I see in the videos – watching them has been an important tool for training. Come and see.
I recommend taking videos of your training, seeing your own confidence and clarity. I am learning a lot and wincing every day over what I’m doing wrong.
I am also proud of Bud, he is working hard to understand me and respond. He is as smart as he is distractable, and as near as I can tell, he has no attention span much at all. This is said to be a common trait of Boston Terriers.
But it’s new to me, and it’s shaken my confidence and throwing me off of my game. I’m getting my training mojo back. I’m willing to work as hard as he is, and for as long.
Bud is smart and eager and attached to me, if I can’t train him to stay, it’s my fault I am changing and adapting to him more and more every day, and I never blame him.
I’ve trained a lot of dogs, but never a Boston Terrier or any kind of terrier. They are different for sure. I’m better understanding the BT’s reputation for independence, distraction, and hyper-vigilance. You can see all of those traits in this video.
What I’m doing now is more visualization – protecting what I want to happen – feeling and showing more confidence, using fewer words, using hand as well as voice commands, turning my body in different directions, lengthening the distance.
When he loses it, I get him back to where we started and doing it again. This is the first training Bud has ever had in his life, and he is 18 months old. So I can expect some confusion, and bumps along the road.
Don’t believe what the training gurus tell you in their books and TV shows. Training a dog cannot be done in four weeks at a dog store chain, it never stops, and it is often messy, frustrating and difficult. But I believe it is worth it, only a trained dog can be the kind of loving and spiritual partner we want.
But and I are just getting started. I hope we never stop.
And dog training is no about obedience, it is about having a spiritual relationship with our dogs, and by showing them how to live in a hostile and alien world.
As someone who has lived with a pack for 30 years and who has taught dog classes, what I see is that you are moving too far away from Bud and waiting too long to reward. Bud is getting up most of the time, so seems like you could help him succeed by staying closer and rewarding sooner. Whenever a dog isn’t getting it, I back up a bit in the training, requiring less so they can succeed. Once they are truly “getting it”, doing what you ask 90 percent of the time, then increase the difficulty with further distance and distractions. Just what I noticed.
Jean, thanks, I appreciate it. I have to say I don’t quite agree. A dog who will only stay in close quarters will not learn to stay when it is most needed, in my experience. Bud will always stay when I am standing over him, what I need is for him to stay and then come to me when he is farther away, as in near a road or angry donkey. Staying closer will make it easy, but my dogs all learn to stay for three minutes from more than 10 feet away, and Bud is responding to the increase in distance. I am grateful for your feedback, but I’ll keep moving back.
I have only ever had terriers. For all their independence and distractability, they are smart, funny, chock full of personality, and extremely attached to their people, all of which can be used to advantage when training. But taking them for walks is like reading a children’s Scratch’n’Sniff book. The one command I have to reinforce over and over with these “earth dogs” is “Leave it!” Which came in handy on this morning’s walk when we encountered the strewn remains of someone’s chicken (to clarify, a previously alive, not a cooked rotisserie, chicken). Even coyotes have to eat, I guess. So I am eagerly watching for your videos – please keep them coming!
yes, we are saying “leave it” quite a lot..he does get and it and (mostly) leaves it…
In that video, Bud’s understanding of the way to get that treat and a verbal reward is that he only gets rewarded when you call him and he comes to you. Understanding that he is getting rewarded because he “stayed” is a more complex problem…and not likely to be understood by someone who doesn’t speak English. Go BACK to him with the treat when he stays properly,and give him a treat, and eventually he’ll understand that he has to wait for the treat and stay means “wait.” Then…when he’s running around exploring and playing, get him to come to you when you call him, and give him a treat for that. Work on the “stay” one way and the “come here” a different way, and you’ll see success with less confusion.
Thanks David, I appreciate the feedback. I don’t believe that plan will work with Bud. Every dog is different and we have to fashion a training program that fits their worldview. Bud loses track of the training whenever a bird flies over or a truck drives by. He is tuned into everything. He got sit very quickly, and he got a short stay just as quickly. Distractions don’t matter for a sit, it is a simple position for the dog to get into. They do matter for “stay.” Bud absolutely understands what I am asking. He stays more than half of the time with no problem. The problem is that after a few seconds, something catches his attention – this is true for all terriers – and he absolutely forgets. so it’s length of time we’re talking about, not comprehension. He’s a very smart dog. A Lab ill stare at me for 15 minutes if I’m holding a treat. A border collie will sit there forever if they know the reward is sheep. I like the way it’s going. I just have to stick with it. There is a lot going on in the pasture, thats why I chose it.
Training in the midst of distractions is so important, and so hard. My first obedience class (some 20+ years ago) was taught on the median strip of a rather busy Center City Philadelphia street. Challenging for Golden Retrievers. Nigh impossible with a 14-week old Welsh Terrier puppy. But I learned a lot, even if the puppy didn’t.
It’s all in that video, Jon. He sits, he stays (for varying periods of time) and he gets a treat when you call him and say, “Good stay!” if you happen to agree with the amount of time he sat there. I don’t blame him for coming to you for the treat. In his little dog mind, he’s being rewarded for coming to you, not for staying.