Stubborn behavior

I rescued Stella, my first staffy (+ pit mix?) approximately 6 months ago, and from the moment she came home, her house manners and temperament were ridiculously perfect. At 1.5 yrs of age, she was calm, quiet, gentle with her toys, trustworthy in the house alone, and extremely obedient despite not having any formal training.

After our first month together, I started her with positive obedience training at the facility our German shepherd/pit mix takes agility classes. Stella's clever, and performed flawlessly in her first class from focus and contextual inference alone. She was cleared to start agility immediately after, and for several weeks excelled.

Then, as she settled into her home and built confidence, she started giving push-back and testing my ability to control her. This was expected, and I just worked toward consistency to establish my authority. However, Stella was consistent, too - unless promised a treat for each behavior in obedience and agility, she would narrow her eyes, raise her nose imperiously, and refuse to cooperate.

Though I love her immensely and would never give her up, I'm disappointed because training is supposed to be a fun bonding activity. I'm also worried because she has started digging herself in and refusing to move at random points during our daily walks. I have to get down on my knees and fuss over her to make her move again.

The Washington, D.C. area is home to a high proportion of pit bulls, and because I live in an area where dog fighting is not prevalent, my neighborhood is full of especially sweet tempered rescue pits with responsible owners. Staffords are rare here, and I'll admit I assumed, perhaps improperly, that they were essentially the same behaviorally as pits. I know bully breeds can be stubborn, but I've never met a pit who didn't love agility, and I'm not sure if I should keep working at consistency, or try a different method.

Any suggestions are welcome!

All dogs are different - I have a very stubborn rescue girly and even now, 3 years down the line it's a battle of will! But that's why I love her maybe you could try a different motivator? A dog I had in kennels would complete a whole agility course for a plastic bottle at the end. Maybe she's just not that into agility - I know my girl would haven't the patience for it - think bull in a china shop! Is your main concern the agility, or the stubborn behaviour in general?

It's more the type of stubborn behavior that has me confused. She's very good with stay, come, leave it, focus, and wait. But she's not a fan of sit, and refuses to lay down without a treat.

She would make a wonderful therapy dog since she's so calm and polite, but she'd never pass the qualifying exam without basic obedience. She's also very good at agility when she chooses to cooperate. It's frustrating because she has so much potential, and we could be a great team if she would only get off the couch and work with me.

Could just be a stubborn phase. They all seem to have one at around that age.

To be honest, it sounds like she's training you nicely : She's got you to the point that you have to go down on your knees to get her to move, bless her, she's a clever one.

I wonder if it might not be a case for giving that line of training a rest for a short while. If it's become a battle it can only get worse for persisting, as you get stressed and she reacts to that. I'd try something completely different that might fire her imagination. Do you use clicker? If not, that might be worth a go. As it sounds like she likes agility, how about something like heelwork to music, so teaching things like weaving through your legs. Anything that's fun and not obedience.

Also, keep it really fun for yourself. It sounds like it's becoming a bit of a chore for you, which will make it that for her. Even to the point of being silly, inject lots of fun and make everything a game for you both. Once she's engaged, then you can slip in the odd sit and down, but in a fun way.

When she's out, is she off lead? If so, have you tried just walking away when she downs tools? If she's on lead, I'd try maybe having her on a long line so that you can walk away, call her and, if she doesn't come, just stand with your back to her. The only thing with both of those is that you have to be prepared to out-wait her, but generally dogs do come eventually.

If she was older I'd maybe also check that there's no physical reason she finds sit/down uncomfortable. It's unlikely with a young dog, but not impossible.

Agility! Bo fell in the duck pond on Wednesday and ten minutes later got his head stuck in a bush. He's about as agile as a hippo but he doesn't half make me laugh...

Dogface - Bo sounds adorable! He reminds me of my shepherd/pit Felix, who's great on an agility course when he's paying attention, but those are rare moments. My husband had to rush the poor boy to the vet ER this fall after he managed to poop on a fallen hornet nest, to the objection of the hornets. The expression of surprise on his face was priceless, and fortunately his injuries were mostly emotional rather than physical. Not his proudest moment.

Sorry had to laugh out loud to those last two posts

And there was me thinking it was just my Flo that had dim moments

Liz - I think your suggestions are right on the mark! Stella was a very shy, frightened girl when she came to us, so I focused on socialization and building her confidence. It worked; she's really come out of her shell since then, but it's clear she has trained me in the process.

I took your suggestion and tried turning my back to her on a long line. It took some time, and was a battle of wills, but it did work!

I'd thought of trying clicker training, and now that sounds like our next project. She's so treat obsessed that we do need an intermediate motivator, and toys just don't cut it for her. I'm also eager to try games to keep things fun. She's a really clever, fit girl, so we should have plenty of options.

Thanks so much everyone for all your wonderful advice!!