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Location: Sheffield
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,856
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Thanks all
Okay - phew - some questions to answer!
She's
not allowed on furniture (someone's going to pick out the photo of her on the sofa - I can see it now) and as soon as she looks at getting up I try to stop her so that she learns she doesn't get up in the first place! If anyone wants to fuss her on the knee for instance, we all sit on the floor with her rather than on the sofa with her on our knee (she'll be way too big soon!)
She knows she's not allowed on the furniture because as soon as she gets on she looks at me as if to say 'ha! what you gonna do?!'
Thanks for the advice, will try to avoid her collar in future!
As far as praising her - I've bought a clicker (and to be honest, in the last week we've seen such a turn around in her behaviour!) and I click
during her moving off the furniture, then click again and treat when she's on the floor. (The book said always click during not on completion)
She is starting to understand 'manners' means all 4 feet on the ground in all scenarios - such as jumping up at people, the table, the worktop - but not quite got the furniture yet - too much temptation there!
As far as jumping up goes, in the last few days however excited she's been to see me (unless I'm getting my 'dog walking coat' on) she hasn't jumped up at me at all. And she's doing it much less with the rest of the family too.
She doesn't jump up at people coming to the house which is a great thing! She jumps up when we go to training, or if we see someone who wants to fuss her on one of our walks... But I will be more assertive and tell people 'no I don't want her jumping up' (What kind of PAT dog jumps up?!)
The NILIF programme, well - I'm not sure how far I'm taking it, she doesn't get anything for free. She works for play, she works for food and she enjoys doing that. She obeys commands really well, knows lots of tricks and also ringcraft work but she doesn't learn not to do the bad behaviour.
In light of this, I've decided to take an alternative route, teaching her an alternative to bad behaviour instead of just not to do it.
Ie. Make her think that keeping all 4 feet on the ground is a trick: 'manners' has helped because she doesn't jump up at the table as much. Rather than just telling her to get down and then her thinking 'where's the fun in this?'
Thankfully the rest of the family are taking on board what I'm saying - dad has stopped playing rough unless he play tug o' war which is ok because there's a toy involved and it's not dog on person (or vica versa!)
Becky has started taking an active part in training her - she still doesn't listen to Becky but Becky's trying and if I go out of the room and leave the two together Becky gets the clicker (she says she's going to buy herself one!) so she can be ready to reward T for good behaviour.
Thanks very much for all the info - it's great that it's stored here because I'd never remember it all.
Mini - I agree, training dogs is a chore but you get really great things from it!
And I have to say - Clicker training is awesome! I can't believe I'm such a stubborn cow and refused to use them before believing they were just a money making gimic!
Takara now returns to me in the park
even if there's another dog there!
She is learning to walk on a loose lead better, her general manners are better and she knows lots of obedience as well as ringcraft now!
Very impressed - not that I'm advertising of course!