Advice on stubborn pup

[gsdemack]

She is about 14 weeks now and stubborn to listen sometimes. Specifically down or sit but naturally leads into other things also.

I hate the idea of not having an obedient dog, I am using positive training techniques using a clicker and she craves the treats. She understands the commands and never gets anything until she obeys; because of the fact she understands the commands I do not use the clicker anymore.

At my wits end on this one...

[gsdsar]

Patience!!! She is still an itty baby. Keep with the clicker, keep with the treats. They KNOW nothing at this stage/age. They will test, they will ignore, they will talk back. It's all normal. Be careful not to put unreal expectations on a baby.


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[angierose]

Your dog is not being stubborn, she is being a puppy. 14 weeks is still very young. They have short attention spans still and are still learning about everything in the world, which should be fun and interesting to them. Obedience is great, but this is also a fantastic time to really develop a bond with your dog through play and confidence-building.

If she knows how to sit and whatnot I don't see a problem in fading out the clicker for those commands, but I hope you haven't phased out treats completely yet. Or some kind of reward at least.

How long are your training sessions? Are you boring her? This is a very young dog still, you want to keep things short and fun, and always end on a positive note. Be patient and let her grow up.

[gsdemack]

OK, thanks for your posts - it's relief to know that things will improve.

[doggiedad]

my dog was in a puppy class at 10 weeks old. the class
offered a lot of socialization. when he was 4 months old
he took private lessons. after the 6 week puppy class
there was light training. along with the private lessons
there was a lot of socializing and training after class.
all of his training was done in short sessions in the begining.
each session last 5 to 10 minutes but there was a lot
of sessions throughout the day. we trained indoors and
outside. i always had help from a professional trainer
when needed. consistency, consistency, praise, praise,
treat, treat, train, train and socialize, socialize. i read
somewhere "when your dog isn't doing what you want
you have to stop and ask yourself what am i doing wrong".

[Jrnabors]

Well, doggiedad, I think there is some merit in the quote you read, but it is not 100% correct, and I think many a dog owner have beaten themselves up over blanket statements like that. The same could be said about parents and teachers of our human pups. Just like people, each dog is different, and sometimes a dog will be belligerent and hard to deal with no matter what you do. But 14 weeks? That's way too soon to be making any judgment calls.

[JanaeUlva]

I agree more with doggiedad than jrnabors. My experience has been that dogs are rarely "stubborn." Instead it usually has more to do with the trainer. The trainer needs to understand their dog - what motivates the dog and how to communicate with their dog. Yes, not all dogs are the same thus the need to figure things out.

[MaggieRoseLee]

I also agree with doggiedad, but only in the 'when we know better we do' better mindset.

I think the OP is doing the best they can with what they know, and they are getting frustrated with the puppy when things aren't progressing the way they think it should.

And what WE ALL DO is then tend to blame the puppy. Human nature...

But for me, after being around pups and dogs for so long (specially with the puppies) I absolutely know that when things are stalled in training the 'problem' is me. Either something I don't know, or didn't try, or going too fast in training, or too slow, or too impatient, or using the wrong treats, or bad timing (this is a MAJOR problem for me) so the puppy is confused and no longer sticks around to learn or just sits there immobile.

It's why MANY of us take the easier route for the puppy and us to join into a puppy class to get some appropriate training in along with socialization and instant feedback to help with our training.

For younger puppies I mostly teach 'engagement' and tricks. Because though it looks like just fun and games, it's actually teaching skills and bonding that will help for the rest of our dog's life. Added to the socialization to get my puppy comfortable out and about in any situation, that more than fills up the first 6 months or so of my pups life.

Have you had a chance to look at this site yet ---> Top Training Expectations for Puppies

I know that ALL dog training is about teaching and training me. Then when I'm doing it right, my dog/pup is suddenly BRILLIANT and I'm not frustrated and angry. So now when a training session starts going poorly, I stop right away, take a deep breath and go away to come up with a better training plan instead of insisting my METHOD is right and the pup is the problem.

Good luck!

[doggiedad]

when your dog isn't doing what you want you have to stop
and ask yourself what am i doing wrong".

1>>> the statement is 100% correct. the remark means
look at yourself and your training methods before blaming
the dog. why would someone would beat themselves up over a
statement like that?

2>>> there's no comparison between teaching humans and
dogs.

3>>> it doesn't matter how old the dog is you can take a
look at your own training methods. what's judgmental about
looking at the way you train?

Originally Posted by Jrnabors

Well, doggiedad, I think there is some merit in the quote you read,

1>>>> but it is not 100% correct, and I think many a dog owner have beaten themselves up over blanket statements like that.

2>>> The same could be said about parents and teachers of our human pups. Just like people, each dog is different, and sometimes a dog will be belligerent and hard to deal with no matter what you do.

3>>> But 14 weeks? That's way too soon to be making any judgment calls.

[gsdemack]

Ok, this information has been really helpful and I am going to get the Leerburg dvd on training with food.

Maybe someone can help me here but my dog tends to start biting at my legs whenever she gets pent up. Just there it was because she did not get treats when I threw a ball for her a few times to fetch. It seems that she is taking out anger - her bites can be really hard with the puppy teeth.