Attention deficit disorder?

[Iaindp]

I've got an 18 week old springer with excellent lines so he should be well trainable but he is receptive only when HE wants to be.

 

Is this normal? Perhaps he's too young?

 

He'll sit, stay, hunt, retrieve etc to voice / hand / whilstle but then he'll switch off. It's like I can't hold his attention for long enough or that other stuff, like sniffing around rabbit holes is more fun.

 

Maybe that what I'm asking him to do doesn't get his full attention because he's bored with it and not challenging enough. I've seen posts saying that ESSs just like to please, but mine is more interested in running around like a loony.

 

I've tried praise and treats, but didn't see any great difference.

 

I try to give him approx 10mins training morning and evening but he doesn't last that long!

 

Will this change as he gets older?

 

All advice welcome!

[new to the flock]

Iain, where are you training, back garden out on walks?

 

At 18 weeks you should have the basics of sit, come, wait, stay, drop, and heel well started. With him heeling beside you until you release him for a run. He should also be playing fetch until you are too tired to through the ball or he is too tired to run. This will develope a love of the game and a desire to bring things to you.

 

Give a few more details of how you are going about your training.

 

NTTF

[Iaindp]

Thanks Nttf

 

I train him in the back garden and on walks although I think I perhaps should stick to training in the garden for now?? and just letting him run around on walks.

 

He will sit & come and he'll retreive 100% of the time when I throw the dummy, but after a retreive, he's back in the bushes etc sniffing about - he's not waiting for me to throw the dummy again.

 

Should I wait until I've got his attention before throwing it again?

 

Indoors however he'll retreive all day but then there's no distractions.

 

As for walking to heel, he's a nightmare. I only use a lead in the streets, never in the field, and he would pull me around if I let him. I constantly tell him "heel" and yank him back to my heels but you get a bit fed up with it when he wont learn! He's getting better but will always take up the strain on the lead rather than the lead being loose. Any ideas on this? I've tried using some of the techniques suggested before but without much success

 

Cheers

Iain

[polski]

At 18 weeks he is still very young and consequently his attention span is quite short. Personally I think your asking too much too soon, I don,t usually start the more serious stuff until the dog is 6-8 months old(let it be a pup first), pups don't respond well to pressure. Do your training one step at a time, get the first step right before moving on to the next.

This is how I do it, others may have different views, but this works for me.

 

Rick.

[dustyfox]

I had the same problem but I changed the way I act, if my dog has done something like sniffing at something instead of going to retreive I will either stamp my foot on the ground or whip my self with the lead over my shoulder so he knows im not happy, my dog will then get the dummy but he does not get a praise for it, I get him to sit down beside me ready for the next retrieve. When my dog does it right and gets the dummy I hold out my arms and act all excited while calling him back, when he comes back I will hold out my hand for the dog to give me the dummy and I will then praise him even more when all goes good.

 

I remember getting all angry over my dog cause he wasnt doing what I wanted him to do only to discover that it wasnt his fault it was mine, because I was all serious about it and started shouting and acting aggressive to him, which my dog must of thought that he was doing everything wrong.

 

I now have a softer approuch to it I make sure its fun for him and me. I have managed to get him to retreive dummies, I have managed to get him to sit and stay while I walked around a football pitch and going out of site and he stayed where I told him to. water retreives, healing everything really. The only thing I have got to work on him is where my dog see's another dog, I just cant quite get him to stop running up to it, so thats gonna be my next thing to do on him.

 

DF

[new to the flock]

Thanks Nttf

 

I train him in the back garden and on walks although I think I perhaps should stick to training in the garden for now?? and just letting him run around on walks.

 

He will sit & come and he'll retreive 100% of the time when I throw the dummy, but after a retreive, he's back in the bushes etc sniffing about - he's not waiting for me to throw the dummy again.

 

Should I wait until I've got his attention before throwing it again?

 

Indoors however he'll retreive all day but then there's no distractions.

 

As for walking to heel, he's a nightmare. I only use a lead in the streets, never in the field, and he would pull me around if I let him. I constantly tell him "heel" and yank him back to my heels but you get a bit fed up with it when he wont learn! He's getting better but will always take up the strain on the lead rather than the lead being loose. Any ideas on this? I've tried using some of the techniques suggested before but without much success

 

Cheers

Iain

Iain,

 

Until you have taught him to heel do not try to have him heel on the walks. I am a very firm believer that before a dog/pup can heel you need to teach him the position and the word. Putting a leash on and yanking the dog backwards does not accomplish this. Use a treat and get him in position, take some steps forward with the command in place, and then toss the treat with a release command all work together to teach the command. Have a read through the teaching to heel in the program I posted.

 

For the retrieving and the taining I would keep it to the back garden for now. Once he is accomplished there then you can take it to the next stage and train in a short cover, and then again in normal working cover once accomplished. The rule of thumb is train in three areas with different covers, and three areas with increased distractions. Do not worry about steadying him off yet on the retrieveing as he is a bit young for that, but nothing wrong with getting him to start to sit when he brings the retrieve back at this point.

 

Hope this helps, ask away if you have any questions.

 

NTTF

[Iaindp]

Thanks Guys I appreciate the help - NTTF I'll look at the training pages again when I get a min

 

Thanks again

Iain