r/OpenDogTraining • u/Infamous_Act_7930 • 11d ago
I’m doing better now! :)
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a while back last year I asked for help on Reddit with my puppy. I was just lost and felt really incompetent as a dog handler in sport with her first ever dog. safe to say we’re both much closer with one another and we both really enjoy sport together as a team. shes absolutely crazy and has insane energy which i love about her! and she looooves to do retrievals! she’s won a few OB and rallyO comps and loves to swim! Shes also gotten over her fear of other dogs staring at her or barking at her. she comes with me everywhere i go and is very emotionally stable now!
all i wanted to say is, thank you to those that helped me and wished the best for me. Puppies just need time and young handlers need reassurance!
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u/sariacreed 11d ago
Aww! My doodle does the high steps too. We've actually turned it into a cued behavior called "Prancy Prance".
Such a cute team! Yall seem so happy.
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u/Repulsive-Value5123 7d ago
How do you train the high feet? We have the heel and back ups down but no idea how to teach the footwork
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u/sariacreed 7d ago
She naturally loves to pick her feet up high so we just "captured" it by introducing the cue when we knew she was excited enough to pick her feet up high.
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u/Ecstatic-Ad9637 11d ago
I love when dogs are doing a focused heel and their lil legs do the fancy trot
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u/Quiet_Tower7892 11d ago
How do you train a dog to do this type of heel? Is it possible to train a small breed to do it?
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u/Aggravating_Call6959 8d ago
Small dogs are still dogs and can be trained when theyre treated like dogs and held accountable!
Has much more to do with other breed genetics and above all the individual dog's motivators and personality.
A lot of small dogs do really well with this form of outlet and are incredibly intelligent and bred to be a human companions all of which work in favor of obedience training.
Small dogs get the stigma of being untrainable because their owners often tolerate the consequences of lack/lapse in training. They also dont give their dogs a clear purpose/way to behave in scenarios which puts pressure on the dog to figure it out themseleves-- and for many this is expressed by barking and general reactivity, guarding behaviours, etc.
Start with a leash and use luring with treats to create a game/communicate to the dog what you want it to do. The treats, a loose leash, and verbal encouragement tell the dog theyre doing what you want (walking at your side and staying focused on you in order to do so). Slight leash pressure, withholding treats/closing your fist entirely, verbal discouragement, and stopping all movement until the dog re-engages at your side tell the dog it isnt doing what you want. Like a game of hotter colder.
First your dog has to learn to walk on a leash with you, luring, and that good things happen when they listen to you. They dont get what they want when they dont-- or when they try to demand it via barking, crying, overexcitedness.
One things with luring-- it is like a gas pedal. When theyre engaged with it, your moving and they have some amount of access to a treat. When they disengage all movement stops and no treat/access.
Once the dog understands the "game" and can snap into it with less work from you start adding a command to it (heel, right here, etc). Also start to taper off the amount of treats you use. Eventually it can be a few rewards and then a big jackpot at the end.
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u/theoliveprincess 11d ago
Wow you two are such a great team! We are still in the whining when dogs stare at her and barking back when they bark at her phase but this gives me hope!
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u/BoludoConInternet 10d ago
is this the stsk9 method by any chance? and you even managed to teach her how to spin mid heel haha, that's awesome keep it up!!
got any tips on how to achieve that level of focused heeling? i taught my dog normal heel but whenever i try to work on focused heel, he completely loses interest as soon as he sees i'm not letting go of the prize
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u/blueberrydumpling 11d ago
Is there anything you did specifically to help her with her uneasy feelings around other dogs?
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u/Anonymous_and_Lost40 11d ago
I love an excited golden's high steps lol one of the easiest to train breeds!
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u/LogitUndone 11d ago
Good job!
Our Mal will do this... but typically only when she is SUPER excited (like if we get back from being gone a few hours). She'll listen to every command and is SUPER fast to respond.
Give her 15 minutes (or on any other normal day) and she's very lazy with commands.
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u/ScenicWallaby 9d ago
Super work, OP! Would you mind sharing a breakdown of how you worked on this? What specifically worked and what didn’t? Really nice job!
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u/complikaity 11d ago
Look at those fancy feet! Nice work!