Newbie

[ben grimshaw]

Hi guys and gals.

ok so im here because i would like to improve my technique at training my rottweiler max and also to learn how to teach him new commands. i originally trained max without a clicker it was effective for teaching basic commands, how ever i recently purchased a cliker and wow has it made it easier to teach more difficult commands! so i was researching how to teach a few commands using my clicker and found myself here and decided to sign up as having read a few interesting threads.

so me im 26 from manchester england, i have a now 16 week old rottweiler max who eats me out of house and home lol.

thought id say hello and introduce myself to you all.

thanks ben

 

[Dogster]

Weclome to DTA!!!! Glad you use positive training methods!!! Cickers are great, eh??? What commands/tricks do you want to teach your puppy??? (who looks ADORABLE, btw) We'd love to see some more pictures of your pup, feel free to post them!!! Have fun and enjoy the site!!!

 

[MaryK]

Welcome to DTA!!! Very happy to hear you use Positive Reinforcement Training, clickers are awesome aren't they!

Your boy looks adorable, do post more pics please

What tricks/commands does Max know? You may want to start teaching him 'shake paws' or spin, roll over, sit pretty. If you check out the site, you'll find heaps of tricks and how to videos in the trick training area.

Enjoy! This forum rocks! Everyone is so friendly and always willing to help.

 

[southerngirl]

Welcome! If you have any questions feel free to ask, we'll be glad to help you. And please post some pictures of your beautiful pup.

 

[ben grimshaw]

ok so i wanted to research hush and bark, as he was getting a bit loud. i wanted to teach this in an attempt to try and control his "speaking" its taken me 3 sessions over 2 days and he now does both on command which is great! has already helped keep him quiet at people passing by my home. this is / was my first "trick" i have taught max with the clicker. things he already knows using non clicker methods are:
sit, lie, come, paw, high 5 (variation of paw with higher paw strike) and of course basic obedience.... heel, no jumping, sit and say please, off lead heel, drop, not getting to giddy and wait to be approached, this final one waiting to be approached was one of the first things he learned as i have a 3 year old daughter and when hes fully grown dont want him jumping on her/ and body else for that matter.

im also in the process of attempting to teach max fetch. ive already half acheived this but im more guessing its his prey drive as he will chase a ball and pick it up ( if its not to far away.... hes kinda lazy! ) but drop it shortly afterwards rather than continuing to carry the ball to myself.

other things i would like to teach him are: smile, to walk backwards as he has a nack of sticking his head in cupboards when opened or washing machine and getting in the way, easy to move now at 16kg but not at 45kg! once these are acheived im guessing i will just trawl through other tricks on here and see what interests me.

more pics will follow soon, still kinda getting the hang of this and also need to dload off my camera.

 

[MaryK]

Smile is a tough one, please do not use a rubber band which is what they do in the movies.
Here's a great vid, all kikopups vids are great, teaching back.

It's a really good trick to have that's for sure!

 

[jackienmutts]

Hi and welcome! For only 4 mos old, Max has quite an impressive list of things he's learned already! Isn't training fun? What makes the clicker so fabulous is that it makes it clear to the dog (or any animal who can hear) the instant they do what we're asking of them, and the reward makes that 'click' worth hearing and working for.

As far as Max not yet bringing a ball back to you, he most likely isn't lazy. Many dogs don't naturally retrieve, they need to learn how, so have patience with your 'little' guy, he'll most likely learn what you want (or then again, he might not find playing ball or frisbee something he enjoys - keep that in mind). I have 2 GSs, both rescues. I adopted my boy around a yr old, it was obvious he had never played ball before (most likely never had toys before - but that's another story). He had no clue what to do with a ball. I threw it and he looked at me like why did you throw that toy way over there? It took quite a while and some patience (and his watching and copying my girl) but he finally got it, and now LOVES playing ball.

Keep having fun with your boy, that's the most important! Bear in mind, Max is going to go thru a few "puppy/teenage" stages, and possibly "forget" everything he knows once in a while. Fear not - his brain will come back. If you have any questions about clicker training, please ask - there are loads of great people on the forum. Have fun!