Playing with/training your Nihon Ken
Hi everyone! This may seem like a very simple question, but here goes.
So, I like to play/ (with a little bit of training) with Panda in the backyard but unlike inside where I have her undivided attention the whole time, in the backyard she'll take off to pace back and forth on the fence-line (there are some little yappy dogs on the other side.) I've tried using an x-pen to block that part of the yard, but it's a hassle to have to move an x-pen back and forth. I would like to avoid using a leash in the backyard if possible. It's become her habit to play with me for a few minutes and then run over to the fence for 5 or 10 min and then come back to play with me after she's harassed the neighbors dogs for a while. Does anyone else have this problem? Should I just end our play session all together when she does this or is the only solution a long-line?
So, I like to play/ (with a little bit of training) with Panda in the backyard but unlike inside where I have her undivided attention the whole time, in the backyard she'll take off to pace back and forth on the fence-line (there are some little yappy dogs on the other side.) I've tried using an x-pen to block that part of the yard, but it's a hassle to have to move an x-pen back and forth. I would like to avoid using a leash in the backyard if possible. It's become her habit to play with me for a few minutes and then run over to the fence for 5 or 10 min and then come back to play with me after she's harassed the neighbors dogs for a while. Does anyone else have this problem? Should I just end our play session all together when she does this or is the only solution a long-line?
Comments
The problem isn't aggression
I guess what I would do is 1) have yummy treats in my pocket . 2) a clicker, and 3) have her on a long line initially. As we were playing, if she starts to get distracted and run over the the fence, I would call her name, if she looks and starts to come, immediately give her a treat. I might even have a clicker in my had, so that if she at least turns and starts to come back to me, I would click and then reward. If she doesn't pay attention and is still intent on the dogs, I would tug on the longline and ask her to come again. When she comes up (even with the tug of the line), I would give a click and a treat. Next time it would hopefully only require the recall "come Panda" and no tug on the long line. I would treat her each time she comes with a yummy treat.
Once she has learned what you want (ie, not to be distracted by the dogs), if she ignores you, I would raise my voice a bit and sound a bit more serious. I know Sachi used to have the attention span of a gnat, especially if the cats were running around outside the fence. But with this type of reinforcement, she can focus on me much better over the distractions.
Now if we are working on obedience in the yard and she starts to get distracted, I can go "aht Sachi" and she refocuses on me. Take it with baby steps, as Panda is young and they have a hard time focusing for long periods.
I also mix my obedience up with play sessions too. Sachi still does run to the fence for cats (so does Kuma), but both know when I say come, they are to break off and come back to me (even if cats are enticing outside the fence). It just takes practice and reward.
Now I'm not sure that I would stop her from wanting to go to the fence if you are just trying to play with her. What if she just wants to play with other dogs on the fence line? *smiles*