Quote:
Originally Posted by asiatic143  our new morkie is a bit stubborn. he knows sit but will only sit when you have a treat in hand. and i can't, for the life of me, get him to go "down". he's only food-driven to a certain extent (about 8-10 sits) before he loses interest and just stops listening. he's not toy-driven either, nor does he seem eager to please in general (unlike our corgi mix, who's very food driven and eager to please for the most part).
seems because this dog has been alone for the past few months, he's somewhat mopey and uninterested in playing. i can't say that i've seen his stubby tail wag since being here.
anyone have suggestions for training a pup who's not food or toy driven? and anyone have suggestions on how to make our pup into a happy, playful pup?? |
Well I just went back and looked for any information on how old your little guy is since you didn't say in your post. He is still very young about a year now and its only been a few weeks since you brought him home. It sounds like he has not had a lot of attention while living with you SIL and family so he is going to take even more work but Morkies are very smart. Since they have Maltese in them I have found their personality is also a little more mellow than my Yorkie. This might be why you say he is so laid back.
Wildcard gave you really great suggestions for training.
I would also like to add that you need to ALWAYS use the same motion, same hand and word for the trick you are trying to teach. I have also used Cheerios for treats which they LOVE. They have tiny tummies and get full so fast so the Cheerios work really well.
Pebbles is my Yorkie who we have had since she was 6 months old. Not only did she not have much socialization as a small puppy but she is very stubborn. When I first brought her home I tried working with her, she would maybe sit for a treat but usually not. She just was not interested in doing any tricks. In June we brought home Doodlebug who was 10 weeks old and a Morkie. I started right away working with him in very short sessions just a few minutes at a time. He blew me away~he is so smart and learned very quickly. Several times a day I would just sit on the ground with a bag of Cheerios and do sit and treat and praise. It only took a day or so for him to learn sit. We moved on to give paw, down, roll over, play dead all the while Pebbles was hanging in the background watching him. Well Pebbles decided she wanted Cheerios like Doodlebug. All of a sudden she knew what to do just from watching Doodlebug.
Now they both do many tricks. Then in September I brought Bogey (Morkie) home from a shelter. He was totally out of control and a hyper wild man with NO MANNERS whatsoever, but he learned very quickly too from watching the other two. I'm still working with him on the down and roll over since it is very hard with three. I try to take him on the side alone and do a few minutes of training but the other two always want in too.
I would like to add that as soon as he becomes disinterested even in the slightest stop. Try not to rush things because everyone will become frustrated. Little steps at a time and you will see before long he will be able to do tricks without treats. My three will do all their tricks on hand signals only and without treats but it didn't happen over night.
