Training advice please!

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Dizzle

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My Border Terrier puppy is 10 months old now and I need some training advice!

We enjoy our walks together and he is usually off lead, but I’m finding it hard to train him when he has to walk next to me (off lead) and when he is allowed to run free.

Specifically I want him to stay by me when we meet other people or dogs, at the moment he will run off to play THEN come back, this isn’t acceptable!

The idea I’ve had so far is to attach his lead to a belt and clicker him to walk next to me (he’s not great at loose lead walking either) and then when we see other people or dogs to get him sitting down until they have passed.

I fed the horses last night and he was loose and I shoo’d my friend’s horse away, puppy ran off to ‘play’ with him and horse was showing him his heels, I yelled at the dog and went to run in the opposite direction and he came, it was over in seconds but it was totally unacceptable behaviour, my fault totally for not training him but I can’t have him wanting to play with the horses, it’s not fair on them and dangerous for him.

Having a nightmare trying to find classes to take him to locally, I want to get him doing starter agility as he’ll have to focus on doing something fun with me and ignoring everyone else but that’s like Hens teeth round here. Even normal classes seem to be pretty out of scope!

Answers on a postcard please!
 
You need to give him specific commands for when he has to walk beside you ('follow' 'close) and when he is free to go ('free' 'ok' 'take a break') otherwise he will not know the difference.

Personally I don't like stopping and sitting as it creates a Mexican stand off between the dog and the more exciting, moving object.

You also need to either use compulsion to keep him beside you (a barrier or correction if he tries to move off unbidden) AND/or incentivise staying beside you, find out what drives him, something high reward like food (when training recall, I do not feed the dog and keep it hungry and the dog gets his food allowance from my pockets) or a ball/toy. This needs to start at home, then in the garden, then distractions introduced gradually.
You need to play with him, to entice him, to bond with him and to make yourself more attractive than the distractions - that last point is one that a lot of people forget - we can be awfully boring sometimes, why wouldn't our dogs tank off!!
 
Dizzle said:
My Border Terrier puppy is 10 months old now and I need some training advice!

Specifically I want him to stay by me when we meet other people or dogs, at the moment he will run off to play THEN come back, this isn’t acceptable!
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As per CC PLUS you need to be more alert to spot the other dogs before your BT does and get your cues in for him to stay close, for you to use distraction techniques (game of tug?) or whatever. Mum has to become more interesting than the ancient, three legged, blind in one eye mongrel that is at the other end of the football pitch, yes??!! :D:)

You also need to reward him from time to time by allowing him to go and interact with the other dogs; teach him a 'go greet' cue or similar.
 
Alec Swan said:
Training Terriers? Honestly? :D:D:D

You have what you have. It's a terrier. I hate the bloody things.

That's it! :o:p:p

Alec.
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Haha, yes we were laughed at on Saturday morning by another Border Terrier owner for trying to train one! :D

My best friend refers to the puppy as the best trained naughty dog!

Ooh I never thought of a game of tug! What a good idea, he does love to play tug :D
 
Totally agree with CC about giving him something to concentrate on other than sitting and waiting for dog to pass etc. I have a working lakeland terrier who is well trained but i had to work out what he really wanted. A ball and cheese are his weaknesses!

Mine also comes to the yard and at about 7 months old he decided to try and "play" with one of the horses, he initially ignored my recall. He had always been off lead in the field up to that point with no problem from 10 weeks old. He was lucky he wasnt trampled and there was only 2 horses in the field who are not at all bothered by dogs. Once i did get hold of him he was severely told off and put straight back on the lead and marched off back to the car and left there to wait for me (wasnt a hot day or anything). Not ideal and many others would not have approved of my treatment of him, i am usually very positive/reward training with him which has really worked but this was totally unacceptable. He has never even attempted to do it again and spends most days in the field with the horses and happily goes rooting in the hedges for rabbits to snack on etc ignoring the horses even when they are rolling or kicking thier heels and just stays out of the way. Sometimes they do need to know they are wrong.

My terrier does agility and flyball, he is not perfectly obedient as he wouldnt be a terrier and what would be the point of that! but he does as he is told the vast majority of the time. Its been a hard slog though at times but it is possible to train a terrier.
 
I've no issue with restricting the freedom of/isolating a dog/putting it away as a form of punishment but you really have to get the timing right so that the dog does not believe 'if I do return to mum/if mum comes up to me, the fun ends' and then you get avoidance issues.

For ragging/tugging invest in a decent ball on a rope or pillow/sausage type thing and teach a solid 'leave' 'drop' command. Sometimes let him win it too.
 
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CaveCanem said:
For ragging/tugging invest in a decent ball on a rope or pillow/sausage type thing and teach a solid 'leave' 'drop' command. Sometimes let him win it too.
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Also, make it his most prized possession ever.....once you've taught the leave/drop/dead command or whatever it only ever comes out when you are out walking as a reward/distraction. He does not get to play with at home or in any other circumstance!

That video clip was bloody amazing! Loved every second of it!:D
 
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