Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by susan on March 6, 2014 at 4:35pm

Positive reinforcement works best for me.  Jele is VERY food motivated, which is very convienient for training imho.  At home I just use her kibble.  On the road I use treats that are 'higher value' - she'll do anything for a taste of the stuff!  But I pinch them into tiny pieces about the size of a rice crispie. I'm also trying to substitue more praise in place of treats for many of the tricks she already knows. I use treats for new stuff and for extra good old stuff, or hard tricks. I'll admit it, I probably overuse the treats. To be honest, I'm a pez dispenser! But I've gotten great results! I cut back on her meals if we've done a lot of training that day.   I also take her for long walks, and other excersize to burn some of the energy and calories. I do worry about her weight, but so far she has stayed very trim.  I think I'll have to start watching it closer as she gets older.   Corgi's get overweight so easily so I'm trying to stay on top of that.  Good luck with the training!

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Linda on March 7, 2014 at 7:37am

Food of course is the great motivator but I also used lots and lots of praise along with the treat.  As mine got the command down pat I started using less treats but kept up the huge praise for a job well done and eventually the praise became the all.  Corgis want to please, they want to be the best and they are so happy when you show them they are the best.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on March 7, 2014 at 7:47am

Are there some classes by you that you can take her to. A class will really help you learn timing and technique. If not there are many good videos on training you can learn from. This is a great age to start consistent training. Food is usually good to start with but then after a skill is learned you have to taper off with a treat about every third time. I have also found that not giving the treat you are showing but using your other hand to give a treat from your pocket or a bag helps keep our very smart corgis from focusing too much on your hand and pay more attention to the command. Good luck, it is better not to put off your training too much longer.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Linda on March 7, 2014 at 10:18am

Along with Beth's suggestion about switching hands one of the things I do when training and I want my dog to focus on me I hold the treat up by the side of my head near my eyes and give the command "watch me".  They quickly learn that if your hand is up there then something is going to happen.  I know just that command has helped a lot with vet appointments especially when I have to take Max in for an acupuncture treatment.  It makes him focus on me and not what is happening. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on March 7, 2014 at 12:15pm

I would recommend signing up for an obedience class, more to teach you some training pointers. When using treats it is easy to teach the dog to ONLY do the behavior for a treat, which to me is pointless. You can start with treats but you need to substitute praise and eventually have the dog doing the behavior only for the praise. We have a trainer who used to take our dogs at my rescue for a "doggy boot camp" type training at her facility. She WAY overdid the treats and now all of the dogs who went into her program won't do a single thing for us unless we use the treats and are actually now much worse behaved than when they left for training. When I train I like to offer treats at random for good behavior so Franklin is mostly doing the behavior for the praise but an occasional food reward keeps him excited and focused. He never knows when he will get a pet/praise or when he will get food so he is always doing his best. If we are doing something where he needs to be at the top of his game (like a photoshoot) then I will use lots and lots of treats to keep him focused and on point. Use the food motivation to your advantage but make sure that your corgi isn't doing it ONLY for the food because if you need a behavior done ASAP (such as a recall if she is running away) you won't always have a treat to bribe with. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on March 7, 2014 at 3:12pm

Short exercises every single day: no more than ten or twelve minutes at a time, but consistently.

It's easier to work a five- or ten-minute "lesson" in around a hectic schedule than it is to find a half-hour to an hour for a walk or a training session in the yard. This is something you can squeeze in while you're getting ready for work or do in front of the television.

Use the "sit" command before setting down the food bowl. Use the "wait" command when letting her out a door. Use the "look at me" command to get the dog's attention (I use "pay attention,"...hee! I used to use "achtung!" with the gershep--but the actual words are irrelevant). Use "leave it" to make her wait for a treat set on the floor. And you even can snap a leash on her collar and have her "heel" up and down the hall a couple of times. You don't have to do all these in any given session.

Try to find time for more than one brief session each day, if you can possible wangle it. And be patient. It takes time.

• ▶ Reply