but he is just a crazy dog in general and gets too excited to learn anything 
I use the method that Jean Cote used in his video, with a piece of food in each hand. It works really well, and he learned it in just a couple of sessions. I got him to do it today without the lure and without any treats on me, which is odd for him. He often won't do a sit or a down if he knows I don't have food in my pocket. I have him sit in front of me then I say "figure eights?" and away he goes. The last time he did it he bit my thigh at the end. Not hard, but still.
Oh, that most be that when he gets excited he starts to go into herding mode. When my dog gets excited he wants something in his mouth.
I can see that. I have been getting him to do several 8's in a row. I should probably just ask for one, then get him to sit calmly before he gets his reward.
By retrieving tricks I meant bringing items, putting items away etc.
I'll look into lure coursing. I know there is a treibball trainer not far from me.By retrieving tricks I meant bringing items, putting items away etc.
Maybe you should get him into lure coursing then.
Yeah, I'm not really sure I can give a specific answer to that, it varies greatly. But I would say that you should look at their accuracy. If my dog is reliable inside then I will start adding distractions. I want to be able to know that if I say it they are most likely going to do it before I add too many distractions. I have started teaching dogs tricks outside as well. Or some tricks I only work on outside, like frisbee. I also look out how comfortable they are in a specific environment. Will they take a treat? Will they do a sit? If they won't they won't be ready to do any advanced tricks at that moment and in that specific environment. If I ask them to do something that they 'know' and they don't do it in the new environment I will go back a step and make it easier (give more signals/ use a lure etc.) or I will find a quieter spot, or give up on that trick at that time and do something really easy. Depending on how training is going I may try it again later on when they seem more comfortable/ focused or I might hold off on that one altogether until we work more on it at home.
Fair enough. I just feel like I have taught Brody quite a few tricks/behaviors, but he's not reliable on a lot of them and seems to need a lot of prompting for basics like sit and down. We use them all the time, but he will still stand there looking at me like he knows what I want, he just doesn't want to do it. When I watch Jean Cote with Onyx and see how eagerly she "gets in", I think, "how can I get Brody to respond that quickly to the basic commands I know he knows?" Do I need to go back to the beginning and use food lures? He is really smart and picks up new things very quickly, but his response time is slow. I have been reading Culture Clash, so I know that the excuses of age and stubbornness don't really hold water. It's my training that needs adjusting, but he seems to get bored by repeating the same commands over and over in the same session. Is it better to maybe choose 2 or 3 different things to focus on and cycle through them over a 5-10 minute session?
Do you have any training videos of Brody on youtube?
Noooo, I am very camera shy. That's why you don't see me in my avatar. I don't even have a video camera. Plus, my training is very unpolished, I wouldn't put it where anyone else could see it!
Oh, well you can learn a lot from seeing yourself train. I used to be very camera shy, I've gotten better.
I don't know anyone in real life who does positive reinforcement/clicker training with their dog!If your shy maybe you can video yourself and just share it with one person.Someone you know will have your back and not be negative.
