All New Diesel Thread - shiny, new and full of positivity!

[ladybug1802]

And the click is much better than using your voice, because our voice cam change and can show frustration or other emotions, whereas a click is the same whatever you are feeling! And the click marks the behaviour you want to reward, so it is important to time it correctly.

As you already know, Diesel whining and barking etc because he hasnt been getting enough mental and physical stimulatioh, not because he is being naughty, so this will definitely help with that for sure.

Cliicker training is great fun and great to bond with your dog! I would encourage you to get the kids involved....Diesel is a member of the family too and you all wanted to get him so everyone should want to be involved with him and share responsibilitiy.

[bendog]

You are doing great Helen. Ordering a treat bag is definately the way to go! I have washed biscuits in the washing machine far too many times!

Worth pointing out that if Diesel loves his food then you can use pieces of that as training treats and just feed a little less in his bowl (though still feed twice a day)

I do this for my dog since he's prone to getting overweight if he gets "proper" treats like cheese (though put those in occasionally too).
Saves wasting a ton of money on expensive dog treats, especially as you can also use things like cheese to add a bit of variety. My dog even works for cucumber or frozen peas, but remember it has to be a reward, so if he turns his nose up at it you need to find something yummier!

Now he's getting two decent walks a day I'm sure you will notice he gets easier to deal with.

[Barticus4]

He's been quite sleepy today which has been a good thing as I'm totally shattered. Not sleeping at night recently due to back pains. Even the house work is taking a back sit

I will watch the video you posted later on when Ben is home.

Yes Ben is walking him better, I think that with me paying Diesel more attention its bought his enthusism back for Diesel however he hasn't been to the gym since he has been walking Diesel.

Ben's going to show me later how to put a picture of Diesel (the sprocker Spaniel) as my Avatar picture for you all to be able to put a face(dog) to the name lol.

Helen x

[bendog]

Great can't wait to see him

Do you think he is sleepy because he's had a nice walk this morning?

[Barticus4]

I hope that's why he's sleepy lol.

Just had a knock at the door (daughter home from school) she tappd on the door.....And.... NOT A SOUND FROM DIESEL

Helen x

[ladybug1802]

There ya go! Hope you are starting to see how much exercise and attention and mental stimulattion affect a dog's wellbeing!

[Barticus4]

I told him to sit too and he did although then he got excited but still no sound.. I dunno if it was our doing or the fact he was awoken from his sleep lol

Helen x

[Ari_RR]

Exercise does wonders.. Everything becomes easier when a dog is sufficiently exercised (physically and mentally).
At this rate of progress Diesel will be taking care of kids soon, not the other way around
Good to see positive updates!

Same with people though.. If Ben stops going to the gym, you will have troubles training him

[JudyN]

I think that given you weren't committed to Diesel in the first place, you're doing amazingly well It will carry on to be hard work, so make sure that if Ben is committed to Diesel and to you, he realises he's going to have to keep up and do plenty of walking, playing and training when your little one comes along, and before. Make a note of any games that are fun for Diesel & easy for you, even things like sitting on the landing chucking treats downstairs for him to chase and then calling him back again, and again, and again...

Going to the gym should, in my opinion, be waaaaaaay down on Ben's list of priorities at the moment.

[ClareMarsh]

I would get that sit rock solid by getting him to do it in lots of different situations. It was the first thing I taught my pup then I made him sit before he was allowed to do anything, have his food put down, be given a toy, come up on the couch, have his lead put on to go out etc etc etc. Before long he started sitting nicely and waiting for what he wanted, it's also good for impulse control, sitting still rather than zooming around and is such a useful positive to so many things you might not want, for e.g. jumping up, you ask for a sit instead. It also gets him working for things other than food, games, attention etc etc etc and everyone in the family can be consistent

People often think they've taught sit once the dog can do it in the house with no distractions but you're looking for it to work everywhere, no matter what is going on around him and this takes work

[Barticus4]

I think I'm going to have to buy more treats at this rate for the clicker training Diesel will do anything for a treat its when you stop he gets noisy

Ben's due home in 15 minutes..... Oh heck.... Think positive Helen... Think positive Helen....

Diesel sits nicely already regardless of whether food is involved and he will give both paws if I click my fingers (1 at a time mind lol)

Helen x

[Fundog]

Remember, the treats do not have to be big or even full sized at all--- you can cut them up into teeny tiny pieces, no bigger than your smallest fingernail. This will help the treats last longer, and prevent making Diesel fat.

[ladybug1802]

I use hot dog sausages a lot ( I do a LOT of training that involves the use of treats) so I cut them up into teeny pieces. I cut each sausage in half lengthways, then each of those pieces in half again, then cut them into small squares. They are tiny, but when I am doing my counter conditioning outside or at the vets it involves constant feeding and clicking at the moment in certain situations so I want them to be as small as possible!

So you can have tiny pieces too....so you wont have to worry about over feeding him....and if you have a day where you use a lot of treats you just reduce his dinner in the evening a bit.

[runlikethewind]

Blimey Ladybug I thought I cut small pieces but yours sound miniscule!! good going!

[ladybug1802]

Lol! Yep they are tiny! Sometimes I wonder if they are a bit too small, but if I do a lot of training round people AND go to the vets to do training there we still manage to go through about 6 or 7 sausages, even when cut that small!!! But thats more than people would need to give for normal training obviously! Its just coz I have to constantly click and treat...and am often in the vets half an hour or more chatting while the vet sits next to me at the moment!