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My Newfie pup Ozzy is 5 and 1/2 months old, and already 90 lbs of giant Dogzilla. He's a complete lover, and is generally pretty easy to train. The only problem is that he's so large and powerful already, that helping put him into position if he doesn't do it himself doesn't work so well. He'll do a sit or a down, and will hold them until released. Down was a challenge at first, because he wouldn't follow the lure from a sit to the floor. Instead, Ozzy would stand up and lean down to get it. Finally I found that tapping the floor got him to drop, and all was good in the world. Ozzy doesn't mind showing his belly, particularly if I catch him when he's resting and feeling lazy. If I start rubbing, he'll roll back and get his belly rub, flailing limbs in the air and generally having a good doggie time. Otherwise, getting him on his back is not going to happen.
I tried the usual of getting him into a down, and then luring him around and over with a treat. Didn't work. Same problem as the down initially caused. After the treat gets out of his immediate range, he'll stand up and turn around to pursue it. I tried getting him into a down and then gently rolling him over to demonstrate what I wanted, but he resisted so I stopped immediately. My first rule of training is that it should always be fun, and I'm not into forcing the issue. I'm considering trying a 2-pronged attack, having my wife keep his attention with the treat in the correct place, and me rubbing his belly and seeing if he'll continue the roll onto his back. Once he knows what we're trying to do, he'll probably do it happily. But basic push/pull behavior kicks in when I try to manually roll him, and he's just too strong to do it without ruining the moment for him. Any suggestions?
I tried the usual of getting him into a down, and then luring him around and over with a treat. Didn't work. Same problem as the down initially caused. After the treat gets out of his immediate range, he'll stand up and turn around to pursue it. I tried getting him into a down and then gently rolling him over to demonstrate what I wanted, but he resisted so I stopped immediately. My first rule of training is that it should always be fun, and I'm not into forcing the issue. I'm considering trying a 2-pronged attack, having my wife keep his attention with the treat in the correct place, and me rubbing his belly and seeing if he'll continue the roll onto his back. Once he knows what we're trying to do, he'll probably do it happily. But basic push/pull behavior kicks in when I try to manually roll him, and he's just too strong to do it without ruining the moment for him. Any suggestions?