Intro to Group &Training for Self Control in Public Question

[texanmom4]

I am very glad to have found your website. I have searched the archives and have found all kinds of great tips and advice on various subjects in raising our Ruger (like the gun--pronounced Roo-grr). I just thought it was time to come out of lurkdom and introduce ourselves before I asked any questions.

When I met my husband he owned a golden retriever who was a local frisbee champion. My DH & I were soon married and DH gave me a GR pup while we were still dating. Our dogs lived long lives and it wasn't until a few years ago that we were a dogless home. We purchased a GR make pup and after a year of chronic health issues and training issues (we even had a private instructor come to the house), we had to return him. It was devastating to our entire family.

We had friends who went through a very similar situation as us and they ended up researching and purchasing goldendoodles. We fell in love with the breed and began our search for our very own. We found a great breeder in Texas and brought home Ruger at 9w this past Feb. He was born 12/23. We loved getting our weekly photos from the breeder when Ruger was a little tyke.

Now, we have a 56# and growing 11mo bundle of fun. He is doing well with training (we weren't as consistent for a few months as we should have been, but have been back on top of it and he is catching on quickly. Though he has his challenges, with most we have a plan and can see the progress as we work with him. We homeschool and Ruger hangs with us all day. He is kennel trained and does not mind his kennel in the least. Mostly though, he is out and about with us unless we are not at home or it is 'rest time'. He loves, loves, loves to play with other dogs and our friends bring theirs over often. We are researching our next addition to our family within the next year. We are looking at labradoods too. We couldn't have chosen a better breed for our family!

Ruger has one behavior area where I am needing a plan. Ruger focuses well and obeys when he is one-on-one, with our family or even when you add a few more people, but take him to the vet, groomer, Petsmart (only did that once!) or on a walk by the neighbors when they come out with their 2 dogs, and Ruger loses focus, doesn't mind, pulls, jumps, etc. I have tried different things, but need to find a consistent way to help him gain self control in these social/public settings.

Thank you in advance for your direction & again I am so happy my Google search landed me here months ago!

[texanmom4]

Jane, Sherlock, & Noah,

Thank you for your reply. Oh I realize that "Dogs don't generalize the way we do. Asking Ruger to sit and stay in your house is not the same as asking him to sit and stay at Petsmart". I was just asking for ideas and you asked some valid questions. Training is a process just as I train our children. I know it takes, time, patience, and consistency, but it has been years since I have trained a pup and prefer to train well from the beginning, so I was just asking ideas from you experts : )

Here is how Ruger is doing by answering your questions: When you're at home, if you are working on commands with Ruger, have your husband roll a tennis ball past him - does he react? may look but stays focused.If he chases after the ball, can he resume back into training? he doesn't go after the ball he stays put Bring out a bag of his favorite goodies. Lay them around him. Can he do the commands? Yes Can he do the commands when you are standing? YesWhen you are sitting in a chair? Yes When you are sitting on the ground? Yes When you have your back to him? Yes. and now we are working on down stay as I leave his sight and he is doing well so far. If yes, then progress to a higher level of distraction such as working on commands outside in the yard. Does Ruger respond to the commands when a child rides a bike past him? yes When a car drives past? yes We don't use a clicker, but we use a clicking sound/voice sound that we all make that he responds to. He responds to me, DH, and my oldest son as if we are all the alpha.

He is challenged when our 2 off leash neighbors dogs run up barking and snapping or we pass a neighbor approaching with more than one leashed dog. I was considering going to our groomers it is also a doggie day care resort and practice training from a distance down the sidewalk at one end of the building. He could see the dogs/owners coming going and I could train there and then with time move in closer and closer. I could also do this at the vet.

[texanmom4]

Jane, Sherlock & Noah,

you mentioned something that is so important to our situation. We now live in a country suburban setting on 3 acres. When we raised our GRs, we lived in Houston in the city and took them everywhere as we lived in an apartment and were in a similar big city situation. Excellent point! Ruger is in a completely different setting than my GRs. I looked at group classes, but in order to take the intermediate class, Ruger needs to demonstrate his obedience to general commands. Well, Petsmart is NOT the place to demonstrate this as we have discussed, but I know he would be (I would be) bored in a beginner class and for $125, I would like to see this money better spent. an off leash park would be good, but 'come' is difficult for Ruger when he is overly excited and focused elsewhere. I need to ensure he would come all the way back to me.

agility sounds fun and therapy training is wonderful! I am not in the season of life to go that direction right now, but Ruger does have 'jobs'. That is one thing I have noticed with him (maybe the breed), he does so much better with 'work'. It has rained for 2 days straight, and outside exercise is mot happening, but we are doing a lot of in house training and short run fetch with him in heel/sit/ready position at my side focused on the ball. He is so cute when I make him wait for the command to go fetch. I waited until the ball was at a dead stop and then some. I challenged him this way over and over and he kept focused and was great. His giant tail does tend to pop my 2yo down in the middle of fetch play though! She hops up and says 'off woo-wug" : )

oh, and food motivated?? uh... YES! I always have a pocket w/treats. He burns off the extra calories in no time!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We are at the same stage with Guinness. He is doing fantastic with his training when there are no major distractions, but put him in a real public situation (like the kids soccer games where there are tons of children and other dogs) and it becomes a challenge. I don't have any magic answers, but my trainer tells me it's all about practice and exposing him to as many of these "opportunities" as possible. So, we are trying to take him as many places as we can. I am also going to put him back into group training for the next level so he can have more of that exposure. He did puppy K with a group of dogs, but for the past few months we've used a private trainer. I'll be interested in the responses...I'm sure they'll help me too. I've tried the "in house" distractions that Jane mentioned, and he's now good with these. It's just when things are really "exciting" that he has a hard time. Then again, he's only eight months and still a pup. Ruger is also still young. I'm thinking if we stick to it the behaviors we're looking for will come.

[texanmom4]

Jane, Sherlock & Noah, the food motivation has been ideal dog for our situation. I have a canister set in the kitchen and now I have one full of his 3 fav treats for us to grab for quick training. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experiences with Sherlock and Noah..

[texanmom4]

Jane & Guinness,

Your Guinness is adorable! Thank you for the positive encouragement! It's like you threw me a 'treat' : )

[Adina P]

Welcome to you and Ruger!

I think the key to getting a good response from Ruger at the vet, groomer, Petsmart, etc...is to really practice in those settings or similar locations. But start far from the main attraction and over the course of his progress (days, weeks, however long) work closer and closer. So let's say the toy aisle at PetSmart is the pinnacle of distractions for Ruger. Start in the parking lot...work him on the things he knows there: heel, sit, stay, down, stay, come, etc... Work him on the lawn near the parking lot. Then work him closer. Then do some work near the entrance, walking toward the entrance, walking away...make it really easy at first and only gradually increase the difficulty.

Then work him between the two automatic doors. Walk in, walk out, walk in, walk out, sit stay, down stay..walk in, walk out.

Then heel indoors into a sit stay, walk out again. Repeat.

Basically think of the highest distraction place as the bull's eye and work the rings outside the bull's eye and gradually move in ONLY AS HE DEMONSTRATES competence. Do only as much as he's tolerating, only gradually challenging him with each session.

Here's a link to my description of the steps to getting a good sit stay when strangers greet your dog. What I don't do is tell you the specific training maneuvers as I train more 'old school' in a very specific method and not everyone is comfortable with 'old school.' But the gradual steps may give you some ideas. Anyway...go to this link and find my response that starts with "THIS IS LOOOOOONG": http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/jumping-on-people?groupUrl...

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I have an ALD named Roo who is just like Ruger. He loses focus in public. What a lovely way to describe it. Roo is now two and consistently better in public. Not great, but better. The two things that have helped the most are: teaching him "watch" which means look at me and means a treat is coming, Only recently have I been able to keep the treat in my pocket and not in my hand and still command his attention in public. The second is giving him a "job" to do when he meets people. His job is to sit and shake hands. Of course he wants to shake hands about one hundred times, but at least he is quiet. The thing that helped the most was time - about 20 months he began to calm noticeably in public. He is still a handful sometimes or often in public, but noticeably better. I am working my way with hope toward three years old. As an aside, his full brother, Tigger, who is 8 months or so younger has always been, and continues to be much calmer in all situations. So not all doodles are as crazily happy in public as out two "Roos".

[texanmom4]

Maryann, I love Roo & Tigger! Oour house LOVES Winnie the Pooh! The books for sure. My DH reads those aloud once a year to the younger kids, but the older kiddos and myself always end up on the couch listening too!

I like the idea of giving Ruger a 'job' in public. Ruger would shake hands all day too. Great idea! Yes, both my 14yo son and Ruger are very intelligent and can focus so well, but at other times, they are both in another world! gotta love our teenagers : )