# Where do we go from here?



## Spicoli's Mom (Jan 25, 2014)

Hey you guys,

So I have of hit a little block on what to do next. Spicoli has been so easy to train and he has mastered a lot of stuff. He responds quickly to all my commands 99% of the time and we have phased out almost all the click/treat and replaced them with praise and play. He has mastered...

Sit
Sit stay
Down 
Down stay
Free (basically he can get up or do whatever he wants)
Back (Backs up)
Leave it
Take it
Drop it
Find it (Finds whatever I hid)
Let's go (stops whatever he is doing and comes with me)
Load up (Gets in the car) He waits to hear this before he will get in the car. 
Side (comes to heel position and sits at right side)
Heel 
Walks on loose leash
Sits at doors or when I stop walking
Off (gets off of whatever he has climbed up on which sometimes amazes me, I think he must be part cat)
Dinner time (He sits patiently until I tell him he can eat and if I tell him to leave it he will move away from the bowl and sit patiently until I tell him it is okay to eat again)
Bed (goes to his bed)
Bang (plays dead)
Shake 
Spin Left
Spin Right
Hoop (he jumps thru a hoop that is at the most 8 inches off the ground. I don't really want him to jump so we really limit this to just here and there. He would probably jump a lot higher if I ask him to but I wouldn't do that while he is so young. Although he does get the trick and loves it)

I have started taking him to the public park and working him with lots of distractions and he does really really well. I am quite proud of how much he has learned but I know he could be learning a lot more. I guess I could teach speak or crawl but I feel like we are getting bored with what we know already.

I want to add in some new fun things and I am having trouble coming up with stuff that he can do since like I said I don't want him jumping. Is he too young to work on sitting up yet? Would that be to strenuous on him? 

I don't want to ask him for too much but I do want to continue teaching him. I just am not really sure what should come next. His basic obedience is very good. We have been working on strengthening his recall and stays but they are pretty darn strong already. 

I have watched a lot of kikopups videos but what else is out there that may go beyond basic obedience while still safe for a large breed puppy? He is around 4.5 months right now.

I am looking into training in my area but I haven't found anything that felt right yet and most deal with basic obedience which I don't think we need much help with at this point. Thanks for any advice or suggestions! I just kind of feel like we are at a stand still and I run through his tricks and think well now what can we do?


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I can't help, just want to say how impressed I am. Misha knows "sit" and half the time the wrong end goes down! lol


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## DreamAgility (Sep 2, 2013)

I taught Dreamer about 10 tricks/commands a week until that age, then to about 10 minutes 2 times a day just reviewing and improving. I must say that is the best age to teach advanced commands to them. How about weave? Dreamers breeder was laughing hysterically when she saw Dreamer doing that at 16 wees old. You just teach him to weave in and of of your legs as you walk. Another thing I taught her but never kept up with was stool. Just to put all her paws up on top or a stool.
Peekaboo was the best for gaining eye contact


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

is he consistent on "come"? that seems to be the hardest to ensure - and it is possibly the most important.

one specific command i remember reading about when my dog was still a pup: the important emergency down - which means down even though the dog is quite a distance away. can be important, for example, if your dog somehow ends up across the street and there is traffic. please note that i cannot claim i ever got my dog to this point, but i know very well it was a matter of not working with him. 

the other thing is that you could probably train weaves and tunnels, for example, without much stress on bones and joints. and i loved the video someone posted with the dogs in a down crossing their paws on command.

here's another one a trainer i went to said was very difficult. take your dog and ask him sit behind a building or something equally imposing then walk off to where he can't see you. call him to "come." the trainer claimed most dogs will not do it. in the class i was in, this turned out to be true - only two dogs came, mine and the dog belonging to another woman. of course, i used to play hide and seek with my dog, so he had a secret advantage. 

anyway, spicoli seems to be a genius and once again makes me wonder if i really want a dog that smart. i just know a dog like that will be training me in no time!


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Maybe think about how you can expand the skills he already has. For instance since he backs up have him back up onto a board and then incline it. Slowly increase the incline until this eventually becomes a handstand against a wall. Target a ball for a nose touch & expand it into pushing a ball around. Eventually add a goal & he can play soccer. Target foot touches & turn that into closing doors & cabinets. My pup needs new behaviors too as I have gotten lax about teaching them.

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## Spicoli's Mom (Jan 25, 2014)

N2mischief, Thank you. I spend a lot of time with him. 

Dreamagility, Thanks I didn't even think about weave. He may try that one tonight. Thanks so much. 

Patk, His come is very good. I have been working him on a 50ft leash at the park and at home I will have him sit and stay in the kitchen while I go in the livingroom where he can't see me and call him and he will come. Although usually that is where I have him sit and stay while I hid an item I show to him and then I tell him to find it. I love your suggestions. Crossing paws could be really cute. Thank you. 

Poolann, Thank you those are some great suggestions. This is exactly what I needed just some ideas. I was starting to feel really bored and wasn't sure how to spice things up. 

All ya'lls suggestions are great I can't wait to get started working on them. Thank you all so much. I had been surfing the net but just wasn't finding anything but the basics.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I'm impressed. You've done a lot.

Some things I found fun and challenging with my Dobe were distance training. Ie: halt, down, sit, down on recall where they come half way and then down/stay when cued, then come the rest of the way. I don't like though, calling a dog from a stay until way, way down the road until it's really rock solid. Another thing that is neat and fun is stay when you go out of sight. Take it slowly and in baby steps. 

An emergency recall is pretty cool too...distinguished from a regular, every day recall.


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

Have you worked on distance, duration & distraction with all of your commands?


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## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

I would like to see settle, tug command to start and stop and practice separation from you(tied up gated etc). You have lots of "up" type things and you don't want to create a buzzy dog. For fun things look up clicker training .com and the shape of bow wow DVD series, it covers manners, shaping, tricks, even opening fridge etc. Sky is limit. 

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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

You are doing a wonderful job!! And sounds like you are having fun, which is awesome 
I like to put the poodles on a sit-stay in the living room, while I open the oven in the kitchen and get whatever in or out, because it's hot. They can't see me, I make a bunch of noise and they still stay in the living room.
I also add distractions like opening the treat bag, that specific crinkle is so recognizable for them, but they stay in the living room.Then I walk back to them, praise and release them.

Also the "emergency come" is really important in my opinion. The regular come is "Let's go home" and I add
"RIGHT NOW!!" And they know I mean it hehehe and the treat is very high value, so even if there's a distraction the "right now" works, they hate getting in trouble and I sound firm so they come immediately, and even though I'm firm with how I sound saying the command, as soon as they get to me it's a party! kisses, hugs and cooked ground beef, or steak pieces! (That's what did it  ) Now they come even without a treat, they know it's not an option not to come.

I think the far away Stay is great too. You catch them while they are walking and not paying any attention and it's like a "FREEZE"!! and you go to them, instead of them coming to you. Perfect for the crossing the street scenario. 

There's a lot more, I'm sure. 
I personally don't care too much for the "cute tricks" I focused more on the safety" and "obedience/well behaved dog" type of commands. Such as having them walk up the stairs and walk straight into their crates on command , etc....



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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Here's something that I'm starting with my two right now. We've gotten as far as them targeting the book or in my case, a plate with their front feet and just starting to move around it with their hind feet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsvNvK8T1z8

I like tricks. It really makes them think....great mental stimulation, quickly teaches them _HOW_ to learn and the sky's the limit... and they're fun. This one is useful foundation work for lot of venues, such as freestyle dance, rally, anything where you want some precision heel work.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

How about stand, wait, away.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Have you put the things you've taught him on stimulus control? Very important imo

Stimulus Control: The Most Important Concept You’ve Never Heard Of

Another nice thing to teach is _placement cues _so that you don't feel a need to physically move the dog to some more convenient spot. I had to do this when I had bigger dogs but slacked with the wee ones because they didn't mind being moved by my hands. But it would be better to teach them this as well. With my Doberman, he'd be so close to me on the couch and in summer when I had shorts on, he'd often touch me with his feet. (Dobermans always have to touch you on some body part) So, he'd tend to scratch me on my legs. I taught him, "turn around" on the couch so he'd turn in a little circle and face the other way so his feet couldn't get me when cued. lol.


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## Pluto (Jul 8, 2012)

A few useful things we are working towards (at a much slower pace):
Pick up your toys. (Getting her to put her toys back in the basket)
Find me or SO ( she is pretty good at this when one of us hide in the house, I can't wait to expand on it while camping/hiking this summer)
Retrieving of specific objects (she still has quite a bit of trouble with this)


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## Canuckmom (Feb 18, 2014)

Sounds like the training is going awesome.

The one thing I would suggest is if you can add some of the commands to have a hand signal it is good to have. That way if they can not hear you they can still follow that command. I had done that with my last dog and about 3 years before she passed she went deaf and she was still able to follow the commands like come, sit, stay, down without being able to hear me. It was so invaluable to us.


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