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hi all Ive got a gwp here in aus hes about 14 months old and Im having major troubles with sit and stay Ive been doing this since he was a pup most days but as soon as I walk away with my back turned he follows me and if we are in the bush its a real battle to get him to stay at all he also has moments when hes does anything but what I tell him he is my first dog that I have realy tried to train and would appreciate any help
thanks
Gwp's can be very hard headed. I've had 4 over the years. Go back to the start, in a place with low distractions make him sit and stay right beside you. Don't praise him, then use a release command to let him move. It might be "off you go" or similar. Just do that for a few times.
Then make him sit and take a step away wait 2-3 seconds then step back, wait 2-3 seconds and give the release command. Slowly build up the time and distance before releasing. Don't take him back out in the bush until you have it sorted.
And adding to what Stug said, I would also be using the wait method at feeding time as well. Put his feed down with a "wait" command and step back a few steps. Then make him sit, lye down and sit again, then release him to eat. It's a very high drive for him to want to dive in and chomp his tucker so if you can get him to wait and even go out of sight while he waits you will be reinforcing your spot as top dog.
It can be a sign of a bit of anxiety since he is worried you are leaving and he wants to be with you and where the action is, so a few trials to show him you are coming back is good. I would suggest trying this at home where he is comfortable then move the training to a new location.
sit is a one way command ALWAYS this is the most common mistake I see people fall into...you tell dog to sit you MUST unsit it EVERYTIME. if mine move off the spot they were told to sit on,they get unceramoniously dragged back and plonked on the spot and thier arse pushed down firmly...another good one especially with younger dog is to go to the dog before un sitting it. we use "move on"or the come here or away you go.... funny as heck my 5yr old bitch had got a bit slack on it lately and the other day the cocker moved off.after her seeing him dragged back and plonked down she has been as good as gold...even when I shot a deer in plain sight and had others go past us at VERY close range (14 paces to be exzact) she stayed put untill told to move
consistancy is the key in my opinion...cant see the GWP being much more pigheaded than my GSP x dogs...and remember your dog is in teenage stage right about now too.
good luck,keep us posted.
Totally agree!! Same with working dogs, a command must be broken with another command. So common to see someone make a dog sit then just walk off and expect the dog to follow without breaking the sit commandQuote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck