Just after some training advice

[Argos]

Hi Ukesox,
Thanks ever so much for your insight and all the detail about your Dobies. I hadn’t really realised how long this breed stay puppyish - she is still very boisterous and gets physically wound up and excited easily. She still does the almost frantic chewing of chew toys that puppies do although she is well past teething - the shiny-eyed grinding chewing if you know what I mean. I will keep the time frames you mention in mind.
I don’t think I ever expect her to be 100% trustworthy as she has nipped someone and she is quite defensive of our yard. She is picky about people - some people she likes and will not fuss when they open the gate, other people she needs holding as they enter - this is strangers in both cases, once we have invited people in she accepts that. She is a mixture of quite nervous about them and quite bullying - nervous people bring out the barking and jumping while big confident visitors don’t get the same reception. However, she is getting more predictably good with people away from our house and she is great with other dogs on and off lead.
Her recall is getting good out and about but she is long way from the Velcro dogs you, Firestar Dobe and Kaiser2016 have trained! She needs to run and run and run and we are lucky to have the space to allow that. So much energy!
Working on the ‘Leave it’ exercise - going well but the drool is appalling!

 

[Ukesox]

Argos, it’s pleasure to share. I just wish there had been such internet opportunities 20 years ago, I could have maybe
avoided mistakes that led to unwanted behaviour that I only understood much later with hindsight & sometimes too late to really correct.
One thing common to all of my girls as a breed has been their sensitivity to the energy of others (dogs & people) & to stay calm or go from calm to hyper with seemingly little provocation. At every training class I’ve ever attended the instructor has insisted that I make my voice more animated to encourage enthusiasm which in my experience is the last thing a Dobie needs & those that have taken my dog to show me what they mean have invariably ended up with an over stimulated out of control kangaroo on the end of the leash
I have had ones that can’t do enough running (& chasing) & once “wound up“ by something stay that way for some considerable time regardless of what I do whilst others might have got wound up but snap out of it quickly & one that just never got wound up at all! Some are able to self regulate out of a mental zone whilst some need help.It useful if they are food orientated, but again some are & some not.
My apologies in advance if you’ve already got these sorted ….A couple of good focus / control / calming exercises that are good after the “leave it“ has been ingrained are..
”Take it”…so your pup will only take a treat from you after this command…even if something fantastic like a sausage Is presented to her.(que more drooling) It can be used in conjunction with ”leave it”, as a follow on, or before you let her take anything from you.
Also “look at me”. Fantastic to break their unwanted focus on something / someone & usually picked up quickly by a dog that’s used to reward based clicker training.