Walks and dealing with consistency in training

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leslie123
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Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:16 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by leslie123 »

Over the last couple weeks there is an issue with Sulley where on the way home he basically starts to throw a tantrum. He jumps up on whoever is walking him and grabs at the lead. He will run around and continue to jump up and turning our back doesn't help. I started to bring really special treats on walks when I go and on the way home before he can begin this behaviour I would start working him. Get him to stop, sit, watch me etc.. I was seeing a bit of improvement, so that was encouraging. My inclination is that he doesn't want to come home yet so he's fighting it. I admit we've had some really cold weather so I'm sure a few times our walks have been slightly shorter. Him being half Pyrenees, thinks that cold weather means longer walks, lol. There is another problem as well. On weekdays I'm the one walking him in the morning and in the evening I'm doing probably 3 out of 5 walks. On the weekend my husband and kids do some walking with my husband doing the weekend mornings and the kids sharing the evenings. The big problem is that my husband and I do not always agree on Sulley's training. We discuss it and he's even read at least some of Victoria's book. He always says he agrees with the methods and wants to use them in training Sulley. It seems though, that putting action to that for him isn't so easy. I keep explaining that its not the easiest method and its not a quick fix method. It takes patience, time and consistency. He told me about a week ago that to stop Sulley from jumping up on the walk, he stepped on the leash to physically stop him. I dont' know if thats appropriate or not, but at the least I would think of it as a last resort. We had a bit of an unpleasant discussion about it, then I just let it go. :(
Last night we went on Sulley's walk together. My husband had the lead and I noticed he did a lot of leash corrections. I asked nicely for him to try not to pull him. Sulley isn't an agressive dog, but he is very assertive and stubborn. Pull him and he will pull back, he just isn't one to back down easy. He will however quite often make the right choice when given the chance to do so. We were very close to home and Sulley started in with his little fit. I did have treats with me, but before I could get a chance to work him my husband had yanked him very close with the lead, holding him really close to his side with no slack. I said, maybe we should just walk home quickly and end the walk to give him the message when he acts up, he gets taken home faster. Well, my husband proceeded to grab his collar and storm home. I asked him to stop and right about then someone stopped in a car to ask directions. That got Sulley even more excited, but luckily we were at the edge of our yard. The person drove off after we spoke to her a short time and we were able to walk in the house rather calmly. I didn't even talk to him about it last night. I was kind of upset and just didn't have the energy to have that discussion. This morning I headed out with Sulley, treats in hand. I have to say, it was the worst walk I've ever had with him. He started out ok, but very soon started acting very hyper. We weren't even on the way home yet and he started jumping up on me. I tried to get a treat out and get him to focus and calm down. He'd do it long enough to get the treat and then go right back to being insane. I was getting really frustrated so I headed home and I could barely walk with him jumping and pushing me and running around me. I was in tears by the time we got back. I absolutely do not know what to do. I want to come up with some new activities for him to do at home and I think that will help but in the meantime I need for him to know this behaviour isn't acceptable.
I feel like my husband's way of dealing with this is constantly undoing the training that I'm trying to do. This is the first time I've trained a dog and I tell him all the time that I am not trying to say I know it all, just the opposite, but I really believe in this training method. I want our dog to think for himself, look to us as leaders and choose the right thing. Not because we forced him into it. Also, I don't want to give a bad impression of my husband. He's not unlike a few people we might have seen on IMOTD. He only knows the old way of Dominating a dog to force it to behave. He has seen how positive training does work, but he hasn't fully embraced it. Anyway, the stress is really getting to me so I hope I can get some suggestions on how to deal with both issues.
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Beckyyy
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Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by Beckyyy »

With regards to not wanting to go home...

Where do you walk him? Is it usually the same, or similar route? If you mainly go on street walks is it possible to go in a full circle route, so that you're not turning back on yourself and your dog doesn't realise that the walk is going to end soon. Do you drive, if so would it be possible to drive a small way away from the house and walk your dog starting from a different place?
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leslie123
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Location: Georgia, USA

Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by leslie123 »

It is a similar route, yes. It's not street walking as you might be thinking, because we have no sidewalks around here. We walk part of it along a street, some next to some woods, we also go through a church parking lot which is adjacent to a farm. It is kind of a circle(ish) route and I don't always go in the same direction every time. Our house sits on a corner though and when we get to that corner approaching our yard is generally when he starts in. I don't walk him in our neighborhood because we will almost always run into loose dogs. :x Its not near as interesting of a walk either. We always see lots of birds at the church and sometimes the donkey comes to the fence to say hi at the farm.

I do see what you are saying though. Maybe a different approach to home would avoid him reacting in anticipation. I'll think about how to possibly try that.
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leslie123
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Location: Georgia, USA

Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by leslie123 »

I was reading the response in this thread viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9475 and I was thinking of trying it. I'm sure it can't hurt, can it? I actually do often wonder if Sulley is stressed in some way. I notice him yawning at times with that little whiney sound after and he has a habit of sitting and using his back leg to scratch at the back of his front leg. Its not a quick scratch like he would do to relieve an itch though. He looks like he kind of zones out when he does it and I wonder if its a way of comforting himself. He's done it since we got him.
emmabeth
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Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by emmabeth »

Ahhhh Husband Training... v hard.

Try to get him to agree to be consistant with whatever he is doing - thats a starting point because i think a big part of the problem is that your hubby isnt being consistant.

Standing on the leada nd ignoring him when hes really chucking a wobbler is not a bad plan in itself - it will not WORK though unless it is kept as an emergency measure, and used when the handler has failed to spot the signs that mean they need to distract and refocus teh dogs attention on them.

So ideally your first method is to keep him interested enough that he doesnt get bored/stroppy.

Then the next tactic is to be aware and ready to distract and refocus BEFORE Sulley gets bored/stroppy.

Finally IF ideas one and two have for whatever reason gone wrong - stand on the lead and ignore him until he settles, being super ready to act on the very first sign of him settling (rather than waiting for him to lie down and go to sleep out of sheer boredom!), and of course ready to repeat the action at the drop of a hat should he revert.

The latter method is then basically like a time out, but in the great outdoors where theres no rooms to shut a dog in or out. Like a time out, it must be done swiftly with no fuss or chatter or reprimands or confusion, and it must be repeated over and over and over, and used in conjunction with the above things, or it wont work.


I would have an issue with the leash corrections - as you so rightly point out, pull him, and he pulls back. Starting an argument with him is very silly and I would ask your hubby, who has the bigger brain here? Him or the dog! He can outwit Sulley if he wants to by using the loose leash walking method and about turning every time Sulley steps ahead of him. He CAN only do this if he is paying attention and focussing on the dog and not at the pretty trees/birds/sky/isnt it a lovely day though! Possibly if you suggest to him that pulling back on a pulling dog means hes using the same level of brain power that the dog is.... (ie hes being stupid but dont say teh S word!) and that isnt really very clever... might help!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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leslie123
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Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:16 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by leslie123 »

Thank you so much for the well thought out response Emma, as always. I very much appreciate the insight. We talked about this today and I explained the approach you outlined here. So, we are in agreement about setting it in motion. I hope with both of us consistently doing the same thing on walks it will help Sulley to remember who the leader is. I know we need to make sure the kids are doing that same thing also, so we will go over it with them too. I'll post an update as we go, hopefully soon.
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leslie123
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Location: Georgia, USA

Re: Walks and dealing with consistency in training

Post by leslie123 »

Things are going really well. Sulley is much better on his walks. We change around the route of coming/going and we are both working him when we walk him. I've noticed that Sulley is even better at taking notice where I am while we are walking. We haven't been having him heel, just simply keep a loose lead. I can see him slow when he feels the lead beginning to get tight, and if he happens to be in front of me, he is more often than before looking back to see where I'm at. (good boy!) About two days ago as we approached our corner I saw his body begin to do a little twist as though he was going to start with his little jumping and carrying on and just as quickly he stopped himself without any correction or distraction!! Yay! I immediately gave him lots of praise in a low key way as not to excite him. We just got back a few moments ago from a little afternoon stroll and he found a huge stick on the way back. I dont' let him chew sticks, but I do let him carry them sometimes. It was about 2 feet long so I got it from him and broke it in two. I was going to practice trade on the way home, but he was so happy carrying it and got a little bit in a pull mode on the lead. Very calmly I got both pieces in my hand and after 3 or 4 tries got him to walk patiently beside me until we got to the yard. We were pretty close so it was only a minute or two. When we got back I had him sit first and then we played fetch, trade, drop it and take it with the sticks for a while. He made me so proud. I'll never stop being amazed at how accutely dogs pick up on our emotions, our movements and our feedback. He's a genius!
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