I'm not sure my dog understands words! Wondering if we haven't talked to him enough....

[loveyouradvice]

Yes, he's good at the basics like sit and stay and leave that we taught him as a pup but he's now almost 6, a wee cheeky dachshund, and I've started trying to do some training with words again....

Nope - can't tell the difference between Box (which he has done for years) and Bag which is a bean bag we're keen he learns to sit on while we're eating meals. Yes, he's up to going on it and sitting ... not staying for long yet... but genuinely didnt seem to be able to tell the difference between Box and Bag when I was using both alternately. Hmm.

I realise recent training hasn't involved many words... brilliant at recall and that is all whistle based, and then for waiting before crossing a road or not doing something he tunes into my tone of voice.

He's had a very patchy six years of on off training and attention as there's been a lot of illness in my family. So plenty of cuddles but hasn't learnt stuff that he normally would have done by now.

Any tips? I've got a bit more time now working from home and doing less hours so I'm going to invest a bit in him.....

What do you want him to do when you say Box?

What di you want him do do when you say Bag?

sorry typing with freezing fingers!

Maybe the words are too similar. The doggy equivalent of a five year seeing a word begins with b and then guessing the rest.

You need to teach a behaviour, not a word. He doesn't know that 'sit' means 'put your bum on the floor'. He just knows that when he put his bum on the floor, he got a treat and someone said 'sit'. Now, his humans are happy when they say 'sit' and he puts his bum on the floor.

If you want him to sit on the beanbag, perhaps use 'bed'. You need to show him treats and lure him into the bean bag. Then praise and treat when he's there. As he starts to be more consistent with that, then introduce the word 'bed' or 'bag'.

He's enjoying the training and I think Im expecting too much too soon having not really done any for a while....

Yes, Going to choose something a bit different - Box is firmly in his head, so going to find another word for his bag/bed/whatever. When I use Box and Bed alongside each other he knows he's meant to go to one but you can see him trying to work out which in his brain and often choosing the wrong one and clearly feeling so proud of himself! So going to make it easier for the wee fella....

And wow what a great antidote a few minutes training is to all the doom and gloom out there. A cheerful face and a wagging tail - irresistible!