It rains alot where I am and so Corey tends to be inside more often then not when I have the ferrets out. I was wondering how I train him to be gentle with them. He has never tried to hunt them, he's just still an over zealous puppy that's 20x their size. The only other option is to crate him which I don't like as the ferrets have to be out min. of four-five hours a day. We were hoping this wouldn't be a problem as he was introduced to them when he was still their size but our hopes didn't pull through.
Training to be Gentle???
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Okay rewards, what is a healthy training treat? I've been doing alot with treats lately and I've noticed that he's been putting on a little weight. So I've stop but he's very treat motivated so I'd like to find something I can use. Any suggestions?
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I would also use the leash method - maybe fasten it to you so that Corey follows you then when you are around the ferrets with Corey, use the word Gentle and everytime you say Gentle and he is then treat Corey - if I notice the Beaglebratz are getting a little heftly or even to maintain a good weight while still rewarding during training - I use Charlee Bear-Turkey Liver & Cranberries; they are small and don't look like much but the dogs love them and they are only 3 calories a piece. They also love raw apples and baby carrots so sometimes I will use them in small pieces.
This flavor of Charlee Bear treats can be hard to find sometimes - sometimes Petsmart will have them - all flavors of Charlee Bear treats are low calorie.
This flavor of Charlee Bear treats can be hard to find sometimes - sometimes Petsmart will have them - all flavors of Charlee Bear treats are low calorie.
I had him fasten to the couch tonight, it's where I spend most my time when they're out. Things seemed to be working out pretty well, except everyone found my stash of treats. Then Corey just kept begging and the ferrets kept trying to climb up to steal them. The whole thing actually caused one of the ferrets to get angry at the dog cause I gave him a treat for being good and didn't give her one. Little brats can be beyond jealous.
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It's going to take a couple days to hash things out but I think we're on the right track.
Thank you for the advice and the tips on treats.
Thank you for the advice and the tips on treats.
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Another trick is to use clicker training. You click & then follow the clicker with a treat. They learn they will hear the click and get a treat soon. They will learn to be more patient for the treat over time and you don't have to treat every action. You can really capture(with good timing) the good action/behavior you are looking for. Then tell them to sit or another command they know as soon as they do it, you click and reward. Over time you can span the time between the clicker & reward and variable rewards (they don't get a treat everytime they sit it is sparatic). That way they don't think they HAVE to get a reward every time but will obey anytime you give the command. Look this up on line they can explain it in greater detail.
Also get a treat bag to hang on your waist so they can't get into your stash.
Teri
Also get a treat bag to hang on your waist so they can't get into your stash.
Teri
Liver treats are like crack to dogs! Here is a recipe you can make yourself:
Liver biscotti:
1 lb. beef or chicken liver
1 cup corn meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic pressed or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
(any healthy additions like flax seed oil you wish to add)
In food processor, puree the liver and garlic until smooth (hold your breath if you hate liver like me). Add corn meal and flour to make a stiff dough. Depending on the liver moisture (and any additions), I often add additional flour to make a firmer dough. If hand kneading, wet hands to keep the mush from sticking. Turn onto a very well sprayed cookie sheet (I keep forgetting to try the Release aluminium foil) and pat down to 1/2 inch thick. Bake 20 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and immediately cut into desired shapes return to oven, turning the biscotti on its side to increase surfaces exposed to heat. Lower oven temp to 300 and bake another 30-40 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
Liver biscotti:
1 lb. beef or chicken liver
1 cup corn meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic pressed or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
(any healthy additions like flax seed oil you wish to add)
In food processor, puree the liver and garlic until smooth (hold your breath if you hate liver like me). Add corn meal and flour to make a stiff dough. Depending on the liver moisture (and any additions), I often add additional flour to make a firmer dough. If hand kneading, wet hands to keep the mush from sticking. Turn onto a very well sprayed cookie sheet (I keep forgetting to try the Release aluminium foil) and pat down to 1/2 inch thick. Bake 20 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and immediately cut into desired shapes return to oven, turning the biscotti on its side to increase surfaces exposed to heat. Lower oven temp to 300 and bake another 30-40 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
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