We got a dog!!!!!!

[SKR8PN]

Skr8pn you live with your pack much like we do. They basically understand and even try to speak English!

My sis was trying to name her dog one time and people had LOTS of suggestions for her ... his final name - Norman Harley Howard Puppydog!

Living with the pack is the ONLY way to go!!
That way they understand, sorta like a 6th sense, what you want/need/desire of them.
At times I SWEAR they anticipate what I am going to say to them. Ginger Snap is the best at that. Sometimes....all I have to do is look at her, and she "knows" what I am going to do or want her to do. It is uncanny!!!

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Congrats on the new pup! I hope things go great with him. And I'd say name him whatever you want. I have changed animals' names and they always learned the new one quickly.

I had to laugh, reading this thread. I had a couple of German Shepherds that were basically glued to my side from a very young age. By the time they were a year old, I was spelling out many words. By the time they were two, I had to find other words to use if I didn't want them to know what I was saying, because they understood spelled-out words too.

I love my dogs!

 

[kcsunshine]

I don't know how they do it, but my dog sees me getting dressed and knows whether I'm dressing to go outside or to go somewhere in the car. She sits by the back door if she knows I'm going out to car so she can go too. But, on Saturday morning when we're getting ready to go to market, she just lays on the couch and watches, cause she knows she can't go with us.

Any other time we're going somewhere, I have to spell out "she can't go" and by now she knows what that means. And no matter if we're leaving her home, or leaving her in the car for a few minutes, I always say, "I'll be back in a minute" and she lays down and waits. I have to say, she's smarter than most of the politicians we have now.

 

[Farmfresh]

We were discussing just the other day how our Cassie seems to know the day of the week.

Monday through Friday she provides us with a "wake up service" at about 6:00 to 6:30. This has nothing to do with the bathroom because she has a dog door. It also is not dependent on whether or not I am on summer break from school, but if hubby is on vacation after the first day she switches to weekend schedule.

On her weekend schedule she is often snoring on her back still at 8:30 or 9:00! We have to wake HER up. I just don't understand HOW they know.

 

[pioneergirl]

I'm with the pack thing, too! My Ben knows the schedule, knows what goes on and when. Anymore, he sees me change from shorts to jeans and he knows its time to ride the horse, lol. I agree that all the dogs know their names, and the pack order at their house. Just extended family, without the fighting!

 

[tortoise]

I know we all have different views of training, and I have to politely disagree with you Tortoise on the name issue. Teaching a dog its name, for me anyway, means "Look at me, wait for the command"...as in "Ben! Come!" If I were to just walk outside and say "Come!" who am I talking to? And if you have many dogs, specifying with a name designates who you want to come and who you want to stay.

Of course, my many many years of dog training and yours probably aren't the same.

Pat, I say do what you think works for you and your new pup. Give it a new name to go with his new life!

None of my dogs have ever known the word "Come"

Here's an example of training a tiny puppy what her name means. (My distracting person WAS instructed to NOT use her name. ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnOWFWQk9Ag

Double-commanding still works because the name means "look at me." But instead of "Hunter, Sit!" I reward both behaviors. (Otherwise the first behavior is undermined!). More like this: Hunter. (wait for him to look) Yes! (reward) Sit. (wait for him to sit) Yes! (reward).

 

[Wifezilla]

My friend's Pekingese/****zu mix Coco is a real character. When she was a puppy, my friend was playing with her and said "Where is your goofy doll?". The dog cocked her head, paused for a second, and then went and got the goofy doll. She thought it was a fluke, but then said "where is your teddy bear?". The dog went and got the teddy bear. She was a little freaked but delighted. Turns out not only can the dog identify 5 different toys, she also knows all the family members' names and all she has to do is say "Go get ____" and the dog will go "fetch" what ever person she wants.

 

[lorihadams]

Our last litter Maggie had was adorable. One lady took one of the chocolate females and that dog is smart! She will get the cell phone, the house phone, pick up all her toys and put them back in the box, get a beer, get the girl's cigarettes, open the door....crazy.

She brought her by for a visit and she looks just like Maggie....her name is Turtle!

I love labs.....

 

[Henrietta23]

We brought home a rescue Australian Shepherd years ago. He came with the name Bear and knew it. But we'd already had a dog named Bear, DH's first dog, and it was just too sentimental. We changed Bear II's name to Jack. He learned it very quickly. Once, years later, I called to him "Bear!" in the same tone of voice I used "Jack". He perked right up and came trotting over. Now, that doesn't work if I call any of my other dogs by an incorrect name. But Jack somehow remembered that he was called Bear as well as Jack. I found it fascinating!
Congratulations!!!

 

[Farmfresh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnOWFWQk9Ag

Double-commanding still works because the name means "look at me." But instead of "Hunter, Sit!" I reward both behaviors. (Otherwise the first behavior is undermined!). More like this: Hunter. (wait for him to look) Yes! (reward) Sit. (wait for him to sit) Yes! (reward).

Good explanation and good video.

I have a theory that different BREEDS of dogs require a bit different training style. For example, when we used to train our German Shepherds they were very willing to please us and always seeking out our praise.

When I trained my Siberian Husky I had fortunately done a bit of research on training lead dogs for sled teams first. Most Huskys are more like a cat. If they please you well that is nice, but FIRST they must please themselves. Some people call them stupid and headstrong, but actually they are EXTREMELY intelligent. When I trained Sasha I used VERY VERY little voice. She learned by doing. I would give the sit hand signal and then move her little body (3 months) into the sit position. (reward) She had the association FAST.

When heeling I deployed the method I read about from a man that was a dog trainer in Hollywood. (sorry I can't remember his name but he was German) He suggested a LONG 20 foot leash. You don't hold the dog by you AT ALL ... you DO change directions often and fast and slow down for nothing. Basically you go where you will and the puppy either pays close attention to you and where you are going or hits the end of the rope in an unpleasant way. I really thought it sounded stupid, but for the HUSKY it worked like a dream. Once you have the basic attention you shorten to a regular 6 or 8 foot training leash. Still no talking. You physically keep the dog in the correct place by your body position and your lack of attention to his person. For example if the dog sits down in front of you while you are walking you walk (or shuffle) right through them and push them out of the way with your feet. If they are sitting and you are walking - they get drug a bit. If they are moving and you are still you move off 180 degrees from where they are heading.

Within nothing flat she was walking at heel position (well ... shoulder to heel instead of nose to heel) on a slack leash, sitting when I stopped and really REALLY watching to see where I would be going next. There were LOTS of rewards when you were doing right, both edible and petting, but their was little or no voice. This method worked great on the Husky. She was also taught to pull, so when the leash was slack she heeled and when the rope was tight she was in pull mode. Eventually you "name" the things that she learned so behavior first and then learn that it is called "sit". This dog eventually even learned to scent track and had a better comprehension of the English language that many of the students I work with.

Yet with all of that success the same thing seems to confuse a less "hands on" breed of dog like a German Shepherd and my D1's small beagle would rather HEAR you praise her than almost anything. Animals are like people they learn in different ways.

The most important thing to remember with ANY puppy or any animal is that EVERY TIME you are with them you are training them! Never allow a cute baby anything to do any behavior as a small cuddly baby that you don't want them to do as a full grown adult. Getting a head butt by a new born lamb is cute - being rammed by a 200 pound ram is dangerous and NO fun.