Dog not phased by leash corrections?

Question

I'm pretty sure I'm doing my leash pops correctly... I keep my arm bent at waist level when I'm holding the leash, so that I can do a quick drop-pop-release if I need to give a correction. This is how it was shown to me by the trainer I had for puppy classes.

Problem is, my 6 month old miniature schnauzer, who I am leash training on a nylon collar ignores these corrections. They don't seem to phase her at all, and this makes walks a little frustrating.

I should note: this is not a pulling-on-the-leash problem. It's an ignoring known commands problem. I work with her on commands while we're out walking, and she's fine around most distractions now, except for when she decides she wants to sniff the grass, or randomly chooses to ignore my verbal commands. I need to be able to correct her for ignoring me, but I'm at a loss as to what my options are, since she flat out ignores leash pops.

(If her focus gets too intent on something, the only way I've been able to get her to focus back on me is to shove a treat literally right in front of her nose and lure her into looking at me, then I have to move quick to try and get her to stay interested in the treat long enough to move away from whatever was distracting her. I do use +R for teaching commands, but the fact that I have to be doing this now during proofing... I don't like it. It's embarrassing, and I've run into the problem of running out of having enough treats with me).

Back on topic: Am I doing something wrong with the leash corrections? How can I correct her on leash if popping her isn't working?

Answer 1

Terriers are stubborn AND they have a high prey drive. When combined, then you're likely to need way more than a small leash pop on a buckle collar to get their attention, and a treat likely won't do much good (especially since treating the wrong moment or behavior will ENCOURAGE the behavior exhibited prior to the treat.)



You're correct that at the proofing point of training you SHOULD NOT (have to) USE TREATS. Period. Treats are great for motivation and teaching but not for proofing or shaping behaviors already learned.



I have a Schnauzer mix who had the exact same problem (very high distraction rate to small animals and birds). See my dog would BOLT at small animals - break right out of heel or loose leash, occasionally into the road. Dangerous. My trainer advised me to buy a Prong collar, which we worked her with without the animal distractions at first (light obedience, very light leash corrections, etc).



Then she had me take her for a walk. One mile later my dog no longer bolted at small animals. All i had to do was hold on and stop walking when my dog saw a squirrel or bird. She would bolt, i wouldn't move, she would hit the end of the leash - she learned fast that it was a bad idea. I timed so that when she hit the end of the leash and turned back to me in surprise, i would say "leave it" - she eventually associated "leave it" with leaving it and even to this day (no longer on the Prong) she will leave it if i tell her to.



Leash pop corrections with a Prong are also ten times more effective.



But if you decide to try a Prong then i would find an experienced trainers to show you how to PROPERLY use it. They are not going to hurt the dog UNLESS they are used improperly (just like any other training tool.)



Note: I'm just waiting for the thumbs down on this one.... bunny huggers who don't believe dogs should ever be corrected or allowed to correct themselves. Hmph.

Answer 2

IMPO Nylon collars are not great for obedience training. A chain or even a prong placed high on the neck right behind the ears works the best, just the sound of these collars will snap a dog into attention. If the collar is placed correctly your snap and release will get the head moving and the body will fall in line. Give the command if she does not immediately respond then give the needed correction immediately you might be hesitating thus loosing your opportunity to get a positive response.

Answer 3

I have seen several dogs trained very well with nothing but positive reinforcement. If you are getting results with +R, why mess with success? Because it's embarrassing? Well a little bit of embarrassment now will be worth it if you come out in the end with an obedient pup. Also keep in mind she is still at the young puppy stage, with ADD being a prominent characteristic in any breed. If you are doing the leash corrections properly and they aren't working, go with what IS working. If having enough treats is a problem, several pet stores and some dog daycare centers sell nylon treat bags that are big enough to carry many tasty morsels and they easily clip on to your belt loops.



If you still aren't sold on the treats, consider a gentle leader, which is a small "harness" that is placed over the muzzle rather than around the neck or chest. Dogs usually resist pulling with gentle leaders because they don't enjoy the sensation of the pulling on their snout. This is great when you are trying to deter them from getting distracted by smells and the like, however this is NOT conducive to leash corrections as you could injure their muzzle. The only drawback is that sometimes you will need to initially train your dog to not resist wearing it. Helpful instructional videos on how to use this product can easily be found online, and there even exists youtube videos explaining how to use it.



Hope this helps!

Answer 4

The owner of the dog needs to know how to "operate" the dog, same way you can get into a car that's in perfect running order but if you don't know how to drive you won't have much luck making the car go anywhere. If the owner doesn't know how to maintain the training, the dog will soon become untrained again. Read more here https://tr.im/uwPmA



People seem to think that once a dog is trained, that's it. Not true. You must reinforce the dog's training every single day in some way. It's best if the owner and the dog go together to get trained. As a professional trainer once said to me "We can train any dog in 2 days. It takes longer to train the owners

Answer 5

Miniature schnauzers are tough, had the same problem with mine. Have you tried a high pitch sound to catch her attention? If that does not work start using a clicker. She will be more apt to pay attention to you once she knows what a clicker is. Then when you give her a command click and treat. She will enjoy walks and focus on you for her next command and treat :)

Answer 6

I have used a couple of other methods:



* I would come to a complete stop and tell the dog "heel" or "with me" and we didn't move until he came into a heel position and focused on me.



* I have "flicked" the ear to get the attention as well. It's not a painful flick, just a light one to get them to turn their head.



* I have used the "Watch me" command to get the dog to focus on me.



* In last ditch effort, I have put on the prong - done the walk - then take off the prong - he didn't ignore my leash pops or commands after that.



Stop with the treats to entice him to do commands he should already know. You cannot feed him into constant obedience.

Answer 7

I consider what you want is a authentic behaviorist. When your puppy will get pissed off he is taking that anger out on you or different animals, that is not ever k. It's now not handy for the usual proprietor to repair a hindrance like that. /: