pyrless Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 Just wanted to let you know that Taz and the whole dog-scootering thing is going to have to wait until I hit upon a surefire command for "DO NOT CHASE THAT SQUIRREL. DO NOT WRAP MOM AROUND THAT TREE!!!!!!" Everything else he has been brilliant at on walks-right, left, stop, wait, cross, heel. However if there is a squirrel forget about it. I have tried everything to call him off and he just won't, or can't, or whatever... :D Thank you for answering my questions though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin the musher Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 :D Yeah, there's always that pesky prey drive thing happenin'. I've been blessed with a couple of leaders who ignore wildlife for two vastly different reasons- Bug would love to chase and kill wildlife, but she is also a people pleaser, and gets a real kick out of following commands, (as in "on by" to go past whatever distraction is lurking in front of her). George, on the other hand, ignores anything that would possibly impede his forward progress- that is the ultimate goal for him- move in a forward direction- He threaded the team through a herd of cattle standing in the middle of the road last year, and I swear he didn't even really see them- you can bet most of the rest of the team did tho... The best training to ignore distractions is to start with little ones, or big ones that are far away- use the "on by" command ( I say it in a low, threatening voice, yelling or even a raised voice adds to he distraction level.) I correct young dogs for looking at trash or lumps of dirt in the road- just a simple "uh-uh" is enought o re-direct them. It might sound harsh, but the ability to redirect is good, especially when I'm on the sled with more than 6 dogs- I really am not in control, because if they really wanted to go wherever they wanted there isn't much I could do to stop them unless there was a sturdy tree or fence post about. A road sign will not hold an eight dog team, trust me... :roll: That's another reason I train with the 4 wheeler- I have absolute control, so can re-inforce commands by simply stopping and waiting till they decide to do the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrless Posted May 16, 2005 Author Share Posted May 16, 2005 "On by" is great! Simple, short, can be said in a growly manner... :D I am going to try this, tonight will be good as it is garbage night... I am also going to start running with him as part of our walks. Good for me, good for him... Thank you, PTM! (If nothing else all of this new stuff gives him something to learn, which he needs...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin the musher Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 One thing I forgot- you have to be super vigilant and watch him every second so that you can correct the [i]micro-second[/i] he looks like he is going to get distracted- sometimes treats can be used, but I wouldn't want my dogs turning around expecting a treat every time they do something right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrless Posted May 16, 2005 Author Share Posted May 16, 2005 I agree-he is a food hound anyway so that would NOT be a good thing! I do have to watch him constantly to make sure he doesn't eat whatever detritus is on the ground (he likes gum-eeewwww!) so I should, with some practice, be able to correct him accordingly. He is pretty smart and will pick up on that readily. I will let you know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted May 16, 2005 Share Posted May 16, 2005 [quote]A road sign will not hold an eight dog team, trust me...[/quote] I sense a funny storey . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin the musher Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 Sorry, kinda long... Well it wasn't funny at the time, but..... I had 6 new yearling puppies that I was just starting to train up plus two older dogs, neither of which were very dependable lead dogs. We had had a great winter so far, and the roads were iced over and then snow covered , so I could run my sled right down the road. So I hook up all these puppies, including their father Teddy(First clue-NOT A LEAD DOG) in lead with his daughter Bug (Second clue-NEVER BEEN IN LEAD BEFORE), then the other 5 pups and their mother, Trinka, intending to "go around the block"- about a 3 mile trip. So off we go, dum dee dum dee dum..... come to the first right hand corner, I yell "Gee" which is the command to go right, they continue straight down the road. OK. No problem, I figure, they're new, I'll just stop and turn them around. So I haul out the snow hook (Large sharp iron hook that you can drive into the snow to hold a team) (Third clue- ain't no snow, JUST ICE.) Snow hook is useless. I try to move over into the ditch, but there isn't much snow there either. So we continue down the road, heading tword the alley of our little town(nothing serious- a typical northern Wisconsin town: a gas station, a bar and a Luthern church, not necessarily in that order. ) So eventually I did get the hook stuck , grabbed Bug and Teddy and pulled them back the other way, but by the time I got back to the sled, they'de turned around and were going the other way. AGAIN. Hook pops out and I manage to grab it as it sails by, so I get dragged through town on my belly, holding on the hook for dear life. (In Alaska, they call this manuever "trolling for wolves"). So we continue through town, and finally manage to make a right turn, and I think- (Fouth clue- NOT THINKING) I'll put the hook on that stop sign, and get them turned around. So the stop sign is really flimsy, bends over and is now attached to the hook, banging along behind us. By this time, I'm more than halfway home the long way, so I give up and ride the sled till we got home, NINE MILES LATER. That's when I realised that these puppies were something special. Bug has since become much more dependable, and Teddy never ran lead again. The end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrless Posted May 17, 2005 Author Share Posted May 17, 2005 o my!!!!! :D I started with the "on by" last night, and Taz is doing pretty well, he seems to get it, beginner's luck maybe? However I have another question. He marks alot on walks. Anything I can do about that? (I'm trying to get him used to walking in a straight line). If nothing else, this is really making our walks interesting! Thanks again for your insight and your stories-I appreciate your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 That IS a good storey, although I can see how it wouldn't be funny at the time. I will have to remember that phrase "trolling for wolves" too. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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