class to home carryover

[bookeymama]

Our 1 year old lab/springer mix is attending 4H obedience classes with my 13 year old daughter and doing a great job. They both LOVE the classes and the dog is extremely attentive and responsive during class. She ignores the other dogs as if they are invisible and walks at heel as if she'd been born doing it. Most commands and tricks (sit, down, stay, finish, tunnels, jumps...) have been easily practiced at home but getting her to walk nicely outside of class is very challenging -- she forges ahead, changes direction, darts after things & generally behaves as if she has no idea there's anyone on the other end of the leash. Other dogs put her into fullbody excitement mode. We're a bit baffled because she NEVER does these things at class. Carrying treats helps a little bit in getting her to focus on us and we do stop cold when she pulls but walks are pretty tedious for all concerned and we don't seem to be making much progress.

[adunphy]

Sounds like you hae found a great distraction though! What you want to do , is get really great treats, and work on only attention. Try to limit the distractions but increase them gradually. Dont ask for too much when you are out and about, work slowly and document your training to see where your isseues lie. Talk with your instructor for more specific advice on your dog.

my bet is that your dog is totally comfortable with the other dogs and the facility - its become routine for her. Breaking up the routine, adding in new distractions - its all part of the process. I hope this helps some! Just take it back to square one when she isn't paying attention - treat her like she knows nothing in those situations - set her up for success not failure!

Amy