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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Elaine has been training dogs professionally for 14 years. She is a CPDT as well as an endorsed member of NADOI. She is also certified in narcotics detection and is one half of a (twice) certified explosives detection team - the other half being her Dutch Shepherd Spawn, who is also titled in several protection sports. Elaine is the owner of Canine's Best Behavior, a Los Angeles based training company, offering Basic Manners, CGC, K9 Games (soon!) as well as behavior modification for aggression fears phobias etc.
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7/12/2007
I have a 9 week old Boston terrier- Chihuahua female mix. I am having a hard time training her to be obedient to my voice. She when I tell her to “COME” she runs. She will go under things were I can’t reach her to pull her out. She will run and make me run after her. She runs around if I tell her to sit. She just does everything opposite to what I want her to do. I have tired to give her treats on FEW occasions that she does listen. I have tried talking to her in a firm tone. I am just having the hardest time. I can’t afford school to teach her discipline. How to I teach her to listen when she hears a command?? (DIAMOND, Alabama)
Hi Diamond,
A dog that does the opposite of what you tell her to? Clearly, she is dyslexic!! Of course I am kidding.
At 9 weeks she really doesn't know anything with enough reliability to say that she "knows" what you are asking her. For me, a 9 week old pup is dragging a leash to manage those moments where she tries to run off or under things. It will also eliminate the running after her, a very bad thing for her to learn!
If using food works - great! It's what I would do with any young pup. Try hand feeding her kibble in exchange for little bits of obedience: sits and release with OK,
come and sit with release, wait and release etc. Notice these all have release commands as part of it. That's very important for a dog that has already started to learn to run off. Try speaking to her calmly, firm to you may mean angry to her and make her nervous. If you truly feel that she hears "Come" and associates it as "run away," then start over with a brand new command like "here", but teach it in a way that it won't result in the same response! Start in a small enclosed room and a dragged leash, try to avoid the leash as much as possible just let it drag on the ground and step on it of she starts to run, then you run the other way a few steps, best case scenario she will run after you!
You may also want to put empty boxes in the things that she hides under.
You can get fairly inexpensive group class from your local park and rec, speak with someone prior to signing up to make sure that they will responsibly address dogs of all sizes in a group class setting.
A great book to read: The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell, it's about how we relate to dogs and has really great training exercises in it as well.
Hope that helps!
Elaine Allison CPDT NADOI
Canine Behavior Consultant
Canine's Best Behavior
1.866.K9s.Best
www.caninesbestbehavior.com
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