Dog training- Stop command

muckyprawn

Anyone wth any advice for the "stop" command...I'm just having trouble with the transistion from being on the lead to being of it...she is doing fine on the long lead but off it is a different story!!!! thanks folks.......

LetFly

Hi,
What I do when training the stop or "drop" command with my springers is get them 100% on the lead first...then 100% with the lead trailing as the dog walks at heel beside me. Once these two steps are drilled in 100% I start the battle of wills by sitting the dog in front of me and taking a step back. If the dog doesnt move then I move forward to him and give loads of praise and do it again. Do this 4 or 5 times and leave it. Next session I take 2 steps then 3 steps etc. Every time the dog moves to stand and follow you, you have to take them back to where they were and put them sitting...then take a step less away from them until they are 100%. Only ever move further when they are happy doing it at any distance. When I can move back about 10 or 15 yards without the dog moving I will progress on to stopping while moving....
What I do here is to sit the dog...walk away about 5 or 6 yards...call the dog to me and just as he get to my feet I give the drop command (long blast on the whistle). The dog will either drop or be close enough that you can reinforce the command. When this is 100% I will stop the dog a yard or too further away every session until I can walk away say 20 yards and drop the dog at any point on the way into me.
This then leads on to stopping at any point...I let the dog run about and when it is passing close to me I give the command to sit/drop. If everything previously has been done 100% the dog should drop. Give it loads of praise. If it doesn't stop...go out and bring him back to where he "should" have stopped.
The key thing is to be consistent. Never move on or "try a bit more" until the dog is doing each step 100%. This is where the battle of wills comes in. Every time the dog does right, give it praise...every time it moves you have to put it back where it "should" have stopped...even if this means running 20 yards to catch the dog

muckyprawn

Thank you for your lenghty reply...it really is a battle of wills sometimes!

LetFly

yeah it sure is..but its a battle you have to be prepared to put the time into winning. If you take the time now, you will have many many years of enjoyment out of your dog..;)

muckyprawn

She is nearly 2, I have her about 5 months. She is a cocker, the first one I have had and I'm starting to think she is a bit too "hard"...very, very giddy...you would think she is a pup.

irish setter

because she is getting on a bit in training terms she has all her bad habbits in place so your not working with a blank page. that will make it harder on you and even more important for you not to let her get away with anything. remember enforce every command

elius

I had similar problem with mine from being a great dog wonderful on the re-call to be appalling. So stuck her back on the long lead. Have been out everyday for the last week like this. Let her wonder off and when i want her to come back i pip the whistle and give the rope a small tug. She's near back to the way she was. Being 3 and a half yrs old she a stubborn old thing but she also hate's being in the field on a lead. Im happy with her now and she's hunting very very well.

muckyprawn

Thanks lads...I'm looking forward to seeing her do it off the lead...if that moment comes!!!