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  1. #1
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Question I'm the Center of the Universe!

    Oliver thinks he is the center of EVERYONE'S universe. When I take him for walks, he thinks everyone wants to pet him, even though no one even pays attention to him. At work, if I bring him with me, when a potential tenant walks in the door, it is hard for me to show them units when Oliver thinks he needs to be paid attention to. I can tell him to sit and he will, just not for long. I will admit that I have only taken him on a hand full of leashed walks as it has been cold and I am a wuss.

    He seems to do very well on an unleashed walk. There is a wooded area right behind our house and an empty field next to that. I took him back there and he would run around me and ahead of me but then stop and wait for me to catch up or tell him what direction we would go in next. There were no other people around so not sure if he wouldn't be as interested in them if he was unleashed as opposed to leashed.

    Basically, how do I train Oliver to not think he is the center of everyone's universe or is that just a lab trait that I will have to deal with? I would like to take him hiking and think it would be easier if he was unleashed but don't want to have other people/dogs around and him bolt for them and/or just take off and not come back.

    Side Note: I have seen all your trick challenges and I can't get Oliver to understand "lay down" or "shake"....Just think "bad trainer" when offering advice. When I ask for a "shake" he will paw at me...to get his treat....I don't think the "shake" command actually connects with me shaking his paw and then giving his treat. I think he gets too excited by food/treats to focus on the task at hand. I even went so far to train "lay down" by physically laying down next to him. Epic fail.
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    Actually the pawing is a sign that you are communicating the paw. Good start! You can refine that.

    Maybe for him you need a less enticing treat, such as kibble or cheerios or carrots or green beans.

    Once he learns to sit stay for folks he sees every day you can take the show on the road. That is an essential exercise in earning a Canine Good Citizen certficate or Beginner Novice title. It is like asking a preschooler to be still and quiet at a birthday party. Even the guide dog pups in training need time and maturity to learn self control. Take it step by step and a few seconds at a time. Then increase the time and decrease the distance to the person gradually in your training.

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  4. #3
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlotte K. View Post
    Actually the pawing is a sign that you are communicating the paw. Good start! You can refine that.

    Maybe for him you need a less enticing treat, such as kibble or cheerios or carrots or green beans.

    Once he learns to sit stay for folks he sees every day you can take the show on the road. That is an essential exercise in earning a Canine Good Citizen certficate or Beginner Novice title. It is like asking a preschooler to be still and quiet at a birthday party. Even the guide dog pups in training need time and maturity to learn self control. Take it step by step and a few seconds at a time. Then increase the time and decrease the distance to the person gradually in your training.
    Good to know I am headed in the right direction! Thank you.
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  5. #4
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    The reason we use working dog capes for all of our working dogs, seeing eye dogs, etc. is so that people do ignore them. Strangers aren't allowed to touch them...if they attempt, we stop them and immediately put ourselves between strangers and the dog that is working. Once the cape goes on my lab, he knows no sniffing the ground, no going to the bathroom, no playing, no acknowledging other people - that is how we taught him. Our working dogs far exceed what a pet owner would require and I understand the difference. It sounds to me like Oliver just requires more obedience training. When I'm proofing sit/stays, down/stays, I'm constantly setting them up to fail - throwing balls in front of them, leaving the room, running out the door excited, playing with another dog in front of them, dropping food on the floor all around them.

    An easy way to do this in the home is to put your dog in a sit or down stay (practice both). Walk out of sight - into another room. Look at a window, or use a mirror to watch your pup while you are out of sight. The minute they begin to follow or break their sit or down - correct with an AH-AH. Reward the good behavior. It takes time and work but if you stay consistent you will get it!!

    Remember - Sit means sit - a sit/stay doesn't mean to sit for a few minutes and then lay down because they are bored. Sit means sit just like down means down.

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  7. #5
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    I think one of the most endearing traits of labs is their belief that strangers are just friends they haven't met. They do eventually calm down- after initial greeting, Kimber will now go back to her bed. But that kicked in around age 7...

    Until then, we had to crate her when a handyman came to the house. In public, I spent at least one morning a week at Starbucks, at an outside table. She learned to 'settle', and to be a bit calmer when strangers approached.

    Oliver's still pretty young; I'm sure he'll get there!
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  9. #6
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    Zoey is now almost 6 and still thinks she is the center of the universe, well because she is! She is very people friendly and she lives for human attention

    She will hold a stay now when she is told to so it does get better with a lot of training and patience. I also go out of my way to take her to dog friendly places where she can get her "lovin fix" from various people. I also spent a lot of time training her with distractions.

    You cant train that trait out of a dog but you can expect good behavior with training, just remember to reward this trait with plenty of interaction as well

    Training him off leash reliably also takes a lot of time and work, what are you doing now? Are you working on a long line in this field behind your house? Keep in mind that puppies have somewhat of a natural recall because of insecurity and fear, he will follow you now but if you don't proof the command with additional training it might not last. He will gain confidence and independence as he gets older and take off on you.

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  11. #7
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xracer4844 View Post
    Remember - Sit means sit - a sit/stay doesn't mean to sit for a few minutes and then lay down because they are bored. Sit means sit just like down means down.
    Just so I make sure I am doing it right....if he does sit/stay but lays down, that is incorrect? He needs to remain in the sit position until I release him?
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  12. #8
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZoeysMommy View Post
    Training him off leash reliably also takes a lot of time and work, what are you doing now? Are you working on a long line in this field behind your house? Keep in mind that puppies have somewhat of a natural recall because of insecurity and fear, he will follow you now but if you don't proof the command with additional training it might not last. He will gain confidence and independence as he gets older and take off on you.
    Honestly....I'm not. I just took him back there (wooded area) and made sure no one else was out when we went so I wouldn't have to worry about other distractions. I did take his leash just in case. I will take him around the hallways of work and he will run around like a maniac but stop at each intersection and wait for my direction. I will say "let's go this way" and he will take off in that direction, get to an intersection, and wait for direction, and repeat.

    I do fear that he will get more independent and this may not last. That is why I am a little hesitant when my husband lets him run around the front yard while he is getting ready to go fishing on Saturdays. He leaves early enough that no one in their right mind is awake but still I worry that Oliver won't be so close to him and take off some morning. I guess I can't lecture him if I do the same thing...
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  13. #9
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by beth101509 View Post
    Just so I make sure I am doing it right....if he does sit/stay but lays down, that is incorrect? He needs to remain in the sit position until I release him?
    In obedience it would be incorrect - if you command a sit/stay and the dog sits for a while and then lays down during that initial command it would be incorrect. Same as a down/stay. If you ever decide to go into obedience- it's nice to have a head start !!

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  15. #10
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by beth101509 View Post
    Just so I make sure I am doing it right....if he does sit/stay but lays down, that is incorrect? He needs to remain in the sit position until I release him?
    I personally don't care if Zoey sits or lays down as long as she stays. I suppose that's up to you and what you expect from your dog

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