How much can they learn in a week?

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Patches

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Dogskool was ok last night. Not alot to report as it was just an introduction. I was like "eeeeep.....that means we have to learn all of THAT in seven weeks now!"

Anyway, next week we have a competition to see which dog sits the fastest on command. Harvey is pretty instant but was clearly the only one previously taught to sit by a signal. The others either had no sit or were pushing their dogs to sit down.

Sooo....just how much can they be taught in a week? I am feeling distinctly competitive!!!!
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The instructor didn't actually explain to them HOW to teach their dogs to sit either.
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Depends on the dog - quick learner like your Harvey, no worries. My Bella learned the 'down' in 20 minutes. I got B to do the long down perfect from calamitous in under a week.
My OH's sister's staffy cross? I spent weeks and weeks and weeks on that poor sap and it went in one ear and out the other
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I love that sort of thing, I am exactly the same - B was joint 3rd out of 12 during an agility competition last year and I was RAGING
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Just an aside, I hate to see little puppies having their bums pushed down, argh!!!
You do get people at classes who don't realise class is just one day a week - if you don't train at home - which is where the majority of the training does, and should take place - then there is no point!!!
 
I guess it depends on the individual doggie, like CC said.

My oldest Iggy was quick to learn the basics at school, but struggled with more advanced stuff - although, not so sure it was a learning issue or rather an attitude issue of "why should I bother" !!

Sit - 10/10
Stay - 10/10
Mummy walks away and stay sitting - 10/10
Mummy turns to face R and he stays sitting - 10/10
Mummy recalls R to her - Big Fat 0. R decides why go to mummy when he can race around the hall and go see all his 4-legged school friends !!!

My cat learnt to sit in 5minutes - does that count?
 
Otto learnt sit in about 10 mins, in fact most things he picks up in about 10 mins.
Paw however took him weeks and weeks, until one day I said it absentmindely and got a paw shoved in my face
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Go Harvey, make AAD proud
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I get awfully competitive with things like that, if I think I have a chanc of winning I go a bit crazy! On the otherhand if I know I don't stand a chance, I just don't care!
 
Ditto CC on hate having bums pushed down ... this is what i mean by 'forcing' and dog to be trained rather than working with a dog to train. Forcing or rushing a dog will just mean trouble in the future!

All dogs are different but you seem to have a strong bond with him already and of course with him being a spangle :P i reckon he'll be a quick learner!!!
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Yay go Harvey, only the fastest sit will do. He seems a bright little button, so should be fine. Bit worrying trainer not showing how to make pups sit, I'm with CC I hate seeing pressing on their dogs spines to make them sit.
 
Harvey was walking nicely on a lead, looking at me, to my left. Lead was loose, he was walking at my heel. I kept asking him to sit (instant), gave a treat, asked to "wait" walked a stride and then asked him to "come on then", so he caught up.

I was amused by the amount of dogs dragging their owners about and alarmed at the number of extending leads on said puppies! Eeeeeep!

Instructor said it looked like we had been doing our homework! ***polishes halo***

There were alot of Jack Russells that only seemed interested in yapping at the nearest dog, bless them. A Springer whose one aim in life was to find the membrane under the school's surface with it's JCB like front paws....when it wasn't dragging it's owners about. She said "he's got no manners...sorry". I replied "Isn't that why we're all here, to help teach them some?"
 
Sure when I started going to classes I had the delinquent, barking and snarling at the other dogs, lunging, puppy eating
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....now, he will never be a world beater in terms of competing, but he is one of the most trustworthy males on the field and he pairs up to other dogs to nanny them when they are learning their routines.
 
Erm yes I had the embarrassing bouncing like tigger one. Not aggressively she just wanted to play with everything
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CC you know how impressed I am with your success with Bodo, maybe you should start running a delinquent dog training class
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[ QUOTE ]
Yay go Harvey, only the fastest sit will do. He seems a bright little button, so should be fine. Bit worrying trainer not showing how to make pups sit, I'm with CC I hate seeing pressing on their dogs spines to make them sit.

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She showed them how she asks for the sit command with her dog and that she uses food rewards, but she didn't show the age old, hold the treat over the nose and take it back over their nose till their bum sits.

Tonight, using her precise hand signals too, we've had sit, down, stand, stay, wait, come.

Can we graduate now?
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I thought he would struggle to understand the difference between stay and wait, but he was a good boy. I even managed to get him to sit and wait with some treats at his feet. I walked around the settee and back again and he didn't have them until I stood by him and said "take it".

Very pleased with him.
 
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