Brain Games - training tips

[henryjack1dogs]

Hi, I have a young cocker - Max of 7 months, he's been fantastic toilet training, clean over night from 10 weeks clean in house from 16 weeks, from day one slept lovely in his crate, rule we never got up in night.  He used to wake us at 6 on the dot but now happily waits until 6.30 -7.00 and later at weekends for his morning walk.  Gorgeous and we love him!  His recall pretty good, loves to play with other dogs social magnet but seems to work out the dogs who don't want to play and leaves alone.

Working progress areas! Jumping up, I tell him down and praise and go down to his level and he gets it sometimes.  I really want to master this with him, also he takes hours to calm down in the evening, jumps around the furniture like we are invisible, we give him a pigs ear which lasts him about 5 minutes if we lucky - if we take our tone of voice slightly higher it sets off even more - I need to wear that little brain out I think.  I have a feeding toy which he has now and then where he needs to roll around to get his food out, we do lots of fetch names of toys and brings them back not always giving them back.  He gets 3 walks a day - all ideas appreciated on both areas.....  He's very much in to me, and I get the best out of him, home all day etc.  Lots of tips appreciated  thank you

[Sarah1985]

Take a look for a book called "learning games" by kay Lawerence. I have this book and love it. Its more training exercises than "games" but its ideal for tyring out their busy minds.

http://www.learningaboutdogs.com/acatalog/learninggames.html

I love the "learning about dogs" series but this one is a particular favorite.

Its also available at

http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/item--Learning-Games-by-Kay-Laurence--learning-games---dogs

If your looking for a good doggy hobby Rally Obedience is ideal for puppies and really helps improve their heel work. Have a look and see if there are any classes in your local area. It will give you lots of ideas that you can then practice at home with him whilest giving you the oppertunity to compete in the future

[Top Barks]

Try  to ignore the jumping up, you'd be better served turning your back and folding your arms. The attention you are giving this could even be maintaining the behaviour.
Teach a really rock solid sit or down that your dog does when asked, clicker training is great for this.
Is Praise enough? when training your dog needs something worth working for and sometimes we think praise does the job but it doesn't. Praise could even wind your dog up even more.
Make sure you prevent your dog jumping up at folks who won't ignore max by having him on lead and placing your foot on it.
Search on here for relaxed down on lead, I don't have the article to hand at the mo, but I'm sure I've posted it on here before.
Totally with Sarah on the links above

[Black Red + Yellow]

Can't add much more - possibly that last walk at night is actually over-stimulating him ....maybe this should be just a quiet walk around the roads to 'bring him down' where you don't meet up with so many other people/dogs to get him excited or at least end the walk that way so he can just chill...bit like a warm down exercise

[henryjack1dogs]

Great tips.

The last walk at night, is just walk a long the streets - lead walk - usually between 6.30-7.30 at sometime.  I should add I do ignore him and turn around with arms crossed scenario but sometimes he listens down and sits that's when I go down to him.  I would love to get him involved in something, I will search down those books - This is my third cocker, although have had other dogs as well in the years with them.  My cockers have always run rings around me,   my fault entirely so I determined to get Max right!

Appreciate all your comments.  Cheers 

[mooching]

Could I just ask how long are his 3 walks?

[Petepreston]

We found Posie got a little overexcited into the early evening and no amount of attention helped. We found that putting her into her cage for 10 minutes calms her a lot. Puppies just don't know when they are too tired until after they've got too tired, so this enforced time-out is a good option, just be careful not to make it seem like punishment.

When I'm trying to concentrate on something and Posie is wanting to play, I give her a tupperware container that has treats in it and a hole drilled into it that let the treats fall out when she gets the angle right. I found a tumbler best for this purpose. She'll chase it around for ages. It's not a quiet game but does keep her happy and stimulated. She often chased it along the floor into other rooms but always picks it up and brings it back to the middle of the living room.

[henryjack1dogs]

Mooching - Early walk about 40 minutes - lead walk - mid-day walk again about 40 minutes - sometimes more - off lead in woods and fields - in this time he's a busy dog, playing with other dogs,  chasing his ball, losing it finding it etc plus chasing the odd squirel - last one at night 30 - 40 minutes - on lead walk, the lead walks are walked at some speed, not for him pulling but we both enjoy a good walk.  This varies at the weekends, we often go for very long walks in the country - obviously stopping here and there, I have never done the 5 minute rule!  To be honest never heard of it until I looked in to getting our latest cocker and found this site, although generally it tends to be around that length of time in the week. 

going to look in getting one the books recommended earlier.  I would love to get him involved in some agility but understand have to wait until he's a little older but for now need to get him better trained.  He's fed on James beloved junior - seems to suit him, happy to eat it, I do give him a chicken wing now then.  He's not an overly greedy cocker, he will eat just the right amount of food, if other half not given him the right amount he will leave the extra, but he can spot some tasty a mile off!

[Sarah1985]

  I would love to get him involved in some agility but understand have to wait until he's a little older but for now need to get him better trained. 

Check out your local agility school. Some offer puppy agility classes. These give you some preparation exercises that dont impact on joints. It give you an oppertunity to practice him running along side you, directions, some back end awareness exercises, and general obedience.

[black taz]

you could get some weave poles in the garden in preparation for agility - i have found these are the most difficult to train so you would have a head start.

[Sarah1985]

you could get some weave poles in the garden in preparation for agility - i have found these are the most difficult to train so you would have a head start.

I dont know if weaves are such a good idea till hes 12 months. All that hopping from side to side isnt great for a youngsta.

[Ben's mum]

I used to love doing lots of fab training stuff with Ben in the evening to try to tire him out. He was so quick at learning new things it was great fun.
I bought some books and just picked out things to teach him.
My fav is to have one treat and put it under an up-turned pot.  When your dog touches the pot with either nose or paw he gets the treat.
Add another pot but put a treat under just one, they only get the treat if they touch the right pot
Make sure they really get the idea before you add more pots, then start to switch the pots round - the concentration it takes is amazing.  Ben could pick up where the treat was from 5 pots even after I had shuffled them all round the floor.  He just used to lock his eyes on the pot with the treat and stare at it - I made sure at first he succeded a lot of the time, but after a while he was amazing at it 

I hope you enjoy finding things to do with Max.
I feel a bit guilty now, I've not done anything like that for ages with my boys, might have to get out the books for the long dark evenings 

[burnysbird]

Hi,

I've been trying alsorts with Sizzles now, she loves brain games! She goes to puppy classes once a week still and we are hoping to take her through the KC awards and then start Agility.

One game that she  - I shut her in the kitchen, then hide treats all round the living room & conservatory. Let her back in and she sniffs them all out! I love it when her nose is going mad. We also put some kibble into an empty bottle and let her work out how to get it out.

The trainer at our class said last week that puppies are a bit like kids and have their "mad" moments in the evening, in preparation for bedtime. Perhaps this is why Max goes a bit crazy at this time. Sizzles is the same, she will run up and down the living room with a toy - once she flicked the toy and it hit me in the face = hubby thought it was hilarious!

Training them is also using their brains. We have so far taught sit, down, stay, bed, wait, heel and in the last few days roll over!

I hope this is useful.
Katie x