LOL... yes, this phenomenon is called loopy behaviour and can happen any time you reward the dog, regardless of whether you punish them or not. Essentially, the dog is learning to press the 'treat machine'.

A good way to keep them guessing a bit more is to not wait until they do something undesired before giving the command. Break the loop by asking something of them when they are just not really doing anything else. You can also randomize the command you give to redirect undesired behaviour: 'leave it', 'go to the mat', or 'down' may work just as well, depending on the situation. And of course, where possible, prevention is also very effective (our dog will bark at the window to be told 'quiet' and get a treat, so when he does this we just shut the blinds).

 

You could also do this training to teach not to mug to get treats. Only good behavior gets the treat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4IzTn-kMU0

 

Raider will occasionally pester the cats in order to get me to give him attention. I typically call him to me and reward him for the recall... The last few days I've been a bit shorter than usual (my tone-- I'm a yeller as a parent. Something I'm actively and consciously trying to change as it helps NO ONE.) as my kitchen table and chairs have taken quite the beating lately between my daughter, the cats and now the dog. So, when I see this herding/look at me please!! behaviour start I immediately douse the flame with a quick refresher of known behaviours, and then work on something we're starting to get his wheels turning. It seems to help us, and satisfies whatever goes on in his noggin. Other times I'll take him for a walk around the back field so he can do other "doggy stuff" like chase the gazillion chipmunks that seem to be taking over-- he's able to be off leash and recalls like super stellar out there and therefore burns up more energy. Seriously, this one time he had to be... Idk... 800 metres away and when I called he came barrelling towards me and my daughter. I couldn't give him his pork fast enough IMO for that one.

I guess what I'm saying is, maybe when she's not behaving as you would like her to... Sock the training to her more seeing as how walks just don't seem to be up her alley (read quite a few of your threads) Make her work just a little longer/harder. I bet you end up with the talk of the block of a dog. :-D
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Everyone else has good points. I also want to ask- how much exercise and stimulation is she getting? You say she doesn't like walks, but do you do anything else to burn off energy? Do you actively train her in designated sessions working on skills you'd like her to have, or are you trying to only use positive reinforcement to break up her bad behaviour?

I ask because it sounds like you have a bored dog who is being destructive to entertain herself, and that you are still in the mindset of dealing with bad behaviour after the fact, hence resorting to punishment, rather than setting her up to succeed with adequate exercise, management of her environment and teaching her better skills to pre-empt bad behaviours. Reinforcing calmness is great, but it's not going to be enough for the dog that you have.

Well done for trying to stick with PR though, I know it's hard when it seems like a yell or a jerk could achieve something faster. But we promise you, PR will pay off for you and Sophie in the long term, and it will make more sense as you get more experienced.

 

Another thought... Has anyone pointed you in the direction of Sue Ailsby's Training Levels? I remember recommending them to someone before, but cannot remember if it was you. If your stuck on what to train, or need a better sense of direction when it comes to training, or goals to achieve with Sophie, these Levels I cannot pray highly enough. I was lost at what to train Raider, how to proceed, and how to achieve the things I was seeing on YouTube (distanced and instant Downs from kikopup's splash particularly--I want that BAD). For me, as a beginner clicker trainer, these levels have been priceless. And the best part?! You get them for free.

I'm on my phone, so I cannot direct link you to the page that contains the levels, but check out Introduction

It's all there.
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I am not sure if she gets enough exercise. I just to run with her a few times a week at least. But with temps in the triple digits and an injury on my end, there has been no running and walks are now short (2 times a day for a total of 1 - 2 hours, at her pace ~ 3-4 miles).
When she sleeps during the day I let her sleep. Once to twice a day we do a training session. They are either brining me the Frisbee (we can now do 5 feet distance) or recall (with my wife).
I would love to entertain and exercise her more, but this is where the problem comes in that she doesn't care about any of her toys or her bones or a walk. The exhausting thing she likes is the dog park, but the issue is there is no one before 6 -7 pm and all the behavioral issues (as in my other thread).

 

Yeah, that sounds tough. You've got some limitations there, but it's good you're trying.

Just had a look at your dog park thread- it seems to me the consensus was that her play was appropriate? Is the problem the lack of recall? I don't know, you could have some success getting the contact details of another owner with a dog she gets on with and arrange a play date at another safe off leash area instead of the dog park. That would be a much easier scenario to keep under control than the free-for-all of the park, and give her the same level of exercise and stimulation. Or how about looking into hiring a walker who could take her out for you? Often they walk groups of dogs at the same time, and she might be more inclined to go for a walk if she has other dogs to interact with.

 

Just had a look at your dog park thread- it seems to me the consensus was that her play was appropriate? Is the problem the lack of recall?

Yes the lack of recall and the point that she might pick up bad habits from other dogs.

However the biggest problem is that she usually gets bored around 4-5pm, when no one is yet at the dog park.
Hence I need to entertain her during the day.

 

Maybe she'd benefit from more variety in her training sessions? Just throwing that out there
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You can also teach dogs a lot of games, which she might take to given her motivation for her special treats: the cup game, hide and seek, nose work games, impulse control games. I also find simple games like 'pick the hand I'm hiding the treat in' very useful for when I need to distract/occupy the dog out in the world (getting squirmy at an obedience class, don't want them pestering someone at the park, etc.)

 

I thought you should only teach one thing at a time? And since we are working on two (recall and fetch)...

So can I do sessions with other commends, while still doing fetch and recall?

Also should I try to make her want to play or should I let her rest/sleep if she feels like doing that?

 

Ok, so you don't think you could arrange a daytime/early evening play date? How about the walker idea?

And yes, you absolutely can teach multiple things at a time. You can even work on multiple behaviours in the same session. It will help keep her mentally engaged with training.

It's up to you to decide whether you let her rest. She'll tell you when she wants to play, but sometimes we humans have other things to do and we need to make dogs do things on our schedule. If you won't be able to take her out apart from at a certain time, you'll need to disturb her. Better that than her not getting any exercise all day.

 

I started today with "place":

I have not added a verbal cue, what do you recommend (as I noticed that I get confused using my own, like "down" to lay down, but I also use "down" for her to get off furntiture...)

She is so smart though, within the first sessoin today, she had her paw on the bowl and left it there...

 

I started today with "place":

I have not added a verbal cue, what do you recommend (as I noticed that I get confused using my own, like "down" to lay down, but I also use "down" for her to get off furntiture...)

This is a pretty common issue for people. Dogs really have a hard time because without reading your body cues, they don't really know that a word can mean different things.

I use "off" or "get off" for removal of a dog from a person or furniture or anything of that nature, I use 'down' or 'lay down' for them laying down on the ground, and I use 'mat' or 'bed' for a specific spot, no matter if it is a dog bed, a rug, a blanket, a foam mat, a coat, a towel, whatever. Lastly, I use 'go lay down' in a general sense, when I don't really care where the dog goes (bed, sofa, crate, mat, seriously, I don't care where), but they need to pick a spot somewhere other than where they are currently, and go lay down to stay out of trouble or stay out of the way.

ETA: I also use a cue for a temporary spot that I want them to hold, like being on a bench or table or whatnot, by asking them to get up on it and asking for them to wait or stay. It's different from habitual behaviours like the above.