kayaker:
Is it possible to exercise the dog to exhaustion?
When we are training a dog, my gf takes our “pack” out for a run every day. Sometimes she is on horseback, other times on foot, but every time they come back exhausted. A tired dog is a good dog.
I have never succeeded in doing so. A day of running and playing and swimming, home to run around the living room and throw toys in the air, which she then catches herself.
Not that I haven’t considered it. But still hoping to stop short of that.
stillownedbysetters:
My irish setters have had the same issue. They are exuberance personified along with being strong, hefty animals. I rescue, so have not had the luxury of raising my dogs from pups. By the time they get to me, they are generally fraught with bad habits and have trained their human rather than the other way around. Like you, I am a proponent of positive reinforcement training, particularly with setters who are sensitive animals and suffer under negative training situations.
You have gotten good advice already on collars and leashes. In my opinion, your next order of business is to work on a strong sit reaction. Start working with no people or other distractions around. When the sit has become reliable, introduce distractions slowly, one thing at a time. When a distracted sit is strong, introduce people. Enlist a friend who understands his/her role and won’t unintentionally reinforce the dog’s exuberance, only it’s compliance.
My present Irish, who I received at 17 months, was fairly good with people, but still insisted on jumping on anyone who came near him. It took a good 6 months before he was 100% reliable on not jumping, but we got there. He is 3 years old now, and we still train several times a week. He has started calming down a bit, but like your pup, mine will always be high energy and training reinforcement will always be a part of our relationship.
And, of course, lots of good exercise and play will help channel some of the excess energy into acceptable avenues.
All in force. Focusing on patience and persistence.
Sunny_Daze:
I’ll second RivkahChaya on all of this.
You should use a prong collar NOT a choke. Make sure the prongs are long enough and the fit is appropriate.
Make sure Marge is sitting before she says hello to anyone. If she doesn’t yet sit on command, this is a great time to work on that too. Once she is sitting and waiting to be greeted, stand on her leash so that she gets a correction if she lunges. Give her CALM praise and reward when she does it right.
Keep the routine steady. Someone wants to say hello. “Yes just a minute”, you say. “She’s in training”, you say. (don’t know why this helps - but a trainer passed it along to me years ago, and it helps). “Sit Marge. Good girl.” Stand on leash . Instruct stranger. “She’s learning to sit calmly for hello, please extend your hand and then pet her head” (or whatever you’d like them to do). Greeting done, Marge gets a good girl and possibly a treat. Then off you go.
This is what I’ve suggested to many of my clients with overly exuberant dogs. It works very well and sets her up for success because if she loses control of herself she still cannot physically jump on her victim.
As a compromise, even if she just stands and doesn’t jump up, rather than sitting, it’s still a win. Just make sure you are standing on the leash short enough so that she can’t jump, but long enough that she can make the choice and get rewarded for the right choice.
Good luck, she sounds like a fun dog!
Just FYI - most shock collars come with a beep and a vibrate option too. You only have to shock a dog once or twice, if at all, during their training to get them to respond just as strongly to the beep or buzz. It doesn’t have to be inhumane.
