6 month old obeying husband's "come" command but not mine

[sonomagirl]

We are teaching Sonoma the "come" command (I know, I know, we waited way too long) and she seems to do fine with my husband but when I call her she looks at me like I'm crazy. I'm sure it has something to do with him being a man.

I'm frustrated and very discouraged. I refuse to have a dog that won't obey me without my husband being around.

 

[apollosdad]

it has nothing to do with him being a man, but it does have everything to do with him being the pack leader. you must also let your dog know that you are the pack leader, in order to win his respect and for him to obey your commands.
also, if you are letting your frustrations show and possibly taking it out on your dog by scolding it, then it will pick up on it and not respond.
do some minor things around the house to let your dog know that you are the alpha as well. you can do this by having your dog "sit" or even "down" for you before allowing it go outside to relieve itself or being given it's food bowl for dinner. at random times, just have your dog "sit" for you for no reason. also, remember to reward approriately so that your dog will associate only positive things with responding to your commands.

another option is make training time like a game. try playing a recall game. you and your husband should supply yourselves with some real yummy treats that your dog loves and goes crazy for, like liver treats. stand on opposite ends of a room or opposite ends of the hallway. take turns recalling your dog and reward appropriately for your dog responding correctly. alternate between you and your husband. in this way your dog is being taught to respond to the both of you and that it gets good treats for listening to mom and dad. remember to make a big fuss when they do something right.

 

[Ritzy57]

It could also be your tone of voice.
When your husband says, "come!" it probably sounds like an alpha, big boy voice. You, on the other hand, with a girl voice, might not sound as forceful.
I learned that part of training was ACTING!
Exagerating the words you use as commands, and NOT repeating the word.
when you say come, it isn't "come," it's 'COME!!
It isn't "down," it's "DOWN!!"
When you praise them it's "GOOD BOY!!"
etc.
Having command, and SOUNDING like you do, is important. The hugs, treats, and toys are good, too. But you have to let them know who is boss. and yes, they CAN have 2 bosses in the same family. As long as you and your husband are nos. 1 & 2, and doggie makes 3

 

[lone*barbi]

Hi! It is NEVER too late. Lucky for me our Boxer went to training at 5 months. . . just behind your little one. I totally agree with the advice given above, but at the same time feel your pain. We have, what the trainer called a boxer with dominance complex; not good when he, at 6 months can pull me around. One of the main, and what I feel most important factors, is let him know you're boss - especially if you are a small frame female. Basically follow a few simple non-harmful, non-agressive tactics.

1) this is what i feel made the biggest difference for me. when there is undesired or dominant behavior, no matter where you are, flip him on his back, straddle him (but don't sit on him), grab each paw and secure to the ground, look him straight in the eye and firmly tell him "settle!" This puts you in the most dominant position and him in the most submissive. Eye contact is a key factor in this excercise. He will attempt to hang onto his last bit of dominance by staring you down. Wait for him to look away. After he has gone limp, let him up and praise him for a good settle. I felt like a complete dork when first doing this excercise, but Harley now listens to me more than my fiance.
2) when you're walking your boxer NEVER let him grab his own leash and pull/lead you around. stop walking, make him "drop" the leash and then resume walking. do not get into a tug of war with his leash. In my experience, even as a puppy, Harley always won the tug of war which makes him think he's the alfa dog of the two of us.
3) while he's still small enough for you to control, and while on a leash, make him sit, and stay. Then, firmly tell him to "come." If he doesn't respond, tug on his leash until he does and then praise with lots of hugs and "good come!"

I could go on and on with all the tricks our wonderful trainer taught us, but this should help for now. Good luck!

 

[courtney323]

1) this is what i feel made the biggest difference for me. when there is undesired or dominant behavior, no matter where you are, flip him on his back, straddle him (but don't sit on him), grab each paw and secure to the ground, look him straight in the eye and firmly tell him "settle!" This puts you in the most dominant position and him in the most submissive. Eye contact is a key factor in this excercise. He will attempt to hang onto his last bit of dominance by staring you down. Wait for him to look away. After he has gone limp, let him up and praise him for a good settle. I felt like a complete dork when first doing this excercise, but Harley now listens to me more than my fiance.

Actually, this is a horrible suggestion that will likely get you injured and will only confuse your dog.

Not to mention, Boxerworld does not allow the promotion or discussion of negative training methods

www.boxerworld.com/rules

From the Rules:

we support and promote wholeheartedly positive training and behaviour management, that is, teaching the dog what to do by using positive methods, not teaching a dog what not to do by causing it discomfort and pain. Any threads which appear to promote "negative" training and methods will be closed.

There are many many ways to train your dog effectively using positive reinforcement methods. It only takes patience and diligence on your part.

Lastly, if this is the sort of advice that your trainer has given you, I would recommend finding a new trainer ASAP.

 

[apollosdad]

yes, i agree with courtney, that is a terrible suggestion.