# Training progression



## orestis (Aug 26, 2013)

Mucho, now 4 months old, has made some progress in his training.

His most reliable cues are "down" with a downwards hand motion, that will almost always produce an audible "plop" sound as he lies down and looks up to me.

One other surprisingly reliable cue is "wait/stay/drop it". We practiced from very early on with his food ball - set it down, the moment he makes a move to get it, get it off the ground, while repeating in a steady voice "wait". I've found that the actual word I'm using isn't that important as the tone of voice. We started with wait but it's long in greek so we changed to "stay" which is shorter and Mucho now obeys both. We were surprised to see the same command be useful when he's stole a sock or when he wouldn't give his ball back. Repeat with the same tone, he'll lie down and drop the sock/ball/piece of paper/whatever.

His "come" isn't reliable yet. He stays there looking at me, thinking about it. He does come running to my GF though, no need to even say anything  He's a mommas boy.

Nor is his "sit" - he would either sit or lie down. I suspect the tiled floor might play a role here as when he sits his backside slowly slips backward so it's not very comfortable for him. 

We also have a paw cleaning ritual when he comes back from the balcony/pee pad - I would use a wet tissue to clean his groin, and all four paws. I realized he anticipates my hand and lifts the paw I'm about to grab.

I am amazed about how easy some rituals become. He's stopped biting me almost entirely, he'll even turn away if I put my hand in his mouth when yawing. My GF though does receive her fair share of bites all over, but she doesn't discourage that so it's her fault 

He lost interesting in my shoes/slipper and generally he is *very* obedient when I use a specific tone of voice. I guess all the training research paid off.

I used to think I wanted to eventually start some "formal" obedience training, but as the days go by I don't really see the point. Perhaps when we show him we might need some help, but that's months away.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

I recommend going to a class if for no other reason that your dog will love it! I have two dogs, an adult labrador and a year old hav. I didn't take the lab to formal training when he was a puppy. When we got the hav puppy, we decided to go to formal training classes. We took the hav to puppy class and the labrador to adult class. They both loved it. It made me wish I had taken the lab earlier, as it is something he really enjoys doing.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Sounds like Mucho is doing wonderfully - congrats. 
Classes are also great for socialization with new dogs and people.
-Jeanne-


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

SJ1998 said:


> I recommend going to a class if for no other reason that your dog will love it! I have two dogs, an adult labrador and a year old hav. I didn't take the lab to formal training when he was a puppy. When we got the hav puppy, we decided to go to formal training classes. We took the hav to puppy class and the labrador to adult class. They both loved it. It made me wish I had taken the lab earlier, as it is something he really enjoys doing.


Kodi and I BOTH love it!  If I say, "Kodi, do you want to go to school?" He starts wagging all over and runs to the door!!!


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## Ruthiec (Jun 18, 2013)

Yes, Charlie and I love it as well. He's just graduated from "Young Dog" to Intermediate so we're about to start on heeling, long lead recalls, drops and stays. Initially I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go with training but we both love it so much and I figure the interaction and stimulation from both the training and interacting with other dogs is good for him so I think we'll probably keep going for a while yet.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ruthiec said:


> Yes, Charlie and I love it as well. He's just graduated from "Young Dog" to Intermediate so we're about to start on heeling, long lead recalls, drops and stays. Initially I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go with training but we both love it so much and I figure the interaction and stimulation from both the training and interacting with other dogs is good for him so I think we'll probably keep going for a while yet.


Although I'm sure I would love Kodi to pieces, even if he were only a pet, I really think that the time we spend training really strengthens the bond between us. We are so in tune with each other, because we can really communicate!


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