Training Classes....

[Cob-Web]

I've been meaning to post all week about how we got on at our first Good Citizen training class; Molo graduated from the puppy class a couple of weeks ago ( Second down on the left of this page!)

I was really apprehensive about the class, as I had found the puppy classes really hard work; Molo was all over the place! I nearly postponed gonig to the Good Citizen classes; I thought I might take him to some less formal classes for a while and then picked up with the KC awards when he was older.

I am so glad I did go! The trainer of these sessions has a different approach to the one who took the puppy classes, and I found her easier to respond and relate to. The class was also smaller; although there were only 10 pups in the puppy class, a few less than that makes a big difference!

Molo was a star, and worked really well, and has continued to respond outside the class; which in turn has given me more motivation to practice. This I am sure is as a result of my improved handling skills having learnt from a new trainer - different people work in different ways, and I really struggled to apply some of the techniques I had been taught previously.

I am far more optimistic that we will achieve basic obedience such as walking nicely on the lead and remove some of the bad habits he is developing like jumping up.

Also, now that I am comfortable with the techniques I am applying, its a lot easier to teach my OH and daughter, so Molo gets a consistent message from all of us, rather than a confused one.

I can only repeat what I said in class this week; training Molo is a totally different challenge to training our previous dog, a GSDx. I have to disagree with the Kennel Club profile of Gundogs which states "that they are perhaps the most intelligent of the breeds, resulting in their wide variety of uses and their ease of training." Definitely intelligent, but I think this makes training more difficult, not easier!

Anyway, I thought I'd share this, and thank everyone for their advice and support during Molos first 3 months - its hard to belive he joined us in August - I can't imagine life without him  

[scoobie]

Rachel that's lovely I bet your very proud of Molo and so you should be well done!

[Silver Surfer (indiesnan)]

Well done Rachel and little Molo.    

[PennyB]

I think the KC generalise when they say gundogs are easier to train as they don't allow for the fact that cockers are up there with terriers in willfullness/strong-willed/stubborn. A table I saw suggested that most gundogs are were low in strongwilled stakes while cockers were high!

[Luvly]

 

[PennyB]

cockers are suposed to be willing to please not stubborn  ,
i know  all mine  have always been sweeties right up to there last days ,  
id interested where they got there facts from .do they include all types of cockers working show and pet , how many did they test to come to that . im not so sure there easy to train but i wonder if there talking about a working home where just mabe they are . Im sure we have some members who work with there cockers now where are you  

I've never known a cocker who isn't stubborn and they're only willing to be trained as long as you make out it was their idea all along LOL

[Luvly]

x

[taniac]

Maybe girls are less wilful then boys but I doubt it!!!!  Mine are pretty good if they think there's food in it for them, but Neo has a low boredom threshold, so he decides he's had enough and wants to do his own thing, and I've been very careful to include the things we learn in everyday circumstances eg sitting and waiting for food/to be let off lead, sitting at the kerb, waiting for me to go through doors/gates first (the door gets shut if they try), down/stay, no pulling when on the leash (hard when you haven't got all day, but they soon learn).

I haven't managed to stop Neo jumping up, but half the time I believe it's not always the training but the reinforcement they get for behaviour.  I hate the jumping up, but hubby cuddles the boys when they have their feet off the floor, even bends down so they can reach his ears.. So they think it's okay!   I tell you, it's much harder training hubby then it is the dogs    

[Cob-Web]

I need a good telling off, as I have just done something really daft, and have no idea what I was thinking  

Molo has been a bit sicky for a couple of days, so I have forgone our daily jaunts out, until this evening. I had to drop a catalogue order round to a neighbour this evening, so as Molo has been OK today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to have a lead training session.

Not surprisingly, Molo was very excited to be going out after two days with just the garden to play in; and there was no way he was going to listen to anything I said, not even for small pieces of boiled chicken  

He pulled like a train, and I have probably undone all my good work of last week by reinforcing to him that if he pulls he gets somewhere!

How could I have been so daft   !!!

Well, back to square one tomorrow   One of the books I refer to (reviewed here), suggested that 'walking on the lead without pulling' should be trained in the garden (or other enclosed, non-public space), without the lead first, and then the lead added later. The dog learns the command irrespective of the presence of the leash - the theory is that dogs are pre-programmed to pull away from anything that pulls them towards it, such as a leash when they pull against it!

[devondumpling]

I tell you, it's much harder training hubby then it is the dogs

You never said a truer word!