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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Ev lives the Lower Mainland of Beautiful British Columbia, Canada where she has been training dogs since 1969. She is experienced in many methods including clicker and motivational training. Ev is an original Superdog Performance Team member and her own dogs have travelled and performed with the Canadian SuperDogs since 1984. She has also served as an A.A.C. judge ans is an original Member/Trainer with the Dogwood Pacesetters Agility Club.
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[Edit]
10/13/2005
I have a GS/Husky pup 6 months old that is about 60 lbs and he is constantly getting on the table and counter and getting what ever he can get off of it and take it and run. I have tried correcting him and he seems to know it is wrong but does it anyway. I know this may sound simple but he is a very strong willed dog. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you (ljorichardson, Missouri)
Basically your pup " ...seems to know it is wrong but does it anyway." because he can.
Huskies are extremely athletic and able to bounce on the spot several feet in the air. They also like to run and seem to take forever to mature, wanting to play games most of their lives. This fact alone means your dog needs more things to do before he can be content with a simpler life. Boredom is a huge factor with active breeds.
A mixture of GS (which I assume is German Shepherd) gives him the intellect to put his athletic abilities to work.
A walk down the street or to the park twice a day is NOT enough. His mind needs stimulation and exercise as well as his body. Try spending more time teaching him words. Get him to start 'thinking' about what you are asking and make sure there is a reward for him to work towards. A favourite treat or toy only comes out when training sessions are in play. If these things are accessible whenever he wants then they will not serve as an enticement when you need them to.
Start with simple things like sit and down. You will have to demonstrate to him, at the beginning, what these words mean but eventually you start backing off
on the signals and motions you give in order for him to start 'thinking' about what you asked. After a few weeks, start adding another word, trick or action every few days and extending your training sessions to accompany the variety of actions and the time it takes for him to think about what he must do to get the treat/toy.
This is just a sample of how you can get him more focused and on the road to bonding with you. Until a bond has taken place, the respect to listen to you when you are correcting him, will be at his own discretion.
Another thing to remember is that he is a puppy. Like having a 4 year old child. How would you deal with a child that climbed the cupboards and got into everything?? Simply stating your disapproval of their actions will not be enough, you would also need to take action yourself. This can be done in two ways; either keep them within reach ( a leash, playpen, crate, barricaded room, etc.) so they cannot get in trouble in the first place and thus having to 'earn' their freedom by listening or behaving well; OR by handing out consequences to their actions when they don't meet your approval (taking away a privilege such as a toy, giving them a time out in their private spot like a crate).
Again these are only samples of the many things that can be done to help you establish the rules. A 'hands-on' class with a trainer or other canine professional would be advised. A purchase of a crate and a few baby gates is also recommended. Enrolling into an obedience class is also a very positive action and more for you than for the dog.
Good Luck.
Canine Caretaker Training/Consulting
http://www.k9care.ca
"United We Stand."
http://www.standunited.ca
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