Not following a treat...

[TACdog]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi all

Newbie on the site, but hoping the wealth of members experience can help me solve a small problem...

My dog is a young JRT cross from a rescue centre and thus far she's shown great aptitude for training. The trouble is now that she's second-guessing and jumping the gun before a clear command has been given. This in itself is fine, I don't reward until the command has been given and the correct behaviour displayed.

However, she won't follow a treat in my hand at all, preferring to sit/lie and wait patiently. This is a real pain when trying to teach her to spin around, roll over or to 'middle' (walk/sit between my legs). Does anybody have any help on how to get her to follow the treat? I'm moving it slowly and allowing her to lick it so she knows its there. I used to the same 'follow the treat' to teach her to lie down some months ago, so wondering if this is confusing her?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

 

[Finsky]

Hi all

Newbie on the site, but hoping the wealth of members experience can help me solve a small problem...

My dog is a young JRT cross from a rescue centre and thus far she's shown great aptitude for training. The trouble is now that she's second-guessing and jumping the gun before a clear command has been given. This in itself is fine, I don't reward until the command has been given and the correct behaviour displayed.

However, she won't follow a treat in my hand at all, preferring to sit/lie and wait patiently. This is a real pain when trying to teach her to spin around, roll over or to 'middle' (walk/sit between my legs). Does anybody have any help on how to get her to follow the treat? I'm moving it slowly and allowing her to lick it so she knows its there. I used to the same 'follow the treat' to teach her to lie down some months ago, so wondering if this is confusing her?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

Because JRT are famously stubborn/their 'own dogs'/'independent thinkers' it may take loooooong time penny to drop what you are after. Or it may well be that she knows but she has come to conclusion that despite your best effort, it ain't worth of doing.
So either you are into long haul training until she will follow your demands or you might as well forget it and do what she likes to do. They are thoroughly entertaining dogs but maybe it is a best to allow the dog to think to itself and problem solve the given instructions by other means than treats. Do you need to teach that trick?
Try something else that she might REALLY really want and would do anything to get hold of it...a toy?...something smelly(rub something smelly on it) or noisy?
I was told a game here, one that my terriers would like to trial...'ball in the sock'...and they LOVE it! But their way of playing is ragging it. But it has now turned into very desirable toy too. Although the first version of it is now seen its best and is ready for 're-socking'...when ever I take it into my hand, I have the full attention of the dogs and their beady eyes follow the toy guessing what it about to happen.
Maybe something like that would work with your terrier too...just play with it first to make it hers

 

[Finsky]

And to add...my terriers don't tend to do things for sake of a treat anymore neither. That phase that they would 'work for it' was short, when they were still young pups. Now it has to be something much more exciting..food is food and that's it.

 

[JudyN]

I taught my dog to 'leave', and take treats nicely, by holding a treat in my hand but only releasing it when he'd stopped trying to chew my hand off and backed off a bit, so maybe your JRT has been taught something similar in the past. I never managed to train 'roll over' either as he'd follow my hand so far, then just jump up to follow it further.

For 'middle', could you start by standing with your legs apart in a corridor, throw the treat through and invite her to go through your legs to get it?

Just had another thought - first teach her to target your palm, or a target stick, and use that instead of a treat.