Is 11 weeks too young to teach stay? - Page 2 - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

JE-UK · 01-11-2012, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcticfox

My puppy class trainer suggested that instead of training a stay right now, just make sure to add a release work to all your positional commands like sit and down. We use "All done" which means they can get up and run around or whatever until the next command. If they get up before you say your release word, you give a verbal correction (AHAH), remove the treat, put them right back into a sit/down/whatever they were in, and repeat, until you are ready to say the release word. Start with releasing right away, and work up to a second or two, etc. I don't remember the exact reasoning behind this, but it made sense at the time :P And this isn't to replace stay or wait.

A lot of trainers subscribe to this ... the thinking is that the dog should hold the position (whatever position) until you tell him otherwise. I have never trained this way, as it requires you be scrupulous about always, always, always remembering to release, and I'm a sloppy trainer

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Quossum · 01-12-2012, 02:39 AM

I have come around to the "teach a release cue before you teach anything else" school of thought, which does include not using a separate word for "stay."

I know I've heard it recommended here before, but Susan Garrett's Crate Games DVD is a treat for giving a dog a great foundation for self control, clear understanding of release word, and value for their crate, all valuable things for any dog to have.

Good luck!

--Q

mdwcarolina · 01-18-2012, 11:12 AM

Ahh, all these treats! I know positive reinforcement is the key, but OMG all I can think of is SOFT STOOLS! DIARRHEA! I know what you're gonna say ... judicious use of treats, careful selection of treats ... but d'ya know what I'm saying? Really focused Training Days are soft stool days!! Right? Or am I missing something?

Arcticfox · 01-18-2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdwcarolina

Ahh, all these treats! I know positive reinforcement is the key, but OMG all I can think of is SOFT STOOLS! DIARRHEA! I know what you're gonna say ... judicious use of treats, careful selection of treats ... but d'ya know what I'm saying? Really focused Training Days are soft stool days!! Right? Or am I missing something?

I use kibble as treats. And have no problems in that area. Her daily ration goes into a baggie, I can put a little bit into a bowl to get her used to regular meal times about 2 - 3 times a day and the rest is used for training. I throw in a few other treats like dried liver and cookies but they're borken down into teeny tiny pieces and mixed in with the kibble so she gets a nice yummy surprise every once in a while rather than as a regular reward. I highly recommend using their regular food for training, with other treats used as jackpot rewards for a spectacular performance, or randomly strewn in to keep them guessing.

mdwcarolina · 01-18-2012, 11:48 AM

Good stuff, Arcticfox, I will take that and use it. I have used very small tidbit treats, but I think you're right, I need to mix in the regular kibble. My spoo baby is still young (11 weeks, not THAT young I guess!) so I have to be careful, and even the occasional puppy chew might be responsible for soft stools.

For the past few days we have been on a diet of white rice and chicken baby food, her stools got so soft. I don't THINK this was due to treats ... I have an inground pool covered with a monstergear type canvas, that allows some chemical-treated (though heck, the chemicals should be worn out by now) water to seep through if a dog (like Ziva, yep, who thinks that finding puddles anywhere, anytime, is a great sport) romps on it, and yes she laps at that water. So I thought it could be that, or the worms she loves to dig up, or the occasional baby mouse that the cat brought to the back door that she gets one mouthing or so before I find and remove it from her...