BM games / training?

[nds_xo]

hi!
sorry two questions in one thread.


firstly,
i am just wondering what games i could possibly play with my four month old bullmastiff.


i daren't play tug of war, as i'm a bit worried he'll get the wrong impression from it? i'm also worried if he pulls too hard, he'll send me flying (i'm only 4'11 and 7 stone). but i'm unsure of what else to play? he sometimes will play happily on his own with his ball, and will sometimes return it to me if i throw it, but more often than not, will look at it then back at me like 'mum, do you really expect me to get that?'


also
how much training do you do daily? we have had him just over a month and he doesn't know anything yet, as he was so so scared when we brought him home, he wouldn't let us near him, let alone us trying to teach him anything.


only this last week or two has he come out of his shell. he knows to go potty outside, he knows to sit before he is given anything (eg ice a- though doesn't seem to know the command yet), he also sits and waits for us to tell him 'take it' once his food bowl has been put down, but nothing more than this yet.


any tips on training my BM? he needs to know 'leave it' at least, as he loves to steal..can 'no' be used as a universal command, will he begin to understand that 'no' means stop doing that eg going onto the babys playmat, taking things, mouthing (not often he does this if i'm honest, and when i say 'mouthing' i mean literally just opening his mouth as if he is going to).


what are the best treats for a BM? how much training do you do daily?


he is walked daily, usually in the evening, as we are still working on the lead, i daren't take him and our pram together JUST yet.


we hope to take him to puppy classes in the new year.
x

 

[nds_xo]

thank you in advance
x

 

[musicdeb]

Tug of war is a good game to play, just be sure you win most of the tug of wars. Titan loves to play tug of war!

Start basic commands and reward with motivational treats (fav food or fav toy). Train for about 5 minutes per day and slowly increase the training time. Teach one command at a time. Once they master one command, move onto another command.


Number one command is sit. Teach the pup to sit, by placing a treat in front of his head and move it to the back causing him to sit to get the treat. When the pup sits, tell them good sit and give them the treat.

Second command should be "focus/look" This will help you tremendously when the pup is over 100 lbs. Put the pup into sit. With a treat in your hand (let the pup smell it), put the treat up to your eyes and tell the pup to look or focus. They may only do this for about 1-2 seconds. As soon as they look at your eyes, reward them. Generally, mastiffs do not like to look anyone in the eyes for long because that means a challenge to them.

Other commands are "down/off", "leave it," "wait" (short pause), "stay" (pausing until you release), drop it and "quiet/calm".

When you are training and when the pup does not do as you ask, then tell him “no” in a calm, stern voice and redirect back to the command. The only time a stern and loud NO should be used is when they are doing something that can cause harm to themselves or others.


Praise is the most powerful tool you have and the dog WANTS to please you. Show them clearly what you want, notice and praise when they comply, and learning goes much faster and pleasant for you both.

Mastiffs can be extremely stubborn and if you get frustrated with them, they will shut down and stop listening to you. Mastiffs do not do well with yelling or hitting. Hitting can result in some unwanted mastiff behavior meaning fear aggression, which equals biting.

 

[nds_xo]

i'm worried i won't win though, haha.


i will continue first with sit then, he seems to know when to do it, ie before he gets something given to him, but not the actual command yet so i will keep that up.


oh no, i would never hit my pup. he was put in his crate though yesterday, as he jumped up to bite whilst i was playing games with my three month old - i'm worried about this - he is never really interested in the baby, he is always kept at a safe distance and they are of course never left alone. if he gets too close, he is told no and will move.


i think the thing yesterday was because he was sat in the lounge, and i was walking through but playing aurplane with the baby - so diving and coming back up, flying. he was given a stern no, and was put into his crate, as i was really quite shocked, was this a bad thing to do? i have never put him in his crate when he has done something wrong, as i want him to know that he is safe in there, it is not where he goes when he has been naughty but how do i give a time out if needed in future, or how do i deal with this?


i think because essentially something was 'dangling' he thought it was a toy - how will he know this is NOT acceptable behaviour without continuously going for the baby? like i said, he is fantastic with the baby otherwise, is barely interested in him, but i fear i will be playing airplane one day and he will latch on.


can anyone help? i won't be playing this game around him again, at least until he knows that going for us is not acceptable..

 

[musicdeb]

Has he been allowed to smell the baby at all? Telling him "no" when he comes near the baby is the reason he stays away. He is young, so he probably thought it was playtime when you were playing airplane with the baby. Maybe next time that happens, tell him "down". Telling a pup "no" most of the time leads to the pup becoming desensitized to the word. I only use a loud "no" when it's a life or death situation, like lunging at someone.

 

[nds_xo]

he has yes, many a time. okay, is it worth using different words, i have used 'away' 'stop' 'no' will he get the same message as long as it is said correctly? x

 

[musicdeb]

Yes, you can teach him whatever word you want to use for that particular behavior. For example, jumping the word could be "down". It is all about the tone you use when saying the word. Generally, if the word used is to correct a behavior, a firm, calm voice will work.

 

[DennasMom]

Denna and I play tug - but if she pulls to hard, I just let go. She's learned that if she wants me to keep playing, she has to play nice.

Tug has become her reward for 'fetching' the tug toy... we tug a few times, I say "drop".. .when she does I throw it and she runs to get it and bring it back for more tug. Her favorite game!

I agree, when saying "no" or "stop" - it's all in your tone of voice and body language. I could probably yell "go!" at Denna and make her stop short... if I said it right. (We don't use "go" for anything else, so she'd have no idea what it means).

When working with a young puppy, just "capture" events as they happen to teach the puppy your vocabulary. i.e. every time they sit, say "Good Sit!", if they start running to you for no reason (and/or because you asked), say "Good Come!", before opening the door to let them outside say "Good Wait"... then open the door with an "OK" or "Release". Just keep using your command words to mark behaviors, and when you start formally teaching the word/action together, it will come together for the puppy really quick.

 

[nds_xo]

When working with a young puppy, just "capture" events as they happen to teach the puppy your vocabulary. i.e. every time they sit, say "Good Sit!", if they start running to you for no reason (and/or because you asked), say "Good Come!", before opening the door to let them outside say "Good Wait"... then open the door with an "OK" or "Release". Just keep using your command words to mark behaviors, and when you start formally teaching the word/action together, it will come together for the puppy really quick.

great idea, i debated that. thank you.

 

[Hector]

You can play hide and seek using you and hide and seek using treats. You can hide treats in cardboard boxes and let him rip it up.

You can play lots of engagement games like the name game and exercises that builds attention and also recall at the same time. Search on youtube: attention games for dogs, recall exercises, recall games, name recognition dog training. Practice loose leash walking in the house. Look up silky leash technique.

You can teach him to play with a flirt pole. Don't allow him to do crazy jumps at a young age. Just spin that lure around and let him run to catch it. Let him win some and also practice impulse control commands like leave it, get it, drop it and throw some obedience commands in there. Make it fun, but not too hard. He's just learning. Tug is also great and same rules apply: tug it, leave it, drop it or out, get it. If you have problems teaching a certain command, then just ask and we'll help you troubleshoot and give some ideas.

Impulse control with food, same thing. Do hand feeding on occasion. Look up resource guarding exercises on youtube. A very good command to teach is an "out" command with food. That's a bit more complex to explain and requires the handler knowing what to do so I'm not going to talk about it now.

I use the crate as a time out. It doesn't have a negative effect on my dog. It gives me a place to send him away instead of having to confront him. For the baby, I don't have much advice. Just keep on letting the dog know you are not happy with him when he goes for the toy. Keep your words consistent. If you are going to use "away" then stay with away. If you use away 9/10 and all of a sudden use "go lay down", the dog will not know what that means.

Treats, I try to use healthy meat treats like boiled chicken or freeze dried treats like lungs, liver, etc. Sometimes I will use more junky treats like french fries lol or a lesser value treat like kibble.

Training sessions, I don't keep them very long. Anywhere from 2-5 minutes. I actually don't train a lot unless I'm training outdoors and that's after they already know the commands then I'll extend training sessions and durations of commands. I try to train every day even if it means a recall from the yard or recall to their dinner. I can do anywhere from 2-4 sessions a day and they are all very short.

Remember puppies have very short attention spans so don't bore your pup. End sessions on a good note and end it when they are still excited about their rewards.

 

[nds_xo]

perfect advice, hector, thank you. x

 

[vadersmom]

I guess my bully is a bit different(or I suck as a parent) but tug of war and the flirt pole are/was a real problem. We tried and tried with the commands to drop etc but those games just ramped her up so high that she was hard to control-with those games, she literally would throw herself into me to get the toy so we stopped.
We love hide and seek. We play fetch...took a while to learn that one and that also can get her overstimulated quickly. It seems alot of the games, Brodie gets over the edge fast and then she "can't" listen. Hopefully as she gets older it will improve.

 

[Sinnister]

My girl can't handle tug of war either. She gets a little nuts.