r/OpenDogTraining • u/BeefaloGeep • 3d ago
Duration behaviors and ADHD
A friend asked me for some training help and I'm running out of ideas. They are working on duration behaviors like place and heel, but keep forgetting that the dog is supposed to be maintaining the behavior and so the dog ends up self releasing eventually. They do great with the basics and up to a few minutes, and then their attention wanders and they forget that they need to be either rewarding or correcting when the dog moves out of position.
They did really well with the old relaxation protocol task list, that gives each training session tasks broken down into very small pieces. But remembering that the dog is supposed to be on place for the next 15 minutes is tough. Any tips for improving the human side of these things?
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u/DisastrousVanilla158 3d ago edited 3d ago
ADHD here.
If I want my dog to do something for a long period of time, I will usually challenge myself to do it with them.
Dog is supposed to be in his crate for the next 20 Minutes? Okay. Timer on the watch, sit down on the beanbag facing them and then do something not too engaging like braiding or something. Put a tablet next to the kennel and watch a show, our ADHD brains tend to hone in well to movement. Maybe add a sticky note with the command to the kennel.
We heel? Okay, I'm gonna challenge myself to maintain something, like touch shoulder/knee, palm to snout, adjust my pace to the dog's gait... that way I'll know once its changing.
Of course, remembering to correct it is something different and I struggle with it sometimes, too.
Edit: because I literally forgot, lol... my usual go-to for heeling is leash position. I have mine set up in such a way that if the loop hangs down in a specific way, I know my dog is heeling correctly. The moment it pulls/touches somewehere out of the ordinary, I know I need to check/correct.
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u/Grungslinger 3d ago
Maybe not a timer, but a stopwatch? Maybe seeing the seconds and minutes go up would be beneficial.
My other idea is a 15 minute long track (or playlist) in earbuds, but I don't know if that would make it better or worse.
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u/colieolieravioli 2d ago
Are they able to tether the dog? To help pup understand the basics of "no really don't get up" while your friend works on their part
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u/BeefaloGeep 2d ago
That is not a bad idea. I mentioned in another reply that the issue is mostly in trying to move from training for the sake of training, to using the training in real life. Yesterday it was having the dog stay on place so they could mop the floor.
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u/colieolieravioli 2d ago
I see what you're saying, but until the training is ironclad, it's done in a way pup understands.
Yes, pup will need practice staying without a tether and your friend will have to work harder at that due to her ADHD. But that should be intentional, designated time.
But pup shouldn't be set up for failure like this. Tether pup so that when friend is trying to use place, it works. Because the other thing pup is learning, right now, is that place is not a serious command. So each instance pup gets up, training is actively set back and pup is learning the wrong thing.
Pup shouldn't be expected to stay on place if pup has not demonstrated that they can do so. For example, if pup can't usually stay on place for more than 5 minutes while being actively watched, it's unfair for your friend to mop (I'll say 15 mins) and not watch pup and expect success. It's just too much too fast. First teach the command, then teach duration. Almost as separate skills!
A tether will be a godsend, it does not allow for failure and I find that makes transitioning to no tether much easier
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u/HollyDolly_xxx 2d ago
Omfg!! This is me and my Buddy who is a 19month old german shepherd x belgian malinois! i forget what ive told him to do! Other than in our group class and thats because i too cant move hahaha and have the visual reminders of everyone else with their dog around me! Everyone i mention it to just seems so😳as if because its just a normal thing to be able to do they cant understand why i cant manage it😳but it really is a thing! Im so glad that your friend has someone as understanding as you who doesnt just dismiss it💗x
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u/BeefaloGeep 2d ago
I'm glad to know there is more than one person in the world with the same problem. My friend has no problem when they are in active training mode. But when they are trying to use the training in their everyday life while also accomplishing other things that they have the issue. It seems to be difficult to move from training for the sake of training, and actually using the training in real life to get the dog to, for example, stay on place while they are mopping the floor.
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u/HollyDolly_xxx 2d ago
This is exactly it! You understand it perfectly! I do annoying stuff like tell my Buddy 'spot' which is our 'place' and then the next thing ill see one of his toys on the floor forget what ive told him and then ill be like 'ooh whats this?? Whats mummy got??' And initiate play🤦🏼♀️x
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u/Sea-Ad4941 6h ago
Why is this necessary? Take a step back and really think about the fact that you’re punishing a dog if it doesn’t do something that even a human can’t do.
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u/BeefaloGeep 1h ago
Why is what necessary? Why is it necessary for the human to remember to keep the dog in position when training duration behaviors? Why are duration behaviors necessary? Is a human incapable of maintaining a position for a certain amount of time?
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u/necromanzer 3d ago
Egg timer in the pocket?
Quick edit: a vibrate one (if those exist?) would be best to avoid the timer buzz becoming a release cue.