# I can't train my dog



## Tobby-Boys (May 19, 2009)

I have a 2 1/2 year old mix (dad was a blue nose pit bull mom was a beagle) we have had him for about 1 year now and he won't do anything.

He is so excited all the time either running at full speed or sleeping, We don't walk him every day but we do have him run the yard 3 or 4 time a evening and he runs all day while we are gone.

I have tried so many times to teach him to sit, lay and stay I work on these basic commands about 4 times a week nothing works, I don't use commands like "sit down" I only say "Sit" I also snap my finger and it takes 10 or more times for him to finally listen. 

No I don't say Sit, Sit, Sit I say it once then try to regain his attention by snapping or clapping then repeat the command. I have tried treats, Good Boys, Petting, Forcing him to sit by pushing on his bottom but all he wants to do is play. 

I am about to give up and give him to an uncles and let him run the farm, the only problem is when he does sneak out to the front we always have to go get the keys to the car and drive after him he is to fast to chase. With this problem I have tried walking him around the yard letting him know the boundaries of were he can and can not go, but nothing works. When he does get out he does not know stay, stop or sit so we have to corner him and tackle him to get the leash on.

This is just a glimpse at what I go threw, please any advice this is making me not like him anymore but he is such a good looking dog and I know he has the ability to learn I just need some advice.

Me I have trained a couple other dogs in my life but they were rottweilers, and Shep dog muts, never a beagle or a gourd dog like a pit bull. Please help I dont want to get rid of him.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

You have a very high-energy dog on your hands. A dog that has all that energy pent up inside him cannot sit down and focus. I know you say you let him run around your yard but while that lets him stretch his muscles, it does nothing to ease his boredom. He needs to get out of the house, to sniff and see new places -- that will release his mental energy and improve his focus. I have two Beagles and I walk or jog up to 3 miles with them daily so they can be calm and focused at home when we're training. My Beagles are 9 and 11 years old and don't even have any Pit mixed in, and Pits are an even more energetic breed.

He should not be let off leash outside until he knows the "come" command 100%... that will take a lot of training and until then you need to keep him on a leash. Walking him around the boundaries of your land doesn't teach him anything. 

Trust me, the first step to solving this problem is taking your dog out for a good long walk or run, 45 minutes at the minimum, at least twice a day. Your dog isn't acting this way because he's stupid or stubborn... he's acting this way because he's bored out of his skull.


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## Kaz Tarja (Apr 6, 2009)

the first thing i would do would be to look at what your feeding him. if your feeding him more than he needs or feeding him foods with high preservatives then it is like you a feeding a child lollies and soft drinks. watch what you feed him and get rid of any food that has added preservatives or flavours. try to get all natural food it will help!! good luck


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## chriley58 (Mar 9, 2009)

ITA with Rosemaryninja, he is a bored dog! Exercise, exercise, exercise outside of the backyard daily and then training daily. You also need to work the sit, down, stay into everything you do with this dog. Sit before eating, sit before petting, sit before greeting, etc. Once you get a strong sit, start working with downs and stays. The recalls can be practiced during his out times in the back yard where it's safely enclosed. Exercise, consistency and high value treats and you may just find that you have a brilliant dog on your hands.


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## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

Yeah, it's very obvious the dog is bored. Strap on a pair of roller blades and go make this dog run for 30-45 minutes. Chances are the dog is not running around the yard while you're gone. Most dogs do not.


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## neat123 (May 19, 2009)

With any training, it usually requires a lot of patience and time and repetition. I know it can get frustrating but you just have to keep doing the same thing over and over again and eventually the dog will come around. Give them praise when they behave properly and use a stern NO when not behaving properly. I hope this helps.

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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

hulkamaniac said:


> Chances are the dog is not running around the yard while you're gone. Most dogs do not.


Agree wholeheartedly.


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## MarleyandMe (May 21, 2008)

I have a border collie, so I know where you are coming from with the hyper hyper hyper. But believe it or not, you can use the hyper WOO HOO! LEt's Play! As an AMAZING tool to get them to preform for you. first. Calm him down. Take him for walks everyday. This will not only make him relaxed, but enforcing gentle walking and time with you is really good for your dog if you want him to listen. You can use treats, somthing reallly tasty or even just a toy to get him to sit, stay, and come. A little rubber duckie is what got Marley going. alot of dogs will actually have a favorite toy. you should make training one huge game that's alot of fun. even if it takes a while, make sure you stay calm and having fun, the dog will react nicly to that. Get him interested and soon enough he'll think preforming for you is fun. Hyper dogs seem difficult, but once you make it good for them, they'll do just about anything.


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## Tobby-Boys (May 19, 2009)

Thank you guys so much. I was ready to give up on him and that was tearing me up inside but I am going to try walking him every day I have just set my alarm to him up around 6am for our walk tommorrow and I will walk him tonight aswell. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Excellent on the exercise! For the actual training...teaching sit, down, come, etc. use really good food to lure him into those positions.....here's the important part...no talking/no commands. Just use your treat hand.
For the sit, show him the treat and then slowly raise your hand up over his nose/head...he'll follow it up and should sit....treat and praise. If he backs up instead, do it with a wall to his back. Dogs learn the body language 5x faster than verbal commands so take advantage of that. You can add the verbal Sit once he understands the body language.


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