obedience questions?

[twig4238]

Hello! I'm a new member to the forum! I'm currently in the process of training my first bird dog (gunner) a brittany. My question is this. I have been working with him on his basic obedience. He has really progressed well I think, but sometimes he seems to backtrack. I know he knows heel and come, and he listens. However sometimes he is kind of slow responding to the command and I have to give a small correction. It's almost like he is bored. The sessions are 10-15 mins twice a day. So is this normal, or am I missing something. We have been training less than 1 month. Thanks in advance.

[ROTTnBRITT]

If your pup is young, it's to be expected. It's takes some time to have a dog that will comply to commands and do so with a quick response. Keep it fun and keep working at it.

[Sharon]

Welcome to the forum.

How old is your dog?

[MikeB]

To answer your question "Am I missing something" YES, I think what your missing is direction and instruction from a professioinal trainer. Finding a dog obedience trainer teaching group puppy classes in your local area at a pet store, city park, etc. would be very helpful for basic obedience training. Training for YOU and YOUR pup. Puppy training should be short sessions using fun, fair and firm methods with little to n corrections unti the pup really knows what is expected of them of each command. I think your expecting way to much to early.

[mnaj_springer]

To answer your question "Am I missing something" YES, I think what your missing is direction and instruction from a professioinal trainer. Finding a dog obedience trainer teaching group puppy classes in your local area at a pet store, city park, etc. would be very helpful for basic obedience training. Training for YOU and YOUR pup. Puppy training should be short sessions using fun, fair and firm methods with little to n corrections unti the pup really knows what is expected of them of each command. I think your expecting way to much to early.

What? A professional trainer? I disagree with this. I have the opinion that anyone with common sense and some resources (a program to follow) can, at the very least, complete basic obedience. Heck, I trained my first bird dog at 12 years old. By my current standards he was simply a started dog, but compared to most dogs, he was brilliant. Plus, completing the basic obedience is a great way to bond with a pup and learn the pup's quirks and personality.

For the OP.... Welcome to the forum! I think we need a little more info before we can really help.. How old is the puppy? What training program are you using? What have you done to teach obedience so far (what are the specific procedures)?

Good luck!

[RayGubernat]

If your pup is young, it's to be expected. It's takes some time to have a dog that will comply to commands and do so with a quick response. Keep it fun and keep working at it.

+1. Puppies do tend to fake us out. You think they "got it", but then two days later, it seems like the dog has no clue. This is totally normal. A puppy can sometimes make you think they are a little Einstein and the very next time you mess with the dog it will seem that it has the intellect and attention span of a gnat.

Your training interval seems just fine, but the younger the puppy, the more you may wish to mix play in with the training. You gotta keep it fun and keep it fresh for a youngster.

Go slow, do plenty of repetitions, but mix up the lessons and throw some curve balls in there to get the dog's attention. Don't feel like you have to train every time you interact with the dog. Don't feel like you HAVE to get this or that done today. If it ain't fun and interesting for you, it ain't gonna be fun for the dog either. You have every day for the rest of that dog's life, so there is no need to be in a rush.

Enjoy. They are only young for a very short time.

RayG

[SubMariner]

If your pup is young, it's to be expected. It's takes some time to have a dog that will comply to commands and do so with a quick response. Keep it fun and keep working at it.

+1. Puppies do tend to fake us out. You think they "got it", but then two days later, it seems like the dog has no clue. This is totally normal. A puppy can sometimes make you think they are a little Einstein and the very next time you mess with the dog it will seem that it has the intellect and attention span of a gnat.

Your training interval seems just fine, but the younger the puppy, the more you may wish to mix play in with the training. You gotta keep it fun and keep it fresh for a youngster.

Go slow, do plenty of repetitions, but mix up the lessons and throw some curve balls in there to get the dog's attention. Don't feel like you have to train every time you interact with the dog. Don't feel like you HAVE to get this or that done today. If it ain't fun and interesting for you, it ain't gonna be fun for the dog either. You have every day for the rest of that dog's life, so there is no need to be in a rush.

Enjoy. They are only young for a very short time.

RayG

Exactly. It doesn't matter whether it's in the field or doing obedience, this is good advice.

I also don't think the OP needs a "professional trainer". If he wants some direction join a local obedience club. Most of them are non-profits run by people who care about training your dog, not about selling you stuff.

JMHO,

[twig4238]

Thanks for all of the replies. It's nice to know that people are willing to answer questions for us new comers. He has started progressing well and doing better each session.