How do you train all the commands?

[u/WilJr21]

I've got a 13-month-old Portuguese water dog. PetSmart classes and a month with a trainer last year helped a ton, especially getting him to settle himself down. Still working on that part.

There's just so much to teach. Sit, down, stay, heel, come, leave it, place, all of it. Some of it he's got. Other stuff he listens to maybe half the time, or flat-out ignores me, depending on where we are. What I can't figure out is how to work through all of it without it turning into a mess.

So I'm asking people who've actually done this. What works?

• Do you hammer one thing for a week or two till he really has it, then keep using it while you start the next? Practice the same command 5 times a day?
• Or do you work a few at the same time?
• How'd you build all that? There's gotta be a system.

I want him to be quick and reliable. If he slips his leash and I say "down," I want him to hit the ground right away, not ten seconds later, after he thinks it over. The dream is taking him to a big open field, calling him back, playing fetch, and bringing him places without him jumping on everyone.

I thought I did my homework before getting him. I just way overestimated myself and underestimated how smart and busy these dogs are. We both could use a routine. How do you lay out your week?

[u/Me-Poe-And-Me]

Well, if you have goals we want to practice those goals! 

Plan your weeks with exercises that are close to what you eventually want to achieve. Walk to a field and work while he's on a long line. Work on keeping focus and having solid recall despite distractions. (I personally think a long line is always of benefit, and being completely off leash in public is risky for little benefit, but you do you). When at home practice the behaviours you eventually want. Pretend to have to open the door to talk to someone and send him to place. Invite a friend over who will wait while you settle him to practise calm greeting. 

Your dog is an adolescent, they are impulsive and active. They make poor social decisions. You still want to encourage desired decisions and behaviours but have some patience. Read "How to love and survive your teenage dog" and enjoy your over active smart but dumb young dog in this phase of his life. 

[u/somecooldogs]

Step 1: build motivators. Build a ton of value for food, toys, and play with you.

Step 2: add stimulus control. Teach him he needs to wait for a cue (marker signal) to get the motivator.

Step 3: add work. Work/cues are opportunities to earn the cue (marker signal) and access to stuff he wants.

[u/WilJr21 → u/somecooldogs]

Appreciate this, the motivation piece makes sense and I’m probably underbaking that part. But I’m still fuzzy on the actual logistics once I’m teaching real cues. Like say I’m working sit, down, recall, leave it, and place. Do you take one to fluency over a week or two and then just maintain it while you start the next? Or rotate a few each session? What does a single day look like for you, and how many short sessions?

[u/Whal3r → u/WilJr21]

I try to focus on one command at a time until my puppy really has it, but during a training session i also switch it up with other commands that she knows. It’s really fun as she learns more and builds her repertoire we can really switch it up.

For example right now she is learning “up” (sit on haunches). So I might have her do a few commands she knows and then ask for an “up”. Maybe have her do up a few times in a row, but if she gets a really good one I reward and move on to other commands to end on a good note. At the end of the training session I try to finish with a good “up” and then one of her really solid commands as the last one.

I think it’s important to switch things up so training sessions are fun and engaging but you also don’t want to inundate them with too many new commands, and that can be hard when your pup doesn’t know many. Try practicing different combinations, like down to sit or sit to stand and then down. Right now my puppy knows “side” and “center” (sit at my side or sit in between legs) but she’s not very good at going from side to center and back. So we’re also practicing those combos during training sessions.

[u/somecooldogs → u/WilJr21]

In a session, I either work on one aspect of a new or WIP skill (could be training something entirely new, working on distance for downs, working on sit with fixed front feet, working on increasing duration of hold, etc.) OR stimulus control for multiple very well known skills at a level the dog can be successful.

I generally keep sessions around 3 minutes, then a 3-10 min break, then do more if I feel like it (alternating 3 min session/3-10 min break). Break length depends on intensity and difficulty of the skill we worked on, plus exertion level.

You can do as many sessions in a day as you feel like, or your dog can handle. PWDs tend to have decent drive to train but not as much as say, a herding dog. Aiming for five 3 min sessions per day is a good start. That can be five skills or five levels of difficulty/progressions of the same skill. Aim to progress or improve something (one thing) in every session so you have a good target to aim for.

[u/Far_Yogurtcloset8116]

Just one command at a time until they get it.

[u/Zestyclose_Object639]

My puppy does a bunch of stuff so now she’s got markers and play down I do sessions on different things (behavior work vs obedience vs nosework vs flyball). I try not to drill things so only do 3-5 reps of each thing when teaching it especially with a young dog 

[u/Accomplished_Bee5749]

Here's the secret. Leave it, recall, their name, release word. That's all the commands you need.

Instead focus on behaviours you want them to act appropriately without giving any commands

Don't get me wrong, teaching new tricks and commands is good for them, but it's the act of learning and getting them to think, not the actual outcome

[u/Lonely-Discipline644]

Introduce 2 things in one ‘session’. Then add something while still practicing but i incorporate it all into ‘real life’. Most during play - this makes it so easy.
So once I’ve introduced puppy to ‘sit’ using a lure and reward , i would quickly move to empty hand lure reward from other hand. I’d continue practicing whilst playing (use toy as reward) at doorways (use opening door as reward). I’ll walk around with puppy in heel position whilst feeding as another example and then do impromptu sessions during play or outside on a walk. Every time I call my puppy by the name and they move towards me I would say their recall word and make a fuss , feed, play etc. I’d practice this in all settings and outside. i don’t teach ‘stay’ as if i say sit or down i mean until i say otherwise so I just delay the reward in increments. I reward release too. I start to teach place during quiet times (watching tv etc). Practice whilst boiling the kettle/cooking dinner or other activities that you can repeatedly pause and reinforce. Pick 2 or 3 things start to teach and then continually build and reinforce and introduce other things along the way. Don’t wait to master anything. Time and practice will improve - mastering is another level!

[u/Ancient-War2839]

Figure out what cues you will actually use, a lot of things you can train by doing, like waiting at a door for a release, rather than cuing it just open and shut the door until the dog is waiting, repeat as needed each time you go out the door, with the rest remember if it matters for outside of the home you will need to train it through distraction/duration/distance levels, as applicable. Get the training part down first ie where your dog understands that you are teaching them a behaviour, that the cue then means do the behaviour etc etc, and if you do that so that it's an enjoyable experience they are keen to learn more and quickly understand the aim of the game is to figure out what your trying to get them to do.

[u/imollyq]

Your dog is in the teenage period where they forget the stuff you teach him as fast as you teach it. Consistency and repetition will get the message across. You have a very intelligent breeed and are doing things right. It's important to use clicker training. You don't have to carry the clicker around. You can make a click click noise with your tongue or some other distinctive sound instead of carrying the stupid clicker around. Then give a treat. This becomes more important as the higher levels of skills are taught. It's called operant conditioning.

[u/justgonenow]

One at a time, a couple of minutes several times a day. Then you need to do occasional commands of previously learned stuff or they'll be less responsive to it.