Training - Experiences, Challenges, and Mindsets

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Comment by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on November 4, 2010 at 2:21pm

Doodle training is a GREAT way to lose weight! I lost 4 pounds in two weeks, and the only thing that was different way my "Murphy training".

Comment by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on November 4, 2010 at 5:01am

I think there are a couple of things that made the difference. Time is a small part of it, because I had been spending a lot of time on training previously as well. It wasn't quite as structured, and it wasn't every day (but several times a week). Now we go out to train each day, and it is a priority. I don't allow anything to be an excuse for me not to train. The second and probably the most important factor is the method itself. I really believe that Murphy absolutely required a method that would include corrections, but only after he understood exactly what I was expecting of him and then chose not to do it. The reward based method was just not the right approach for Murph because there were too many times when a click (or other marker), praise, or a treat wasn't enticing enough for him to make the "right choice". Even the highest premium treat can't complete with another dog for Murph. So I was getting very situational results with no reliability. If you're already in a class and the heel lesson is coming soon, I'd wait to see how Molly does. Hopefully, your trainer will introduce distractions during the training. I've found that to be the key. We've built in planned distractions throughout the past two weeks of training with Murphy. He's impulsive, so that has been a very important component of his training. Keep us posted.

Comment by Laura Deutsch on November 3, 2010 at 5:35pm

In response to your collar responses: Molly wears a harness, as she pulls on a collar. We don't use a choke with her...we've been doing clicker training and have been in class for the past couple of months. But, similar to Murphy, she does everything perfectly inside and when there's a treat, but outside with distratctions and if we forget treats, she doesn't listen well. She will sit at a curb, but it's harder to get her to do other stuff. We haven't gotten to a heel in class, but are working on tons of other stuff that leads up to it. That will be in the next session. Jane, what made the difference theses past two weeks? Just the amount of time you're spending?

Comment by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on November 3, 2010 at 5:21pm

Laura, Murph is 10 months old and to add to what Adina has said...the training collar I use for Murph is only a tool. His progress is much more about the fact that for the past two weeks we've been working every day in a very structured training process. He's been learning to focus on me, and he's been learning what is expected of him when we're walking on a leash. Murph is an opportunist. He was "behaving" (especially inside) when he thought there would be a food reward, but then when we were out (and I didn't always have a treat that was more enticing than the distraction at hand), he would "do his own thing", and that was definitely NOT heeling. So we had to move to a different approach. Murphy had reached the point where I had very little control over him...he's a very large, strong Doodle with a mind of his own. That's why the success over the past couple of days is a huge breakthrough for us.

Comment by Adina P on November 3, 2010 at 4:23pm

Laura: it's not the collar Murphy is wearing that has made the improvement. It's the sum total of the training Jane has been doing. In other words, if you just strap on a choke chain and go...you won't get these same results. One needs a training method to go with the collar.

Comment by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on November 3, 2010 at 4:15pm

Jane uses a plain metal training collar, known by some as a "choke chain", although that sounds terrible. In the olden days, they were called "jewel collars". It is used for training only and not left on the rest of time.

Comment by Joanne ~ Spud* on November 3, 2010 at 4:13pm

I do not know what Murphy uses but Starlit wears a prong with diamond studs..... well I made up the diamonds but it sounded good.
Tonight at the park, she wore her regular collar... for the first time and did great!

Comment by Laura Deutsch on November 3, 2010 at 4:02pm

what kind of "working "collar are you all talking about? Is this a different collar than your dood usually wears? Jane, how old is Murphy? Molly, at 6 months is great on training when we're inside and have treats. Even on walks she's pretty good with treats, but forget it if there's no treat with you and you ask her to do something. Will be starting second training class in December. Hopefully she'll keep improving. We're working really hard, but only in morning and night, snce we're working. Our dog walker walks only. And that's as it should be.

Comment by Joanne ~ Spud* on November 3, 2010 at 3:36pm

Oh Murphy! You can come work with Starlit anytime. She loves that working collar too. Isn't that strange. What happened to my sons??

Good Job. Good Heel. It is okay your mom is a klutz too! We can teach her grace later.

Comment by Adina P on November 3, 2010 at 2:56pm

*APPLAUDING JANE AND MURPHY* Woohoo!

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