Hope I'm not jinxing it

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

But Laufey is doing so much better recently, definitely not perfect but he doesn't try to pick up absolutely everything on walks now and he's improving around other dogs too! Whilst I'm not testing it large scale or with dogs we've never seen before he's starting to be able to say hi and then come back, I'm thinking the love he has for fetch is helping there, although that's presenting some interesting situations when he steals other people's balls :shock:
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by JudyN »

Brilliant!! :D

Even if he does have a relapse, the new behaviours he's learnt so far will still be ingrained and will re-emerge as he continues to grow, mature and gain more self-control. I get more excited about seeing Jasper try to be 'good' than actually being 'good' :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

Exactly, I get so excited when I see him trying. Like today, on the park a collire came bolting past us with another following it, he was off lead, stopped dead watching them, looked to me, got a treat and took off but he's met the collies before so I wasn't worried :roll: just wish he'd try harder with the cats now, they play but he just gets overexcited, and the cat starts it half the time so I can't even blame him :shock:
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

I might have had a tear in my eye on the way home from the park... I was so proud of him it is a bit ridiculous. I took him to the big park and saw rather a lot of dogs with their people, some kids and a dog walker with quite a few. He didn't run up to anyway and was very easily distracted from them. Said hi to two dogs, one because it came over to us but managed to get him to move on fairly quickly and the other was a ~19 week old puppy that there was a mutual introduction and a small play session before we moved on from there too. He was interested in the ducks but didn't chase them, stopped chasing the squirrel when I told him AND didn't jump in the lake..

All I can say as fault is I wish people would clean up their dog mess - both poo and sick! - he's not a poo eater but did go for the sick, in turn making me feel sick! Also, we're both rather muddy :lol:

But very very proud of him
Theo400

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by Theo400 »

Hi Delladooo

That great :lol: . I know I shed a tear when Theo came back for the very first time. Theo had this habit of following the birds in the sky and running in there direction :lol: . thank goodness we were in an enclosed area :wink: . when he was 7 month he came back for the very first time I was soooooooooooooooooooooooo happy :D . its a great feeling isn't it :D
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

ahahahah he sounds like a nightmare! Laufey does like to go for a bird on the ground but does't pursue it when it's flown off.

I did love when he starting getting a good recall but unfortunately other dogs are just too much to get a recall but we're working on it and he's getting there. I can't wait for him to develop some impulse control. He's hit the point at the minute where there's a delay between words and actions and sometimes he also decides that he's not listening so any sort of "spot dog, NOT hightail it after dog" is excellent progress us for and I was very impressed with him as he spotted quite a few and just looked at me :mrgreen: We definitely need to work on it more as that wasn't the case on this morning's first walk and probably won't be the case next time we see a dog but for today he was amazing :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Theo400

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by Theo400 »

He was for the first year being a larger dog things were slightly harder and GSD are not the easiest dog for a first time owner. but I would not change him for the world he's great know he calmed a lot when he hit 18months and all the sweat, biting my lip and bruises and teeth marks were worth it and it seems like the puppy hood was just a dream as he is perfect know and listens to everything I say :D .
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

So you're saying I can live in hope :wink: If I'm honest he was an awful puppy, very bitey and in your face. The biting he's mostly grown out of, with letting him mouth now being part of play and moves quickly away with an "ow" (even if he didn't cause it the poor boy) and generally being in your face which I've mostly just accepted and he's slightly politer about it now. Besides, I think the latter was partly my fault so I can't be mad. All I really need is him to not eat things he finds - read as sweets / chewing gum / sticks / sick - and work on impulse control. I'm hoping age and continued accidental training will work it out without needing to resort to "I have to actively fix this problem right now" as he seems to do better with thing I accidentally teach, oops? :lol:
Theo400

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by Theo400 »

Hi Delladooo

yep it got so easy when he turned 18month. at time when he was younger I felt like giving up but all of a sudden he started listening more I think it was because he had left the puppyhood mentally as shep's can stay puppies for up to 2yrs (in there head). but he just grew up and did not see things the way he did when he thought he was still an 8 week old pup.
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

Well I live in hope! Looking at him now (asleep) you'd think he's an angel but then other times I have no idea what to do with him. Although, in many ways it's all my own fault as he has me wrapped around his paw :? I carried him half way to the park the other night because he needed a bedtime pee but decided he was too warm and comfy to go :oops:
Theo400

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by Theo400 »

:lol: sound like Theo as a pup would not go out if he was comfy. so I bribed him with a treat instead Theo is a food addict. so I used that all the time if need be. :D
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

I know all about food addicts :lol: I did get him outside with food that day but decided it wasn't worth the trouble to keep feeding him down the street. Once he's part of the way he's fine but does not like to set off, not that I can blame him really
Theo400

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by Theo400 »

Theo cottoned on to what I was doing and started doing it more to get more treats. he a very cleaver dog and made it harder for me then :lol:
delladooo
Posts: 763
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:53 am
Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Hope I'm not jinxing it

Post by delladooo »

ahahaha I can imagine. I swear Laufey's sometimes difficult to get treats, I swear it :lol:
Post Reply