I have a large backyard, and my 8 mo old husky loves to run around in it. the probelm is my dad's large garden, whcih is in the middle of the yard. If i just let my puppy run around free, he will eventually race around in the garden, and yelling at him, or saying no or anything doesn't work, he just thinks its a game. Is there any way to teach him to stay out of the garden, besides putting a fence around it (i can't)? thanks!
how do i train my puppy to stay out of the garden???
- Thread starter Keyfairy
- Start date
Yelling and scolding, punishing, bad things happening to your puppy aren't going to teach him what you want him to do. He doesn't know that you don't want him in the garden. He hasn't learned yet. To him, it's just a fun, perfectly grand place to play. Ceyane pepper could be injurious to his incredibly sensative nose and besides doing all those things just isn't very nice. Physically making it impossible for him won't teach him. If you put a fence, he'll have to stay out, but what if you go to someone's house? He'll run through their garden. I can take Lyric to anyone's house and if he looks like he's going to get in their garden, I can remind him, "out." And he turns right around. (sometimes he needs a reminder because dogs don't generalize that well. He may be fine at my house, but needs a little refresher at someone else's.)
I taught Lyric to stay out of my big rose garden and all the gardens. I'd coax him out calmly (don't get all excited and tense or your pup will escalate his running and wildness) and/or lure him out with something ver-r-r-r-ry interesting, a favorite toy which he doesn't get all the time, a squeeky ball....run a little bit away from him. Don't face him squarely. That will stop a dog from coming toward you. The second his foot is out of the garden, say "out" or whatever word you decide on and have ready, in your pocket some fantastic treat. I don't mean just a run of the mill treat. I mean a piece of hot dog or other real meat or cheese. Praise him immediately and give the treat. Don't let more than 2 or 3 seconds pass between his stepping out of the garden and the praise/reward or he won't make the association. He'll think you're rewarding him for walking across the grass. You want him to see the distinction between being in the garden and being out of it, so those two things have to be connected....in the garden one second and out the next. Bam! Reward.
At first, remember, he won't know what the word, "out" means. So only say it when he first gets out. Don't say it while he's inside or he'll think that out means in. LOL. He needs to associate the sound of the word with the being out. Later, when you're quite sure he understands the word, after many repititions and reinforcements, you can try saying it if he's in the garden. See if he'll get out. But be sure you enforce it once you say it.
If your dog is just terribly wild with all this, here's another way. Put a long line on him and when he starts to go in, pull him back, give him a treat. Prevent him from going in there. Make it better for him not to go in there. You'll have to be consistant and supervise him for a while outside. If he is allowed to run around with no supervision, no preventing him from going in, no reward when he stays out, he won't learn to stay out of the garden. Puppies take a lot of diligent and consistant work. The more work you put in now, the quicker he'll learn and then you can relax.
Now, a treat may not be what your dog is after at a time like this. He's running and playing, having a rip roarin' good time. A treat might not be uppermost in his mind at that time. So, find something super fun for him to do, to play with, make a game. I'd give a treat too, but continue playing something with him on the grass. What's his favorite thing to do. Frisbee? A ball? A stick to retrieve? How about a limb from a tree with all kinds of leaves on it which you can drag and squiggle all over the place for him to chase and pounce on? Get creative. Make him see that he can have more fun out on the lawn than in the garden. The garden is no fun at all because he doesn't get to go in it and everytime he even steps one foot in it, nothing good happens. He gets drawn out of it. Where all the fun is....is on the lawn. Soon he'll give up the idea that going in the garden is so great. It's going to be very unfruitful in there.
Now, Lyric can see something on the other side of the garden, a squirrel or another dog and he is very intent on getting there, but he goes all the way around the perimeter. Sometimes I see him walking slowly along the railroad ties which border it. But he won't step foot inside. It just became a habit....all those times he got reinforced for getting out and preventing him from going in.
Let us know if you make any progress. It won't happen overnight.
I taught Lyric to stay out of my big rose garden and all the gardens. I'd coax him out calmly (don't get all excited and tense or your pup will escalate his running and wildness) and/or lure him out with something ver-r-r-r-ry interesting, a favorite toy which he doesn't get all the time, a squeeky ball....run a little bit away from him. Don't face him squarely. That will stop a dog from coming toward you. The second his foot is out of the garden, say "out" or whatever word you decide on and have ready, in your pocket some fantastic treat. I don't mean just a run of the mill treat. I mean a piece of hot dog or other real meat or cheese. Praise him immediately and give the treat. Don't let more than 2 or 3 seconds pass between his stepping out of the garden and the praise/reward or he won't make the association. He'll think you're rewarding him for walking across the grass. You want him to see the distinction between being in the garden and being out of it, so those two things have to be connected....in the garden one second and out the next. Bam! Reward.
At first, remember, he won't know what the word, "out" means. So only say it when he first gets out. Don't say it while he's inside or he'll think that out means in. LOL. He needs to associate the sound of the word with the being out. Later, when you're quite sure he understands the word, after many repititions and reinforcements, you can try saying it if he's in the garden. See if he'll get out. But be sure you enforce it once you say it.
If your dog is just terribly wild with all this, here's another way. Put a long line on him and when he starts to go in, pull him back, give him a treat. Prevent him from going in there. Make it better for him not to go in there. You'll have to be consistant and supervise him for a while outside. If he is allowed to run around with no supervision, no preventing him from going in, no reward when he stays out, he won't learn to stay out of the garden. Puppies take a lot of diligent and consistant work. The more work you put in now, the quicker he'll learn and then you can relax.
Now, a treat may not be what your dog is after at a time like this. He's running and playing, having a rip roarin' good time. A treat might not be uppermost in his mind at that time. So, find something super fun for him to do, to play with, make a game. I'd give a treat too, but continue playing something with him on the grass. What's his favorite thing to do. Frisbee? A ball? A stick to retrieve? How about a limb from a tree with all kinds of leaves on it which you can drag and squiggle all over the place for him to chase and pounce on? Get creative. Make him see that he can have more fun out on the lawn than in the garden. The garden is no fun at all because he doesn't get to go in it and everytime he even steps one foot in it, nothing good happens. He gets drawn out of it. Where all the fun is....is on the lawn. Soon he'll give up the idea that going in the garden is so great. It's going to be very unfruitful in there.
Now, Lyric can see something on the other side of the garden, a squirrel or another dog and he is very intent on getting there, but he goes all the way around the perimeter. Sometimes I see him walking slowly along the railroad ties which border it. But he won't step foot inside. It just became a habit....all those times he got reinforced for getting out and preventing him from going in.
Let us know if you make any progress. It won't happen overnight.
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