By:
Filters
What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Done with basic training...now what?

ruthcatrin

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
The cough was likely from him pulling on the collar and damaging his throat, heel training should help that.

As for collar vs harness, it'll depend on him.
 
Geisthexe

Geisthexe

Banned
Kujo said:
next question: We switched Kujo to a harness because he would get a terrible cough from a normal leash, within a couple days of making the switch, his cough has vanished. Will training with a harness rather than a leash make a difference?
Click to expand...

Training on a harness will get you no where, you can not keep control of the dog and you can not establish a way of correction.
Put the dog back on a collar and work focus I cant stress it enough b/c you will change all you do once you can get it.
Dont allow the dog to make your decision, Ruth is correct the cough comes from pulling. You will correct it with proper training.
 
Duetsche_Doggen

Duetsche_Doggen

Well-Known Member
Kujo said:
next question: We switched Kujo to a harness because he would get a terrible cough from a normal leash, within a couple days of making the switch, his cough has vanished. Will training with a harness rather than a leash make a difference?
Click to expand...

When you say "terrible cough" was he pulling? How does he walk on leash? Usually unless their is a medical reason dogs that pull will "choke" themselves. The harness is a tool, ironically enough since harness was designed to help dogs pull LOL. Anyway I agree with Ruth that depends on you.
 
VentiandMe

VentiandMe

Well-Known Member
I've always use a choke chain when we train (I like the smaller jewelry style chokes as the release action is much quicker than the big ole lumply junkyard chain style chokes)....its not meant to hurt them, but rather get their attention/focus with the noise and quick tug. The key is to place it high on their neck.
 
Kujo

Kujo

Well-Known Member
He pulls occasionally on our walks, I do enforce the heel, I just haven't been using it quite as much due to some misinformation (I will be reverting to my original ways and enforcing the heel commands religiously now). Before we switched to the harness, after our nightly walk he would cough all through the next day (never during the walk). I'm a bit torn on using the collar; I know we can train him out of pulling, but in the mean time I don't want to damage his throat and have him coughing all the time.

When you say without a collar you have no way to correct your dog, you mean pulling on his collar? i.e. choking him? Couldn't I replace this choking correction with a sharp NO correction and save his neck (since we know he's susceptible to getting a cough easily), or even reserve the choking correction for only extreme cases of disobedience? I might be being paranoid, but I really want to avoid a long term cough because choking him is my primary way of correction. And he responds to my "NO" commands really well, since the first couple of weeks he hasn't even considered going after our shoes lol.

And thanks for all the feedback, I'm still a newbie so thanks for tolerating me until I get my process down and figure out what works best for me and Kujo. :)
 
ruthcatrin

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
Kujo said:
He pulls occasionally on our walks, I do enforce the heel, I just haven't been using it quite as much due to some misinformation (I will be reverting to my original ways and enforcing the heel commands religiously now). Before we switched to the harness, after our nightly walk he would cough all through the next day (never during the walk). I'm a bit torn on using the collar; I know we can train him out of pulling, but in the mean time I don't want to damage his throat and have him coughing all the time.

When you say without a collar you have no way to correct your dog, you mean pulling on his collar? i.e. choking him? Couldn't I replace this choking correction with a sharp NO correction and save his neck (since we know he's susceptible to getting a cough easily), or even reserve the choking correction for only extreme cases of disobedience? I might be being paranoid, but I really want to avoid a long term cough because choking him is my primary way of correction. And he responds to my "NO" commands really well, since the first couple of weeks he hasn't even considered going after our shoes lol.

And thanks for all the feedback, I'm still a newbie so thanks for tolerating me until I get my process down and figure out what works best for me and Kujo. :)
Click to expand...

Put the collar on him and tell him no for correction. The collar provides its own correction, that the harness doesn't, just by virtue of the pressure placed on his neck. You don't have to choke the dog with the collar to correct him. The collar pressure is the signal he's pulling and needs to correct himself.
 
DennasMom

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Some other fun things to throw in there -
spin-right (tight agility cornering moves)
spin-left
under/over (jumps/obstacles, like park benches or rope fences - or under your legs, if you're tall enough)
the above along with a "come-around" command can lead into some dancing moves (great videos of that on youtube)
targeting - pointing to an object saying 'touch' and having him put his nose on it - there are some youtube videos showing this out there somewhere

Hmmm... this is giving me some ideas and motivation to get Denna some new vocabulary to work on! And the other posters have given me more to work on as well with heel and proofing with distractions... there's always more to work on!
She's 10 months, and really hasn't hit a stubborn stage yet - as long as the treats keep coming, she's interested! :)
Have fun!
 
Ben Curtis

Ben Curtis

Well-Known Member
Worked on touch last night. Leo seemed to get it fast. I did it once with a prize in my hand, and then after that I needed no prize to stimulate the touch. I was able to change hands. Different locations of the hand and so on. I will continue practicing like this for a week or so, and then I will start to introduce targets. Great recommendation.

Leo opens our front door to come in. He figured out the handle use. I can see touch turning into push and then shut. I can dream can't I?
 
Mooshi's Mummy

Mooshi's Mummy

Well-Known Member
Dreams can come true. I also taught Mooshi her left from her right by starting out with the touch command. Now she is lightening fast with left, right and then we mix it up right, right, left, right, left, left. You can teach patients with cheese or chicken on the nose and DONT MOVE. They cant drop it until you tell them to. Or put food on their feet what they are laying down and only let them take when you tell them to and from which paw. Ok left..OK right.
 
Ben Curtis

Ben Curtis

Well-Known Member
As a kid I had a cocker spaniel that I taught everything I could think of to.

Play the piano - he would jump up and hit the keys
Stick em up - he would put his paws against the nearest wall
bang! - he would then play dead
I love you - he would repeat the phrase to me "r ruv rooo"
say your prayers - i would have him put his paws up on the table, then he would put his head between his legs on command

those were my favorites. I can't wait to see what I can pull off with my Corso. He seems to have much more ability than my other dogs, but he also has much more of a stubborn side too.

He is still a pup now, so I am trying to keep it more fun, and less complex, but another few months or so and it will get much more complex.
 
Ben Curtis

Ben Curtis

Well-Known Member
Mooshi's Mummy said:
Dreams can come true. I also taught Mooshi her left from her right by starting out with the touch command. Now she is lightening fast with left, right and then we mix it up right, right, left, right, left, left. You can teach patients with cheese or chicken on the nose and DONT MOVE. They cant drop it until you tell them to. Or put food on their feet what they are laying down and only let them take when you tell them to and from which paw. Ok left..OK right.
Click to expand...

That would require me to have my left and right down first right? :razzberry:
 
ruthcatrin

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
Mooshi's Mummy said:
Ruth how did she do it? I want to teach Moo.
Click to expand...

When I asked she said it was just like teaching a child to count, except in really short sessions (I told her that didn't help me any and she laughed). She's got a video on Facebook I can link to but if you don't have Facebook you won't be able to see it. She's got Apollo's sister Sunshine actually, though it was one of her other dogs in the video. If you ARE on Facebook I don't imagine she'd object to you asking her for more details, she's very pleasant.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.