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I have a 6 months old lab puppy. She is very hyper and playful. The
problem is she only takes commands with the leash on. When the leash is off she
doesn't do anything, not even a simple command like sit. She gets a lot of exercise as we play and go for walks every day for more than an hour.
How do I train her without the leash?
The leash is bringing a "touch" and feel of domination; that you are in
control. So you need to do the same when the leash is off. The most
important factors all involve consistentcy. Corrections should be done quickly and
not in the same way that you play with her.
Choose a certain sound, a loud SHH or even a deep and quick NO! Don't get
elaborate with explaining to her what you think she is doing wrong; she won't understand.
Also make sure that you don't use the same voice that you use when playing with her.
Sometimes it is easiest to have a can filled with pennies. Some people
suggest a spray bottle, but we have found that many times, especially
larger dogs, actually like it - so that won't work! The can becomes
something that is very annoying when something is done wrong, in fact
scaring/startling them. When used while in the act it can be very
effective.
We have even seen that over time (and that is what it will take) the can
becomes a physical presense as well. I had a friend that his large dog was
getting into the trash can. When caught in the act, the hsaking of the can startled the
dog and he left, of course annoyed. Through time, he just had to sit the
can on the trash can and there was no longer an issue as the dog realized
the can is what made that awful noise.
Another good tip, but one that is sometime difficult to do is to ignore
your dog when coming into a room or when coming home. However, it is very
important that they realize that you will come to them when they are calm
and submissive.
With my own dogs, when I arrive home from work are very excited. However,
when I come in I don't greet them right away. I go through my own routine
of placing my wallet and keys on the counter, saying hello to my wife and
then greeting the dogs. It took a little bit of time, but now they
reamin calm as I walk through my routine and they become very excited
still when they know it is coming up on their turn.
Always keep in mind it is about structure and the simple fact is that they
love the structure too!
We hope this helps, let us know how it goes or what may have worked for
you and what didn't. It is always interesting to see how different breeds
react to different methods, but again speaking generally, it is usually
our habits that need to be modified, not theirs!
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