My puppy is almost 7 months now and clearly starting to show some puberty signs. Having had quite a difficult puppyhood (due to his extreme stubbornness and low food drive, most of the common advices didn't work), I have been working on some resilience, which is now helping me to deal a bit better with adolescence.
That is why I am now just going with it and seeking advice on how to train 'off' again. My puppy is just tall enough to reach tables (not really counters). When we are in 'training mode' he performs all his commands well, because he knows treats are in my hand. When I put something he likes on the table and he goes for it, I tell him 'off' and he immediately comes back down, awaiting the treat in my hand. So I am sure he understands the command.
However, his table surfing during the day has increased over the last week and he backs off not even 50% of the time, which is compromising the use of the command. Although I do carry treats around the house, he probably thinks the table is more interesting. I know the first thing is for us to make sure there is nothing to grab so this behavior won't be reinforced, but it is nearly impossible to keep tables empty at all times as he is happy with anything, even a towel, piece of paper, or some leftover string.
So now I am wondering what steps you took to teach 'off'. How do I gradually build distraction to make sure he will back off in any situation in the future?
submitted by /u/DistraughtDogMom
[link] [comments]