Super Sensitive Dogs

[Beryl]

Latte is super sensitive guy. He learned very quickly what to do -- stay close to me so I know where he is, potty on command, etc. He also learned what not to do -- get into my dinner plate, slip outside when I tell him to stay in, go in a part of the house where I don't want him to be, etc. I tried an assertive-style training and it worked but the next day all he wanted to do is be held.

Does anyone else have a super sensitive dog? What do you do special with him/her that you don't do with other dogs?

[sammy]

I'm not sure what you mean by "assertive style training".
Both my dogs are pretty sensitive, the bc is VERY sensitive. I train them both using dog friendly, reward based methods but I don't do that because they are sensitive, I do it because it works the best, makes things the most clear to the dogs. I found it the best with my insensitive, eager to please only himself, cattle dog cross too. Punishment had very little effect on him because he didn't give a hoot what I thought.

I can think of lots of things to tell you to help build drive and confidence but they mostly have to do with performance sports like agility and herding and I'm not sure that's what you are looking for. Basically though:

-I try to keep the rate of reinforcement high when I'm training especially new skills.

- use lots of play reward and tug rewards and make sure to vary reiforcers.
-I train lots of behaviors that encourage the dog to respond quickly and have them drive to the reward.
-Teach lots of fun / silly tricks.
-Keep training sessions short and fun and start and end on an up note- maybe a silly trick my dogs really like. Don't drill dogs on new behaviors in an effort to get proficiency more quickly.
-If I'm getting frustrated with something ie a new agility or obedience skill, something the dogs are having trouble learning, I try to make sure I don't let out big sighs or let them see it because that shuts them down FAST and makes them worry which makes it even harder for them to learn.
- use a clicker wherever possible when training new skills to help the dogs really understand exactly what it is I am looking for.
-If I need to collect my thoughts or think for a minute, I'll either do so while playing a game of tug or retrieve or toss them in their crates with a treat so I can have some time to think/talk to a training buddy or my trainer without them thinking they've screwed up.
-I teach lots of default behaviors and behaviors that teach self control so my dogs just know what to do to be successful and stay out of trouble and so they don't have to have people giving them commands all the time or getting after them.
-I tend to tell my dogs what TO do rather than what NOT to do. I'd rather tell them to 'down' or 'go to mat' than scold them or tell them NO! which is much more vague.
-If my dogs are making mistakes, I see it as a reminder to me that there's a gap in their training and work on building that behavior back up.

Our dogs are reflections of our abilities as trainers. I remind myself of that when I'm having trouble and remind myself to break things down into small chunks, making sure I'm laying a good foundation rather than taking it personally or assuming my dogs are "blowing me off", not paying attention or being defiant etc

I have no idea if that's the kind of thing you were looking for but those are some of my strategies.

[elegy]

mushroom can be rather sensitive. he's very soft and prone to worrying. he can also be extremely goofy and fun.

i do a lot of the same things that sammy described- obedience and even some backyard agility has done wonders for mushroom. it's given him confidence that he didn't have before. i have to be careful to not frustrate him or he either shuts down completely or he goes into frantic overdrive and starts throwing behaviors one after the other after the other. he's the kind of dog i really need to set up to succeed.

i think it's also very important to not feed the insecurity/over-sensitivity. don't coddle, don't comfort, don't reward the insecure behaviors.

when mushroom gets upset about stuff, instead of telling him "it's ok" or whatever, i give him something to do. stupid pet tricks are great for this- behaviors that are fun and big crowd-pleasers. this gives him something else to think about and me something to reward.

[Beryl]

Sensitivity is a word that can be interpreted in different ways -- positive or negative. Latte is sensitive in the intuitive sense and in a positive way, IMO. He doesn't get upset, jumpy or anything like that. He just "gets it" in a way that some interpret view as intelligent. I don't use that word because I don't think BCs, GSDs, and Poodles are any more intelligent than any other dog. I just think they understand and react to human commands and behaviors more quickly.

I was referring somewhat to Cesar's way and didn't want to start another discussion or debate on it. I use positive reinforcement and occasionally treats most of the time. However, with my Min Pin, I often give a command assertively without using any positive reinforcement. This is not necessary and not as effective with Latte because he is so sensitive.

Not looking for advice or strategies -- just experiences with dogs that are more sensitive than others.

[Cassiepeia]

He just "gets it" in a way that some interpret view as intelligent. I don't use that word because I don't think BCs, GSDs, and Poodles are any more intelligent than any other dog. I just think they understand and react to human commands and behaviors more quickly.

You're talking about biddability (willingness to please). Some breeds are just bred that way. I don't think it has anything to do with 'sensitivity' (and you're right...it's also nothing to do with intelligence ).

Cass.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Kelso is that way. I tried to use a prong collar on him (just for yucks, see how he would react) and he completely shut down. He didn't respond to commands at all, or he would respond to them, but in a manner that he seemed frightened or nervous. He's a lot like elegy described mushroom to be. He's soft and prone to worrying. I call him my big chicken. He's not always this way, but he's very different than my sibes, and much less confident.

I have had to use all positive methods and rewards. The only negative I can use is telling him "NO!" or "AH-AH!" when he's doing something he shouldn't. When he was a pup, I played the trading game if he had our shoe in his mouth. His toys were always much cooler than the shoes, so it was an easy game to learn, and he can now drop things the minute I ask him for it.

If he gets frustrated with a new command I'm trying to teach, and he just doesn't "get it", I end up giving him a command that he DOES know and reward him for that. He starts to get bored and will start to ignore me if he gets too frustrated. We try the command later on, or another day.

I have clicker trained all of my dogs (except Ike, he was trained before he came to us, but I will definetly introduce him to it if we ever do some new commands). Kelso was a little harder to start on this than the others. He didn't like treats, and wasn't associating the "click" with the "reward" (he loved praise). So, I instead had to "show" him what I wanted (i.e. moving his butt into the sit position, or rolling him over onto his back to teach him roll over) and praise him the minute he was in the position I was asking for. I included the word when I praised and as I was showing him.

[rottielover]

Harley is VERY eager to please....More so for his mommy than anyone else though