Sit at a distance

blackcob

blackcob

🖖
Joined
20 March 2007
Messages
13,005
Location
Shropshire
Visit site
Any bright ideas for teaching this? I want to eventually establish one whistle pip for a sit, three pips for come but whenever I touch the whistle she just comes rocketing back to me (unless there's something really interesting happening in the distance, of course :rolleyes:). Shouting 'SIT' does exactly the same, she comes to me first and then sits.

Sit/down and stay are well established so long as I am standing next to her to put her in the position first!

I'm hoping it will help with her fixating on other dogs, when she's sat she's fairly well 'stuck' and is much more unlikely to bolt and pull towards a strange dog, so I can sit her at a distance, walk on and then recall her once the dog has passed and she's out of the zone. Or that's the plan, anyway, it's truly two steps forward and one back at the moment... :o

In unrelated news, I have purchased a rabbit-furred tennis ball in a final attempt to find a motivation for the untemptable dog. Also, if anyone else uses Fish4Dogs products, they have free delivery on all orders for the next few days. :)
 
I've done it both with mat target training and with another person holding the leash to put them in a sit when you say it from a distance.

You could try getting her to sit infront of you and work on getting her to sit one step away at a time.
 
I should have added, I did try it with me shouting at a distance and OH standing by her to put her in the sit but she'd do anything she could to break away from him and come back to me, lol. She doesn't listen to a word he says. :o

If I try to step back she just wiggles forwards again - maybe take a walking stick to create a barrier between her and me, then work backwards from there?
 
I’ve always started with sit/down/stay (using voice or whistle and arm commands)taking a step back gradually and putting dog back on the spot consistently if it moves at all. Then progressing to same commands in house when dog is at liberty before trying outdoors. I also sometimes use a game where if dog responds immediately outdoors, I then run around and play chase.

However, I've always had greedy dogs.
 
I'm teaching this with a favourite toy. I get Henry to sit and wait, then walk a short distance from with the toy. I then call him to me quietly, so he comes slowly, and then, I call sit, and as I do so I take one pace towards him with the toy in the air. As he sits, I blow the whistle then I go straight to him and we have a game with the toy.

I also sometimes put his long line around a sturdy fence post, then I can be standing away from him and control him with the line while still being in front of him, if that makes sense at all!
 
Spudlet said:
I also sometimes put his long line around a sturdy fence post, then I can be standing away from him and control him with the line while still being in front of him, if that makes sense at all!
Click to expand...

Ahh, that may be a plan - tie her to something solid, walk away and hang around for as long as it takes her to sit (may be there for some time... :o) then pip with the whistle and praise like a mad thing. Worst bit is that the last dog I trained picked up things like this in about five reps, madam is more like 30... :eek:
 
I tend to hold the other end instead, so I can allow some play on the line but still bring him to a halt when I want to:)

You could take it back a step and begin by associating the whistle blast with the sit when you're with her, then start to introduce distance. Have you also tried training this at dinner time - getting her to sit at the other side of the kitchen before you put down the food?
 
Y'know, that hadn't occurred to me either - she sits for her dinner but I've never tried it at distance. Problem is that dinner isn't a huge appeal, where most dogs come running when they hear dinner being made she'll saunter in an hour later to pick over it. Definitely not enough motivation to attempt new behaviours, she'll just bugger off back to bed. :p

Will try with a suitable tree trunk tomorrow, anyway, I think the problem thus far has been keeping her at a distance so she has to try alternatives, if she's physically prevented from rocketing back she'll have to go through a repertoire to find the right thing to do. Given the amount of time devoted to making her come back I'm not surprised it's the default setting, lol! :D
 
Nothing useful to say, but I'm so glad I have the puppy version of Dax, its hard work alone never mind having to train at the age she is. Puppy now knows, sit, lye, stay, ah ah & no :) We consider ourselves very clever at the moment!! :) I'm sure the halo will drop at any time :)
 
katielou_houston said:
Have you got a good stay at a distance?
Click to expand...

Yup, over 50ft distance, haven't tried for time but I'm guessing we've done over a minute. Its just that I have to put her in the sit or down while she's next to me, then walk away - being able to sit or down at a distance to keep her 'stuck' so I can walk up to her would be really useful.

Masterbronze - give it two more months and the halo will be slipping down those furry ears. :p
 
Do you have a wait/halt command you could use? You could then try introducing wait & then sit and gradually increase the distance? I'm probably talking rubbish and confusing the issue, but it's something I would try :)
 
If it helps I had / have the same issue - Henry had always sat next to me, so was conditioned to run back to me then sit:rolleyes: I have found the toy really helpful, but it is a slow process to teach this one, it is the thing we have struggled with the most so far!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top