1.5 Year Old Greyhound Training

[Guest Broeaw]

So I've had fred for 6 months. I rescued him from the pound at a year old. I've tried putting him through group training but it didn't go well because he just gets too excited about the other dogs to listen.

 

So, I put him in a board and train. Went way worse. He was so home sick that it was interrupting all the other dogs training so she said we can't do it. He was crying so loud day in and day out that it was ruining her business.

 

Can someone help me with training tactics for a young greyhound? I've done my research and cannot find any info about training young greys because 90% of owners adopt ex racers.

 

The trainer said she's trained huskys and beagles but this breed has been the most difficult of all. Thank you

[Guest Broeaw]

I've done clicker trainer and treat based training for months and he's just not getting it. I can only get him to understand "down" with treats. Even after months of trying, he will still not lay down without treats in my hand

[KickReturn]

Does he lay down when he is tired?

I ask the question facetiously of course. I assume that what Fred wants to do is run around with other greyhounds. And I don't imagine he will be content and relaxed enough to do much else until he has had his run or something similar. You didn't mention Fred's exercise regimen. That would help.

 

My question really is what are you trying to accomplish? Is there a problem with Fred that needs to be "fixed" with training?

 

FWIW I spent some time with greyhound puppies for the first time in my life. Two 6 month old's. WOW. Bless all of you who have cared for greyhound puppies.

Edited October 12, 2017 by KickReturn

[greysmom]

I hope kissy chimes in as she is a trainer and has 2 young greys she's had from puppies.

 

Basically you are working against his breeding. They have been bred for hundreds of years to be independent hunters, not to work cooperatively with people, so they have no in born desire to please their humans. The trick is finding the correct motivation that will over come this obstacle.

 

And he's probably in some ways pretty scattered, even though he's technically an adult. So his concentration level is low, and his need for exercise is high. You will do best with short, fun sessions when he's a bit tired.

 

That being said, a good positive reinforcement only trainer *should* be able to help you. I'm not surprised the training boot camp didn't work. It's not an environment a greyhound would understand or react positively to. And group classes will be too distracting with so many new friends to make! A private trainer in your home, or one on one classes will likely be better.

 

However, I did find our puppy to be smart and quick to learn once I found the right combination of motivators. She picked things up in a couple of repetitions, and still will learn things on her own at 6 years old.

 

Good luck!

[cleptogrey]

i had a blast training felix when he was young. we started at 12 weeks after his boosters were completed and proceeded for another 65 weeks until the well ran dry.classes in the ny area are pretty expensive. it's finding the right trainer, someone who will think out of the box. a greyhound can train really well, remember they do schooling in order to race.

 

yes, they need lots of exercise at that age, not just once a day. but multiple times to let them get their willies out.(time to play catch, frisbee etc) i don't know what state you are in, but if you are in the states then look up obedience clubs thru the American Kennel Club. Also, there is APDTA, american pet dog training association, a good resource as well. Do not go to petco/petsmart etc. but interview and observe classes. A good teacher will help socialize your dog and train YOU so that he can be brought to focus. that's what it's all about when you are NOT going for show/competition.

 

Do be patient. You have had him for 6 months and old habits need to be revised. I do remember there was a lovely male in our group. He arrived at around 9-11months. The poor pup went thru a couple of homes until 2 wonderful people adopted him and really worked on training. He settled, became a therapy dog and fantastic companion. But it was a good amount of work. So, look, talk, listen and roll up your sleeves. You will have a wonderful companion in the near future. Thanks for reaching out for help.

 

oh, when you take him to classes in the future- do not train or work him on a full stomach. they can not digest food and learn at the same time. i learned that with my first greyhound(4.5 when i adopted her)at classes. she LOVED, LOVED working and being busy. she stopped when osteoporosis struck. but enjoyed every second of training....it's all in the instructor and your attitude unless you have a super shy dog. it doesn't sound like fred is one of those.

Edited October 12, 2017 by cleptogrey

[krissy]

Greyhounds come in a huge range of motivation levels and work ethic. On the average I would say that most hounds are quite trainable, generally reasonably food motivated, but tend to have short attention spans and are easily discouraged. What I mean by this, is that training sessions need to be kept quite short (especially in the beginning), using very high value rewards, with a high rate of reward (the dog needs to be right much more often than wrong, and wrong attempts need to be ignored or given very minimal negative feedback).

 

General greyhound training notes that I have picked up over time:

1) New hounds need to "learn how to learn" before the excitement and desire to work really kick in. In the beginning they literally don't know what is going on. Once the lightbulb comes on, the desire to learn and work become much stronger. They will then often begin to try to offer new behaviours during training to elicit a reward.

2) Greyhounds are often quite resistant to having their bodies molded or shaped. They are not the most flexible/mobile of dogs - by comparison to other breeds they can be a bit "stiff" for lack of a better word. Bending in funny ways is often foreign, difficult, and/or scary for them. A lot of body positions require a lot of really tiny steps to achieve... even something as simple as a sit or a down. The larger males tend to be worse for this in my experience, but it still holds true overall.

3) Creativity is important, both in terms of how you teach them new things and also how you reward them. Not every dog is food motivated. Some dogs are toy driven for example. You can improve food motivation by training on an empty stomach (right before breakfast or dinner is due).

4) Keep any negative comments to yourself. Since they are not particularly high drive and can be a bit of a "soft" personality, it can be easy to turn them off. With a new dog I would just ignore wrong attempts, or if the dog is really trying to offer behaviours (they're just the wrong ones) I would verbally praise that to encourage him to continue trying and offering... but only give the reward when you get the behaviour you are looking for. Later on in training once the dog has good desire to work, I will often use a "negative reward marker", which is just a word to let the dog know that wasn't correct, but is given in a neutral tone of voice... or if I'm working my softer dog will actually still be a fairly happy tone.

 

Here's a video I did of teaching the down to a slew of foster dogs that came through my house. Some of these dogs picked it up right away, some didn't get there in the time that they were with me. You can see that they are getting rewarded for any attempt they make, and for getting part of the way. I don't necessarily wait for the down before I reward in the beginning. This is important. If you push the dog for too much, and withhold the reward, they will give up. And greyhounds tend to give up quicker than some of the more driven breeds. But if you reward frequently for baby steps, the dog will be much more excited to work with you.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMXaKbbwu0M

 

And an example of breaking down a behaviour... this was a blog post I did on teaching Kili how to vault. Most of the training videos for this trick are done with border collies or aussies, and it's pretty much one step: "hold the disc up and tell your dog to take it". Yeah, right. I broke it down into... 7 steps? The videos on the blog show you the entire break down. It took about a month to teach this, working for a couple of minutes 2-3 times a day.

 

http://apexagilitygreyhounds.blogspot.ca/2014/12/vault.html

 

Hope that helps!

[krissy]

Also, just to add....

 

I usually start with super simple behaviours like nose touch and eye contact. They're simple and fast.

[XTRAWLD]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMXaKbbwu0M

 

And an example of breaking down a behaviour... this was a blog post I did on teaching Kili how to vault. Most of the training videos for this trick are done with border collies or aussies, and it's pretty much one step: "hold the disc up and tell your dog to take it". Yeah, right. I broke it down into... 7 steps? The videos on the blog show you the entire break down. It took about a month to teach this, working for a couple of minutes 2-3 times a day.

 

http://apexagilitygreyhounds.blogspot.ca/2014/12/vault.html

 

Hope that helps!

Krissy the contortionist! Greyt vids. Did you borrow greyhounds for this?

[krissy]

Krissy the contortionist! Greyt vids. Did you borrow greyhounds for this?

 

Back when we only had 2 dogs of our own we fostered quite a few dogs over about a year and a half, so this was a selection of video from a few of them.

And yes, getting down on the ground requires some flexibility, so that's a good point. If there are mobility issues for the humans, you can achieve the same thing by sitting in a chair and luring them under your legs. I prefer being down on the ground so I'm close to the dog's level, but both ways work.

[cleptogrey]

 

Back when we only had 2 dogs of our own we fostered quite a few dogs over about a year and a half, so this was a selection of video from a few of them.

And yes, getting down on the ground requires some flexibility, so that's a good point. If there are mobility issues for the humans, you can achieve the same thing by sitting in a chair and luring them under your legs. I prefer being down on the ground so I'm close to the dog's level, but both ways work.

 

i do it sitting on a chair. yes, Krissy, you are quite flexible and YOUNG! that helps along with your amazing TALENT!!! I love watching all of your training videos. Can you post your blog and some early training post. They are quite informative(and enjoyable).

[Guest nicky604]

I watch training videos on Youtube. There's one of a British lady called Training Young Sighthounds that's really good.

 

I watch all types of trainers on all sorts of things, it's fascinating to me and my foster greyhounds too!

 

They can't understand why my computer keeps barking!

 

Then they go around looking for the dog under the bed, in the closet, or start digging the carpet ... Hey! Maybe the woofs are coming from under there?

 

 

[racindog]

Time. Don't even let "training" cross your mind right now. Your hound NEEDS to develop "engagement" with YOU. You need to teach him FIRST that YOU WILL PROTECT him from all things scarey and unsettling and unpleasant. THIS IS NOT SUPPORTING OR CONDONING FEARFUL BEHAVIOR. Do NOT baby them or coddle them if stressed. Just let them know that YOU are their safe spot. This is the way police dogs are trained! You are basically getting them to FOCUS on you...always. This takes time. It may take as long as a year even. Once you get this though there is almost nothing you can't train them to do. And training will be easy. If you try to train BEFORE you have this you are wasting your time. Engagement is the foundation. Get it first and you win. Skip it and you will fail as you are currently. It is that simple. If you want to know how to do this I would suggest following Michael Ellis' protocol. He is one of the most respected trainers on the planet. www.leerburg.com

features him and offers several of his dvd's which are highly effective. Most greyhounds are highly trainable. Many have good ball and prey drive and other desirable qualities. We have some in this forum that are extremely successful and have titled even in agility. I know of hounds who have their AKC tracking titles, NACSW NW1 titles, and even dock diving titles! But each and every one of those successful hounds are able to do that because they have developed the magic "engagement" with their handler. Everything hangs on it. Be patient and make the effort to learn how to develop engagement FIRST with your hound and I guarantee you the sky will be the limit as to what you can accomplish together. And it is FUN doing it too. So don't think it will be a chore because it is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do with your hound. Good luck! Don't take this the wrong way but the issue you are having is not a result of the hound. I am sure he is a fine hound with capabilities that would amaze. It is your fault for not giving him what he needs to succeed. Don't forget this is a learning experience for you too. As you go through the process of properly developing engagement you too will learn many things about how to be a better handler. You both have lots of fun and great experiences ahead of you. Remember though any issues are never the dogs' but rather they are yours. EVERYTHING runs right down the leash. You will hear that again!

[Guest nicky604]

There's a Youtube video called "Training Young Sighthounds" by a nice British woman. I really like this video as it shows you step by step how to reward your sighthound to do the very basic commands and behaviours. Each one builds on the next and it's a nice, natural progression.

[GeorgeofNE]

It's not just a greyhound, it's also a dog. Why do you feel you need "sighthound specific" training? You don't.

 

You also don't really need a trainer. Buy a book. Follow the lesson plan. Practice twice a day, every day. No more than 15 minutes each session. The basics include heel, sit, stay, come, and down. I trained my first dog when I was 10. It's really not that hard.

 

I have found it much more challenging to get through to a greyhound than what I was used to (english setters and my mutt who was a genius), but I did NOTHING any differently, except to make sure I never let go of the leash, and I did not do any off leash work as I do not have access to a fenced area.

 

It's fun, and you CAN do it!