Double Doodles ~ North American Retrievers

Comment

Comment by Kathy on April 21, 2011 at 2:49pm

Adina you are exactly right about crating, etc.  Don't give your dog more freedom than he/she is ready to have.  Whether you are in a training mode or not, your dog is learning something every second they are watching you - which is virtually all the time.  

 

Keep treats in your pockets at all times and immediately treat every single behavior that you want repeated and ignore what you don't.  You aren't only training the behavior you want at a specific time, every minute of every interaction is training from your dog's perspective - make sure they know what makes you happy.

 

Comment by Adina P on April 21, 2011 at 2:20pm

Michelle,

 

What about just working really hard on the basics like sitting and staying?  She wont' be able to do it with people at the door right away, but how strong is her sit stay on leash otherwise?  Dogs, on their own, aren't necessarily going to make the best decisions in tempting, exciting circumstances.  So sometimes we have to TELL them how to behave.  Of course we can tell them till we turn blue but it won't make a difference without a lot of practice.  If I have guests over and don't have time to make those first 5 minutes of their visit TRAINING time for my 12 month old doodle...then she's crated or gated so she can't practice the bad behavior.  Every chance they get to practice jumping up on people it becomes a stronger habit.  So I will have her crate and then if I KNOW someone is coming I will take her out on leash and she will be practicing 'sit stay' on leash or 'heeling' or something she knows how to do.  Then I will crate her again.  IF I want her to come out and visit then I will bring her out and after several 2-3 minute stays and short heeling I will give her the release command and let her visit briefly.  But if she can't handle the freedom to visit freely then don't give her that freedom yet.

Comment by James on April 21, 2011 at 2:14pm

Michelle, I was trying to point out two things to help.

1. Sometimes our corrections (knee to chest; saying NO) are indeed reinforcers
to some dogs. Kathy's idea to ignore ( not reinforce behavior) is genius.

2. Also, Kathy made a great point that we need to teach
behaviors that we want in a particular scenario. It
is much harder to focus on what we don't want.

3. Finally, Kathy's genius about finding a high value treat
that your dog thinks is high value should encourage any
behavior that you want .

Comment by Kathy on April 21, 2011 at 1:47pm

another thought - treats are determined by the recipient, not by the giver.  find the absolute most tastiest thing your dog loves beyond compare and use that for the game below and only use it for this game.  when working on a behavior that's important in my house i fry up liver in butter and cut it into tiny tiny pieces.  the idea is that the treat should be consumed really fast so that the dogs are focused on getting another one and not on chewing enjoying the one you just gave them.

Comment by Kathy on April 21, 2011 at 1:43pm

couple of thoughts - 

 

1.  jumping is a way of getting to a person's face because dogs greet nose to nose and is common in small dogs because the face of the person they want to greet is so far away.  what about asking the person to kneel down when they arrive and give the dog the attention he is seeking?  if the dog jumps, no attention, if he greets nicely when the person arrives, lots of positive reinforcement.  this should at least get you to a paws on the floor beginning.

 

2.  we taught our dogs to play freeze-tag.  have a bunch of kids/adults (all packing treats in their pockets) run around like mad.  dog will run, too.  shout "freeze!"  everyone stops, standing with their feet together, arms crossed (this part is important, see part 2 of this game below), dog will stop too if for no other reason than confusion because everyone else stopped.  as soon as the dog stops, the person closest to the dog says "good dog!!" and gives treats and we continue to play.  the dog will very soon get the idea that treats are in store as soon as everyone stops moving.  as soon as the dog reaches this stage, the next bit is to ask the dog to sit before giving the treat.  success is when the dog sits next to a person immediately at "freeze!"

 

it's really important that all freezers stand with legs together and arms crossed, because the next part is to teach the dog to sit at the feet of a person standing in this position.  everyone keep treats in their pockets at all times and randomly when the dog is around exageratedly stand in that position and tell the dog to sit.  treat hard.  get the dog to associate sitting next to you when you are in that position and then stretch that to sitting next to anyone standing in that position.

 

next step, have known people enter the house, immediately stand in the position as above, dog sits, lots of treats.

 

move to guests as above.  depending on the dog this might take awhile but it's worth it not only to not have the dog jumping on guests but also for control when rambunctious children are around ramming up the dog.  tell the kid to stand like a tree (feet plants, branches (arms) wrapped tightly) and dog will sit.

 

focus always on positive behavior.  don't tell the dog what not to do, instead teach them what you do want them to do.  by lifting knees, using the leash as you have, you have tried to communicate what you don't want, but you haven't given the dog a clear idea of what you want instead.  remember that your dog will want to please you - as much as possible reward good behavior and ignore negative behavior.

 

good luck!!

Comment by Michele on April 21, 2011 at 1:26pm

James, thank you for your response. We have not given any rewards for the jumping on visitors, it has only been negative. (such as lifting our knees, putting her in down, etc...) She is so relentless and hyper with her jumping that it usually ends with pulling her off, crating her or putting her in the fenced yard.

I will try bringing treats to the door with me and rewarding her when she is NOT jumping on the visitor.

She is very, very hyper and always wants attention. When a visitor comes in the door, she jumps on that person for attention, whether it is positive or negative. We boarded her with the trainer for a week, and he told us at the end of that time that she is by far the most hypertensive - and slow to train - dog he has ever worked with. This is a guy who specializes in training service dogs, and has 20+ years of experience! She has come a long way since we started taking her to him, for example she is now housebroken and no longer growls or snaps at our kids, but the jumping seems the hardest thing to break her of.

It's a good thing she's so cute and sweet otherwise! Thank you again for your response.

Comment by James on April 21, 2011 at 12:06pm

Michele,
It sounds like you are working with a well known trainer,
but I was wondering what type of rewards you are using
to encourage whatever behavior you are teaching (hot dogs, tug of war, etc... Secondly, for the dog to continue jumping there must be a reinforcer of some sort. It could be verbal or physical interaction or correction. What do you think the dog is getting out of behavior?

Comment by Michele on April 21, 2011 at 11:45am

I have a mini double double, Kelsey. I wonder if anyone else has had a problem with their double doodle jumping on guests when they enter the home? Kelsey is 16 months old, and we have tried EVERYTHING to get her to stop. She has been training with the area's most renowned trainer since October, and even HE seems to be giving up! We've tried lifting the knees, putting her in a down with the leash on and foot on the leash near her neck,  a pinch collar, of course the NO!, command, assigning her an area of the house and telling her to stay (yeah, right!) etc...After spending an hour at our house ringing the bell and entering, the trainer told me that though he has never experienced it before, he has heard from other trainers that occasionally there will be a dog that simply can not be trained to stop certain unwanted behavior.

Any suggestions?

Comment by Kathy on April 2, 2011 at 8:39pm

Yes, Julius is big - my girls not so much.  Casey is full grown at 52 lbs, Roxie is 45 lbs and probably has a little to go but perhaps not as she is 15 mos old.  I have two boys, too, and the dogs are wonderful companions.  I predict that you will be back for another puppy in less than a year.  Two adults, two boys, two dogs - I like the symmetry of it.  My dogs are such good buds, and it means that the boys don't fight over their attention as anyone who wants a dog can have one.  We are in Bucks County - we should have a family reunion for the dogs!

 

Comment by James on April 2, 2011 at 5:03pm

Jake lives with us in Marlton, NJ.

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