Why does he keep shouting at me?!

[ChickensGoMeh]

This is a relatively new habit, but it's getting right on my tits. When I train Jasper, I hold the treats in my hand, give the command, praise and treat (standard stuff). In the last few days, though, he has started barking at me if I ask him to do anything requiring effort. So, sit, paw etc no problem. But rollover (which he has been doing for weeks) suddenly earns me a 'woof' and a lunge. Sometimes he mouths my treat hand, clearly thinking 'Bollocks to this. Just give me the goodies'. I take away my attention when he does this, and abandon the session. Can anyone shed any light on what's going on? And am I reacting appropriately?

Try this, it works a treat.

Ah, thanks feesh. I've used this to train 'leave it', but it didn't occur to me to use it as a general 'stop trying to snaffle the treats you greedy sod' tactic. Do you reckon this will nail the narky barking?

Hate to disagree but I would never use the leave it command when I am training. Training needs to be all positive no negatives just fun and praise. (unless I am training the leave it command of course!). If you start asking him to leave it when you want him to be offering you behaviour he will be reluctant to offer new behaviour.

It is actually a great sign that he is barking at you. He now knows that by doing something he gets a treat - half way to getting him to learn quickly and it also shows he is a clever dog. It is easier for him to bark than to roll over hence the barking. It is also a sign of frustration and not really understanding what he has been asked. I know he may have been doing a roll over for a while but since then he has learned new behaviour and just needs a bit or revision.

It is also showing that he has not actually totally learnt the roll over behaviour. So go back a step. Get him in the down and lure the roll over do this again for a while and soon he will be offering this instead of a bark. Dogs do not learn in a straight line and learned behaviour will have to be reinforced regularly.

But you have one clever boy keep at it

Thanks minimuu :) He is now 6 months old, and my trainer did say that at adolescence some dogs seem to get a brain reset and forget everything they once knew Although she may have been being specific to spaniels...

Some dogs don't even recognise dogs in reflections or mirrors as dogs - told you he was a genius

You don't use the Kikopup technique to teach 'leave it' (or at least I didn't), but it's just a nice exercise I do with my dog every now and then to teach her to give me a bit of space when I have food. I got as far as being able to throw food down on the floor now and she won't run over and steal it, which is useful if you are in the kitchen preparing food or drop something off your plate.

I hate dogs which constantly try and mug your hand for treats when you're trying to train them. You can use it to get the dog to give you eye contact instead of staring intently at your hand.

By the way, if he's offering barking in his desperation to try and work out what you want from him, you could try capturing that with a command or hand signal. I have been trying to get my dog to bark on cue since she was a puppy, but I can never get to offer it to me like that, so you could make the most of it and capture it while you have it! It's meant to be the first step to controlling UNWANTED barking, since your next step would be to teach a 'shhh' command/hand signal.

Strangely, 'leave it' has been the fastest and best learnt command for Mouse thus far

He is a canine dustbin (rescue pup, underfed when we got him) and will mug anyone for anything - or did. He no longer grabs from my hand or the dds' hands, and will wait for his supper even when its on the floor - not that I've pushed it for more than a few seconds, admittedly!

When I'm teaching him something else, I do'nt use it - unless he's mugging again, then I do. Does that sound ok?

Funnily enough, Chickens, Mouse was just the same with the 'roll over' - not keen, or confused, or simply hard work/uncomfortable to get down on wood floor and do that daft roll thing (I can see him thinking)

Leave it is a fab command and I would teach it like the kiko video. Essential all dogs have a good leave it command It can save them from a lot of trouble and literally save their life is they are going to eat something dangerous etc.

However I would not use it when in a clicker training situation. You can control a lot of the mugging by your body language and where you have the treats. Treats back in pocket and turn away would be better than leave it - then the second the mugging stops you can click and treat. Or even ask for a simple behaviour and C&T.

Another problem with using the leave it command is that actually the dog is beginning to lead the training situation. He barks, mugs etc and then you say leave it and he stops and you click and treat. Brilliant training by the dog but what you actually wanted to train the roll over has been forgotten!