too good

[leechlake]

My pup is about 5 months old, she's been great at coming to the whistle for two months. The last week or two we've been really working on "stay." She is pretty close to perfect on it. I never told her to "come" after stay I just would return to her side so she wouldn't get confused, when I told her to stay I didn't want her to do anything but stay. Here's the problem, I have her stay walk 50 yards away and then blow the recall "come" whistle now. She doesn't even flinch a muscle or perk an ear, she just stays. When I recall her when she's on the move she comes but during the stay doesn't. I suppose I'll put a lead on her and work it out, just wondering if anyone has run into this. I've tried running the other way and acting like a goof she still just stays.

[Slowfinger]

Have you incorporated hand signals into your instruction? This might not help in your case, but who knows...it might. I think most of what I've read seems to encourage hand signals in the beginning and then phase them out later on...good luck to you.

[Lynno62]

Perhaps try another term, if you want to call her after having her stay. When I took my Choc. lab to school stay was just that stay, but we used wait if we were going to call them or have them do some thing else. Just a thought. Good luck.

[LABS4ME]

You answered your own question correctly. Use a long check cord and "guide" her in while commanding come or using your whistle.

Good Luck!

Ken

[DuluthGuy]

Unbalanced - is what you have now. The dog (@ 5 mths) will understand hand/whistle/voice command all at once or seperately. (if you practice them all the time) Make sure, if you are working for a hunting dog, that you incorperate hand signals w/whistle.

I would use the lead technique or try puting her on heel, then trying 'stay' as you walk. Then take 3 steps and slap your side (or whatever) and say 'heel' again. Now she learned to stop while you keep walking. You did not make eye contact to relay your thoughts, you simply encoraged her to rejoin you for a fun walk. Also, make the practices short and sweet (fun!) After she does 2 stop & returns to heel - bust out of the yard and go sniff around the neigborhood!

B2

P.S. Oh, get down on one knee if you want to try the break from a distance on stay back to you - this will encorage her to understand the displine is not being enforced (as much) from the disobayment (word?) that the stay made.

[leechlake]

I should have posted this "too stupid", after a little trial and error I figured out the only time she freezes on stay and won't come is when I'm near our driveway. We have Invisible Fence, and while I obviously take her collar off before we go and always put her on the leash to take her across the "boundary" (I used to carry her over the line when she was easier to carry to not confuse her on the fence) and put her back on the leash to go into the yard, she doesn't want to go across the line so she won't come. Thanks for the ideas guys, if I only could have provided all the info I'm sure one of you would have figured this one out, I'm glad my dog is training me!

[Dbl]

They do have a habit of teaching us that we don't always have it all figured out don't they? As mentioned above I do use two different commands, stay and wait. Stay means don't move for anything or anyone at anytime. Wait means stay until I tell you by a command to come, heal, fetch, etc either with a whistle, hand command or voice. Sounds like the training is going well with that smart British Lab!

[DuluthGuy]

lol!