I have an 11 month old bearded collie. She is adorable, has a wonderful disposition but is absolutely oblivious to food treats,So teaching her is quite difficult. She walks on a leash but if she sees a dog will pull to get near, I have tried to at the moment to stop until she releases the pressure but I feel that by now she should be getting the picture, but no. Also she sits, down but will not stay and I dont know how to treat her to do it, She loves being petted, and praised but it doesnt seem to be enough and as she doesnt care for food, she is also very difficult to feed, and may pass a weekend without eating, she is constantly with me as we go to work together, but obedience is not her thing, I want her not to go in the client area(I own a bookstore), but as everyone praises her, when someone comes she is there jumping for attention, not many people react negatively but Im afraid she may hurt a small child, when I say out of boundary she reluctantly comes but the idea is that she respect the boundary. Thank you.
Hi and thanks for your post. I have a dog myself that is not very food motivated either. I have found that for him toys can be an excellent motivator so try a variety of toys in conjunction with the praise and attention you use now. If she is interested in toys try to find her favorite and then reserve it for use only as a reward. Also in regards to the dogs general lack of appetite, dogs tend to feed in part by smell so making the food smellier can increase appetite. Try a variety of foods to find her favorites and try putting moist foods such as can food in the microwave for a 5 seconds as this minimal heating can really increase the smell and therefore the appeal. Also make sure you check her for tooth and gum disease in case long term mild pain is putting her off eating.
As for the jumping on people in the book store continue obedience training and praising her for calm behavior. Consider putting a little sign up explaining that you are trying to teach her not to jump so she wont hurt children and ask regular customers to only pat her when she sits. Similarly reward calm behavior while on walks. Dogs can be very difficult to train to walk obediently on the lead because walks are such an exciting time for them. You could consider purchasing a head collar such as a halti or gentle leader which prevents pulling instantly because the dog is attached to the lead by its muzzle rather than its muscular neck and shoulder area. If you do decide to try this remember to follow the instructions that come with it properly and also remember that you will need to continue training with you dog because good behavior on the head collar is not necessarily translated to good behavior on a normal collar.
Good luck with your training and feel free to ask any other questions that might come up.
