activeviii Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Is I doing something wrong or is it just his age. My pup is now 7 mths old today. he has totally switched off. will not come back when called. will not sit, or down and is scared of everything. He was a bold pup with nothing worrying him. he was scared by a t1t on new years at 1:30am, two gardens down, a display firework was let off just as pup was in mid flow. i thought it was save at that time of morning. with treats he will sit and down but out side he has no interest in treats so i sometimes have to put hand on bum and put him in a sit or own. not to worried about this as i think hes remembering. recall, hes back on lead or on the long lead problem is that hes gone scared. i have starfire and a few others, thunder, fireworks, house'n'town. not worried at all with any of them. only problem with starfire is the neighbours keep asking to borrow the cheese porn film.hehe. if you've heard it you'll know what i mean. the problem is CLICKS, anything that clicks and the tail goes between and off he runs. started with an electric stapler. all i was doing was stapling fabric to a board. it wasn't loud or anything. my parents were here and there old so i put pup in his crate after he had seid hello. he jumps and claws at them and bruises my parents skin so i put in in crate, working on stopping him jumping but i cant stop the parents coming around forever....can I? anyway, i was using the electric stapler, thinking nothing of it. parents left so let dog out. he didn't seam to worried so carried on. its the only thing i can think of that might of set him off. this was a month ago. around that time he started to show signs of panic when something clicked. we have just ignored it, until now. now if anything clicks he runs, snack box lid, changing the speed if the cordless drill, even if the house is quiet then the pc mouse clicking will panic him. I have tried to use the click trainer and treat. click give treat, click, give treat. if he see's the clicker he runs. behind my back with it then he was ok. until now, he will not take a treat now, he has even associated the treat bag with it and my pocket. put hand in pocket and he runs. is it something i did, or something i have done wrong. or is it one of his scary stages of life the they say cockers go though. he is even scared if there's another dog barking. I'm at a little lose now and not really sure what i should be doing. i don't what to mess things up even more so before i do anything else i thought best ask as its getting silly now. should i carry on and keep making the noises, if so then do i praise or ignore. or is it jut a stage that he'll grow out off. please help as at this rate he will just be a pet and not a companion for when im shooting. thanks Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Tw*ts with fireworks again :blink: had same prob few weeks back , the next morning she would,nt go out into the garden ,kept looking up at the sky , took loads of encouragement to get her to forget . sure NTTF will be around later to sort it out good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I agree with darren, listen to what NTTF has to say. My t'pence worth, this dogs needs to get confidence in you. What I would do, rightly or wrongly, forget everything else and do no training - even play training - spend time letting him jump all over you, playing with you, throw retrieves now and again for him (assuming he will retrieve?) and get him really pleased to be running to you for your affection when you call him. Get him bouncing and confident in you, at home first of all and build from there in small steps. The clicking thing I'm not sure about, just make sure you do not reward his fear - ignore his reaction completely, don't look at him, don't speak to him and don't touch him. Ensure you are displaying complete confidence in the environment and that, along with his increasing confidence in you, should bring him on. Good luck. WGD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 At 7 months it is a set back but nothing that can't be sorted. Expert will be here soon. LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 Phil, Can you give a few more details as to what he does when he hears these noises? His body posture, head and tail set etc. What are you using for treats when you are trying the clicker? Were you able to load the clicker and the dog? NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted March 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 Phil, Can you give a few more details as to what he does when he hears these noises? His body posture, head and tail set etc. What are you using for treats when you are trying the clicker? Were you able to load the clicker and the dog? NTTF Hello NTTF, thanks for looking in. If in the house and theres a click he looks, head drops and a moves away from the noise, docked tail between the legs, he will leave the room if he can. if he hears it a second time then he hides. his hiding seams to be anything as long as theres something over his head, IE: a chair, ironing board or table. if he has nothing to hide under then its around the corner of something so he can see where the noise is coming from and then he will be laid down with chin on the floor. if there another click then he is trying to climb a door or window to get out of the situation. If its out in the garden then he will go and hide under a bush or again hide behind something. he does always look though, almost as if its a not sure what to do thing. he is scared but im not sure if its the click or something else. the clicker i have been trying to use is a like one of these. http://www.traininglines.co.uk/quick-click-541-0.html I was giving a sit or a down then as soon as his bum touches the floor i would click and feed treat. but after a few click/treats he stopped taking the treat and turned a way from it. where i have go to now is, i can now click the clicker if its in my pocket and he will come looking for it, but i have to be careful not to over do it. if i click the drill to change the speed then he will look up, as long as i dont do it a second time, if i do then he will move away. If he dosent see whats making the noise then he will come and see, you know the way they do it when there not sure. he will not come anywhere near my shed/workshop if im on my own, he sits as far away as he can and just looks over the wall, if the wife walks out then he will go with her down there, even if im in there banging a crashing. he will even come in the workshop with her but with me on my own then no chance. treat wise, i was using sausage but it was a pain so i changed over to a shop bought soft treat, gosh they stink, i loves them, well he did. now i have gone back to the sausage because of the click problem but im mixing it up and giving a bit of sausage one treat or two and then a shop treat. all treats i give are no bigger than 10mm and never anything that would be feed as a main feed. I have just been doing a few sits and that in the house and instead of going to him to treat i was throwing them to him. i dont spit treat.hehe. anyway after a few goes i clicked the clicker and throw the treat the clicker was behind my back. only done it 4 time but each time he jumped to the treat with out a worry. im not going to put my luck with this. I dont know if it is me over thinking this but the drill is yellow and so is the clicker. just a thought. im trying to give as much info as i can so sorry if im waffling. thanks again for any help that one can offer. kind regards Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 hi mate at 7 months not to big a problem go right back to basics and make everything fun instead of a chore she should come round ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Phil, Is he crazy for the treat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 with his treats no not at all really. hes a take it or leave it sort of dog. sometimes he will do anything for a treat but other times he will do something for a treat and then when you give him a treat he spits it back at you. hes the same with food, some days he eats, others he doesn't. he lost so much weight that in the end we put a tea spoon of mashed fish in with his skinners food just to get him in the idea of it. he doesn't do chore yet, we are trying to keep everything fun. the only time the law is laid down is the biting and nipping. by law we only tell him 'no' and either a tap on the nose or just hold mouth shut and a 'no' nothing every to put his tail between his legs and never a shout. we might be doing this wrong as well.hehe. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 how often and when are you feeding him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 how often and when are you feeding him? 100g of skinners puppy kibbles twice a day. 9am when kids have gone to school and the house is a little quieter and then at 7-8pm once kids are in bed and the wife and i have finished eating. he sometimes does leave some of the morning fed if there's something better going on. he's a house dog and the wife will not see it any other way. he should be on between 220 and 300g if going by the side of the packet. he get given 200g if he eat then he eats if not then he has to wait till next meal. he does get a few charcoal biscuits or boneo's during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 find something he loves and he is realy mad for then play with that start all over again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 find something he loves and he is realy mad for then play with that start all over again Im not going out in the field and shaking the wifes knickers for him . if its gone quite in the house then we know that teague is either in the wash basket or ironing pile looking for the gusset. he will walk around with tail wagging with them hanging out his mouth. wife not happy.hehe. just sat here now tapping away on the keyboard and he's got up and left the room. he was asleep on the vet bed. got up looked at me and has gone upstairs. blumming weird dog. yesterday we where walking one of the fields and next thing i know there's a bang from other side of hedge. pups up on back legs trying to look over headge. then another bang and hes running up and down trying to see what it was. tail waging like billio. it was a gas crow gun, i didnt know it was there. scared the poo out of me. so im not overly worries about the bangs as i thing, as long as introduced correctly, he will be fine with it. I got a gun out the cabinet earlier to clean, teague walks in to room, See's gun. his head drops below shoulder height, looking up at me, turns, tails between legs and he scampers out the room. he use to be fine with me getting the guns out, he would come over and sniff them, not bothered by them. Is this just a scary stage that hes going though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Phil, I dont know if it is just a stage or not unfortunately I do not know the breed well enough. Mad Springer may be able to enlighten us there. However I do believe we have to adress the nervousness at the sound of a click. Think about using a gun it clicks each time you open or close it, it clicks with the ejectors and it clicks when you pull the trigger. So we definately want to be past this. Are you familiar with the term load the clicker? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted April 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 I'm hoping it is a stage, im going back to see the breeder for a little help tomorrow (Thurs), she has kept a bitch back for herself and says hers is a little nervy at the moment. as what to do, she said to carry on with normal daily life but stop any purposeful clicking at the moment as we don't want to encourage the behavior at the moment if it is just a stage. Loading the clicker? nope not heard of it. could you enlighten me please. regards Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted April 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Are you familiar with the term load the clicker? Dan I have just googled the term 'Loading the clicker' is it like this Dan Here’s how to you can easily train your dog to respond to the clicker before moving on to basic and advanced training. The following steps are often referred to as “loading†the clicker. Begin with your dog in a quiet area. Have a handful of your dog’s favorite treats ready. Ideally, this should be done when your dog is hungry. Press the clicker and immediately give your dog a treat. Repeat 5-10 times. You can test your success by clicking when your dog is not paying attention to you. If your dog responds to the click by suddenly looking at you, then looking for a treat, you are ready to move on. Next, begin teaching your dog basic commands. At the exact moment your dog performs the desired action, press the clicker. Follow with a treat and praise. this is how i was doing it, only problem was that after 3 or 4 treats i got the wrong effect, the pup wouldn't take the treat at all and sulked away. I'm thinking now that i should have built up to it, as in, say only two click/treats then leave it 1/2hr then do it again. then over the course of a week or so built up to being able to click/treat when ever without worrying. bit like the 'Starfire' CD and the way they do it with gunfire and porn music. (that's what the wife calls it) (i wouldn't know dear ) i will wait for advice first as i don't what to make things worse than they are, which knowing my luck, I'm mess it up more.hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 That is basically it, although when I load a clicker I do between 25 and 50 treats in that 10 minute window depending on the dog. I have a bit of an idea for your dog if you would like to try. If it does not work I will try to come up with something else. Today I would like you to try a variety of treats....cheese, sausage, maybe cubed chicken or liver(cooked), hotdogs.....keep at it until you find something he really likes, I mean tear yout throat out likes. Do not feed him dinner tonight, or breakfast tommorrow. I want him hungry. I will PM you my phone number so that we can go over this if you like. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 dont push the puppy to hard shes still a pup in the trial world we would hardly of started a pup of that age i believe pups need to be pups not fully train by the time there 12 months its not a race mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossandjet Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am guessing that this is your fist dog, if so you have picked a bread that is not easy for a first timer. (I have 3) Cockers are a dog that you can’t train using harsh methods, they do exactly what yours has done and just pack up. As soon as this happens pack up and go home, no matter what you do now, you will do no good. If you start to loose your rag do not continue go home and kick the cat. The advice from Fallarben is good; the dog is still very very young, some people do only basic training up to that age. Also keep it fun and go back to when you were having success. The best advices I can give you is; The best way to get the best out of a Cocker is to always con it and make it think it is doing what it wants when really it is doing what you want (I even rolled about on my back once to get the dog to return to me). Just sit down and think, how do I con this bu**er, but con it you must. If you loose your temper (and you will, the little tinker) pack up and go home you cannot bully a Cocker, they just will not take it. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted April 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am guessing that this is your fist dog, if so you have picked a bread that is not easy for a first timer. (I have 3) Cockers are a dog that you can’t train using harsh methods, they do exactly what yours has done and just pack up. As soon as this happens pack up and go home, no matter what you do now, you will do no good. If you start to loose your rag do not continue go home and kick the cat. The advice from Fallarben is good; the dog is still very very young, some people do only basic training up to that age. Also keep it fun and go back to when you were having success. The best advices I can give you is; The best way to get the best out of a Cocker is to always con it and make it think it is doing what it wants when really it is doing what you want (I even rolled about on my back once to get the dog to return to me). Just sit down and think, how do I con this bu**er, but con it you must. If you loose your temper (and you will, the little tinker) pack up and go home you cannot bully a Cocker, they just will not take it. Good luck every one, no matter the breed, says basic training only as the dog is only young. this i have read so many times on here and other places. what is basic training and when is to young not to young. when i want to puppy classes with him i was told that hes on the old side. i want for the socialising with him. he was 4 mths old. 8 weeks of lessons, from heal to sit, stay, down, even leaving the pup out shop the sort of thing. i thought this was OTT but after reading a few books now im not sure. working dog owners dont train until 6mths plus but pet owners 12weeks. what is right.. im getting so confused with things. kids and wife want a pet and all i want is a picking up, walking and fishing companion thats not scared of things tat make a click.hehe we have spent the last few days making sure that there no strange clicking around him and have been putting in shorter training times but more of them. we will now only do say 5 minutes but a dozen times aday. hes getting back to how he was, always looking to please and if you dont do anything with him he is barking and jumping up. to me hes asking for more as every thing we do is done with fun and play. he is even bringing things to hand for us to throw for him. grass, leaves, sticks, bottles, babies, cars even balls.hehe. Im getting there with things and even the clicking now as this week its the smoke alarm thats panicking him. the wifes been burning food for years so its not a new noise to him. i ignore it, dont look at him and dont talk to him, i just carry on. anyone have a cat i can borrow.hehe thanks all for your input, suggestions and help. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancs Lad Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Mate...........cockers do it............jaz is now 2 but can remember going through what you are going through. He was doing brilliant.....................then over night just stopped................would run to the dummy............and run right past it.............not even bother picking it up............. Now I didnt find him hard to train.........just fustrating at that point...................end of the day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,we kept going out...........switched him to "stockinged" birds and he was ok...............then he went off again......... End of the day. Hes a working dog, he will pick up, he will beat.............ok I have a few problems with him every now and again. but thats what makes him what he is..................and me what I am.. I dont profess to be out 1 hour every day training now. but it was about 15 mins every day after work when he was a pup.... Im happy with him.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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