# Excited in class



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi there. I'm sorry puppy K wasn't a great experience for you and Miro. I understand having a social butterfly on your hands. For me with Lily when we were at puppy class and the class we took right after that it was people (not so much other dogs) that she couldn't resist. I was somewhat fortunate that she has always adored me and given pretty good attention.

I would suggest that you work on your foundation attention at home (inside) first, then in the back yard, then in the front yard, then off your property (maybe near a dog run, but not too close and certainly not in it). In other words keep upping the level of distractions, but don't make it harder until you have absolute reliable attention in the easiest places.

Is the obedience 1 class at the same place and with the same instructor? If you feel good about the instructor I would ask them what they think about moving forward at this time. You can do lots of basic obedience on your own with the same plan for increasing the difficulty as Miro gets more and more reliable with things.

I personally don't like gentle leaders and other harnesses like that. I would concentrate on developing good attention skills with Miro on a regular collar and leash, and then many of the other issues will fix themselves.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You didn't say too much specifically about how you are doing with leash work other than to mention lunging. Here are a couple of links to old threads that have good information on leash manners that may help you. Miro will be getting very big, very fast so you will want good leash manners. This is all tied to the attention issue.

http://www.poodleforum.com/23-general-training-obedience/53394-leash-work-input-please.html

http://www.poodleforum.com/23-general-training-obedience/54433-leash-training-fail-not.html


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## pawprint (Dec 29, 2013)

Hi Lily cd re,

Thank you so much for your reply and great advice.

Miro's training on leash was coming along fine in low distractions places, until he a couple of weeks ago when he panicked on our front lawn when a rather noisy truck drove by. After that episode he didn't want to go near the road so my focus moved from leash training to just getting him comfortable with cars and trucks again, spending time in front of the house giving him treats every time a car or small truck passed by, same thing on walks. The fear is now less, but he is still careful and pays close attention to the traffic when we go for walks. He is torn, he loves people and dogs but fear traffic so his walks are a combo of joy and discomfort/awareness.

So I can keep socializing him I walk him on our main street (where there are lots of people, dogs and traffic) I decided to give the gentle leader a try, and that is going really well. I will keep working on flat leash in low distraction areas and aim to transition from the gentle leader in busy areas as well in time.

I think your point on getting him to pay attention to me is really valuable and I will make that a main focus going forward. He is going for his first puppy grooming today, and I will make sure hair now partly covering his eyes is removed so our eye contact is obstruction free.

What I find hard is that there is no middle ground gradually increasing his ability to focus when going to class, hope all the work we do between sessions will start to pay off.

Thanks again!


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

How about trying the Freedom No Pull Harness? 

http://www.freedomnopullharness.com/

That would give you 2 points of control. I found it to be very effective at training to stay by your side & not lunge.


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## pawprint (Dec 29, 2013)

Hi Sercher,
Interesting harness, thank you for the tip! Great to get your feedback as well. Are you still using it or have you been able to move to a flat collar?


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## Tiffany (Feb 13, 2014)

I would up the treat value like someone mentioned. 

Like maybe real chicken cut up into small pieces or turkey. Something that's he's going to go GAGA over so when he sees the chicken he's either going to be like hmm chicken or other dogs. I think he might pick chicken...  


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Tiffany said:


> I would up the treat value like someone mentioned.
> 
> Like maybe real chicken cut up into small pieces or turkey. Something that's he's going to go GAGA over so when he sees the chicken he's either going to be like hmm chicken or other dogs. I think he might pick chicken...
> 
> ...



If you gives a super high value treat too soon, then you will run out of options for rewards. Working from low towards highly distracting environments making sure that the handler is the most interesting thing to pay attention to with each added distraction will give more durable outcomes. High value treats should be saved for very special circumstances IMO.

At Ian Dunbar's seminar last we he emphasized fading food as a reward very quickly and giving life rewards such as petting and praise or play time so that you get reliable responses without props. He never uses anything other than kibble to lure or reward a behavior. If the reward is a life reward that the dog really enjoys then presumably the neurophysiological reinforcers become the actual reward.


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## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Encouragement*

Pawprint, this is your very first class. Congratulations! I, too, have a social butterfly and it used to be very frustrating working next to Border Collies that had their eyes glued to their handler.... :embarrassed2: If possible, don't compare yourself to another handler! Perseverance will pay off! Focus work will pay off!

Encouragement---after each class, jot down 1-3 things that you and your dog did well! (Write down the slightest, positive thing!) Jot down what you liked or didn't like about the teacher or class or environment. Writing a few words, thoughts & feelings right away, can be very helpful. As you progress with your training, you can look back at your list of positive things and feel encouraged! If you have a bad hair day---flip through your notebook and reflect on all of the positive progression that you have made. HerdingStdPoodle


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## GeriDe (Mar 2, 2014)

My experience in class is quite the opposite. Khaos is very well behaved and attentive. There's only one other dog in the class and all it does is bark for attention and lunges after Khaos for whatever little toy he has during discussion time.

Khaos just looks at me and them and lays down at my feet. It's like he's saying "oh shut the hell up I'm done with this nonsense". Then there's the teacher - she spends a large amount of time "modeling" for the owner what to do who sits there with his thumb up his butt as if "huh?" 

Khaos performs well, he does what I ask, he shuts down when the other dog is out of control with the barking, he stay stays at my feet or behind my legs when he has a toy and he ignores the other dog. Unfortunately, he also ignores the teacher who gives all the treats and attention to the barker.

I pay attention and we spend the next week doing our homework and we return ready for the next level. Both Khaos and I come home and crash for an hour on the floor, dead asleep from being tired of all the noise and "chaos".

I will say this - before class, I take a good 15 minutes to walk him, review his commands, leash train and tire him out a little. I don't want him going in all excited and in full energy but I don't want him exhausted either. Every Sunday I say a "thank you" prayer that my dog is not a barker and jumper.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Great suggestions from the others already. But personally, I wouldn't worry at all about teaching him anything at class. You don't need to stress on that. He's a very young puppy and everything he's doing is very young puppy stuff. They're all different. Some are more or less ready for a class environment. He's completely inexperienced in life. Let him be a puppy and think of these classes as a place to socialize, whether he's allowed to interact or just be near all the chaos, the people, the other puppies. This is good for him. You're lucky he's wanting to see everything and strain on his leash. At least he's not afraid of people and dogs. Do what you can but don't get hung up on expecting him to perform well at this stage. As he matures and gets use to it, he'll settle down and be able to learn then. 

Practice the attention exercises and self control (it's yer choice...look it up) and sit, down, come, leave it (whatever is important to you) at home where there isn't all that stuff going on. As he gets good with no distractions, throw in some mild distractions. As he gets onto it with a little distraction, increase some more as he's able to concentrate. He'll get onto that and in a while he'll be able to do some of it in a class setting.

But think of puppy class as a place to get a taste of it all and mostly to get regular exposure to the big, wide world. (along with other socialization experiences) And most of all: To have FUN...the two of you together on a night out on the town. If you're stressing or not having much fun, it won't create the positive experience you want training, socializing, your relationship to be. You want to set him up for future classes or other things you do together as a team so build your foundation first, then worry about the specifics.


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