No surprise more leash questions plus general training

[CherylHampton]

O.K. here I am yet again will try to keep it as short as I can. Shiloh has progressed to walking loose leash around my large living room, as long as I have treats(really had to bump them up in value) to get his attention but he will follow closely and sit when I stop. He's always been good at sitting at my side or in front of me when we are together. I had to take his collar off and readjust it as he's growing so very fast. He did not try to bite or growl, but it took coaxing(yes treats were involved) to get him to allow me to put it back on. Same for the leash. Now, as long as I was bent over offering him treats he was fine to walk, between treats he carried the leash in his mouth but let go in order to get his reward( I did give him a drop it command ) before he could have it. I feel like if we keep it up he will come around. He did better at the lake yesterday. As long as he's distracted he doesn't bother his leash, no one was there until we got ready to leave and of course he wanted to visit. Had a rough time getting him to pay attention to me but we finally made it back. I'm concentrating on the leash as its really the most critical for both of us. So thanks again for the help. My question re: training has to do with the look into my eyes and the air plane game. He got those down really quickly and I keep playing the airplane game to reinforce him looking at my eyes on cue, the problem is he absolutely will not do it when walking with me, or when I try to get his attention at other times. What's funny is when I place him in a "sit" he sits right down and looks right at me. I've actually counted to 25 while he maintained eye contact, how can I capitalize on that?  He does down(still having to hand  signals for that one), he's good with stay, leave it and drop it are good, just a bit inconsistent at times depending on what he's interested in. I would like to get him to do the attention heel but without him looking at me, its going to be hard. Can I say "heel" when he's following well? He doesn't pull or move away while inside, but outside is a different story when in the yard. Sometimes he will just sit down and refuse to go any further(are treats o.K. to get him moving again?) Dont want to pull him. So sorry for the lengthy post, but I just want the best for my little guy, he's got such personality😊 I'm thinking most of his traits are germ shep so far, although he did fetch as early as 7weeks. So funny to see him running with those little short legs, even if fetching from just a few feet. Thanks again! I'm sure I will be back😊

[Adrienne]

Hi Cheryl,

Please see my responses in bold:

 

O.K. here I am yet again will try to keep it as short as I can. Shiloh has progressed to walking loose leash around my large living room, as long as I have treats(really had to bump them up in value) to get his attention but he will follow closely and sit when I stop. He's always been good at sitting at my side or in front of me when we are together.

 

That's great news! I wished I could have seen this. It must have felt very rewarding. Pat yourself on your back and keep up the great work!

 

 I had to take his collar off and readjust it as he's growing so very fast. He did not try to bite or growl, but it took coaxing(yes treats were involved) to get him to allow me to put it back on. Same for the leash.

 

I am glad that he didn't bite or growl. Keep up with the positive associations. 

 

Now, as long as I was bent over offering him treats he was fine to walk, between treats he carried the leash in his mouth but let go in order to get his reward( I did give him a drop it command ) before he could have it. I feel like if we keep it up he will come around. 

Good to hear, keep it up.With practice, he should start realizing more and more that the treats are far better than the leash. 

He did better at the lake yesterday. As long as he's distracted he doesn't bother his leash, no one was there until we got ready to leave and of course he wanted to visit. Had a rough time getting him to pay attention to me but we finally made it back. I'm concentrating on the leash as its really the most critical for both of us. So thanks again for the help. 

My question re: training has to do with the look into my eyes and the air plane game. He got those down really quickly and I keep playing the airplane game to reinforce him looking at my eyes on cue, the problem is he absolutely will not do it when walking with me, or when I try to get his attention at other times. What's funny is when I place him in a "sit" he sits right down and looks right at me.

When you do these exercise when walking, are you making your smacking sound? Are you bringing a treat at eye level? These should help him get the hint. Initially, we also need to make sure to reward even split second glances. Gradually, these should increase in frequency and duration. 
So make sure not to miss the very brief looks. 

If this is happening at the lake, he may be overly excited (or maybe a bit anxious too) there and therefore struggles paying attention. Make sure to practice more at home. 

 I've actually counted to 25 while he maintained eye contact, how can I capitalize on that?  He does down(still having to hand  signals for that one), he's good with stay, leave it and drop it are good, just a bit inconsistent at times depending on what he's interested in. I would like to get him to do the attention heel but without him looking at me, its going to be hard. Can I say "heel" when he's following well?

Counting up to 25 is very good for a puppy! Mix in some shorter counts(like 3-5) so he doesn't get bored. Attention heeling is really mostly for some parts of the walk when dogs are getting distracted. It's not really meant to do for long times or for entire walks. So if your pup can do this when you ask him to every now and then that's fine. When he's following well, you should praise and reward so encourage him to keep doing it. 

 He doesn't pull or move away while inside, but outside is a different story when in the yard. Sometimes he will just sit down and refuse to go any further(are treats o.K. to get him moving again?) Dont want to pull him. 

Outside you have lots of distractions to compete against. You can help set him for success by using super duper tasty treats specifically for the outdoors and practicing once he is a bit bored of being out. Most pups when sent out want to get rid of a bit of energy and sniff and explore. Once these basic needs are satiated and your pup looks a bit bored, may be a good time to practice. Make sure it's perceived as fun. 

I would evaluate why he is stopping. Can he be thirsty? Tired? A puppy can get quickly bored/ tired if we over do things. Make sure to keep these sessions short and sweet.  Are you getting a bit frustrated with how the training is going? Dogs can sense that and they may stop walking or not make eye contact as a calming signal. Can he be stopping because you've slowed down a bit walking? For dogs we are often walking too slow to keep them walking as dogs have a much faster pace than us. Since he's struggled so much with getting used to the collar and leash,  I wouldn't pull him but simply show a treat and gently guide him in heel position, but I would considering evaluating carefully what makes him stop in the first place. Sometimes recording ourselves as we train and watching it may reveal some things we may not be noticing that we're doing.