How can i make my pup stop....

In reading this it sounds like you need to work on stay or wait duration. He broke his command because, for his level of training the wait was too long and he made a decision to do something else.

In addition to NILIF and the rest, try instilling in your dog he is to never break a command unless he is released OR given a new command. This takes 100% consistancy on your part. It matters not if you train him to "got to mat" or "lie down" with a "stay" and it should not matter where he is when you ask for this (indoors, outdoors etc. etc.). You practice it everywhere you need him to do it.

Now, the FIRST time I did this.. trained a dog with the idea that a dog is to NEVER break a command... only to do what has been asked until he is asked to do something else OR released, the dog got it quicker than I did.. and the dog learned that I could be inconsistant in my inistance that "sit means sit until I say lie down at which point it is Lie down until I say it is come here..." etc.

The HARDEST thing for ME to learn was to follow thru EVERYTIME no matter WHAT and if I KNEW I woud nto or could not follow thru to NOT GIVE THE DOG A COMMAND. Even if I was talking to a friend while out on a walk (I would interrupt the conversation and correct the dog, putting her BACK into what ever I had asked that SHE elected to stop doing!). OR I would break off the conversation when I knew my dog was reaching her endurance level for the command.

To that end.. and KNOWING Apollo is not good enough at staying or waiting while you try to shut off the gast to the Water Heater, he should have been tied or crated.

And now you know.. he will NOT stay if you get down on the ground.. so in addition to training him to stay, increasing the duration of the stay, he has to be generlized on his stay no matter what you are doing, be it sitting on the ground or on all fours or standing or sitting in a chair.... (Ain't dog training fun? )

drea said:

I'm curious how you go about putting the dog back into whatever state you asked him to be in...for example, when I've asked my dog to stay in a down, and when I see he's gotten up, or is about to, how to do put him back down quickly? I usually ask for him to go back down, wait a few seconds, then release him. Is there something I should be doing differently?

Click to expand...

In a perfect world you would not set the dog up to fail.. you would read the dog and see he is to his threshold and give a new command.

However, even the most vigilant trainer will have a dog fail and break a command.. it may be because you did not read the threshold and asked for too much or it may be the result of sudden distraction etc.

what I do is return the dog to EXACTLY the same spot.. the same position and all the rest and when the CORRECT position is again in place, I will re issue the command and reward the dog for doing it and this time not ask for as much.

Now if I see a dog about to break a command I clear my throat so the dog looks at me and either reissue the command in a stern voice or re issue the command by hand signal. I am sure that there are those who would say that clearing my throat is an aversive (and it may well be) but the stern-ness of the sound seems to work. And when I say it works, it works on dogs, cats, horses and yes.. even the cows. I am also sure there are those who would say that the stern tone of the command re-issue is an aversive as well.. and it might actually backfire on a timid on unconfident dog. I don't know. It as always worked for me on the animals I have had.