Advice please - I need a puppy interpreter ....

[lifeisabowlofcherries]

Got a 17 week old Manchester Terrier pup last weekend, he's just great :) sleeping and eating well, not too many accidents, great with ds's. Have identified (after watching Kikopup) the behaviours I would like to encourage etc.

So today he jumped onto a sofa for the last few days he has not been near. In a firm low voice I said "down" and in every other instance near enough he has responded except this one. Instead of jumping off he sits bolt upright looking at me, I tried to distract and got no response so without looking at him I picked him up and put him on the floor re-inforcing "down". he jumped straight back on to it, bolt upright again staring at me. so we go through same scenario three times till I silently picked him up and put him in his crate. Eventually after he stopped whining I let him out whereupon and quick as a flash he went straight back to the sofa and we go through the process again. What should/could I do differently, I am working with reward/praise and treats etc but have already had a few occasions where when I offer the treat I just get ignored!

Try to resist physically moving him. Remember dogs are entirely self serving so if you want him 'down' the you have to make that more rewarding than where he currently is.

Instead of rewarding him after the behaviour make the behaviour rewarding, say 'down' and then instantly start playing with a squeaky toy or similar, hopefully he will hop straight off and join you in a game, hence 'down' is now more fun than 'up'

Do you not want him on furniture at all? If so and he is used to it then you might have to block access. Terriers can be a whole lot of fun to train I would throughly reccomend this book, as being full of brilliant ways to train resilliant dogs.

that makes sense - with hindsight i know how i handled it wasn't ideal but I feel that although technically he is a pup some of his behaviour feels decidedly pre-teen, that book looks great - thank you. I already get the impression from his personality that he may be a little challenging :)

My new pup tried this one. Almost exactly the same behaviour.

First thoguht, have you been using the word 'down' to teach him to lie down? Could he be confused as to what you're asking him to do?

With my boy, first of all I taught him 'up' and 'off' to make sure he knows what I want from him when I say 'off' (clicker training - I love Kikopup too ). Then when I gave the cue and he made it clear he wasn't shifting, I turned my back and 'accidentally' scattered a handful of tasty treats across the floor, cue sudden leap off the sofa, which I clicked and rewarded with an even tastier treat, before letting him sweep up the ones on the carpet.

He has had one more go and not getting off on cue since then, but thought better of it and chose to get down and take his treat instead.

Mine boy is a Lurcher and we think there's some terrier in there judging by his fur and like your boy. We have already worked out that he is going to be a fun terrier-type to train. I used to have a Wheaten Terrier years ago and she was really clever but stubborn and liked things on her terms. I got used to trying to outsmart her and coming up with unexpected ways to get her to give me the response I desired so I could capture and reward it.

Forgot to say "When Pigs Fly Dog Training" have a website that tells you all about their techniques and has some interesting articles on it.

Being on the sofa is very rewarding, it is soft, secure (normally against a wall and has a back on it) and it smells of your bum!

A throw over the sofa is good for cold evening cuddles with your dog. If you really don't want him on there, you have to make sure he has somewhere just as comfortable to lay. A raised soft bed. Possibly with an old worn t shirt of yours in it.

Never grab or lift him off, lure him off with an extra tasty treat and when all four paws land on the floor, reward. After doing this a few times introduce an 'off' cue again not to confuse with a 'down'.

Make his bed better than the sofa by feeding him tasty stuffed kongs on it so it becomes a rewarding place to be.

The puppy does not speak english and if you've only had him a week it's unlikely that you have successfully taught him a command for 'get off the couch' (when you do teach him you may want to avoid using the word 'down' as it is commondly used for the down position).

Don't place him in his crate as punishment, you will only put him off his crate.

You also forgot to reinforce the good behaviour, i.e. being on the floor. Placing him on the floor doesn't reinforce the 'being off the couch' behaviour, you are just creating a fun game for him, he jumps up, you pop him off, he jumps up again. Behaviour is reinforced by a reward, food being the most common type of reward. Use a treat to lure him off the sofa, mark the behaviour you want as soon as it occurs (i.e. click as soon as he's on the floor) and give him the treat.

If he absolutely refuses to shift from the sofa, tip the sofa so that he pops on the floor, click and reward.

Try making being off the sofa more attractive. Start playing with a squeaky toy on the floor with lots of praise and fuss when he joins you, see if that works.

smells of your bum

totally but had never though of that before

is that why Lolly always steals my spot on the couch the second I'm off it

do I have a very smelly bum?

Or a very warm one

thanks for the responses, they make so much sense - as well as my bum smell :$

moose-am liking the book, really clear to understand and makes so much sense(what i have read so far). actually looking forward to working on the clicker training. he has jumped on it a couple of times today but got some really tasty treats which appear to be persuading him there are better places to be:)

boo - agree about crate, wish i hadnt done it but was thinking along the lines of a toddler with time out.

You can use time out techniques with a puppy but don't use the crate. Take the puppy to a room you don't normally use a lot (e.g. bathroom?) and place him in there on his own for a few minutes. Let him out without saying anything but chose a moment when he is quiet (if he has been crying and howling). However, I would discourage you from using time out for such a minor infraction as jumping on a sofa for a puppy that hasn't yet been taught not to do so. Keep time out for more serious problems if you need it.