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Luke
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13-01-2012, 12:27 PM

Making baby steps of progress, but "clams up" in the house, thoughts?

Another one.
We're making lots of pleasant progress with "Dulcie", the very depressed outlook to life seems to be dissapearing since she finished her season which is very nice. Her confidence is improving, and she's less overall wary of things. She's still quite cautious of strange people, and quite gobby towards new dogs, but she's doing a lot better. In regards to that I'll never quite understand, she was very well socialsied when small and was such a confident puppy, but there you go.
Today's problem, is a bit of a strange one really. When we go out to do training, she is fantastic. Infact she is too over enthusiastic and ends up barking at me and bouncing around, but after a bit of calm time she does really really well. She picks everything up fantastically, and makes loads of progress. We've took to outside training sessions, and walks being in a more populated park locally as opposed to our lovely rural walks simply so she meets more people and dogs as I think the fact we walk in the middle of nowhere doesn't help. Anyway I digress, she does really well when we're out doing very formal training and she does really well with the clicker too, but when we try at home to do anything she clams up. She looks as if you're telling her off or as if she's cautious? And then the rest of the time she doesn't listen and just stares blankly.
I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much too soon, and I should be thankful that she's doing so well in formal sessions outside, but any informal sessions at home don't seem to go well at all. I'm not sure if it's a waiting game and waiting for all the confidence and such to level out, or if there's anything I can do to aid a bit more of a confident or exhuberant outlook to hoem training. As soon as she's on the slip lead and we get into the park we train in she's so switched on, yet at home she just isn't interested. Maybe she doesn't connect the two up, maybe I'm not being clear enough what I want her to do.
Bit of a missmatch post really, I've never really struggled with standard pup training before etc but she's just quite difficult to communicate with as she's either very cautious or insanely highly strung and in worky mode, thus the eternal knowledge of dogsey to help thanks for any advice in advance!
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SLB
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13-01-2012, 12:39 PM
Thats a difficult one, never met a dog that clams up at a clicker in one situation and not the other - I've had it ignored.

Perhaps start over with just reinforcing what the clicker is when inside, you know; click = treat and do that for a bit then try getting her to do little things?

It's good that she listens to it outside though - I have the opposite troubles to you
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Luke
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13-01-2012, 12:42 PM
See I think I may be worrying over nothing and cautious that I want us to run before we're walking comfortably. I think maybe she just needs work on reinforcing everything, and keeping everything secure in her head of what's expected of her, before we try to do it informally, as she seems to be learning and doing so well by everything being very very formal.
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SLB
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13-01-2012, 12:44 PM
Originally Posted by Luke View Post
See I think I may be worrying over nothing and cautious that I want us to run before we're walking comfortably. I think maybe she just needs work on reinforcing everything, and keeping everything secure in her head of what's expected of her, before we try to do it informally, as she seems to be learning and doing so well by everything being very very formal.
She sounds like a cracker and it sounds like you know what you're doing. I'd just keep up with reinforcing everything like you say.

I have one question, why you you put her name in ""?
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Luke
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13-01-2012, 12:56 PM
It's force of habbit as when we first got her the name wasn't a dead cert, but we needed something to call her. Began habbit to " " as it was what she originally went by but with no certainty too it .
She's a fantastic dog, but her working lines definitely show through and she needs quite a bit of stimulation to keep her focused. She will shape up fine i'm sure, but she just seems to have been hit hard by Ronnie being pts as it came at that awkward phase when she was just out of the initital fear and adapting phase when socialisation starts to pay off. Shame really, but she will be fine I'm sure. She's just insane, as all terriers are, and needs a helluva lot to keep her motivated. She is starting to get used for ratting a bit more as she gets older and came along ferreting the other day to get the feel of things a bit more so she seems to be able to outlet a lot through this, but "normal" training needs quite a bit of work.
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SLB
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13-01-2012, 12:59 PM
Originally Posted by Luke View Post
It's force of habbit as when we first got her the name wasn't a dead cert, but we needed something to call her. Began habbit to " " as it was what she originally went by but with no certainty too it .
She's a fantastic dog, but her working lines definitely show through and she needs quite a bit of stimulation to keep her focused. She will shape up fine i'm sure, but she just seems to have been hit hard by Ronnie being pts as it came at that awkward phase when she was just out of the initital fear and adapting phase when socialisation starts to pay off. Shame really, but she will be fine I'm sure. She's just insane, as all terriers are, and needs a helluva lot to keep her motivated. She is starting to get used for ratting a bit more as she gets older and came along ferreting the other day to get the feel of things a bit more so she seems to be able to outlet a lot through this, but "normal" training needs quite a bit of work.
Ah - now I understand, I just wondered if it was what your OH called her, but you called her something else

Sounds like she's going to have a great life though, it's good that she has an outlet though. I wish I had done gundog work sooner with Louie.

All the best and good luck to you
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ClaireandDaisy
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13-01-2012, 01:13 PM
Do you play with her in the house / garden? Do you do scent games etc (find the biscuit under the cushion)? If she`s worky, these games will tempt her to interact as they use the prey drive - and they`re fun.
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