# Went for my hand



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm embarrassed and ashamed, scared and nervous. I have a prong on my year old female. We were in the park and I couldn't get her to come, she would run anytime I approached her. When I finally got her, out of frustration grabbed her prong and pinned her as if to remind her I'm in charge. She rolled on her back and wouldn't budge when I tried to move her or do anything she rolled her lips up and got my hand in her mouth. It wasn't hard by any means but made me nervous nonetheless and she did it a few times. I spoke to the trainer she said it was probably either fear or her being nervous. Is this normal? Does my dog have an aggression problem? Should I be scared? 

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Sorry, but if you pinned me down I too would growl, roll lips...


----------



## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

Implement "Nothing in life is free" and focus on basic obedience training. Lots, lots and LOTS of obedience training.


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

Debanneball said:


> Sorry, but if you pinned me down I too would growl, roll lips...


Perhaps and I understand that but what other choice did I have I couldn't get her to listen. Is it some thing I should be nervous about?


----------



## amburger16 (May 22, 2015)

Stop rolling/pinning her. Look up what your really doing to your dog when you roll them. She needs a calm, thrustworthy leader not one that puts her in positions that make her anxious. Nevermind the fact when she finally allowed you to reach her, you basically punished her. 

Get a trainer that does positive reinforcement, not one that thinks its fine to roll a dog. 
Look up some videos on teaching recall as well to avoid the problem in the future.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Kaia9514 said:


> Perhaps and I understand that but what other choice did I have I couldn't get her to listen. Is it some thing I should be nervous about?


She shouldn't be off leash until her recall is rock solid. I wouldn't worry too much about her taking your hand in her mouth. She needs more training. If you are uncertain about training the recall, consult a good trainer experienced with GSDs, also you can search on this forum for that subject. One thing for sure, don't punish her once you have her--that is the number one rule on teaching the recall!

Also, the majority of members on this forum don't recommend dog parks for GSDs--too many ways to get into trouble, or for trouble to find her.

Edit--I just re-read your post--you said it was in the park, not necessarily the dog park. Even more reason to NOT have her off leash.

Susan


----------



## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Kaia9514 said:


> Perhaps and I understand that but what other choice did I have I couldn't get her to listen. Is it some thing I should be nervous about?


I really don't want to say it, but better training would have prevented this. My boxer was off leash trained with a reliable recall. Our frustration comes across as aggression. Not to quote Cesar, but calm assertive would get you a lot further.
You need to work on teaching her its not a game of chase. You could have tried making her come to you by making yourself interesting. 
I'd work on obedience first and foremost. If she was being aggressive to you, you'd have a nasty bite not being mouthed


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I wouldn't leave a prong on an unleashed dog. I would carry some bloody high value treats. I would try real hard to reward the dog for letting me catch up with them when they would not recall. 
I would also have a word for "come" that meant absolutely, mandatory; and a word or phrase that was "hey, how about this" or an optional. 
At 1 yo, off premises, I would have a 15 ft lead that my dog would be dragging. For the time being, I would get to the place where I could pick up that lead and then call my dog. By gosh, look at that! She's coming! (never mind that she hasn't much choice, she's coming) It WILL get better. I would strive to reward my dog with those high value treats I'm carrying right now for everything but especially for coming. 

And no, taking your hand is not a thing to fear. BTE2 will take my hand when I stop petting her - it's a please continue thing in that case. If she wants something and I am ignoring her focus (which is saying "hey you I need something you provide") she will pick up my hand. It can be appeasement, it can be "hey, knock it off!"


----------



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

First rule of dog training. If your dog "runs away" don't punish it when it comes home. Cause if it thinks it's going to get tossed to the ground and rolled, not much incentive to come home. 

You grabbed the prong and rolled her. It hurt and scared her. It's no surprise she lashed out. 

Time to work on your recall, relationship and basic obedience. 

For now, no off leash. Keep a long line on her. Work on making her know that if she comes to you, awesome things happen!! You should be the best place in the world to be. Right now, she is having a blast playing "keep away". It's fun. You run and hoot and holler. 

Start with basic recall games. 

Good luck!!


----------



## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Why is she off leash when it's not solid yet? I never take my dogs off leash in public places, ever, unless I am positive they will return. All it takes is one time for them to realize they don't have to come when called, and you've lost all that training. The biting concerns me less than the lack of recall. It probably won't happen again. Some dogs couldn't care less if you rolled them. She's not one of them. I wouldn't use it on her.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Every dog is going to defend itself at some point. Don't worry about it if you don't have other problems with her. Forget about it, and she will too.


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

I appreciate everyone's help. Her recall is usually pretty good just not when she's playing, excited or having fun. At home she comes when called, and always nails it in training class. 
Like I said I'm embarrassed and ashamed. I also feel like i let her down and when it comes to my dog that's not acceptable. 
I would never do anything to harm her, she means more to me than anything else. I need to make some treats for her that she doesn't normally get for when it's time to come. 

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I think you got a better lesson out of this than she did. Move on and have fun with her. It 's good that you were honest about it and took the blame. Next time, only call her name (to maintain the importance of the recall) and run the other way to make her chase you and reward her big time for doing so, no matter how upset you may be, because she came!


----------



## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Kaia9514 said:


> I'm embarrassed and ashamed, scared and nervous. I have a prong on my year old female. We were in the park and I couldn't get her to come, she would run anytime I approached her. When I finally got her, out of frustration grabbed her prong and pinned her as if to remind her I'm in charge. She rolled on her back and wouldn't budge when I tried to move her or do anything she rolled her lips up and got my hand in her mouth. It wasn't hard by any means but made me nervous nonetheless and she did it a few times. I spoke to the trainer she said it was probably either fear or her being nervous.
> 
> Last week at my pups 1st advanced obedience class, I was asking his trainer these same questions:
> *Is this normal? Does my dog have an aggression problem? Should I be scared?
> ...


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Kaia9514 said:


> I appreciate everyone's help. Her recall is usually pretty good just not when she's playing, excited or having fun. At home she comes when called, and always nails it in training class.
> Like I said I'm embarrassed and ashamed. I also feel like i let her down and when it comes to my dog that's not acceptable.
> I would never do anything to harm her, she means more to me than anything else. I need to make some treats for her that she doesn't normally get for when it's time to come.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


Work her at home with her *dragging a long line* until she is rock solid. That means even when she's playing, excited and having fun. Then if there is somewhere away from home where you can safely work her, do it only with her again *dragging the line*. That line means you can get your hands on her (step firmly on the line when you call her) no matter what the distractions are. Do this hundreds of times before you even consider letting her off leash again. and REWARD her when she comes to you, even on the line. Make it fun, make her think she is the smartest, best dog ever every time she comes to you. NEVER punish her when she doesn't. If she ignores you, reel her in fast with the line, then PRAISE her when she gets to you. Being with Mom should always be great fun for her.

Susan


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Help! Does my owner have an aggression problem???


I was just doing my thing at the park, like, they only bring me here for a short while, and I still want to play. And I am playing hard, and then she starts playing too. 

She starts running around and shouting and we are playing that fun game I remember, CHASE!!! This is lots of fun. 

Darn, she has that nasty pointy collar on me, and she got it! Ouch!!!

Heyyyy!!! WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

She got me down on the ground and was giving me her mean face and I was all rolled over, and she kept on coming, and I didn't know what to do. 

I grabbed her hand. I thought she was going to hit me or yank my collar again. 

I think my owner has aggressive issues. Should I try NILIF with her, or do I have to send her to boot camp? I would go to dog-owner counseling with her, but I don't think she will come. And she would have to pay for that. I just don't know if she will do it, but I think it would help.


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

selzer said:


> Help! Does my owner have an aggression problem???
> 
> 
> I was just doing my thing at the park, like, they only bring me here for a short while, and I still want to play. And I am playing hard, and then she starts playing too.
> ...


I already feel bad enough, berating me won't be beneficial. I clearly defined it was my fault, everyone so far has offered helpful tips and help if you're not going to offer that... offer nothing at all. Thanks


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

Susan_GSD_mom said:


> Kaia9514 said:
> 
> 
> > I appreciate everyone's help. Her recall is usually pretty good just not when she's playing, excited or having fun. At home she comes when called, and always nails it in training class.
> ...


Thanks! I'm going to give that a shot tomorrow. Just bought some sweet potatoes to make some strips for her


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

wolfy dog said:


> I think you got a better lesson out of this than she did. Move on and have fun with her. It 's good that you were honest about it and took the blame. Next time, only call her name (to maintain the importance of the recall) and run the other way to make her chase you and reward her big time for doing so, no matter how upset you may be, because she came!


Thanks. Big time lesson, she's a wonderful and usually pretty good just lost it for a minute. Should've never did it


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ok, So you want to know what I really think?

You need to take your dog to dog classes. Obedience classes. Dog/Owner counseling if you like. That is what I wanted you to get out of my post -- where the dog is coming from. 

Your post is riddled with things that mark you as someone who needs a couple of good sets of dog training classes. Where the trainer teaches you things like:

Don't repeat yourself -- tell the dog one time, give him a chance, and then follow through.

Follow through every single time you give a command. 

Do not give a command if you cannot enforce it immediately -- do not tell the dog to come if you don't have a line on him. You are teaching the dog that he can ignore you. Someday he will be at that level. Not now.

Never EVER let your dog off-lead in a place where you will have to catch him. 

Never punish a dog if it comes to you. 

Always praise the dog after completing a command -- even if you helped her/enforced the command.

Cut the physical punishments with this dog. She isn't a good candidate. Sorry, but I would lose the prong collar too. You need to build a bond with this dog, and you can with a prong collar, but you have already used it wrong and you are already being heavy handed with her, so I would lose it, and go about it differently. 

I do not believe in purely positive. Dogs need to understand negative markers as well as positive markers for behavior. But we are the humans, they are the dogs. We can do this without rolling them over, pinning them, yanking on prong collars. 

Your bitch sounds like she has a lower than average threshold for pain or a higher than average fear of her owner or a shorter than average threshold, where she will defend herself even from you. Probably all of them. Physically dominating this bitch will net you a dog that may make an ok pet, one that is totally cowed. Totally unnecessary, and not an enjoyable way to go about training a dog for you or the dog. It can also make her totally unpredictable. It can net her a one way trip to the vet.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Your dog was simply telling you to stop. If she had wanted too, she could have torn you up at that point. If she didn't bite down hard, that's showing some restraint!

It's super annoying when they don't come back to you and really hard for us to keep our emotions out of it. It is really important to not make it personal. Don't get emotional and angry.

Recall - it may be perfect at home but you have to proof it with distractions. Which you did today! Just not as you would have hoped!

Make recall a game with her. If she's a foodie, throw a piece of food and then call her back has you are running away (running the other way draws them to you faster). And REWARD her when she gets to you. Always reward her in some way. If she likes to play ball, do the same with the ball when she returns to you, tug with her. It needs to be highly rewarding to come back to you. 

There will be a time when a correction could be appropriate. Mine is starting to chase the outside cats. There will be an e-collar correction for that. Not harsh but enough to stop him. But he's been tested under distractions and KNOWS what Here means. In this case, it's a matter of no you will not do it and you will return to me no matter what. BUT!!!! The big part is once they return to you there is not a correction! There is a reward for returning.

But first, before you get to that, you have to make it highly rewarding to return to you!!!


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Recall is a life skill -- one that can actually save your dog's life. So I do not give my dog any impression that this is optional. This means I never test this when I cannot complete the exercise. Immediately. 

Dogs can quickly turn this into a game of chase, and that is rewarding bad behavior.

The thing is. If you do not have a line on the dog, do not use COME or HERE whichever your word is. Call her name: Pookah!!!! If she comes BINGO! reward and say, GOOD COME, GOOD GIRL!!! If she doesn't immediately, reach for your pocket like you have a treat, walk in the opposite direction. Make yourself more exciting than the butterfly she is chasing, but don't use the command term. 

If you have her on a line. And you say, COME, and she does not come, then you reel in the line AS YOU WALK TO WHERE SHE IS. Do not drag her to you. Coming to you should be the best thing in the world. It will never be that if it starts by being dragged there. Instead, reel that line in as you are waling to where she is, and turn and HEEL her back to where you originally were, have her sit, and say Good COME. This is follow through. She needs to get it that this is not optional. But if you punish a life skill, it is possible that when it really does matter, that note of anxiety in your voice will actually be the difference between life and death. 

Lastly, if you have punished the COME, you can restart, retrain with the word HERE, and forget the word COME altogether.


----------



## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

yuriy said:


> Implement "Nothing in life is free" and focus on basic obedience training. Lots, lots and LOTS of obedience training.


+1... I would not be too freaked out. You freaked her out and this is what a scared dog does... fight or flight. Back way up and restart positively rewarded obedience. Work on you bond. And if you don't know what to do, get a trainer that understands the GSD. This definitely can be worked through but get serious now and invest.


----------



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Recall is the number one MOST important thing to teach your dog. The dog should not be off leash unless their recall is rock solid, letting her get away with not coming when you call is only reinforcing the bad behavior and going to make teaching a good recall all the more difficult.

I don't care what my dog is doing he has to come to me no matter what, not coming because they're playing is not ok. My male isn't highly food or toy motivated but I did teach him recall with the help of my husband, he kept him restrained while I called him building up tension so that as soon as he released him he ran straight to me(always on a long line). Once he knew the command I added in an ecollar though I wouldn't recommend this unless you work along side a reward based balanced trainer. Not all trainers are equal and one who promotes rolling and pinning should be dumped pronto. 

Recall is not something I play around with and now I can call my dog off anything, a herd of running deer for example(very high prey drive) and he stops on a dime and comes back to me. Not saying everybody should use an ecollar, just stating that this dog should not be off leash until they have a solid recall. And like someone else said the worst thing you can do is punish a dog for coming to you, why on earth would that make them want to come to you? What you described doesn't worry me as far as the hand in mouth, you scared her and she reacted nothing more. Right now I'd never let her off leash and work with her on a long line making coming to you the best thing ever.. Use a favorite toy or super high value food like steak, etc. Getting involved in some classes would be great too, it's helpful to work along side a trainer because they can point out things that you may not notice.


----------



## Kaia9514 (Mar 7, 2015)

The problem is, when I have the leash even when we do across the room recalls in training she almost always nails it. The other day the trainer had a clients dog in their that was crazy and when I called my dog she came stopped and looked for a second but came and sat at my feet. It's as soon as that leash is unhooked from that collar that she forgets what I've trained her to do. 
Has anyone else had a similar problem? Is it because she knows I can't get my hands on her? Is it YOUTH?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

They know when there's no leash Kaia. If nothing else, we usually finish training and take the leash off, so its a little bit of a release to go do what they want. Something I find helpful is randomly calling them to me for a reward, and ignoring when they come to me uncalled. 

I play two ball and practice a release command on recalls that build a lot of motivation to run to me. So, if I do a formal recall from a down, I release him as soon as he's up and turn sideways to let him run by for a toy.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Kaia9514 said:


> The problem is, when I have the leash even when we do across the room recalls in training she *almost* *always* nails it. The other day the trainer had a clients dog in their that was crazy and when I called my dog she came stopped and looked for a second but came and sat at my feet. It's as soon as that leash is unhooked from that collar that she forgets what I've trained her to do.
> Has anyone else had a similar problem? Is it because she knows I can't get my hands on her? Is it YOUTH?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


The key words above are in red. This screams that you should only work with her on the recall with a *LONG* LINE. Something that will enable you to immediately, and I mean immediately, let her know that if she doesn't respond right away, you have the line to immediately bring her to you, then have a party when she gets there. If you are working on the recall, you must ALWAYS be able to bring her to you, and her dragging a leash on the other side of a room won't do it. Later on, down the road, you can gradually shorten that line, but definitely not yet. I have used this method for the recall on all my GSDs, and also on the wolf/GDSs that I had. Even with their independence, they responded to it.

Susan


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I went back to your earlier posts to see how old she is. Looks like she's just about to turn 14 months old. You say she's in training classes now - what training methods are you using? How much training has she had up to this point?


----------



## mjackson0902 (Sep 14, 2015)

As much as I would love to have LJ out and about and he just come to me everytime I called I know my dog and that is not him. I am sure there are plenty of members of this forum whose dogs have amazing recall but my LJ just is not there yet. I know that whenever we are outside of the home or the fenced in yard he has to be on a line. Even if it is in my very own front yard he is leashed simply because I do not trust the fact that he won't chase that car. So, I am a firm believer in a leash...whether it be long or short. Secondly, GSD's are very smart, they know when they are going into training mode with you and they also know the training based upon the past sessions so of course he will nail it everytime...he wants that reward for complying. Also, all dogs are different, I can roll LJ on his back when he gets way to excited and he now knows ok mom said its time to calm down so I better listen. Some dogs are not like that and I think you got frustrated and let your emotions take over but I am willing to bet the next day your dog was all love and kisses and forgot about it, now the trick is you forgetting about it and moving on. We all make mistakes...I am a great example...but it is all about whether or not you are able to learn from it and build a better bond with your dog.


----------



## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

I believe noone has 100% recall,it's a myth,you just haven't been in the situation.....yet. When I want a near absolute immediate recall,I use "touch" with a high quality treat. So far they've never failed a "touch" but it's always possible.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

lrodptl said:


> I believe noone has 100% recall,it's a myth,you just haven't been in the situation.....yet. When I want a near absolute immediate recall,I use "touch" with a high quality treat. So far they've never failed a "touch" but it's always possible.


No myth. Yes, I HAVE been in "the situation," which I take to mean a situation with extreme distractions, small prey, whatever. 100% recall. It takes a lot of time, effort, work. Lifetime results when you keep training, keep reminding, some dogs more work, some dogs solid with minimum work. 

Susan


----------



## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

Susan_GSD_mom said:


> No myth. Yes, I HAVE been in "the situation," which I take to mean a situation with extreme distractions, small prey, whatever. 100% recall. It takes a lot of time, effort, work. Lifetime results when you keep training, keep reminding, some dogs more work, some dogs solid with minimum work.
> 
> Susan


You are one in a million,I've never met a pet that is 100%.I could say mine are and they practice every single day without ever missing,but I'd be lying.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

No, not one in a million. However, I have to qualify a bit... My dogs in the past, before I got the 2 rescues I have now, all had a solid recall. Now I am in my very late 60's, and I am a caregiver for my sister who is disabled. The two dogs I have now are definitely NOT rock solid in a recall. I did not raise them, got one at 2, the other at 5. I don't have the time to spend on training that I used to have. But, they are both well managed, and when I need an absolute recall, they drag a line. What I have been saying is, with the correct amount of work and time spent training a dog, you CAN get a rock solid recall. It takes work. I have done it over decades with many dogs. As have many people on this forum.

Susan


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Recall is important but I don't believe that it is perfect with any dog no matter how you train. They are dogs and it takes once for them to blow that recall and put themselves in harms way. Dogs that have had solid recall for 10 yrs decide one day to chase a squirrel in the road and get killed. It happens and for that reason mine are on leash unless in a secure area. I would be hortified if my dog got killed because I trusted a recall with them. Even the best trained make mistakes, that goes for any species.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I think they can be.


----------



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

lrodptl said:


> You are one in a million,I've never met a pet that is 100%.I could say mine are and they practice every single day without ever missing,but I'd be lying.


I am able to call my dog off a herd of deer running away from him, big big trigger for him. This is why I use an ecollar, it helps get me as close to 100% recall as humanely possible. As of yet I've never not been able to call him, he always stops on a dime and comes running right back to me. However they are living breathing beings so you're right in that you cannot predict 100% of what they will do and that is why I only let him off in places it is safe to do so.


----------



## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

lrodptl said:


> *You are one in a million,I've never met a pet that is 100%.I could say mine are and they practice every single day without ever missing,but I'd be lying*.


I like this quote.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Carriesue said:


> I am able to call my dog off a herd of deer running away from him, big big trigger for him. This is why I use an ecollar, it helps get me as close to 100% recall as humanely possible. As of yet I've never not been able to call him, he always stops on a dime and comes running right back to me. However they are living breathing beings so you're right in that you cannot predict 100% of what they will do and that is why I only let him off in places it is safe to do so.


Without ever an e-collar or prong, I called Arwen off a rabbit she kicked up, and Babsy off a squirrel that was crossing the road toward us where she was leading the way, off-lead to the park. They are or were 100% recall. Sorry, Arwen is gone now, and she NEVER failed to recall once she was trained. Some dogs just have it in them, that if with training that doesn't give the impression that COME is optional, will not fail to recall. Both of these bitches I could have off lead anywhere -- downtown Cleveland (all the time) with Babsy, and through a crowd of drunk people, in the woods, around deer. If I told Arwen to come, she came, every time. If I tell Babs to come, she will come, every time. The rest of my dogs, probably.


----------



## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

There's no shame in using a training tool properly, I don't buy into the hype of purely positive training. My male has extreme prey drive and has killed wildlife before... I feel I am being a responsible owner using that tool to keep wildlife safe and to let him enjoy some off leash freedom. I guess I am not as amazing as you but it is what worked best for him.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

selzer said:


> Without ever an e-collar or prong, I called Arwen off a rabbit she kicked up, and Babsy off a squirrel that was crossing the road toward us where she was leading the way, off-lead to the park. They are or were 100% recall. Sorry, Arwen is gone now, and she NEVER failed to recall once she was trained.  *Some dogs just have it in them, that if with training that doesn't give the impression that COME is optional, will not fail to recall*. Both of these bitches I could have off lead anywhere -- downtown Cleveland (all the time) with Babsy, and through a crowd of drunk people, in the woods, around deer. If I told Arwen to come, she came, every time. If I tell Babs to come, she will come, every time. The rest of my dogs, probably.


THIS IS KEY!! Yes, thanks Sue, for boiling it down to the very basic issue!

Susan


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Carriesue said:


> There's no shame in using a training tool properly, I don't buy into the hype of purely positive training. My male has extreme prey drive and has killed wildlife before... I feel I am being a responsible owner using that tool to keep wildlife safe and to let him enjoy some off leash freedom. I guess I am not as amazing as you but it is what worked best for him.


They are just different dogs. I have too many for them all to have the same pet-life existence and training that most pets have. I do not work with each 20 minutes a day. I usually focus on one dog for a while, and then put him on the back burner. I can leave them for months, and come back, and they do not forget it. Not amazing. 

I don't buy into purely positive training either. No such thing. Sorry. But I think negative markers can be verbal, and many dogs need nothing more than a verbal negative marker.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Susan_GSD_mom said:


> THIS IS KEY!! Yes, thanks Sue, for boiling it down to the very basic issue!
> 
> Susan


Yes, in training, I do not use the command if it isn't likely to be complied with immediately, do not use it if I cannot enforce it immediately, do not repeat it, always follow through, and I don't go off lead until I am pretty close to positive the dog is ready. I don't give the impression that it is voluntary. It's a life skill. 

I want lots and lots of success and praise associated with the COME command. Even without treats, the dogs think I am better than chopped liver. I load praise with treats in the beginning of training, and soon the dogs work for that praise. Coming to me is going to get praise, every time, it is good. It is setting them up to succeed and praising them for it, even if it really isn't optional.


----------



## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

selzer said:


> Yes, in training, I do not use the command if it isn't likely to be complied with immediately, do not use it if I cannot enforce it immediately, do not repeat it, always follow through, and I don't go off lead until I am pretty close to positive the dog is ready. I don't give the impression that it is voluntary. It's a life skill.
> 
> I want lots and lots of success and praise associated with the COME command. Even without treats, the dogs think I am better than chopped liver. I load praise with treats in the beginning of training, and soon the dogs work for that praise. Coming to me is going to get praise, every time, it is good. It is setting them up to succeed and praising them for it, even if it really isn't optional.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Susan


----------

