Confidence

ok this is some what irrelevent but i just remembered watching a program one time about cadaver finding dogs and search and rescue dogs and how the trainers would sometimes let the dogs searcg for and find a live person to keep them from getting discouraged so maybe letting the dog win games some times might help.aslo ive heard that tracking/sniffing things out works wonders for dogs.Maybe if you tried hiding a few objects like favorite toys,treats or stuffed kongs in the yard and and let your dog "search" for them,praise him like crazy when he finds them,and if its something he really likes he'll probably think hes the best dog in the world!

 

Yes it can......However they either have it or they dont. The one thing about a Bulldog is it should always think it's winning or take its death trying.

 

OOh forgot about "hide the treat"!! I put Rory in the kitchen, go in the ther room hide a treat and havre her sniff it out......ooh good one Chloe's RB

 

Yes, I agree...and if they don't win..sometimes they try even harder next time...If its something they love.

But when they put in a good try for whatever you are wanting them to do, a reward to show they were doing right, be it an atta boy/gir..l or a treat...IMHO keeps them trying.

 

So all in all whether it be a verbal praise or a treat, the confidence is boosted because of positive reinforcememt and it doesn't decrease even if they don't get the object they were trying to attain. I see it. Makes sense to me.

 

exactly.....as long as your happy with your dog and let him know it, his confidence will remain high even if he doesnt get the object he's after. This has always worked for me and my dog.

 

Bear in mind that temperament (part of which would be level of confidence) is at least partly genetic. Some dogs will naturally be confident, and some dogs are going to have a hard time getting there. I personally feel like training with lots of praise builds confidence. When a dog knows they're doing something right, it tends to make them feel better about themselves.

 

i 'd say it all depends on how you're viewing "win" here. IMO, they're "winning" so to speak because they are getting exercise=always a good thing, they are socializing with their owners, another good thing, hence, a "win" imo, and perhaps they're even listening to your words of praise for doing a good job, while working that pole, hence, are learning what pleases you, yes, another 'win'.

Does a dog have to obtain something to consider it a "win"?...a "prize", something tangible: a bone, ...????
I personally don't think that is always the case.
perhaps your dog 'wins', when he understands he has pleased you, and feeds off your positive praises, which, imo, are key in helping to instill a level of confidence in a dog.

 

It has always been an opinion of mine that the dog indeed needed to obtain whatever the object it is after to be considered a "win" which would give the dog a confidence boost. I understand that with dogs "winning" can be simply positive reinforcement.

 

IMO a dog's "confidence" is based largely & primarily upon genetics. I equate it to a dog with a stable temperament.

Can you build confidence? To a degree. But can you turn a weak nerved dog into a confident one? I personally don't think so. You can't change genetics.

 

One thing I never really paid attention to was that when we first got our most recent dog, my wife wanted a bulldog that was somewhat of a shy, calm, submissive dog. Well a few months after we got him, which he was about 5 or 6 months, we started to notice him become more and more dominant and how he wasn't afraid of much. He was actually the pup in the litter who got picked on and the others fought him away from the food. I guess that has alot to do with why he is how he is now.

 

I edited out....

 

Believe me my dogs have won every play against me. They run and swim faster than me and Iam not able to hang as long on the flirt-pole...but they love me....I think a dog feels with wich one he can swim the river. I dont care much about this dominance-talk.

 

A lot of praise and the dog will think it won. If you are happy and excited about the way the dog handled the flirtpole the dog will think he won. If you are confident in his ability he will be also.
To use the same reinforcement call the dog off the flirtpole give it a treat and praise it.
Dogs see themselves through the eyes of their owners. If a dog's owner thinks the dog is a cur and kicks it everytime he goes by the dog the dog also thinks he is a cur.
If the owner think's his dog is the greatest dog that ever lived then the dog strives to be the greatest dog that ever lived.
It is just that simple.

 

Ok you think the dog is going to think he was rewarded for letting go of the flirtpole not because he did a good job and it is now time to go in the house?
Never had that problem that a dog thought he should not do the job when he was rewarded for a job well done when it was time to go in.
Now if you are going to stand out in the yard and give him a treat everytime he lets go of the flirtpole I can see then you might have a problem. But if he only gets the treat when you are done for the day he will know he is being rewarded for a job well done.