossette. No it wasn't a 1st, it was actually a 12th place, but out of a class of 60 I think it was a fantastic achievement. He was competing against lots of collies, he did me proud! He also got 3 more clear rounds, lots of dogs didn't, I have a rossette for each of these classes!! Don't give up, some dogs are there to try us! Keep on training.

Well done Beardy. I love to see breeds other than collies in obedience. There is one surprise though - how can you go to Melton Mowbray and not win a pie!!!

Last week we went to training class (getting ready to do our gold ) to find they had re decorated. It looked lovely :). We were standing around admiring the beautiful new potted palms that had been placed by the door, then to my horror, I looked down and my newfi was piddling on one Damn dog does not know what to do next to show me up :D

Please don't give up. I hope you have been encouraged by everybodys comments. My cairn used to be the class "star" at training.  He was very attentive and obedient. I went away for 2 days and he stayed with my OH and the next time we went to class he was the dog from hell!!! I blamed my OH saying he had let him do as he pleased while I was away Lol. He eventually settled down again but I'm sure it couldn't possibly be that my lovely little pup was playing me up it had to be my OH fault somehwhere!!! (Thats what I keep telling him any way). Good Luck
Jane

nothing much to add except that when mine was 8 months i would hate  going to training but i stuck at it and it has really paid off, hang in there

Lots of sympathy !!!!  I'm actually at the point where I missed the training class for the first time this week.  Because I'm fed up and totally embarassed!  I take her there since she is eleven weeks old and she is nearly nine months old now.  She is sooooo lively and strong, that I have to take my OH with me, because I can not manage to hold her for one hour...constant pulling.  My fingers are sore from holding her.  Yes, there was some achievement since we started, we were moved up to the bronce class, but it is difficult.   She is the only dog in our group which pants away like never all week, red eyes, choking.  I feel very sorry for her and even more for myself probably.  

Bagpipe sounds like you need a headcollar on your dog? Have you tried it?

I would definitely suggest a headcollar if you haven't tried it bagpipe.  My 11 month old GR gets so excited at class I would never be able to hang on to him without mine!  Sometimes the class teacher will have some you can try out before getting your own. :)

headcollar was what turned things around for me as well

I tried a headcollar, not in class though but at home and when out for walks.  She really does not like it at all.  She even didn't want to go into the car anymore, because car meant walk (not always, but often) and walk meant headcollar.  I bought a walkezee harness instead and she accepts it very well.  It works well when out with her, but as soon she sees another dog or so, she pulls very hard with it.  I hoped I could take her with the harness to the class, but I don't think it's going to work.  She is not a big breed, infact she is a 14 kg Welsh Springer Spaniel.  In training class it is bounce*bounce*bounce*excited*excited*all these dogs, I must say hello to them**bounce *bounce

Maybe I should try the headcollar again?

Hi bagpipe.  My dog isn't too keen on his headcollar either - don't think a lot of dogs are!  If you're happy that the collar fits properly and is comfortable, ie not riding up into your dog's eyes, I would try having another go.  You don't say how long you used it for the first time but I think all dogs are inclined to struggle with them at first so you may have to persevere a while and use lots of encouragement. :)  I personally don't leave my dog's headcollar on when at home or when he is free running so he only wears it for relatively short periods.

If there is a chance that it is just your particular headcollar that doesn't suit your dog, you could try asking the class teacher if s/he has another type you could borrow to try instead.

Had to laugh at your description of your dog at training class - sounds just like my dog too :D

I used a Halti.  I thought it sits ok, but when she rubs her head on the ground, she pushes it up her face and it goes near her eyes.  I think my OH gets a mild crises when I keep bying another item and another one and  another one
I tried it for about three to four weeks, can't remember exactly.  When I put it on when for a walk she kept rubbing her head on my legs and going through my legs , stopping, lying down, rubbing her head on the ground.  She even found a technique how to slip it off when on lead.  So I gave up and she won. 

Haltis are just about the worst type of headcollars, there are many better ones. :) It takes a while for the dog to get used to them properly, so don't give up. :)

Haltis are just about the worst type of headcollars, there are many better ones.

For example?  Can you recommend another make please?   Is the Gentle Leader one better?  

Thanks for advice! :)

Yes Gentle Leader is the one I have used on my dogs at times. :) I don't actually use any headcollars for my dogs at the moment, but my Golden girl Elsa who died just after Christmas wore a Gentle Leader for years.

I personally find the Gentle Leader still rides up.  I've just ordered a material Dogmatic to try that.  It looks more padded that the Gentle Leader so I'm hoping my boy will find it more comfortable.

I have also just ordered a dogmatic as the halti rides up and the Gencon strangled her.

Just to add I stopped taking my dog to obedience classes but not for the same reasons as you and in your case i would keep going and practice like mad at home and out on a few of your walks.  It will come, many go through a stage where they seem to go backwards or don't want to listen but they do come through it with patience and perserverence.

Bev

It is one I find preferable, the webbing has rounded edges and is softer, but you must adjust it properly.

The loop that goes around the muzzle should go behind the dogs flews (lips) under the chin, and that is where the sliding clip that locks needs to be closed snugly, and the collar part needs to be adjusted snugly around the neck so that the nose loop cannot slip forward.  You should check this every time you put it on as it does tend to loosen.

This allows the dogs mouth to fully open

You then should not have a problem with it being pulled into the eyes if the noseband is adjusted properly.

As for putting it on I find the best way is to sit dog between your knees, and then put the nose loop on and then do the collar up behind the dogs ears.

The gentle leader also has a booklet with it on how to use and excersises for you to practice.

There are other kinds of head collars, and the ones that don't have a loop but a rign right under the dogs chin tend not to pull around, but don't give quite such control either.

At our class the trainer is able to get in the Gentle Leader and Halti easily so people try whcih one suits them best.  Most peple have prefered the genle leader.

My boys rub their heads on me and butt my legs (I have bruises! ) when they wear their headcollars. But I'm damned if I'm going to let them pull me over on walks, so they just have to lump it, I'm afraid.

I always think it's a bit like wearing glasses, for the first time - must feel so very strange.

I do believe some dogs can actually get very stressed when wearing them, esp. if they are a physically sensitive breed. I tried it with mine as a youngster but stopped as she was getting too stressed.

It may be worth trying to get her used to it very slowly by associating it with tasty food treats etc - takes time but is usually better in the long run. However if she hated it as much as you say, I'd avoid it and get some tips on using the harness more effectively and ask for some "real life" training to help with that, too :)

Lindsay
x

I love my dog but its not about what he wants, its about what I want if im holding the lead, bet I sound really nasty

This one caught my eye, because sneakily, I have been considering not going to the next set of training classes! Mine is a GSD boy of 13 months. Did so well in his first two classes that he was invited to join the 'invitation only' top class. Well since then it has been a nightmare. Like you I sometimes can't even get a simple sit, and being in the 'top' class it is so embarrassing. He won't even acknowledge I'm there half the time, I'm just dragging this disinterested dog around (or he's dragging me). Deep down though I intend to persevere, although I get SO frustrated.

Keep chin up, we're all in it together!

Kat

Thing to bear in mind when they regress in adolescense is actually when they need you to keep beign consistent and plugging away.

Followign Parents evening yesterday I know the depths of your frustration.  I ahve a 15 year old who is so bright and capable that all his teachers tell me he shoudl be aiming for A* yet he is just boen idle and won't work, and even then is working at B level in tests/modules, but is behind with his coursework:rolleyes:

After reading all the supportive replies I am definitely not going to give up on training classes now. We do really seem to have hit the teenage years overnight though as she now seems to have forgotton recall. The last two days walks have been ok but if we have seen another dog or there is something interesting to sniff and roll, she has just ignored me completely when I have called her until she has decided to come. I was wondering if when she does this should I praise and treat her if she hasnt come when first called or give her nothing as she hasnt come straight away. Appreciate any help as its all going wrong !!!:rolleyes:

Try a search on recall, there should be lots if info on here :)

Lindsay
x

Sorry, I hope you don't think I hijacked your thread in going on about head collars!

Being in the same position as you, as far as recall is concerned, I requiered a long line recently, it is a thin rope, 10 metres long with no loop at the end, so the dog can drag it behind without catching onto something.  I was thinking long about a long line, but I'm so glad I have it now since a few weeks. 

Oh Brainless, I had one like that...very frustrating for us..they just want to get by, not to be seen as swots and mine is still the same, been to uni got his degree, all his pals call him the brainy one yet he didn't get the same grades  as them they got the higher marks but they had to try he never ever bothererd.....:rolleyes:

It is sooo frustrating.

I know how you feel too Barbara - had one who went out every night of her A levels and didn't get the grades she needed - did well seeing that she never really worked for them.  She is a Mum herself now and is nursing after lots of false starts.  She will have to work SO hard for her degree now.
As for headcollars - used a Halti very successfully with my Eng Setter.  Did take a few weeks of perseverance.  As for my BC now - I got a harness - one I saw recommended on here.  Fine at first but now she won't have anything to do with it.  We completed puppy classes - and she still goes bonkers in the company of other people and dogs.  Have just started one to one classes because anything else would be a waste of time I believe.  She is pretty well 12 months old now and I have to get her under control.  She will walk nicely along a road now (traffic issues) - but no chance if another dog has just gone in front.
Christine