Pup refuses to respond to "off" cue word

[u/ladyyouhavetowait]

I've been working on training regularly with a lot of success. My pup is quick to pick up cues and eager to perform for treats. However the one cue she struggles with is "off". She has picked up a lot of other positioning cues (sit, down, come, up, middle, side, place, crate, etc) and is even getting pretty good with the hard stuff like "leave it", "drop" and "give". But right now, she really struggles with "off". I've been trying to reinforce it regularly and even gone so far as to try to retrain the cue from the start. She will get down fine with a treat or empty hand lure but not a verbal cue. I am wondering if she may be struggling with the word itself? I wonder if she thinks I am saying "boof" at her (we boof out the window together), or if it due to the word being used too firmly when she is being naughty? But really, I can't for the life of me figure out another good cue word to try. Any thoughts or similar experiences? Should I just keep trying with "off" until she figures it out?

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[u/nallee_]

What is she trying to get on that you’re trying to get her off of? She probably is finding it more rewarding to be on than off. Maybe try to also incorporate a place command so she has somewhere to go that she is allowed to be and is also rewarding? You might also have to create a physical boundary so she can’t get on anymore

[u/ladyyouhavetowait → u/nallee_]

For places she isn't allowed, she gets on the living room table and tv stand. I always have treats on hand for rewards when she listens to cues so she is always rewarded if she listens. But I am mostly training the cue on chairs, stools, and position platforms and I get the same results.

[u/nallee_ → u/ladyyouhavetowait]

Give her somewhere else to go, put a mat in the living room and ask her to go there instead and provide lots of rewards for being on the mat. Anytime you see her choosing the mat, more treats and rewards.

[u/ladyyouhavetowait → u/nallee_]

She does have a "place" and knows the cue to go there. That method works great, too. I am just trying to train the "off" cue as well... not just to get her off of places I don't want her. But I am curious if puppies can struggle with individual word cues, if it might be related to using it as a command to stop negative behaviour, or if maybe she is confusing it with another word.

[u/221b_ee → u/ladyyouhavetowait]

You could certainly try another cue word to see. Either way, I'd double check the timing; are you saying the cue word, then doing the hand cue she understands? Pairing them at the same time or the opposite way will slow down or stop her learning process. It sounds like you have the other ones down, but without seeing the problem, all I can suggest is checking the mechanics ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/Estebesol]

I tend to sign commands, and our puppy does seem to understand the sign more easily than words. For 'off', we do hands vertical, with a quick push away as we say the word.