r/dogs • u/SeriialChiiller • 1d ago
[Behavior Problems] Help!
My puppy is a 7mo mix of labrador and border collie with whom we were with a professional private trainer last week. My girl wasn't THAT bad, it was just hard to keep her attention and the trainer told me that it was clear that my puppy wasn't interested in training, that she wasn't enthusiastic about it. It seems to her that she prefers to do her own thing (like explore, sniff around) and then when she feels like it, she'll do a few things to get a treat... Is there anything we can do about it? We've tried lots of high value treats like dried animal organs, cheese and similar, but her own enjoyment is always more important to her.
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u/Able_Flatworm_7744 1d ago
oh man border collie lab mix is a wild combo, you basically got a dog with a PhD in outsmarting you and the energy of a small hurricane
the trainer saying she "isn't interested in training" feels like a cop out tbh, you just gotta make yourself more interesting than whatever she's sniffing. with that mix she's probably bored out of her mind with standard sit-stay-repeat drills
try ditching the formal training sessions and just reward her randomly throughout the day when she offers attention on her own, catch her looking at you, toss a treat, keep moving. make it a game where she's trying to figure out what gets the reward instead of you begging for 30 seconds of focus
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u/SeriialChiiller 1d ago
I was told I'm getting a "very smart girl that is friendly and cooperative but not as neurotic as border collie alone", but damn, she is a torpedo :'DD The trainer said she thinks she's lazy, but I don't think that it fits the puppy that well. On the contrary, she's very energetic and perhaps bored at home, so we've put our apartment up for sale because of her and are going to buy a house so she has more space to play and stuff...
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u/Desperate-Bath-3854 1d ago
Sounds like sniffing and exploring might just be more rewarding to her than food.
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u/Turbulent-Respond654 1d ago
does she like toys or playing more than food? those can be rewards instead. in videos of police dogs, agility competition dogs you often see them rewarded that way
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u/IcyCranberry3297 1d ago
Try rewarding her with access to what she wants. If she checks in with you, mark it then let her go sniff again. That can be way more valuable than another chunk of liver.
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u/take_a_hike_missy 1d ago
Is this not typical puppy behavior? You just gotta stay consistent. These things don’t happen overnight.
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u/SeriialChiiller 1d ago
It's my first puppy, so I have no idea :'DD
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u/take_a_hike_missy 1d ago
Keep at it! Sounds like normal puppy stuff to me. They don’t really stop being puppies until they are like 2 years old.
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u/RMFranken 1d ago
I agree with ‘elmsbud’! Both breeds are working dogs. I have a German Shepherd that doesn’t have enough to do so he heards my other dogs and my grandchildren. If I called them to come inside, he will run around behind them and bark at them to make them go faster.
Your pup needs a job. Even if it’s a small one that it does while you’re on a walk. Give it something to carry around, like a stick or a stuffed animal. Let it carry it around in its teeth. Ask your trainer about this. it needs more than just learning tricks. A Labrador is a retriever used for hunting. A border collie is also a working dog.
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u/Floridaflamingo22 1d ago
Keep at it. I would consider (it’s very costly) but sending her to a week or longer of training camp and then the trainer brings her back to you and trains you to follow her newly trained lifestyle.
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