How to Train Your Dog to Stop Sniffing

Hello Victoria, Check out the Turns method from the article linked below. Pay special attention to the steps on turning directly in front of pup as soon as their nose starts to move past your leg - don't wait until her head is all the way past your leg to turn in front of her or this will be hard to do. It should look like pup sitting beside you, slightly behind you so that head is behind your leg, step forward and as soon as she starts to move ahead of you, quickly turn directly in front of her. You will probably have to be fast at first and may bump into her until she starts to learn this. Practice in an open area, like your own yard, so that you can make lots of turns easily. You want pup to learn that she should stay slightly behind and pay attention to where you are going and where you may turn, instead of assuming she knows the way and can forge ahead. The turns keep her guessing and more focused. Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel You may also find that you temporarily need a training tool that keep pup from being able to pull you over. This won't train pup for you alone, but it can help with management until pup responds to training well. A gentle leader or properly used prong collar tend to be the most effective with large dogs. I would avoid the use of choke collars though due to potential trachea damage with a heavy puller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23zEy-e6Khg Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Nov. 23, 2020

Hello! That is a very typical behavior for a lot of working breeds. Their brains need extra stimulation, so they often seek an outlet. Which is sniffing and processing EVERYTHING while outside. This is something that will potentially correct itself as she ages. As age 2 approaches, the world will become less distracting. Ideally anyway! In the mean time, you can teach her some commands to help speed the process along. "Leave it" is the perfect one for this. This is a command you can give to teach your dog to break her attention from anything that is distracting her. Smells, birds, other dogs, people, etc. Teaching “leave it” is not difficult. Begin the lessons inside your home or in an area with very few distractions. Here are the steps for teaching “leave it”: Make sure you have two different types of treats. One type can be fairly boring to the dog, but the other type should be a high-value treat that he finds pretty delicious. You will also want to make sure that the treats are broken up into pea-sized pieces so it won’t take him too long to eat them. Put one type of treat in each hand. If you like to train with a clicker as your marker, you can also hold a clicker in the same hand that holds the high-value treat. Then, place both of your hands behind your back. Make a fist with the hand that is holding the treat of lower value and present your fist to your dog, letting him sniff. Say “leave it” and wait until she finishes sniffing your fist. As soon as your dog is done sniffing, you can either click with the clicker or say “yes.” Then offer her the higher-value treat in your other hand. Repeat until your dog immediately stops sniffing your hand when you say “leave it.” When you say “leave it” and she stops sniffing right away, leash your dog and then toss a low-value treat outside of her reach. Wait until she stops sniffing and pulling toward the treat. As soon as she does, either say “yes” or click and then give her a high-value treat from your hand. Practice this exercise a number of times. Over time, by practicing “leave it,” your dog should stop pulling as soon as you give the cue. When rewarding her with a treat, make sure that it is something good, not plain old kibble. By doing so, you are teaching her that asking her to leave some food doesn’t mean she won’t get anything, but that in fact she might get something even more delicious. When your dog is reliably responding to the cue, you can teach her that “leave it” can apply to other things as well, not just food on the floor. Repeat the exercise with five different items that are fairly boring to your dog. After using five different “boring” items, start using slightly more exciting items. You know your dog, so you alone know what items she would consider more interesting, but don’t jump to high-value items right away. To increase his chances of success at learning the cue, you want to work up to high-value items gradually. If Kleenex or a piece of plastic, for instance, would attract your dog on a walk, don’t start with those. Choose the items based on your ultimate goal: Anytime you say “leave it,” you want to be confident that your dog will indeed leave whatever you are asking him to leave. . The reward he receives when he leaves an item can change as well. If your dog has a favorite toy, squeak it and play for a moment when he comes running to you after leaving the other item of interest. Most dogs love interacting with us, so a moment of praise or play with a toy can be just as effective as a treat. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for writing in.

July 16, 2020