Training pup to remain in "down: position - Page 1

Hi all -

So Im training my 4 month old pup and hes doing great but Im not sure on how to keep him in the "down" position. I know its all my technique problem but he drops to the down position quickly, and I reward him with a treat, but as soon as I reach into my treat bag, he sits up again. How do I train him to stay in that position until I issue another command or release him? If I stay down at his level in a crouched position, he will stay there, but as soon as I stand, he will sit up.

Thanks

Let him grow up some more.

He's going down willing and he's staying down with you.  At four months he doesn't have much more attention span than that. 

This is a no-brainer! Have the treat ready IN YOUR HAND!  You can even use it to lure him into position, then make him hold the position, with the treat  a short distance in front of his nose, for a couple of seconds before rewarding. Gradually increase the number of seconds he has to wait before being given the reward, and he will gradually get the idea that the wait is part of the exercise!

It might also help to use a verbal cue to let him know the exercise is completed, such as 'Break!" or 'good job!"

Everyone has their own style of dog training.

I would tell him one time to platz, reward him when he obeys assuming he goes down in a few seconds. If he sits up, kneel next to him, gently push him on the shoulders back into the platz, pet his back , tell him how wonderful he is and stand back up. Say nothing until you are ready to release him. Repeat as necessary. Keep it very short with a puppy, increase the time as he ages. In my experience GSD's get bored very quickly with repetition and puppies have a short attention span.  I don't give a command more than once.

I no longer use food to reward my dog when when we are training. I found that treating can cause the dog to become too focused on the food and it  may not want to work or obey when a food treat in not offered. I use verbal praise instead. If you are not planning to trial your puppy, then food treating will probably not be a problem as long as you always have a pocketful of dog goodies with you .

PHOOEY on all the above!  Less on Sunsilver.  SHe's right but he's young to push.

Blitzen is absolutely wrong.  Her thought process flies against Pavlov (operant conditioning).  She has never learned how to teach the focus away from the food so she avoids it completely.  Baaaadddddd,l  Don't EVER get in a wrestling match with a dog physically.  All you are teaching is that you have lost control and cant get him to mind with out resorting to force which will FORCE him to resist you (opposition reflex). 

If you use SS's technique on a too young dog, he will bounce up and then down as he learns what you are trying to teach.  It can be taught cleaner when he is older but can be done SS's way if you are careful to not push. 

He is still a young dog and is at the fear imprinting stage of his life.  Stay away from conflict with him. 

As I said, everyone has their own style of dog training .

Thanks all for the advice. I think I have been rushing things too much and will slow down and take things more gradually.

skibike, do you train with a trainer who is experienced with GSD's? Many trainers encourgage rewarding with food treats and it's not the wrong way to train, it's not the only way  is the point I am trying to make. I probably didn't make that clear. You need to recognize the difference between a treat and a bribe and sometimes that's hard to know. The first few dogs I trained had very short attention spans even as adults.  They had no will to serve without food rewards. When I got GSD's I found that food rewards were no longer necessary as those dogs seemed to want to please me. I didn't need food rewards, praise was enough for them. Now that your little  guy is accustomed to food rewards it may be the best way to go with him. Sunsilver has offered some good suggestions. There is really no right or wrong way, it's more about your dog and what works best for you both. Good luck with him.

There is a right and a wrong way depending on what your goal is with your dog.

For competitive heeling, praise alone isn't going to be enough  You need to find something that will become the paycheck for the dog doing his work.

I know of  more that a few GSD's who have attained advanced OB titles and BH's without food rewards. Do you know who Winifred Strickland was?  She never used food rewards, said it was demeaning to the dog to bribe with food. Many OB titles and a record for the most 200 OB scores with her GSL Jal.

https://pedigreedatabase.com/forum.read?mnr=669159-winifred-strickland-gibson-19162012