Obedience question about an Italian Greyhound
Comments (0)This is a question I recently received from a reader of my website:
Question: We have a five month old Italian Greyhound puppy. We have started training him using treats as motivation (which he responds to VERY well!) and also using water squirts and time outs for undesirable behaviors (but not commands training). He is doing great overall and we are having a blast. You recommend treats for puppies as motivation. When do you recommend using corrections along with rewards such as with teaching the very important “come” command with a prong collar. Should these be used on Italian Greyhounds at all, and are there any other factors to consider about this breed specifically? He is a little sensitive, but also a bit dominant which is why I have read a book and am reading your great advice on obedience training. Thanks!!
Answer: At any age you can use ‘age appropriate’ corrections. So to answer your question, you can use them now. I would probably just use a flat collar versus a pinch collar. Tell the dog ‘come’ and if he doesn’t give a tug as you trot backwards. It doesn’t need to be super firm, just enough to grab the dog’s attention and begin forming an association with not coming when called.
At this age the best training program is going to combine some treats with some small corrections. This will help the dog start to realize that obedience is fun, but also mandatory. Good luck with your puppy training.
