Dutch Shepherd Forum

So training is going a little better for us. We, ok I, just need to get her exposed to more dogs.

But on our way into training we had a couple of fails.

I use "out" with her to have her let go...but sometimes my son doddles in the car. So here I was telling him "out" of the car. She didn't have a toy. I was giving a command and she didn't have a toy, so she took "out" as "up". I got her back out of the car...my son is still sitting there. I tell him "out "again, and she hops back in the car (very proud of herself for being such a good dog and figuring what I wanted.)...by about the fifth time my son figured it out and started giggling at this wonderful new game. By then the trainer came over (obviously confused as to why we were still at the car). They were both finally out of the car.

And we started in, with me saying, "come on" every 3 feet. Once inside the trainer (gently, cause I'm just not getting this) reminded me not to keep giving her the command over and over and to use the correct command, which is not a coaxing "come on".......except I wasn't talking to her! I was trying to keep the kid moving.

Am I the only one who has the epic fails?

A failure isnt failure if a lesson from its learned - Garth Brooks

your trainer is right, although I know you were talking to your son. That is the difficult part when you use the same words for humans as dogs. I found this out early on too with Sadie. Thalie was trained in french so I didn't have that problem with her. Sadie knows both but now she just knows what to do.

Try to find different words. you can really use any word you want. all it is , is association, you can use " couch"

they need to learn to ignore other dogs and things, not really get exposure to them. My Thalie could walk through a super crowded dog park with tons of dogs jumping at her and she would not leave my side and didnt pay any mind to them. I never "socialized" her or exposed her, I taught her to ignore everything but me

Since we as humans make so many mistakes almost daily, our dogs are aloud to make a mistake once in awhile.....lol

I asked about using different word, or another language. The rationale I was given is that motion commands are actually "her name command", so I shouldn't be having an issue...if I were succeeding at this.