Oh my Beau is sneaky

P

Pam

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Ok, so Beau, as we know, has a mind of his own. We went to training class and he did well. After class we walked alongside one of the "friends" (someone he is way too interested in during class). They were fine but Beau smelled his training treats in the owner's pouch and before anyone realized what was happening Beau had jumped up and removed plastic baggy of treats right out of owners tummy pouch. I did get it away from him. Owner was not happy, needless to say. But no idea how to train him not to do it again. And he is always so much more interested in other dog's treats than his own, need ideas on that as well.

Additionally, I know I am asking a lot here, any good suggestions for teaching a moving distance "wait and sit"? He just doesn't get staying at the distance unless I walk and put him in a stay. But I want him away from me to begin with.
 
As a suggestion, I know people who bring several different kinds of training treats of their own to class. Cheese, meats, fishy treats, etc! That way the dogs stays engaged and interested because they don't know what yummy thing they'll get next! But, dogs are opportunists. I also know a few dogs that are food hounds and will do just about anything if they know there is food nearby. Good luck!
 
To keep him from stealing food you could teach him leave it/take it. Have a piece of food in the palm of your hand and hold it out to him ...if he goes to take it say un un leave it (but don't pull your hand away, you can close your hand a bit) if he is avoiding the food then say take it and praise YES!!! good boy!!! Do this many many times. You should also do this with treats on the floor. Sit on the floor and put a treat in front of you that he can see and if he goes to take it say leave it. When he avoids it pick the treat up and give it to him, never let him take it off the floor, there may be a time when something falls on the floor that you don't want him to take. When I go to the mall to practice with Piper I'll look for an area where there's food on the ground (people are pigs) and purposely walk by it to test him (or drop treats on the ground when heeling).

As to the wait command it's been a while since I taught Piper that but I think what might help is as you walk away go about 5 feet (if he will wait that distance) turn back to him and return in front and say GOOD WAIT! and give him a treat then say wait and walk away again (I had to do this because Piper was anticipating), change it up all the time. As the distance gets greater you can stop and turn and look at him, walk further away turn and look at him then walk to him and say good wait again treat and say wait and leave again. And remember keep it fun. As a former trainer said out of every 10 recalls you do 8 of them should be fun...run away, throw the food between your legs etc. I think recall is Piper's favourite exercise as it's the most fun. I hope this helps and good luck with Beau!
 
I forgot to mention for treats I make Pier tuna fudge, liver treats (I think the recipe was reposted under Sheltie chat), another easy liver treat is puréed liver mix with oatmeal )enough so it holds together like an oatmeal cookie) and spread out onto a cookie sheet and bake at 325 until it starts to dry out a bit. Also boiled chicken breast cut up is a good treat, cheese string, garlic sausage all these are high reward values, mix it up. Piper never cared for the store bought so I'm always trying out a new recipe lol.
 
I never let people give Minnie anything - as soon as I can see people just thinking :gaahabout giving her something, I say "no, no not to Minnie"

"Minnie see what mom has" (that's just her normal tiny food) Minnie is fine with that :yes:

Now she looks at me when something smells good in someone else pockets.
 
I second everything that Piper's mom suggests!

I have been working on stays with Baron. I can't even walk around him yet, let alone stays at a distance. We just are learning that now! Our trainer is saying just go as far a the dog can be successful! If it is just standing in front of them then fine... lots of praise if they stay! Increase the distance. Once you increase the distance and they break, go back to shorter ones until you succeed... more praise! Repeat...
Good luck!
 
[QUOTE="a where there's food on the ground (people are pigs) and purposely walk by it to test him (or drop treats on the ground when heeling).

As to the wait command it's been a while since I taught Piper that but I think what might help is as you walk away go about 5 feet (if he will wait that distance) turn back to him and return in front and say GOOD WAIT! and give him a treat then say wait and walk away again (I had to do this because Piper was anticipating), change it up all the time. As the distance gets greater you can stop and turn and look at him, walk further away turn and look at him then walk to him and say good wait again treat and say wait and leave again. And remember keep it fun. As a former trainer said out of every 10 recalls you do 8 of them should be fun...run away, throw the food between your legs etc. I think recall is Piper's favourite exercise as it's the most fun. I hope this helps and good luck with Beau![/QUOTE]
I don't have a problem, in fact Beau is really really good at placed "waits" and "stays"...it is the moving ones or distance ones that are a problem. In other words if he is running away from me (say for a throwed treat which is how they teach it) and he starts to come back to me and I say "wait" he keeps coming. If I place him in a "wait" with me right there he will not break it for a long time until released, same with stay. So my question is about "moving" or distance "waits". I can put him in a stay and walk a circle around him, go across the room, leave the room, etc and he will stay but when moving he just won't.
 
Hanne said:
I never let people give Minnie anything - as soon as I can see people just thinking :gaahabout giving her something, I say "no, no not to Minnie"

"Minnie see what mom has" (that's just her normal tiny food) Minnie is fine with that :yes:

Now she looks at me when something smells good in someone else pockets.
Click to expand...
He got it before I could even say "leave it"--we both had no idea--he was THAT fast
 
Ah Beau-must have the same DNA heritage that Savannah has-part fox. I know there has to be a fox in the lineage because she has sneaky, cunning, stealth maneuvers that resemble the fox family traits more than sheltie behavior. If there is food involved she goes into supersheltie mode, able to leap tall cupboards or tables with a single bound. She does share with Kaleigh though, so you gotta laugh at that.
 
Sorry Pam, I misunderstood what you were asking...my bad lol. I've never purposely taught a moving wait but I imagine it's similar to a moving down (drop on recall). What I've been doing is I do random downs as we're heeling (you could do random waits instead), I also walk backward (dog in front on leash) and again I do random drops. My last instructor told me that if your dog is still walking toward you when you say down (wait) to walk towards the dog and help them down. I've actually inadvertently been teaching Piper as I go down stairs (I used to tell him to stay then I'd get to the bottom and say break but our instructor said never break a stay from a distance so I stopped and started saying wait as we go down and he stops, I say come...he comes and I say wait...etc) so I would try this when heeling...say wait and keep walking (pause so he stops), go a step or two and say come ...praise and reward and repeat. Increase distance as he begins to learn. Hope this helps
 
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