How did you practice for the CGC supervised separation and sitting for petting portions?
We just did a practice run in our training class today and my bud failed the sitting politely section though he was able to do it after some time and failed the supervised separation section horribly. There was a lot of barking, whining and lunging. Looking for some advice on how I can keep working on both items. The hard part I'm having for both items is they need a second person to help practice and proof the behavior and I don't really have anyone to practice with. If you could offer some advice on how to proof the behavior alone that worked for you, PLEASE PLEASE OFFER HELP.
- Sitting politely for petting. He thinks everyone he meets has food for him and lunges and jumps at them to check. I can get him to do a heel by my side and site politely for me petting him, but I can't get him to do it for someone else.
- Supervised separation. Honestly, this task is going to be the death of me because I'm never going to leave him alone with a stranger and he doesn't get separation anxiety when left in his crate, so this truly feels like an exercise in futility. I took a separate CGC class with him two months ago when he was 6 months old and he was fine with the supervised separation there. We practiced it three or four time in that class, initially with food then without and he never had an issue. In his current class and the one I was hoping to have him tested with, he is freaking out, barking and pulling and I don't know why it's different. I leave him in his crate during the work day and also leave him in his crate for a few hours on the weekends for errands without issue, no whining, no barking. If I try to leave him alone to practice the supervised separation by going into a separate room, he will bark and whine and claw at the door. He's always been barky and whiny when I go out of sight and he is left with another person. I was hoping since he was doing so well in his original CGC training class, this wouldn't be an issue for the test, but his normal behavior is reappearing. I know the best practice is to get strangers to watch him for 3 minutes and practice, but who am I going to ask? I am trying to practice this right now by leaving him in a room alone for 3-4 minutes and rewarding for quiet, but I don't know if this will carry into being left alone with a stranger.
If you have any advice on what you did for these two test portions please let me know. I'd be forever grateful. I know my little idiot is super young, but ughhh one day I need to stop taking these CGC classes for my sanity sooner than later.
Posted Oct 22, 2019, 5:49 AM UTC
Make it way, way easier for him. My dog had SA and couldn’t be left alone without getting very anxious, so I started with just looping his leash around doorknobs in my house, asking him to sit, walking 6ft away, waiting 15 seconds, and returning. I kept to a very clear leaving routine (saying “I’ll be back” and placing his leash somewhere) and gradually increased time/distance/location. Once he could wait ~1min with me out of sight in a new location, I added in leaving him with people.
For sitting, same deal. Proof your dog’s sit in every other way you can think of, with easier distractions than a person. Build up to a person at a distance, then closer, then eventually directly facing you, then petting. College campuses are usually great places to practice with strangers once you get to this stage, as are malls/shopping areas that allow dogs.
Thank you. How often did you practice it per day and how long did it take till it started to click for your pup?
We practiced him sitting and waiting specifically fairly irregularly for about 6 months before he was really solid with just me leaving him, then another 2 months of more consistent practice (2-3 times a week) with another person holding his leash.
I never really practiced more than once a day. For those last two months, my method was meeting friends for coffee, then offering to pay and grab the drinks while they watched him for me. :)