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Getting started with training

912 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  OutWest 
#1 ·
We just purchased a 12 week old GoldenDoodle and wanted to get started with training with him. We hired an in home trainer for dogs in the past (small dogs) using a combo of positive reinforcement and giving him a slight correction by pulling on the leash and saying no at the same time. (And eventually we would stop pulling on the leash and just saying 'no.") The pulling on the leash wasn't super hard or anything. He said it has just to be like the slight tug they would get on their neck from their mother. And I would say "no" at the same time I did the slight tug so he associated the no with the tug. Than stopped doing the tug all together.

I'm not sure if this is the best way to train Golden Doodles or not. Most everything I read online and videos I watch say just using positive training (but none of them say how to teach them no / correct bad behavior.) I'm wondering what the best route to go training wise would be. Maybe there are some online resources to get started that you guys can direct me to.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Well what does he need correction with? If it is chewing on things he shouldnt I take the pup away from what I dont want them to chew saying " No" and give them a toy that they can chew on. If it is jumping on you I tell the pup no jump as you put their feet back on the ground if they come runing a jump you can turn your back as you say " No jump" or you put your knee up in their chest and tell him no jump.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I do clicker training with my GR puppy & also attend classes which uses positive reinforcement. For example, for jumping up on you .......you put the puppy back down on the ground & then click & place the treat on the ground. After a few times, you delay the click a little longer once they have four paws on the ground, then click & put treat on the ground ....the idea being that you are teaching them that when they have four paws on the ground you are happy with them & they get rewarded ....& by drawing out the time between them being firmly put back on the ground, & clicking & rewarding, you are not making them think they get rewarded for jumping up on you. Patting them & telling them they are good, will work if you don't have rewards & clicker handy. After a day or two, you then put the command with the action .....so No Jump as you firmly put them down. It does not take long for them to realise they get rewarded/good attention when all four paws are on the ground. This same technique is applied to all clicker & positive reinforcement training ....you are swiftly & calmly correcting the unwanted behaviour & showing them what you want them to do instead. That is the important part of this form of training ......showing them the behaviour you want from them as soon as you have done the correction.

I have found training the basics in this manner to be very effective. After just one day, my four month old puppy Loki stopped jumping up into chairs or onto the sofa. We are now doing the jumping up on us when he is happy to see us, & he is doing it less often. Same applies to pulling on lead when walking. Our trainer says we must always have the lead slack, as you don't want the puppy to feel the lead tight, or it will get used to pulling. So she insists that the moment the lead gets tight, we let the lead go ....... So always do the training in the park or in your back yard, to keep puppy safe. So you walk the puppy at your side & constantly reward it with a treat, by coming to a halt & putting your knee out in front of the puppy as you treat it, & you then continue on your way, & repeat. The idea is that puppy will come to the realisation that when he stays at your side, good things happen. I am doing this on Loki's walks on the pavement now & it is working well. When he does surge forward on the lead. I make a noise to draw his attention back to me (not his name ), & then when he turns his head towards me, I chirpily say Let's go & head off in the opposite direction, rewarding as the puppy catches up with you & is at your side again. You will find many positive reinforcement videos free to watch on YouTube ...I like the Kikopup ones, but there are many others, which will show you how to train using this method. Hope this has been of some help. Welcome to the forum to you & your new fur baby.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the feedback, that sounds great. What do you do when the dog doesn't obey you? For example you say sit, and he doesn't (after he knows it?) The positive reinforcement training sounds good, but don't you have to have some way to teach them "No" or to correct them? What happens when what they want to do is better than the treat? For instance he's chasing the pizza guy and cares more about the pizza than your praise?
 
#5 ·
Lol ....we don't have pizza delivery in the area we live, so thankfully I haven't had that problem ....yet. As I have never done clicker training with an older dog, I really don't know how that would go. I do know that when I am training commands requiring more effort from my puppy, more complex, I always use a high value treat ...or even if he loses focus & starts lolling about the floor, or watching the cats. That's when I pull out little bits of cheese, cooked chicken or sausage ....& it only takes one sniff to regain his total focus. He will do anything for those treats ......peanut butter is another high value treat I sometimes use & he will lick a small piece off my hand as his reward. Pizza is high value! Not sure what could compete with that. Maybe don't let him off leash where there are such high value distractions, until you are confident of his recall, or down commands, so you can stop him in his tracks? I'm no expert on this. Sorry. I do use No a lot with Loki ....when he thinks it is fun to pull on a cat tail for example. I quickly remove the cat from the situation, with a sharp No Bite. Then when I have his attention I ask him to sit or down for me, & then I can praise him for that. He is actually now getting quite good with the cats & will walk right passed them at times, which I praise him for. But last night he went into stupid mode, as my papillon was barking at him in our lounge ...Loki starting leaping about like a crazy thing, which made the pap bark even more. Nothing I could say or do would stop Loki or the papillon, so I lead Loki out of the room & put him into his playpen for ten minutes timeout to calm down. When he settled down, I brought him back into the lounge, the papillon barked again & Loki went all loopy again, so this time I told the papillon to leave the room, which he did. I closed the dor between them. Loki settled down straight away, & I allowed Jontay back into the room & peace was restored. Bliss. I guess we all find our own ways to sort this sort of situation out to our own satisfaction.
 
#6 ·
The truly positive training uses "shaping" where you reward the dog for doing what's right, without corrections. It takes longer but has excellent results. However it's hard to do without a trainer if you haven't done it before. There are some really good resources online that might help you. Here is one:

Also, Dr Ian Dunbar's materials are excellent for puppy training and are a ailable free online: Free Downloads | Dog Star Daily.

Good luck!
 
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