Woo Hoo - Molo has finally got it !!

[Cob-Web]

I have been trying to teach Molo to wait while I walk away from him for months - he just didn't seem to grasp it 

Cheryl kindly arranged for us to go to a ringcraft class for socialisation last week after he got chomped by a bigger dog when we were walking and became nervous of big dogs as a result 

Part of the class was a obedience session, and Molo took part - and seemed to vaguely understand what was expected of the "wait" after watching some of the other dogs. I thought I'd build on the success at the class, so we have been practicing - and by george, I think he's got it 

Does it help dogs to watch other dogs when they are learning? It hasn't really occurred to me before, but Molo really seemed to be taking notice of what was going on - can they really learn from observing each other??? 

[Jan/Billy]

Wait and leave are Billy's best "tricks". He picked it up very quick and I can leave him in the wait position and be confident he won't budge until I command him. But thinking about it we did lots of "wait" training at classes. Used to command him to wait and go out of the room for one minute and come back to him during class so maybe like you said he saw other dogs doing it too. Having said that he never picked up the "heal"   

[Annette]

......... - can they really learn from observing each other??? 

I don't know, Rachel, but well done to you both!

[clairep4]

Well done Molo (and you)!! I found "wait" quite hard to teach Bella, she has to know it for agility and it really peeves her, she makes a big song and dance about having to sit at the start of the course (other people put their dogs' bums down so that the dog is in the right position, either so they are facing the jump or diagonal to it - Bella won't have that, she will sit where she likes thankyou very much and if that's at 90 degrees to the jump or even with her back to it then so be it  . She does a big "ooowoomph" sigh when told to wait, sits there bouncing on her front paws and trying to get closer and closer to the jump till it's touching her chest, so we have this scenario of me trying to walk a few feet ahead of the first jump, me going "WAIT", her waiting till I'm not looking then shuffling forward, me going "BELLA WAIT!" again, her shuffling forwards a bit more, then eventually I give the magic word "jump" and she's off like a whippet (well maybe not quite that fast) 

I was wondering if Zorro would learn anything from her, sits and downs etc - it remains to be seen.

You must be really pleased with Molo though, what a clever boy! 

[Top Barks]

I believe dogs can learn through oobservation.
Bayley has watched the other two looking out of a certain window in our bedroom and now waits his turn and copies them.
Well done Rachel and Molo out of sight stays next then
mark

[Cob-Web]

Thanx 

Its good to know it might be useful for agility - our classes start in a few weeks; I can't wait 

It has been frustrating, as he learnt how to wait for dinner, and even at the end of the long line, quite quickly - its the fact that I am walking away from him that confused him, I think 

Mark - I managed to get behind the tree in our garden this evening, and he was rock solid  I need to take it "on the road" (as Jean Donaldson says), but the fact that he understands is the biggest hurdle 

[PennyB]

Of all the things I taught mine this I have found to be the most useful. Well done Molo

[miche]

......... - can they really learn from observing each other??? 

I don't know, Rachel, but well done to you both!

It didn't work for me, Herbie has not learnt a thing from watching Mikey

[CraftySam]

Well done Rachel and Molo. 

I think dogs can learn by observing other dogs, toilet training for example. It was definitely easier to train Max and Barney than it was Sapphi and I'm sure they saw what the others were doing and cottoned on to it pretty quickly.

I use wait and stay for different things, and I agree its one of the things I use the most.

I think dogs pick up some things quicker than others, all of mine have good stays including out of sight but its taken me sooo long to get fetch sorted and Barney still hasn't got it. Maybe I'm just rubbish at teaching them it. 

[lyn]

well done molo
rachel, i found that trying to teach ellie to sing was impossible without paddy being there to show her what was expected.it wasn't until i trained ellie to wait that paddy realised wait meant stay and don't move.before that he thought wait meant lets run riot
ellie is much better at the wait and leave comand than paddy.bless him he gets sooo excited on the daily training,he wants to please but he wants to kiss me at the same time

[MaxG]

Yey - well done Molo - clever boy!! 

'Wait'/'Stay' & 'Leave It' & 'Sit' are about the only  commands that Max regularly demonstrates - all the others are a bit 'hit & miss' !!!! 

He STILL can't grasp 'Paw' & sits there looking at us very quizzically when we're waving treats under his nose & trying to get him to give us his foot - daft dog!! My friend's golden retreiver does 'high 5'  - lifts up a paw & smacks your hand,  plus 'gimme 10' where he lifts both feet up, rolls back on his haunches & touches your hands with his paws  - very impressive, bless him!! 

I show off sometimes when we're out in the fields & take Max's lead off but then make him sit & wait while I walk off & then he's only allowed to make a run for it when given the command - poor little bu$$er sits there, shaking with excitement, watching me like a hawk, then as soon as I say 'GO ON THEN!' he shoots off like a rocket!! 

Hubby taught him 'Leave It' when he was tiny - used to tease the poor soul by putting bits of treat under his nose & then making him wait till he was told he could have them - at one point, I walked into the lounge to see him balancing bits of sausage on his front paws & then watching him drool before telling him to take it - mean daddy!!!! We never managed to get the to impressive stage like Colin's Jimmy though - that video clip where he puts biscuits on his nose & Jimmy waits till he's told he can have them before flipping them into the air & catching them is VERY CLEVER!!!!!!! 

[Silver Surfer (indiesnan)]

Of all the things I taught mine this I have found to be the most useful.

Same here Penny 


Well done Molo  you clever boy!!

[ChezzRaynor]

I am convinced that having an other dog to show a pup how its done works wonders, my eldest springer is 4 and he was a pleasure to train (working springer ) we have a 2 yr old working 'type' springer and he needed hardly any training, just copied what the older dog did and Oscar (our cocker) is doing exactly the same. The only thing he is doing differently is that when we are out he doesn't like any other dogs coming near him, he turns into a snarling yelping fur ball , its fear aggression because he runs and hides behind my legs.................unless the strange dog is a spaniel, hes not bothered what breed of spaniel...cocker...springer...water....king charles he loves them all, plays with them for ages if we meet any on a walk, absolutely loves it  . We think he is a snob and will only mix with his own kind  but I do think its strange because of the way he reacts towards other dogs...especially terriers......he hates them.

[sarahp]

I have been trying to teach Molo to wait while I walk away from him for months

Well there you go thats the problem - fancy leaving him in a 'wait' for months you cruel mother 

Seriously - well done - it really is a hard thing to teach.  Daisy can do it even when I leave the room but its all too much for Dillbert bless him 

[PennyB]

I took Roobs to the park every day to practise this after we 1st did it in training class, and the day I knew I'd cracked it was a hot summer day with swallows swooping everywhere and then loads of them circled round her head --- she stayed there and didn't move an inch while I walked away (apart from give me a filthy look) --- yes its my only training brag