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What's your opinion on giving a command?
If your dog knows a certain command (like sit), but refuses to do it when you ask for it (even with a high value treat), do you give the command once and wait for the behavior (within in a reasonable timeframe) or do you continue to repeat the command and force him to do the behavior (like push down his butt)? Your thoughts are appreciated.
Asked by
Max
on Jul 1st 2009
in Commands
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It depends on the command and the situation. If it is a command where he has to do something (like sit), then there are two options. I will usually say his name and the command one more time. If he still doesn't comply, he gets a "too bad" and I walk away without giving him the treat and ignore him for a minute or two. If it is a command where I want him to NOT do something (like wait, stay or leave it), I will repeat the command every few moments to reinforce it. If it is a situation where he MUST comply with the command for safety reasons, I will force him to do so, but only under those circumstances.
Rusty
answered on 7/1/09.
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Rusty's answer is right on! My trainer always said that if you repeat a command, you are teaching the dog that the command is really "sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!" and the dog will learn to wait for the fifth (or whatever number) command before complying.
I love the "too bad" idea - I am going to try that with Katie when she fails to do a command. This is rare, but in an area with high distractions, she will sometimes ignore the command because she has something else to focus on.
Regarding the safety issue, my trainer recommends having an extra-special "come" command that is rock-solid. I have seen her use it with her dogs when they were chasing some kind of rodent at the corner of the park. She used the word, and they both came running (a Husky and a Siberian - usually very high-prey-drive dogs). She uses liver, salmon, or steak to reinforce the command, and she reinforces it weekly so she knows she can always call them away from danger.
I got a bit off-topic there, but hope it helps!
Katie
answered on 7/1/09.
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If your dog is not responding to your commands, you probably haven't taught the command well enough and proofed it in many places (sit at home, in your living room is not the same as sit outside to dogs, you have to teach them to generalize).
It's important to only give the command once... but i would also say if your dog is not responding, i would go back a few steps and reinforce the behavior using lures but i would never force their butt down... by doing that you are teaching them that sit means you will push down their bottom--not that they should put their own bottom on the ground.
it's not a matter of a dog "refusing" to do the behavior... just have to lower the criteria and keep working at a lower level.
Keep working the basics w/ high value rewards in lots of places (starting w/ low distractions and moving to places with more distractions). Consistency is key.
Shayne
answered on 7/1/09.
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Well done, Rusty and Katie!
I would just add that I use the dog's name only in positive circumstances, never when angry, impatient, or scolding. If you reserve the use of the name only for the good stuff, he associates it and your use of it with positive outcomes, and is likely to respond more eagerly to commands.
Valentine
answered on 9/21/09.
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