Something pretty disturbing with Baloo.
- Thread starter Barbara!
- Start date
I don't have a PB but I do have ACDs which is almost the same (in different ways) we are also often told not to take ours to the DP because of extreme prey drive & herding ability which is why I don't do DP's I also don't bc the amount of stupid ppl who frequent the ones in this area (you chazzers know what I'm talking about 
) is enough that if I were to have kept going I prolly wouldn't have waist length hair :/.
@Barbara doesn't your DP have a seperate area for large & small dogs?
You mentioned he was most reactive when someone was holding the dog, what about starting off when a plush dog that resembles the kind he's reactive to so here (at first) is no danger of him hurting a dog? Then play the "look at that!" Game (I'm terrible at explanations but maybe someone else on here can or you can google it) kiko pup on you tube has a lot of gret stuff as does Sophia yin for reactivity.
Izze got for some reason reactive when her tail was touches when she was in her teens (went to the vet, no probs) so I started playing a tail game where when she wasn't stimulated I would touch it & then imediately ask for a sit & it wasn't long before she would sit when I touched her tail instead of snapping at me, even when stimulated, in fact it turned into her "calming button" lol.
I don't know if that'll work for you but anything is worn a try.
) is enough that if I were to have kept going I prolly wouldn't have waist length hair :/.@Barbara doesn't your DP have a seperate area for large & small dogs?
You mentioned he was most reactive when someone was holding the dog, what about starting off when a plush dog that resembles the kind he's reactive to so here (at first) is no danger of him hurting a dog? Then play the "look at that!" Game (I'm terrible at explanations but maybe someone else on here can or you can google it) kiko pup on you tube has a lot of gret stuff as does Sophia yin for reactivity.
Izze got for some reason reactive when her tail was touches when she was in her teens (went to the vet, no probs) so I started playing a tail game where when she wasn't stimulated I would touch it & then imediately ask for a sit & it wasn't long before she would sit when I touched her tail instead of snapping at me, even when stimulated, in fact it turned into her "calming button" lol.
I don't know if that'll work for you but anything is worn a try.
Okay, so I just watched the Susan Garrett videos on crate games and the one where they are dropping the treats on the floor and holding them on an open hand to teach impulse control. Just to be sure, these things will help Baloo make better decisions when it comes to his reactivity? (To whomever recommended them. I think Danefied.)
It does. People look at you weird when you say stuff like crate games and its yer choice and look at that helps with seemingly unrelated behaviors, but they really do. Its almost like that self control stuff is a muscle, and the more you encourage the dog to use it, the more developed it gets for all situations.
By the same token, the more you allow the dog to practice coming unhinged, the stronger that “muscle†becomes.
Karen Overall’s Relaxation protocol is good too. A bit overwhelming for a lazy trainer like me, but worth a read at least.
Try the library.
Are you still working with a mentor? If your mentor is a professional trainer, maybe talk him/her in to buying the books to read, and you get to read them too? Most trainers have a comprehensive collection and enjoy staying up to date. I plan on snagging my trainer’s copy of “Plenty in life is free†as soon as her other student who snagged it first is done with it
I also borrowed the crate games DVD from her.
By the same token, the more you allow the dog to practice coming unhinged, the stronger that “muscle†becomes.
Karen Overall’s Relaxation protocol is good too. A bit overwhelming for a lazy trainer like me, but worth a read at least.
Try the library.
Are you still working with a mentor? If your mentor is a professional trainer, maybe talk him/her in to buying the books to read, and you get to read them too? Most trainers have a comprehensive collection and enjoy staying up to date. I plan on snagging my trainer’s copy of “Plenty in life is free†as soon as her other student who snagged it first is done with it
I also borrowed the crate games DVD from her.
You tube is a great resource, but for me, I got so much more out of videos after I read the theories first and then watched them applied.
Check out some blogs like Denise Fenzi and Susan Garrett, then subscribe to their channels on you tube so you can “see†what they’re talking about.
I think you’ll find that once you start working with Baloo and he starts to understand how much fun *working* is, recall will largely sort itself out because he would rather engage with you (fun and interesting) than engage with whatever the distraction du jour is.
Yes, you still have to work on recall and you still have to control self-reinforcement (long line), but most of getting a good recall isn’t really about the recall, its about what the dog finds most rewarding. Which ideally, should be you. Working with your dog in a fun, positive way goes a long way towards making yourself your dog’s highest reinforcement.
Check out some blogs like Denise Fenzi and Susan Garrett, then subscribe to their channels on you tube so you can “see†what they’re talking about.
I think you’ll find that once you start working with Baloo and he starts to understand how much fun *working* is, recall will largely sort itself out because he would rather engage with you (fun and interesting) than engage with whatever the distraction du jour is.
Yes, you still have to work on recall and you still have to control self-reinforcement (long line), but most of getting a good recall isn’t really about the recall, its about what the dog finds most rewarding. Which ideally, should be you. Working with your dog in a fun, positive way goes a long way towards making yourself your dog’s highest reinforcement.
I've just never had a dog quite as difficult as Baloo, if that makes sense. Chevelle I trained since she was a puppy, and I never had to teach her impulse control and I never had to teach her to pay attention to me. She just always has, and she always wants to do what I say. I never had to instill that in her. Haha. Maybe Chevelle was just an easy dog, and Baloo is normal. Malyk wasn't taught anything too difficult... I taught him basic commands and manners and to look to me for direction in situations which wasn't difficult and NILIF did most of that. Penny doesn't have any formal training whatsoever. (My Dachshund.) She doesn't know sit or anything like that, but she knows what I consider more "practical" things like "Go lay down" or "wait" or "come here" and not because I taught them to her, but because since she is 11 years old, she has learned what those things mean. Lol. Baloo is my first real challenging dog.
Haven't read through this thread all the way yet. Wanted to say another idea for resources would be to get BowWowFlix. I think their basic plan is $10.95/per month and you have access to tons of training videos: http://www.bowwowflix.com/
I love "it's yer choice" so much. Another game I like to play is just marking and rewarding any unprompted, freely offered attention/eye contact. You can start in the yard and gradually practice in more and more public places. When Squash was wee I used to just go sit on a park bench and play it. I also (quietly) do this all throughout any class during "down time."
Later you can throw sit or down/stays into the mix, too. Jackpot if something distracting happens like someone walks by and they hold position and look at YOU. It's so amazing that you can teach something sort of nebulous like impulse control using such simple games, but the results are really amazing and they do translate into all sorts of things.
Later you can throw sit or down/stays into the mix, too. Jackpot if something distracting happens like someone walks by and they hold position and look at YOU. It's so amazing that you can teach something sort of nebulous like impulse control using such simple games, but the results are really amazing and they do translate into all sorts of things.
I started reading the replies, but stopped when things started getting p*ssy. So I apologize if this has already been said. While reading the orginal post, I was thinking this is a dog who is getting progressively more and more mouthy. Whether it's out right aggression or not, it shouldn't be allowed, no matter what the breed. If this were my dog, I'd be working on helping him handle over stimulating circumstances better. Maybe teaching him a "default" behavior.
This particular part of the OP had me shaking my head:
Again, I don't care what the breed is, this behavior would not be tolerated in my house. All it takes is one "slip" with an over excited dog grabbing on the arm of someone else, and you have a lawsuit on your hands. And possibly worse. As you all know, Caleb is a Lab. And, like most Labs, he just HAS to have something in his mouth, especially when he's excited. But it is NEVER a human body part. He's been taught to get a toy when he's excited. Sometimes it's my slipper, but that's OK, too. The important thing is, he NEVER puts his around on a human.
I hope my reply is taken the way it was meant- not as a "jab" at Barbara, nor breed bashing, but as an outsider looking in.
This particular part of the OP had me shaking my head:
Again, I don't care what the breed is, this behavior would not be tolerated in my house. All it takes is one "slip" with an over excited dog grabbing on the arm of someone else, and you have a lawsuit on your hands. And possibly worse. As you all know, Caleb is a Lab. And, like most Labs, he just HAS to have something in his mouth, especially when he's excited. But it is NEVER a human body part. He's been taught to get a toy when he's excited. Sometimes it's my slipper, but that's OK, too. The important thing is, he NEVER puts his around on a human.
I hope my reply is taken the way it was meant- not as a "jab" at Barbara, nor breed bashing, but as an outsider looking in.
The five minute formula on recalls is not really just a five minute formula... rather it's a series of games and you only play each game for five minutes, two or three times a day.
I just got the e-mail yesterday that she is getting their fourth go of Recallers (her online recall class) ready to go. I learned a lot about dog training in general from her "coaching calls." So much good stuff that doesn't even have to do with recalls. It's really a lot of her self control stuff that I used to work with Payton (and still use with him.) I had P at PetSmart a few weekends ago and was treating him absentmindedly while I was looking at shampoos and this couple was watching in amazement. I accidentally dropped a cookie on the floor and he didn't even look at it and they acted like I was some kind of wizard. It's all just It's Yer Choice.
The Recallers forums are also full of people who have taken the class multiple times and are chock full of ideas about just about everything.
It's kinda expensive though. My mom paid half of it for me because I used everything I learned to work with her and Georgie, I dunno that I would have taken it if I wasn't getting the fee split. I do think it's worth it, I just don't have money. =P
I just got the e-mail yesterday that she is getting their fourth go of Recallers (her online recall class) ready to go. I learned a lot about dog training in general from her "coaching calls." So much good stuff that doesn't even have to do with recalls. It's really a lot of her self control stuff that I used to work with Payton (and still use with him.) I had P at PetSmart a few weekends ago and was treating him absentmindedly while I was looking at shampoos and this couple was watching in amazement. I accidentally dropped a cookie on the floor and he didn't even look at it and they acted like I was some kind of wizard. It's all just It's Yer Choice.
The Recallers forums are also full of people who have taken the class multiple times and are chock full of ideas about just about everything.
It's kinda expensive though. My mom paid half of it for me because I used everything I learned to work with her and Georgie, I dunno that I would have taken it if I wasn't getting the fee split. I do think it's worth it, I just don't have money. =P