I use operant conditioning and a clicker All my dogs work this way in obediance but since they are all "crossover" dogs I combine it with correction training in defence. Also it is really hard to find people who understand this way of working My dogs were all trained to flip out and go crazy in bite work and up till now I did not find a way to turn them arround without corrections. :-/ We are planning on keeping a puppy from our next litter and hoping to find the time and the place to train this dog compleetly different in defence as wel. I wish a day would have twice as much hours
Maja, the way you described your training sounds like the way I do. I also start obedience training without leash. It should always be fun for the dog, in the beginning I use klicker and food, lots of food! Food is better in the beginning than toy because its calming and puppy/young dog can concentrate better. When the dog know what is expected of it I demand more, training should still be really fun, but if dog doenst listen then I correct mostly with my voice and/or a quick pull in collar. To get higher drive I reward with toys, but to train precision I use klicker and food.
Last spring I was harder at my dog for a few weeks, I was demanding and correcting more so training wasnt fun. It ended up with that I had to start all over again with obedience...
In defence it's harder with obedience, in the beginning I had to correct her with a pull in the collar (I use the regular collar you have on competitions etc, dont know the name) because she was in a too high drive so she ignored me if I only used voice. In the beginning, when just looking at me, she was rewarded with a bite. She quickly understood this and now I only correct (voice and/or quick pull in the collar) if she doesnt keep focus on me.
I dont know how you train letting of when in a bite. I dont even know how I've been training that But I know that it hasnt been with correction. It's just come naturally, she knows that when she lets of, then she is rewarded with a new play and bite.
ow you mean training the out, well i dont really have problem with that. but yes its the same method, if you do it you will get reworded again, so basically same thing...
I base obedience in contact. First I teach my dogs that all the food in obedience comes via my eyes. It works a bit same as the clickertraining. When they learn to stare me intensively, I start to do the movements. Also I teach first that "here" means "sit in front of me and stare me in the eyes". I don't train at all running TO me. Dogs has to run to me if it is about to do the "here"-movement. Also "side" I teach first the right place to do the "side". Then I ask the dog from behind me, and turn myself, so the dog learns the right way to do the "side", but gradually. I don't have to lure or pull them, because they learn it naturally. All the things in obedience I always learn the final position, sort of backwards. It has seemed to work. Or maybe I have dogs who read my mind... as belgians too often do
J
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Coffee and love are something you just can't warm up again.
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But I know that it hasnt been with correction. It's just come naturally, she knows that when she lets of, then she is rewarded with a new play and bite.
as belgians too often do 
