Mustang Training

[Tim91118]

Progress

[centrop67]

1. He is so much more focused and ready for training on each session.
2. We've been working out back on focus with distractions and he is getting good at it.
3. Today we started shaping down-place.

I honestly felt a little discouraged during the first day with the trainer, but that was because Radar came already with basic obedience training and just really learned everything so quick.

Now, I see Mustang starting to put it all together. It may take a while, but I am excited about his future.

[TimL_168]

Excellent!!!

[ladyjubilee]

So do you stay silent for a reason? With Bramble, we use play in her training. But I guess that could be because Bramble has to work 24/7.

[centrop67]

It's almost all shaping. Let him offer behaviors we desire.

We'll be working on the actual place command now.

[centrop67]

Working on remaining in place for front-door interactions.

[centrop67]

Mustang practicing place, sit, and down in the front yard.

[borellar15]

Lookin good!

[centrop67]

Let me add some context to our training efforts...

Mustang gets a solo walk as soon as the sun starts rising each day. The trainer has asked us to do this solo from the "pack" walks we were doing initially to build his confidence of existing outside of the pack. This opens up the possibility of a real job of scent work in the future if is he is capable.

He is crated upon return for a very short period. This allows him to decompress a little to start the day. Otherwise, the morning walk amps him up for wanting to get into trouble, and Leela takes the brunt of that with his incessant need to "play" with her.

When he exits the crate, he immediately gets his first of at least 6 training sessions for the day. My wife and I alternate our training sessions and the type of training we apply. 90% of our training is video-taped and forwarded to the trainer.

The trainer comes by to do in-person sessions 1-2 times per week. We watch as she gives us added progressions to our existing training and get advice on behaviors we tell her about or training issues she's seen in the videos.

At the end of my work day, I play ball or tug with him, and then we do another walk. The afternoon walk is not always solo, but we try to maintain some distance between Leela and him. I try to maintain a similar schedule on weekends, but that's not always possible.

He will get at least one more training session after the afternoon walk, but again after some decompression time in the crate.

For whatever reason, the more we work training and exercise with him, the more amped up and wild he gets. Just the opposite of our goal, but I think it may be his way of rebelling to a structure he's probably NEVER seen before.

To be honest, this is exhausting. I sometimes feel like giving up when he goes directly from a really good training session to the bitey-bitey monster that he can become. I keep telling myself that this is a phase, and I know it's true because of my experience with Radar.

That's part of my motivation. To take the bad with the good, the ups with the downs, and not have the same regret I felt about Radar of not giving him every opportunity to become the best dog he could.

[borellar15]

Do you also crate him for a brief period following training sessions? Sorry if you mentioned that and I missed it. But crating immediately after a session helps the dog tremendously to process the information they’ve just taken in and reflect on what they’ve learned.

[ladyjubilee]

We don't do as many "formal" sessions with Bramble. We do 5 minute activities through the day. But, her work is a little different.

I think its great your are doing a schedule, but I bet it is tiring.

[centrop67]

The crating after a training session wasn't planned, but the trainer said it wasn't a bad idea to give him a brief timeout when he starts acting up.

In order for it not to feel like a punishment, we also put him in the crate at other times of the day. As soon as he remains relaxed for a while he is let back out.

The crate after the walk was preemptive on our part, because he is always extremely rowdy after a walk.

[Tim91118]

What does the trainer say about Mustang’s incessant need to play with Leela ?

[borellar15]

The crating after a training session wasn't planned, but the trainer said it wasn't a bad idea to give him a brief timeout when he starts acting up.

In order for it not to feel like a punishment, we also put him in the crate at other times of the day. As soon as he remains relaxed for a while he is let back out.

The crate after the walk was preemptive on our part, because he is always extremely rowdy after a walk.

Michael to be clear I meant I would end the training session last reward and then go to the kennel for 15 mins for reflection time. Not when he starts acting up. It should be more of a period of reflection on the training. But I’m not your trainer. Further mental stimulation from an object or another dog etc directly after the training makes your dog less likely to absorb what it just learned. Like if you leave your dog to just go chew a bone or chase a ball right after that training session isn’t really getting processed by your dogs brain. You don’t want the dog to see the kennel as punishment, but you shouldn’t either. It’s a tool.

[centrop67]

Michael to be clear I meant I would end the training session last reward and then go to the kennel for 15 mins for reflection time. Not when he starts acting up.

Solid advice. It's not exactly what we're doing which is what I meant in my reply. It's been characterized more as decompression, but in reality it the same thing.

I have started this decompression time after each training now - let's see how it goes.

[centrop67]

What does the trainer say about Mustang’s incessant need to play with Leela ?

It hasn't been a big topic of discussion. Leela is capable of giving her own corrections to Mustang, in fact it has happened in front of the trainer who basically said that the two of them will work it out.

It's interesting, because she doesn't say a lot during our sessions. It's a lot of teaching by example.

For example, at the end of the training, Mustang usually feels like she should be his latest play mate. She simply loops a leash on him, and he almost instantaneously becomes a mellow dog. It's like magic, but it works for us too.

[centrop67]

Mustang is crushing his training sessions.

A little confusion on differentiating sit and down, but I suspect a little rebellious nature on his part.

I tried to show off his front door skills on the last trainer visit, and of course he failed miserably, but by the end of the session he was doing great.

It's really sad to think he got no training or structure before me, but I'm extremely hopeful.

Video tomorrow.

[centrop67]

Internet issues have blocked my ability to upload the video I wanted to, so I thought I would share a post from my trainer. I am really happy to be working with her to get the most out of Mustang.

[centrop67]

This morning's first training session was quite rewarding for me. If you watch until the end, you can see the big proud smile on my face.

He is getting better at differentiating sit and down. He was a little stubborn at staying in place until released at the beginning, but eventually caught on. I love the enthusiastic recall - that's new, because prior to this he would come, but at his own pace.

It probably seems like I am moving like molasses in his training, but you have to understand just how untrained he was when I got him.

[centrop67]

I took Mustang to a new environment to work on place. It was the first time training outside the block I live on.

He likes to remain in place even after being released, but I don't consider that to be too bad.

He does a nice long recall, but then confuses come for place.

He does a nice long stay in place even after I walk a good distance, to make up for it in the end.

I was hoping for more joggers and bikers while training, but we only had one jogger (not in this video).