[BabyOnyx]

Ok, so I need some help!!!
Here's the scoop.....
I have an 8 month old boxer named Onyx. She's stereotypical, bouncy, hyper, 70 lbs of lap dog! Anyways, we train at home, everyday, and its a blast, but lately, in the past 3 or 4 weeks, everytime we try to teach Onyx a new command, she completely forgets her "down" command. We have tried this with several different commands, and its just the down command, and its with every new thing we attempt to show her. We have consulted a trainer about this, and the trainer told us not to worry about it (not sure how i feel about this), but looking for some advice, have any of you delt with this type of behaviour before?

 

[Guest]

boxers are stubborn...she prolly knows it...but doesn't feel like doing it now...lol

 

[sbudd]

I have begun having the same problem with Merlin (1 yr) in his training class - he WON'T go into a down position. If I coax him with a treat, he just barely goes down, then pops right back up. Needless to say, we're going to flunk the down-stay!

 

[samsonsmom]

Lol, "down" was always a toughie for mine as well, but it sounds like as a new command is learned, the down command is forgotten? Perhaps you can incorprate the two commands together, like a "down & leave it" or "down and stay", something like that...

 

[lillyzmomma]

Advice from a pro dog trainer---

Up the ante...Here are a fews tips...:

1)  Use two dif kind of treats.  Use the reg training treats for all other commands and use a highly wanted treat for down.  Also make sure not to use verbal punishment when Onyx doesn't do a down.  Just ignore it and moveon.  If after three tries they still aren't doing it, then move on to something else.  You can always come back to it.  Only treat and praise when the apropriate action has been performed within 2.5 seconds of command.

2)  Be patient.  

3)  Remember...much like children, dogs go through developemental stages.  Onyx is at approximately the right age for adolescence (canine teenager).  Breath it off and keep moving forward.  Life is about to get interesting!!!

 

[sbudd]

I found out last night that Merlin will be tested in two weeks and we CAN'T use treats! Uh oh!!

 

[BabyOnyx]

Thanks for all the advice. We have tried using different treats and also incorporating the down with other commands, but to no avail.  For now we have stopped teaching anything new and have just been repeating everything she knows again and again and again and she is doing great. Im going to keep this up for a few more days and then try and slip something new in to see what happens.

 

[Skyboxers]

Not much help here i am just starting to train my haven.