I'm still having problems with Moxie and the stop whistle. She is great at recall, most of the time she runs straight back to three pips. If I have her on the lead she stops, sits and looks up to me on the stop whistle. She will also stop to verbal command and left hand up with "hup" in the house. Off lead she just comes back to the single long pip for stop, just as she does for three pips. She is only nine and a half months. Am I expecting too much, and how do I get her to stop. It seems this is the most important command to get right off lead.
Help!

I have been reading an article in a mag recently and his advice for training the stop whistle was to use it when you get your dog to sit.....ie get the dog to associate sit with the stop whistle. Walk on a little, with dog by your side then stop get your dog to sit and gently/softly blow your stop signal. Get the association of sit with gentle stop whistle going. I notice with ours that a treat held in my hand when spotted by the dog will usually cue a sit....as they sit this would be when to blow the stop.....the theory is that eventually the link with the stop signal will be strong enough to bring them to stop and sit. Must add this is something I have read and am trying with ours, has anyone else had any luck with this method?

I will be very interested to read the replies too

Steve

Steve - that is exactly what I am doing with my two

Only be working on it real hard the last couple of weeks and we seem to be getting there, I got a sit to the stop whistle up the hill today and was real happy (OK they weren't that far away from me and nothing else interesting to look at/ or do but it's a start as they were both off lead at the time )

It sounds like Moxie doesn't really know what the stop means, that or you are giving her too much fuss and treats, when he hears the stop, although he knows what it means he is coming to you for his treat.

I would concentrate on the stop, working on a stop a step or two away from you, gradually build up the distance, cut down on the treats slightly, initially treat one in two successful stops, as the stop becomes more reliable decrease the frequency of treats relying more on verbal reward.

I seem to remember Freya had success with the stop by throwing treats, well worth a search for that post.

we started on lead, and then when it was 100% like that moved on to doing it off, both Meg and moll have mastered that 1 whistle means bum on floor, Meg does sometimes come running back and then does it but she's improving, don't worry he will get there

Esp. Helen's tip further down this page could be helpful.

Edited to say........oops sorry, I just realised that you actually posted on that one yourself

As everyone said go back to basics, she's only 9 1/2 months. It might be worth also only blowing the stop when you know you can stop her, ie put her in a sit, throw a ball out and stand between her and the ball. Ask her to fetch it and as she passes you try the stop whistle, that way the stop is close to you rather than some distance away and will allow you to correct it.

Sage is 15 months, her stops are pretty good now, but probably didn't start really kicking in until she was about 12 months.

Just take it one day at a time, the important thing is don't blow too many stops that she does wrong. If it's not working on a particular day, call it a day and don't give her the opportunity to get it wrong.

Look on the bright side though, at least she's coming back to you, which although it's not exactly what you want, it's still good

I agree with the others - for Rhian stop is SIT, and I didn't introduce the whistle signal until this was very reliable.

I never had serious problems with her returning befor doing the sit, as I had practised giving the sit command when up on a ladder or lying on the floor. It just means Get your a.... down!! I increased the distance for the sit very slowly.

If you really can't get her to understand that sit means sit BEFORE coming back to you, you could consider working with a long line. Pass it around a tree behind the dog, then you can stop her coming back to you, and praise her to the skies if she then does sit. I haven't tried this myself since Rhian has from the first day been taught to keep her distance on a body signal, and I could build from there.

Hi I always teach the sit and then stay before I go on to things in the distance
like steve o has said walk to heel tell her sit and try to move away from her just a little bit then go back and lots and lots of fuss, then incres the distance, but dont rush her rremember good basics at a young age will come right in the end GOOD LUCK