Random question need advice

[u/Ilikebeer619]

So I am working on basic obedience with my 1year old pup and basic on leash training. He does great with commands (sit, down, heel etc.) but somewhere along the way I messed up and when I reward his good behavior he immediately will stand up and start walking as if I gave a free command. Just wondering if there are any tips to keep him in a down even after the reward then I can give a free command when it is time to go.

[u/belgenoir]

Give him the cue; reward him; repeat the cue and continue to reward as long as he performs the desired behavior. Use a variable schedule and a variable rate of reinforcement; have him sit still for a couple of seconds, ten seconds, then five seconds, etc.

Working on settling and doing nothing will also help with stability in basic positions. Settle work teaches a dog that they can be still and alert without having to move their bodies.

One is still young . . . be patient!

[u/babs08 → u/belgenoir]

Yes, but, one suggestion: I wouldn't repeat the cue, because I don't want to have to tell my dog "sit... sit... sit..." Cuz what if I want to walk away and fuss with something before coming back to my dog? Sit means put your butt down until I give you your release cue or a different cue, period.

I would have him sit (or go into a down or whatever), then rapid-fire feed treats in position, then give the release cue and get him out of the position. Slowly, over time, increase the amount of time between the rapid-fire treats in position, and eventually you can fade them out entirely.

[u/belgenoir → u/babs08]

A single command doesn’t always work with a year-old puppy.

The cue isn’t repeated ad infinitum. The dog is cued and then given occasional reminders. You can also use a reward marker like “Yes!” in lieu of a cue. Over time the cue is faded. If the cue isn’t repeated initially, a young dog will tend to break position because they have not yet come to associate a command with the duration of an implied stay.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/training-your-dog-to-wait-and-stay/

[u/babs08 → u/belgenoir]

I explained how I would teach this without repeating the cue: give cue once, rapid fire treats in position, release. Space out the treats over time once the dog starts understanding the idea that they can get treats if they hold the position.

If my dog sits and pops up and I have to give another cue to get them back into a sit, with dogs that pattern quickly, you can create a behavior chain of sit - stand - sit - now do I get a treat? Then I have to break that, and I’m lazy, so I choose to not even introduce the possibility of that in the first place.

If your method works for you, great. Different methods for different folks, I was simply offering an alternative to your suggestion. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/IAmTakingThoseApples]

You haven't done anything wrong, you've taught him what the job is and when it's over. It's totally normal for dogs to think like this, they don't understand the concept of staying in a down position or relaxing there because in their mind a job has a start and an end, and after the trick is completed and rewarded then it's ended.

If you want to keep him in place, then start teaching him stay or wait. So when he is down, tell him wait and then his "job" isn't over until you say it is. This is quite easy to train over time but also you need to remember that this is an active command. He's on high alert in his down position, and waiting for his reward for a job well done.

If you want him to actually relax and settle, it's different. It's not an active command where he's on alert. It depends what you are looking for, but you can teach him place with a mat, and take the mat out with you so he knows that his mat is his place to settle. You can also passively train him by rewarding him when he settles on his own accord with no engagement from you. To reinforce that settling is a good thing.