It's not working!

OK for a good month or two in fact no even more, I have been working with Louie on the Look command - in the house and on the drive it is perfect well 98%.

Outside on a walk - Nada!

He won't do it for cheese, meats or tidbits, won't do it for toys or anything.

His recall is suffering a little too but I haven't really been taking him out - my OH has, I've been doing armchair training whilst trying to find a job and of course - Dogsey!

So I know I have to put in some more effort and I have lacked a bit the past two weeks. But as soon as I have finished with my problem on here - I will get straight outside and working with him!

So basically - any other tips on how to get his focus - I have tried foods and toys and even squeaky noises, we took him to town yesterday and I now realise that Pigeons are not helpful! And that I need to work on it again before taking him into town again.

Any help?

(Adam if you read this: No I don't want to use an E-Collar, thank you)

Do high pitched noises distract him? (I don't mean super high, I mean a higher squeeky excited noise)
What exactly are you aiming for? What is it you want him to do/ignore?

Have you tried whistle training for the recall? mine are hit and miss when it comes to recalling them by voice (I talk to them all the time, so they are great at ignoring me!) but the whistle gets them back every time.

Have you done any kind of clicker training with him in the past?

Maybe you could try a whistle?

I know a few dogs that didn't get on with clicker training but got on fab with a whistle and vice versa.

Have you considered the location & context in which you're doing the training?

Have you considered Louie's state of mind, his emotional state, at the time you're doing the training?

Have you considered the distractions that are around during the training?

Have you asked your OH if he's been doing any training or recall? If so, what where & how?

You also have to consider the level of reward you're providing, & the schedule of reinforcement you're using.

You may find it easier to go back to basics for a while & teach the "look" command in a location where he can be successful first, then very gradually build in other distractions.

Ignore birds is the plan and ignore other dogs as he loves them but I'm afraid he'll do anything - including running across a main road - to go play with them.
Leave with animals needs work but I need a could recall and look response before.

He does respond to a whistle - have to train him on a proper one - my fingers get cold

He is clicker trained in other areas, I've tried in the outside world but he just ignores me and the click.

I've just took him out and he did fab on the drive. His heelwork is lovely offlead (again only on the drive) as is his onlead (on the drive)

I can't seem to get off the drive - I want to take him to a field and train him there but he gets so distracted and ignorant. Practice makes perfect I suppose

Damn Teen phase!

Is this the one I call Watch me? I started it when the dog looked at me and built up from there. I lead-walk a lot (I don`t drive) and that`s fairly dull so we do it a lot on walks too. I know you say he`s not interested in treats, but if you start with lumps of cooked liver....

The training takes place in the garden and the drive - both boring places so I know I have his attention, but the drive is a little more exciting as there is a church next to it and lots of birds singing.

Louie is always eager to learn when he sees the treat bag and the clicker come out, almost excited but not.

I can't tell the birds to go away and the smells to disappear off the ground - so distractions are plentiful and very annoying.

My OH whistle recalls, sometimes it works othertimes it doesn't but then he uses his mouth - I use my fingers - guess we need a proper whistle.

Louie's reward is a click - treat and a high pitched good boy - all at the same time.

I have a list of all the tricks and training he has done - so I do a run through of that, I try at least twice a week to do a run through, but then he has his general training everyday: sitting at the side of the road and staying, recall on the park, fetching toys, waiting for his food, finding treats I have hidden etc. General day to day stuff.

I will redo the whole "Look" command and start from the beginning although I have never got off the drive with it.

Yup it's the watch me one.

Cooked liver - haven't tried that one.

I do take Sadie out with me and whilst she is around he tries especially hard to get things right - so she helps. She isn't clicker trained so a good girl is all she needs.

I know that this might sound like an annoying thing to do ~ but what about writing out a proper training plan? Start with what you want to end up with (perfect recall ~ well, be realistic & say 95% recall!) & a great "Watch Me" command. Then think about how to do it using operant conditioning theory, step by step, from the very beginning. Write out the theory for yourself as though you're explaining it to a total beginner. Sometimes just doing this can reveal big "holes" in the training strategy that you just weren't aware of. Or maybe you've gone too quickly over certain stages & need to go back a few steps? Or maybe you need to look at the sticking point, i.e. he can do it at the start of the drive when no-one's around, but by the time we get to the end of the drive, Louie's away with the fairies & won't pay any attention at all! Then if you can identify the "missing link" between the start of the drive & the end of the drive, you know where you have to go very slowly with incremental steps.

Another thing to think about ~ if you keep asking Louie to do things he can't do, e.g. a recall when he's having fun with a playmate, then just repeating the command/whistle won't work, & Louie will just learn that it's background noise that he can ignore. This is why it's important to set things up for him to succeed rather than go to fast so he "fails".

Hope that makes sense, or at least gives you food for thought