Whats been your most challenging training obstacle?

[Northwoods10]

With your past or current dogs, what has been your most challenging training obstacle?

I'd have to say that Remi in general has been the most challenging. The biggest thing with him was recall.

My labs were ALWAYS good about recall and staying close to me. They check in often and he is a little different. He is more independant and will venture out further than the girls.

I had an issue with him at about 6 months old when he was just starting to be a bit more reliable off leash. He would hide in the woods when we called him. Just far enough into the woods we were uncomfortable but we could still see him. He would just sit there, until he was ready to come out.

I got the tip from another GSP owner, that I should completely ignore him and walk the other direction and act very interested in something else. They do not like being ignored. THIS worked almost immediately. As soon as he would go into "hiding" mode, I would turn my back to him and completely ignore him. It literally would last another 10 seconds and he would come running back to me.

Now, I am very confident with his recall and he has proven it to me several times in the last month. It used to be just a task to get him some exercise, because he was so unreliable off leash. Even with Nallah I remember being able to let her off leash at about 6 months old and she was great. Morgan has always been great off leash since she came to us at 1.5 years.

So, when Remi challenged that, I wasn't sure how to face it. But now he will stop and turn on a dime to a whistle or "Remi, come!"

Its sooooo nice being able to have a reliable recall with all 3 of my dogs. I am really looking forward to adventures with them all off leash, instead of 2 of them off and one whiney GSP on a leash!

[Tobi]

My most challenging training obstacle isn't an obstacle it's a breed If ever you are looking for a challenge this is the breed to go

Our recall isn't the best but it's getting there, he doesn't go anywhere offleashe but our yard, leave it's/drop it's aren't bad they actually came pretty easy, I think right now... staying out of the kitchen is our big one... it's like he's great when i say "out" and he leaves the kitchen and lays down and then he challenges it by just scooting slowly in while i'm not looking...

Another thing is keeping him interested in training and learning, he gets bored really quick and will just lie down even though i'm bouncing off the walls and have a cup full of treats! :p

[whiteleo]

My most challenging training obstacle isn't an obstacle it's a breed If ever you are looking for a challenge this is the breed to go

Our recall isn't the best but it's getting there, he doesn't go anywhere offleashe but our yard, leave it's/drop it's aren't bad they actually came pretty easy, I think right now... staying out of the kitchen is our big one... it's like he's great when i say "out" and he leaves the kitchen and lays down and then he challenges it by just scooting slowly in while i'm not looking...

Another thing is keeping him interested in training and learning, he gets bored really quick and will just lie down even though i'm bouncing off the walls and have a cup full of treats! :p

You have to keep it really interesting and fun for B.T's You might pick up this book by Jane Killion

• When Pigs Fly
  
  
  
  

[Tobi]

You have to keep it really interesting and fun for B.T's You might pick up this book by Jane Killion

• When Pigs Fly
  
  
  
  

I love that book!!! that book is fantastic for any dog though! Something i might add, i have a deep respect for her for having trained such an oddball breed to excel in agility! That is why have so much respect for her and her book!

[malluver1005]

I've never really had any issues with Aspen, until now. Lately he has been lunging at other dogs that are on walks or in other yards. He doesn't growl or anything, he whines. I can't tell if he wants to meet them or what, but Aspen has been pretty good with dogs. Something we need to work on...

[Stella+Samson]

With my Stella it was to stop her from chasing bicycles.

And just when I managed that she didnt do it anymore, i had a fosterdog who did the same, so Stella started again.....

Samson has a strong will to please...but that is also a problem, because during Agility and also work with the dummy (field trials) he did not want to go far away from me. It took a long time to get him to do that.

[SilverBeat]

Wallaby is a wonderful boy, picks things up REALLY quick, usually within one or two 10-15 minute training sessions he is 80%+ reliable with the behavior. Depending on the distraction/stress level of the environment.

So far the only thing that's really tough for me is just having him be reliable off-leash. He isn't. He's like a totally different dog, to the extent that I;m scared to TRY training him off-leash BECAUSE he is so unreliable. So it's just this endless cycle. Everything else? He's phenomenal. His recall is good, we have been working on it a lot adding in distractions.. he's doing really well with everything I've thrown at him.

When I say unreliable, I mean he doesn't pay attention to me, it's like he doesn't know me from the man in the moon.

[CavePaws]

Indi wins this one by a thousand mile stretch compared to my others. Her aggression towards other dogs and fear of people is the toughest thing I've probably ever had to stick through.

Here are my reasons:
a. it's unsafe for other dogs(not in the pack) and for other people to be around her
b. i am alienated at trials and seminars when i am walking her around, most people seem to know, she is an excellent agility dog but I can't stop and chat with her unless I'm like 5 feet away from others...the warnings kind of suck because people think i'm being a jerk or am mean because my dog is.
c. she can be unpredictable, sometimes even with dogs she knows
d. we've hit a plateau...she has been on meds for a while now and just isn't going anywhere, even with behavior modification multiple times a day
e. i don't have the heart to ever give up on her, so i've changed the way i live and work because of her
f. ya, the social aspect just really sucks.
g. it is CONSTANT maintenance and takes a lot of supervision and awareness to take her places. i am actually really jumpy now because of it. :/

[CorgiPaws]

Annie has a very very hard time containing herself around children. She is not aggressive in the slightest, but that doesn't mean its not very dangerous behavior. Kids running and playing at the park means Annie is on leash. Period. She whines, does her pouty high pitched bark, pulls the leash, throws a fit on leash if she can't get to them. Off leash? Jump, jump, jump, lick, lick, lick. She's a 55lb dog of solid muscle and has the potential to really hurt someone with this behavior. If thy are yelling, screaming, squealing kids... its by far worse.
I've had plenty of training ideas, but all of them of course require a few kids...and I don't have any kids in my life aside from ky sister's three and they are terribly afraid of dogs, so I don't feel it would be a good move. Its very difficult to work on a behavior they only happens in a rare circumstance...

[SilverBeat]

Annie has a very very hard time containing herself around children. She is not aggressive in the slightest, but that doesn't mean its not very dangerous behavior. Kids running and playing at the park means Annie is on leash. Period. She whines, does her pouty high pitched bark, pulls the leash, throws a fit on leash if she can't get to them. Off leash? Jump, jump, jump, lick, lick, lick. She's a 55lb dog of solid muscle and has the potential to really hurt someone with this behavior. If thy are yelling, screaming, squealing kids... its by far worse.
I've had plenty of training ideas, but all of them of course require a few kids...and I don't have any kids in my life aside from ky sister's three and they are terribly afraid of dogs, so I don't feel it would be a good move. Its very difficult to work on a behavior they only happens in a rare circumstance...

Wallaby is this way around kids who don't know how to act around dogs. I don't like to label kids as "scared of dogs" because there are plenty at my mom's daycare who are shy and unsure of how to handle themselves, most because they have never had a relationship with dogs before, but they aren't scared. You can even see the difference with babies.
I'm lucky enough that my mom understands this as well, and that I have kids around most of the time that I can "socialize" him with.