Refusing to Listen
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Refusing to Listen
Murphy is 11 weeks old, my first dog, and has problems with listening to command.
When I let him outside he refuses to come when I call him. Everything catches his attention. He will sniff every leaf, bug, debris, etc, all around the backyard. After he is done going to the bathroom, I will walk towards the door using a clicker and say, "Murphy, come." If he comes, which isn't too often, I reward him with a treat and praise him. The clicker/treat method worked for a short period earlier in training but it's starting not to work.
I noticed that if I walk inside and wait a few minutes by the door, he realizes he's alone in the backyard and will eventually come running to the door.
I want him to obey whenever I call him, not just hear me and come when he feels like coming. Should I keep him on leash for a while when I let him out?
Am I expecting results too soon?
When I let him outside he refuses to come when I call him. Everything catches his attention. He will sniff every leaf, bug, debris, etc, all around the backyard. After he is done going to the bathroom, I will walk towards the door using a clicker and say, "Murphy, come." If he comes, which isn't too often, I reward him with a treat and praise him. The clicker/treat method worked for a short period earlier in training but it's starting not to work.
I noticed that if I walk inside and wait a few minutes by the door, he realizes he's alone in the backyard and will eventually come running to the door.
I want him to obey whenever I call him, not just hear me and come when he feels like coming. Should I keep him on leash for a while when I let him out?
Am I expecting results too soon?
Re: Refusing to Listen
11 weeks is pretty young to expect a puppy to understand. Unfortunately they do not come trained, nor do they understand the words we are speaking to them. They do learn words over time via repetition...
I have a strategy of "Never setting them up to fail". By this I mean that I do not ask them to do something that they can ignore. (FAIL) Once they learn that they do not have to listen, they will then DECIDE when they will obey.
I would put a leash or long lead on the puppy while you train him to "Come". There are a variety of games you can play to teach this command. I like to stand in a room or out in the driveway and toss a treat a few feet away. When he picks up the treat I take a few steps back while calling him to me. If he does not come I give a tug on the lead. (even if I have to reel him in) I only give the command once and then pull him in if he does not come. Once he gets to me I praise him highly and offer another treat.
When he gets the idea and comes to me without being tugged I give a several treats (huge reward). Over time, I will ONLY offer a treat IF he comes without a tug on the lead.
These training sessions are kept short, but done several times throughout the day. I find that being VERY positive and repetitive, works the best for us.
I have a strategy of "Never setting them up to fail". By this I mean that I do not ask them to do something that they can ignore. (FAIL) Once they learn that they do not have to listen, they will then DECIDE when they will obey.
I would put a leash or long lead on the puppy while you train him to "Come". There are a variety of games you can play to teach this command. I like to stand in a room or out in the driveway and toss a treat a few feet away. When he picks up the treat I take a few steps back while calling him to me. If he does not come I give a tug on the lead. (even if I have to reel him in) I only give the command once and then pull him in if he does not come. Once he gets to me I praise him highly and offer another treat.
When he gets the idea and comes to me without being tugged I give a several treats (huge reward). Over time, I will ONLY offer a treat IF he comes without a tug on the lead.
These training sessions are kept short, but done several times throughout the day. I find that being VERY positive and repetitive, works the best for us.
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Re: Refusing to Listen
This is commonly referred to as Chow selective hearing. It's pretty common, but does not have to be accepted. Chow's are very prone to being distracted by all the outside world. Your voice fades into the background, and know you have an unresponsive dog. Happens all the time.
This is where observing your dog and learning his triggers come into play. What will motivate your dog beyond the bunnies, squirrels, and leaves floating around your yard? For my dogs, it's cheese. You will need to figure out if that works for yours, but there will be something. Once you find that, it will be repetition and patience.
Cindy's method is similar to Long Lead Training/Recall. It is commonly used for retriever type dogs. Chows do not recall easily, but if you utilize the long lead training and identify a strong bait, then it should be doable.
You need to start with shorter distances. In the very beginning, work with the dog at your side. Use his call name and use the bait to create eye contact. Do this by calling the dogs name and getting his attention to the treat, bring the treat up to your nose, making sure the dog follows is up until eye contact is made. Upon success, reward the dog with the treat. Repeat this exercise until it is flawless.
Now with the lead/rope training, let the dog out a few feet. Call, wave the treat, eye contact, let the dog come back completely to your side or leg stance, and reward. Repeat until the dog recalls from this distance.
Extend the distance, a bit at a time. Again, using Cindy's lead method so the dog is not completely free and can't just run off. At a certain distance the dog will not be able to scent the bait or see it, so it needs to understand that by calling his name, and him returning, he will be rewarded. Once you have a good return rate, you can substitute a "good boy" reward so you don't have to food reward every time.
This is where observing your dog and learning his triggers come into play. What will motivate your dog beyond the bunnies, squirrels, and leaves floating around your yard? For my dogs, it's cheese. You will need to figure out if that works for yours, but there will be something. Once you find that, it will be repetition and patience.
Cindy's method is similar to Long Lead Training/Recall. It is commonly used for retriever type dogs. Chows do not recall easily, but if you utilize the long lead training and identify a strong bait, then it should be doable.
You need to start with shorter distances. In the very beginning, work with the dog at your side. Use his call name and use the bait to create eye contact. Do this by calling the dogs name and getting his attention to the treat, bring the treat up to your nose, making sure the dog follows is up until eye contact is made. Upon success, reward the dog with the treat. Repeat this exercise until it is flawless.
Now with the lead/rope training, let the dog out a few feet. Call, wave the treat, eye contact, let the dog come back completely to your side or leg stance, and reward. Repeat until the dog recalls from this distance.
Extend the distance, a bit at a time. Again, using Cindy's lead method so the dog is not completely free and can't just run off. At a certain distance the dog will not be able to scent the bait or see it, so it needs to understand that by calling his name, and him returning, he will be rewarded. Once you have a good return rate, you can substitute a "good boy" reward so you don't have to food reward every time.