# Training mistakes you have made with your dog?



## Matt Grosch (Jul 4, 2009)

Im pretty inexperienced, and as I prepare to get a young (raw) working dog, thought I could learn from the mistakes of others.


With my female AB I noticed she seemed more hyperactive after I had let friends/family play with her too enthusiastically and pump her all up. Also, she seemed more dog aggressive after I let her play (too) rough with other dogs.


Share with me people.


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## Skip Morgart (Dec 19, 2008)

Don't train when you are already angry about something else.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Ask a specific question, and send me a hundred bucks, and I will help you out. Or, you could sign up for Ivans virtual training. I am sure that is a good time as well.


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## Matt Grosch (Jul 4, 2009)

Jeff O = not a team player


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Matt Grosch said:


> Jeff O = not a team player


Sure he is: 

Quoted by Jeff O on 9-2-09

*"Is there a club near you ?? If there is maybe there is a seminar you could go to and get some information.

All in all just use common sense. Don't correct for OB if the dog does not really know what you are asking, that is a big one.

Keep in mind that everyones dog sits in the kitchen, but ask it in the backyard when there is other things to do, and you will see what I am saying.

Try and not get into the whole "real" dog BS. They are what they are, and your job is to train him to be the best that he can be, considering that you are BRAND NEW. : )

If you get frustrated, realize that frustration will NEVER make things better, and just stop, and re-think what it is that you are doing that has him so confused, and you so frustrated.

Keep a log book of what you have worked on, and that way you will be able to go back, and see what you have not worked on so much.

Along with the log book, make a plan of what you would like the dog to do......keeping in mind that you are brand new.

When you do have access to people giving seminars, tell them HOW you have been training, and WHERE you are having problems.

And last, don't get all hung up with a leash. Try and train often enough that the dogs main focus is on you. If your dog is wandering, then that is your signal that you are boring and are sucking at training.

Sucking at training: A primer. (LOL) Don't go on and on and on. keep it short, and correct. You can alway train again in a little bit.

AVOID boring. Have a plan of what you want to work on, then go out and work on it and move along. 2 minutes of fast paced work that is correct is a hundred times better than 20 minutes of you suck. : )

And that concludes my presentation. We are gonna skip the questions from the audience, and go back to world of warcraft."
*

He only gives us one presentation a week, so it pays to watch for them....LOL :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:


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## Mo Earle (Mar 1, 2008)

team player or not, Jeff has some pretty good advice....practice it and you will have success!\\/


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I think one of the biggies for me is not to correct the dog for something you think they know but in reality they don't. 

Don't be quick to correct until you are absolutely sure the dog knows the command, and then when training in a new location, give the dog a little more time to perform the command...training in a new location may cause the dog to "forget" what the command means.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the biggest mistake I have made is having an aversion to making mistakes. I will tell you it's my failures that have made me a better trainer. Getting the magic bullet or the correct training program while trying to avoid of making mistakes is futile.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Excellent advice James, I would have to agree. We won't learn anything of we do not make mistakes.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Neither do dogs. There you happy now ??


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Neither do dogs. There you happy now ??


Yep!!!:razz:


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Going against my own instincts when I didn't think what I was being told would work for a particular dog.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

my mistakes:

NOT keeping a log
NOT writing down a plan/goals
Being so afraid of making mistakes/screwing up a pup w/potential that very little progress at all was made.

do you see kind of a common theme going here?


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## Meng Xiong (Jan 21, 2009)

Too much too soon.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Today at training, shithead the uberdog decided to go through the cones marking the sendaway.

This is something that he has not done for a while. So I sent him to the crate. Mistakes like this are part of learning the exercise. I took him out after I worked Soda PoP and he went through the middle. He got a reward.

The mistakes you need to avoid are losing your temper for real. ACTING like you have lost your temper is fine.

The biggest "mistakes" when you are new are usually because you do not know the sport well enough YET.

There are plenty of different things I would have done with Buko "IF" I had known the sport better than I did 5 years ago.

I have said for a while.....well, since I got him that he should have been the dog AFTER him. Nothing you can do about it. 

Hopefully little Esko will be good enough to be that dog. We will see. If not, then there is the next dog and so on. The idea is to love the SPORT, and take enough time to get to the point where you are good at training it. It is not gonna be the first dog for sure.

I really enjoyed Neil Wallace's seminar. There are so many things that I wish I could go back and use his methods on different things, or a bastardized version, given that I do things slightly different and or I forget what they said exactly.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

there's no substitute for experience and working with knowledgeable people. 

Over-doing various exercises and allowing the dog to think it's not fun is a typical mistake. Going too far too fast. Not being consistent.

Watch how other people train. 

Watch all the videos you can of a "finished" dog so you can develop a picture in your head of what you want your dog to be like. Get to know the sport you want to participate in. Study the rules and the expected exercises.

I've already introduced you to a couple of the more experienced and successful dog people in town. You might want to check out Shane Carter's group too - he's a very patient and very good teacher. You got a good lesson when we met where we were all watching vids and my helper buddy was pointing out how to read dog's body language and how a dog was trained.

With the way you're built, you could be a good decoy. We could certain get some equipment on you and teach you how to read a dog.

You can always ride along with me to the Malinois club to watch how we train on sundays.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

I cant even being to count all the mistakes I have made........ holy moly......... I think making mistakes is VERY important. I worked on my own for the most part with my last dog. I made some doozies, but it taught me how to communicate better and really read MY dog and problem solve.

Some things I hope to never do again........ poor communication (and I am still working on this and think I always will be) and to make sure I continue this off the field as well, too long of a session (although once in a while I think its important to make the dog push through and offer a GIANT reward), rewarding for less than perfect (unless its a step in the overall process), and lastly I will never do step by step exercise training again from here on out my dogs will start almost all the ob exercises from the beginning..... but that is more of a personal choice.

t


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## Rebecca Samoska (Jun 6, 2009)

My biggest mistake is listening to the wrong advice. Then upon hearing the right advice, not following through with it. 

I think for a novice, deciphering all the advice you receive is the most confusing. I had my mistake (of not listening) shown to me quite clearly the other day. It's humbling.

As another said above, too much too soon. This was also the advice I didn't take seriously enough.

A patient mentor (or at least one that doesn't murder you for your ineptitude) is a godsend.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

My biggest mistake at the *very beginning* was believing in myself!!


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

I think the other thing I would add is that if you ever feel like you have enough information......get more..

If you come to a point where you think you know what your doing ALL of the time......it's time to get out of dogs. 
Always changing and all dogs are different, so you can never, ever learn enough. 

AND, I tend to stay away from instructors, helpers or trainers that only believe in ONE way....and they will not vary their training no matter the dog......


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I think at one point or another I've made them all LOL

A common "newbie" mistake I see, and actually one made by non-newbies to, is constantly switching styles/methods. Sometimes it's trying to implement something you saw at a seminar, or on a video, or someone told you about, etc. Taking a little of this, and a little of that, to develope your training program isn't automatically a bad thing. But if you are a newbie, the best thing you can do is hook up with an experienced trainer and stick with that path. You will have a better chance of reaching your goals at the end then if you are changing methods every other week.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

James Downey said:


> I think the biggest mistake I have made is having an aversion to making mistakes. I will tell you it's my failures that have made me a better trainer. Getting the magic bullet or the correct training program while trying to avoid of making mistakes is futile.


 
Yes! Each dog I train better because I watched how the choices I made in puppy training / development affected the adult dog. Those behaviors from these training decisions are not easily reversed!

I think I might have it right this time... I'l let you know in 2 years! \\/


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

My pet peeve is that during training "everyone" is sitting down bs'ing and not being the extra hand/eyes that we "all" need. 

Getting sucked into these non-important conversations is a HUGE mistake. Killing 90% of the club for this also a HUGE mistake :x

For me there are too many screw ups to list. The most current was with my GSD. About 6 weeks ago he was dowing on an article that I didn't see during tracking. I thought he had just quit (we had been having issues with tracking in a prong and him quiting). I gave him a lot of shit and found the article immediately after....#-o This dog is one that learns instantly. I have been trying to get the articles back since then and have had to change several aspects of my tracking training. Now we are tracking in a harness, pinch has a tab but we are not using it except to and from the track.... The articles are still not 100%. The tracking is great now, but it was a definate set back.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Carol Boche said:


> I think the other thing I would add is that if you ever feel like you have enough information......get more..


ABSOLUTELY.....it is frustrating when I run behind all SAR team mates dogs and then there are the couple that sit on their BUTTS while I run my dogs. Get your asses out there and follow all the dogs like I do........geesh

AND then they want me to take pics and videos, but conveinently forget to do it for me.....

had to vent that....but I doubt it will sink in...LOL


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Allowing someone to work your dog in full defense when it is a PUPPY! Sure way to screw things up down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## marcelo alaniz (Apr 13, 2009)

Lots of great info here.


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## Matt Grosch (Jul 4, 2009)

I agree, this is what I was looking for. Im getting my green dog and Im sure I will be posting some examples, but the more I can avoid, the better.


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## Jason Moore (May 3, 2009)

One of the biggest things that can be a mistake and goes along with the to much at once is patience. I am learning it all takes time and patience is the key to almost every thing. Along with common sense and an open mind. Listen alot more than you talk but don't be afraid to ask a question. I am currently working with my two pups trying different things. Deff should have started with one but at the same time I think I'm learning quicker how differnetly they each learn. What methods work with one doesn't work as well with the other.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

One time when Axel was young, I was putting on the bitesuit, and he was asleep in the office, I realized that I had forgotten to put on my cup. I stood up to take them off and he woke up and bit me in the crotch. 

There you go, don't do that.


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## Sarah ten Bensel (Mar 16, 2008)

My biggest mistake as a newbie with my then puppy (9 months old)--letting someone who was supposedly very knowledgeable about GSD (I know better now) do something potentially injurious and NOT appropriate for my puppy. Its sometimes easy to sucked in to a particular viewpoint and tough to say "no I can't do that to my dog right now" no matter what. That has been hard for me as I explored the many ways to train a working dog. Its important to work with others to help with your training, but ask questions and trust your gut--if it doesn't feel right for where you are as a trainer and your relationship with your dog, think about it hard before you let someone try something on your dog.

I would do more to build a better relationship with my dog as a puppy and building his drives and work ethic. I created a lazy dog and we are re-learning all the time.

I din't learn to play with him too well as a youngster.


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## Matt Grosch (Jul 4, 2009)

" I realized that I had forgotten to put on my cup. I stood up to take them off and he woke up and bit me in the crotch. "


Id call him Alfred Hitscock


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## Andrew Rowley (Nov 3, 2008)

Telling the Mrs she can choose the next dog and ending up getting stuck with a sodding Bernese!

Trying to go to fast to soon.


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## Mike Lauer (Jul 26, 2009)

1) Don't yell, the dog hears better than you do

2) subtle body language means A LOT to dogs 

3) Calm down/be patient, yank and crank will work faster but it is not always better

4) 5 minutes of good training is better than an hour of frustrated training

5) It can't be said enough, to much to soon (usually my fault not anyone elses)


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Ask a specific question, and send me a hundred bucks, and I will help you out. Or, you could sign up for Ivans virtual training. I am sure that is a good time as well.


Have sent you 100 bucks (virtually). Now waiting for answer (virtually).........


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

*Re: Virtual training*



Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Or, you could sign up for Ivans virtual training. I am sure that is a good time as well.



Jeff,

I was skeptical of Ivan's www.trainperview.com website myself but the clips of the find the leg and Game patches for the Obedience with out Conflict DVD's can be viewed for free
and they were helpful. I've also viewed the tracking foundation and call out lessons and thought they were a pretty good value for $20. Different strokes etc.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Ok Gillian, that was a good question. I think that


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Oops sorry - some mothers do hav'em!! I think it was a case of saying something to say something!!


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