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Mike's Memorial Ask a Trainer Thread

81K views 585 replies 74 participants last post by  BigKid 
#1 ·
Hey all,
I just wanted to start a thread about dog training to see if I could help with any GT members families.
My resume is this: I started out working with Palm Beach County K-9 program as a volunteer about 1994. My job was obedience training, protection training and tracking training. All of these dogs were top quality and already started in these disciplines and was very easy to get them to learn new things. I worked with them for about 6 months and moved into full-time in-home dog training one-on-one with the family. This is the best situation for learning how to train a dog bar none!!!! I worked for someone else for 3 years and then started out on my own. Having well over 3,000 dogs trained I have a solution for any problem anybory can came up with. If this thread gets popular maybe we can ask a mod to sticky it. I will cover anything from housebreaking to behavior problems to obedience to choosing the right pup. Basically if you want to know how to change something about your dog ask. I dont know all the answers but I will find out if anybody stumps me.;) So fire away with your questions. I am here to help.
;c
 
#402 ·
Originally posted by G20man32904
Hey Blink,
Wanna take this one for me. I'll be in and out of hospitals next couple of days at least.

Thanks dood
Mike
got it, get back soon man!
 
#403 ·
whoa..this is a lot to take in...alright..
Originally posted by speck
Howdy!

I've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross. (What with? Not sure. Her brothers and sisters looked like black and white border collies with ridges. She looks like a GSD/Ridgeback cross.) She's my first dog, and ... well, Rhodies are a handfull from everything I'd heard, but I think I've managed to do pretty well with her. She's 15 months old and I've had her for about a year. Before that, she was living with my ex-girlfriend until I could move to a place that allowed dogs and had a yard; my ex-girlfriend rescued her at 4-5 weeks. First off, bravo! I love it when someone takes in a rescue dog

My current girlfriend is a positive training fan and is entering vet school this year with thoughts of becoming a behaviorist. She's had great success using positive training with her hound/dane cross... the dog is 3 years old, was abused for years (veterinary testing dog... blah!) and is afraid of everything. He whacked his tail against a cabinet in my house tonight and scared himself silly. 75 lbs of scaredy-cat! But he's doing so much better than he was before, and she's teaching him all kinds of entertaining tricks. The girlfriend wishes that I'd be 'nicer' when training my dog because sometimes I use an 'escalation of force' technique that makes her uncomfortable. She also thinks that my dog should be allowed to be a puppy sometimes, and to not have to listen and calm down every single time I give her a command. The former I can kind of agree with (but haven't had much success with), the latter I completely and absolutely disagree with. Now, I'm not going to say that she is wrong. Positive training methods work great, for SOME dogs. When dealing with low self-esteem non-aggressive dogs, all positive training can work wonders. Positive methods work great for naturally calm and submissive dog too. But, when you get into dealing with aggressive, nervous behaviors, or naturally dominant dogs (which, compared with the total number of dogs in the world, naturally dominant dogs are very few. Most dogs are born followers), you need to take the leader roll and you have to be it 24/7, no exceptions.

At 15 months your dog is past the puppy stage of development and is nearing the end of the juvenile stage. So basically, it's time to start thinking of your dog as an adult. There is nothing wrong with letting your dog just be a dog, but it has to be on your terms.

As far as "force" is concerned. A firm yet light touch is always the best way to go. Now, I won't follow Cesar Millan down every road he takes, but if you need to see the proper way to correct the dog, study him. Collar high on the neck and a very quick tug up is all you should need. A correction is not meant to punish or hurt the dog(this is what your girlfriend thinks btw) but it is meant to *snap* the dog out of it's current state of mind and redirect it's attention to you.

Rhodies are strong breeds and require a strong owner. Hell, they were and still are used by big game hunters in Africa. You have a dog that is breed to face down lions. Danes were also meant to be hunters, but from what I understand, since they have a longer history as house pets, breeders have been able to breed in more of a gentle nature. With Ridgebacks, you're still dealing with a true hunter, that can also hurt someone. Your GF needs to understand that. Also, if she has a problem with "discipline" in the dog world, have her observe a mother with her puppies. This is were you see natural correction in action. The mother doesn't get angry, neither should you btw, or "yell" at her pups. She uses eye contact, energy and if need be a light, but firm touch.

You are right about obeying you at all times. Since you have a strong breed dog, you have to take the leader position, no questions, no exceptions. It is your duty to ensure that. If left unchecked it can become a safety issue for your dog, you, your girlfriend, other dogs and the general public.


Back over to my dog. She's frighteningly intelligent. We were playing with a friend's dog (Jack Russel) and a laser pointer ... and he was going crazy. After he was pooped, we tried it on her. She swatted the red dot a few times, looked up at me when we started to laugh, saw the red dot and my hand moving at the same time, and *completely* lost interest. She knows objects are 3d. While my friends dogs are still trying to get the ball that rolled under the TV stand from the front, she goes around the side and swats it towards her. When at the dog park, which is circular and rather small, she knows that dogs running the fence will come back to her eventually if she just waits. So when chasing a dog, she will stop when there's other dogs chasing it, let the dog keep running, and then come back from the other side and do a head-on takedown while her target's looking back over it's shoulders at it's pursuers.

I love her to death, and wouldn't have her any other way! The problem with such a smart dog, of course, is that she makes a *decision* about whether or not she wants to listen.
To me, that's so awesome. That's the thing about Rhodies, they were breed to get the job done and expend as little energy as possible. From what I understand and have read, during a hunt they would work in "shifts" keeping a lion at bay until the hunter arrived.

Now, with that said, we can't let her breed be an excuse for bad bahavior. All dogs are pack animals and recognize the leader/follower relationship. You need to become a strong and stable leader.
 
#404 ·
Originally posted by speck
The only training method that I've had success with with her is 'out-stubborning'. i.e.: One of the things she does perfectly every time is to 'go kennel'. She knows she's going in there one way or another, and always has since she was a tiny little thing, so she just goes. Same with sitting on command. She knows she doesn't have a choice, because if she doesn't sit when I tell her to I'm going to push her rear end down. She also will listen to me at a distance because she knows that if she's doing something she shouldn't at the park (i.e. in the mud) that I have a nasty habit of appearing next to her and suddenly she's ass over teakettle in the dust.

I also try not to let her get away with much... I expect her to do things every time, and have since she was a little puppy. And we don't move on until she's done it. (You should hear her complain if she gets up from her down-stay while I'm putting my shoes on -- she wants to bite people's feet as they're going into shoes because she thinks she's going for a walk -- she sounds like a mortally wounded wookie!) So far, what I'm seeing is pretty good. What I would do in your situation is keep the leash on her 24/7. That way you have access to her at all times and your corrections will always be uniform.

When she gets up from the down-stay, your reaction should be this: First you need to give her a strong, firm "NO" followed by the "down" command. Try to avoid using her name during any correction. If she doesn't go down right away, walk over CALMLY and give her a leash correction while saying "no" and give her the command again. That sound she is making is her protest to your command and is her trying to get the last word in. That should also be addressed with a verbal or possibly a leash correction.

Now with the biting at the feet issue, that's bad. What that tells me is that she associates the walk with excitement. Fist of all, the biting should be corrected right away, that behavior should not be tolerated. But more importantly, it sounds like you may have to change the way you approach the walk. The walk should be a claming activity for both you and the dog, almost Zen like, if you will. It is also the most important key in establishing the leader/follower relationship. The instinct to migrate is built into every dog. In nature they would have to migrate to get everything. Migrate to get food, to find a den, to find water, to possibly find a new mate. This is the mind set that you need to take when you walk. It's just not exercise, it's migration. During migration, it's vital to the safety and survival of the pack that everyone is calm. You can't have one member of the pack going nuts. This becomes a HUGE mental workout for your dog. There is wonderful info in the thread on proper walks and teaching "the heel" posted by G20. Skim through that and always remember this, you are the leader and you lead at all times. She is the follower and she must follow at all times. Always have that in your mind when walking with her. So, again approach the walk in a calm manor and always take note of who is leading who. For example, who goes out the door first? Is she calm? Can you get her to sit at an open door and wait for you? The walk doesn't start when you get outside. It starts the moment you have the thought "I want to take her for a walk". Ideally she should be walked twice a day. If you can only walk her once, it should be in the morning before you feed her(migrating to get food). It should also be for at least 45min. You have dog that was breed to hunt game, any less of a walk would leave her with excess energy and could lead to more behavioral problem.


Am I wrong to demand that level of behavior from a dog that's really just a puppy still? She does very well (after she calms down) around new people, but she's all wiggles and paws and flailing limbs -- all 80 lbs of her -- when someone new is in the house. I know that this will get better as she gets a bit older, and I'm (fairly) patient... but I do have to raise my voice and/or grab an ear or a scruff to get her attention because I'm afraid she'll hurt herself or others. She's gotten VERY good around little kids just recently, will sit and let them pet her. Now if she could just do that around other adults, I'd be super happy! No, you are not wrong. Again, it's time to start thinking of her as an adult and she needs to be treated like one.

This is where keeping the leash on her 24/7 is KEY. The moment she starts to get agitated or excited you need to step in and correct the behavior. One important thing is that you correct her right then and there. If she is at the door, don't take her away and correct her. You want her to start to associate that area of the house with calmness also. She needs to submit to you and then she can meet new people in a clam manner. This is also where the morning walks will help, hopefully she'll have less energy anyway.

With the verbal corrections, try to avoid yelling. Personally, I'm a huge fan of using a word or sound that really carries no emotion with it. A loud "SHHHTT" or I have friends that say "UH UH" or I will sometimes say "HEY". If you say "no" try to avoid "yelling". First off, dogs have very good hearing so there is really no reason to yell if you are in the same room. Secondly, anytime you yell you become excited. Sharing excited energy with your dog will make the issue worse by making her more excited. If you say no, just keep it firm and short. Imagine the sound of a foot stomp or a clap. Also, you should never say no more then once in the process of a correction. You may have to correct more then once but, you should never be saying "no, no, no, no....etc". Again, you will become excited and it will hinder the process.

When people enter your house, you should also give them a few instructions too. Ask them to remain calm, no excitement, baby talk, eye contact or even petting until your dog is calmed down. That may be hard for some people but it will help the process go much faster. Let them know that your dog is going through training and is being trained how to meet people properly. Reward calmness.


My goal for my dog is to be a calm, collected companion -- someone I can take anywhere with me without having to worry about her knocking a little old lady or small child over. I'd also like to train her in -- and I realize this is loose, I haven't done any research -- search and rescue type activities like finding a person hidden in a field. I'm not much for hunting, and I don't think I could ever teach her to fetch a bird back to me without eating the bird first anyway. ;) And yes, I realize that she's just a puppy still -- I would've rescued an older dog if I had the choice, but I wasn't given one. She adopted me!

That is great goal my friend, and I'm confident that you'll be able to reach that.

After you build a strong foundation with her, I think eventually training her for basic search and rescue is a wonderful idea. Your dog is a born tracker! If she had the choice she would be in Africa tracking lions right now! Plus, she would have a job to do and that does wonders for any dog. I would check to see if there are any clubs in your area that can help with that.



Oh, and one other question -- what's your opinion on the gentle-leader type collars? It's been *great* with her, but I'm still trying to get her to heel well on a normal leash and off leash -- her prey drive is FAR too strong for me to use anything but the head collar when we're out on walks together. :p Any suggestions with that?
Personally, I'm not a fan of them. I think it undermines the importance of the neck to dogs. Any predator knows that the neck is the key to submission. Watch any wild animal show, where do they always bite? Watch a mother with her pups, if need be she will hold them down with her mouth around their neck.

The issue that people have with "choke chains" is the fact that they use them wrong. When used correctly you will be amazed at the amount of control you actually have. You need to look at the size and placement of the collar. Size wise, you should go for a collar that has fairly small links that are pounded flat. With placement, many people get this wrong and let the collar fall to the bottom of the neck. That is the strongest part of the neck. The collar should be placed right behind the dogs ears, at the weakest part of the neck, like at a dog show. When placed like that it should only take a few quick, firm corrections for her to get it.
That's a start, if I missed something, I'll try and come back to it. Hopefully Mike will be back soon to give his input.
 
#405 ·
Originally posted by speck
Sorry to miss you, Mike. No hurry on the reply.

I thought of one more question I've got -- Eowyn (my Ridgeback pup) *always* barks at other dogs, joggers, and people on bicycles or pushing strollers when we're in the car. This is annoying and unsafe, but ignoring her hasn't helped. Praising her when she's quiet hasn't helped. Getting her to sit while one of the aforementioned desireable objects passes by hasn't helped. She does try to chase bicycles and joggers when on leash. (She doesn't chase cars... go figure...)

Any ideas on how I can get her to not?
Ignoring an unwanted behavior is the same as agreeing with it.

If you practice calmness before and during the walk and learn proper corrections, this can be fixed fairly quickly. One thing that you need to do, is not to anticipate anything! If you see another dog and tense up you are feeding her that information and energy though the leash. Tense energy is weak energy in a dogs eyes and your dog will try to step up and fill the leader roll.
 
#406 ·
Ok, I need some advice.

My mother has a 5 or 6 year old female chow mix named Abby, as well as a male miniature pinscher and a female Jack Russell.

All three of these stay outside (the two smaller dogs do go in sometime in the day, but Abby solely stays outside).

Abby has always been a very calm and gentle dog, you can take food from her mouth without her getting mad, etc. She hasn't really had any type of training.

Well, my mom got the aforementioned Jack Russell maybe a little over a year ago, and she often irritates Abby in different ways. Also, if the JR does something its not supposed to do, like run outside the fence when my mom is trying to put them in, Abby will sometimes jump on her and wrestle her to the ground. This is the first and only acts of aggression that we've ever seen from her, and she only seems to do it with the one particular dog. I should also mention that the female JR has not been fixed and has been in heat multiple times. Abby, on the other hand, has been fixed.

Like I said before, Abby is usually very calm and submissive, in fact just a couple of weeks ago I was there and she was barking at the neighbors dogs, and I yelled to her across the yard to "STOP" and "COME HERE." When she came to me and I went to pet her, she immediately fell to her back in a submissive position.

Well, this morning my mom heard dogs squealing outside and found that Abby was attacking the JR. She went outside and separated them, and Abby continued to try to go after the dog. The JR is in heat currently also. The JR ended up needing stitches, etc.

Well, my mom now wants me to take Abby (I had offered to when I first bought a house just because I wanted her) so I am going to end up with her. My wife and I also have a male maltese.

I just wanted to know what I can do to try to prevent this from happening again. Could the fact that the JR was in heat have anything to do with it? I am not going to let the dogs be together unsupervised (the Maltese stays inside).

Any advice is much appreciated.
 
#407 ·
Alright, well you're correct about the JR not being fixed causing a lot of the problems. We also need to factor in two other big issues. Regardless of how Abby is around you, it sounds like that she is the dominate female in this house, this includes your mother. Also, JR's tend to be pretty high energy dogs. Any time you bring a dog in the house that has higher energy then the rest of the pack, that will also create problems.

I'm going to be completely honest with you here. The chow is not the cause problem. The aggression is just a symptom of a bigger problem. The problem sounds like a lack of exercise and more importantly a lack of leadership. Chows are a strong breed to begin with and JR's are normally fairly high energy. All dogs need a daily walk, but when you pair up two dogs like this then it becomes more important then ever. Also the fact that the Chow is left outside while the rest of the pack is inside, also doesn't help anything. Dogs should be and NEED to be with the rest of the pack as much as possible. Also, with your mom leaving the dogs outside she can't establish herself as any type of leader.

If you take Abby, only do it if you plan on doing two things. First of all the importance of the walk cannot be over stated. If you can't walk her once a day, then please don't take her. Secondly, if you don't plan on keeping with the rest of the family then again, please don't take her.

When I'm talking about the walk, that means both dogs and a proper walk. You can find info all over this thread about what a proper walk is. Walking both dogs together will help you establish pack order and get the dogs used to being in each others presence. Humans are #1 and both dogs are #2. That is going to eliminate any chance that the dogs will fight for dominance. You cannot, I repeat cannot, show favoritism to one dog over the other. When one dog is inside, they both should be. If you have to leave one dog outside for some reason, they both should be outside. If you have one dog in bed, they both should be. It's your job to create one pack, not two separate packs.

Now is the time to be brutally honest with yourself and your mother. If you have any doubts about doing what I said, then please find another home for Abby. This about what is best for the dog, not what you want.
 
#408 ·
Thanks for picking up my slack guys!:thumbsup:


Originally posted by Blinky
Alright, well you're correct about the JR not being fixed causing a lot of the problems. We also need to factor in two other big issues. Regardless of how Abby is around you, it sounds like that she is the dominate female in this house, this includes your mother. Also, JR's tend to be pretty high energy dogs. Any time you bring a dog in the house that has higher energy then the rest of the pack, that will also create problems.

I'm going to be completely honest with you here. The chow is not the cause problem. The aggression is just a symptom of a bigger problem. The problem sounds like a lack of exercise and more importantly a lack of leadership. Chows are a strong breed to begin with and JR's are normally fairly high energy. All dogs need a daily walk, but when you pair up two dogs like this then it becomes more important then ever. Also the fact that the Chow is left outside while the rest of the pack is inside, also doesn't help anything. Dogs should be and NEED to be with the rest of the pack as much as possible. Also, with your mom leaving the dogs outside she can't establish herself as any type of leader.

If you take Abby, only do it if you plan on doing two things. First of all the importance of the walk cannot be over stated. If you can't walk her once a day, then please don't take her. Secondly, if you don't plan on keeping with the rest of the family then again, please don't take her.

When I'm talking about the walk, that means both dogs and a proper walk. You can find info all over this thread about what a proper walk is. Walking both dogs together will help you establish pack order and get the dogs used to being in each others presence. Humans are #1 and both dogs are #2. That is going to eliminate any chance that the dogs will fight for dominance. You cannot, I repeat cannot, show favoritism to one dog over the other. When one dog is inside, they both should be. If you have to leave one dog outside for some reason, they both should be outside. If you have one dog in bed, they both should be. It's your job to create one pack, not two separate packs.

Now is the time to be brutally honest with yourself and your mother. If you have any doubts about doing what I said, then please find another home for Abby. This about what is best for the dog, not what you want.
Another good post Blink,:supergrin:
I will not help those with dogs that are outside only dogs. Either they are a part of the pack, or they aren't. It's your call.
 
#409 ·
Originally posted by G20man32904
Thanks for picking up my slack guys!:thumbsup:




Another good post Blink,:supergrin:
I will not help those with dogs that are outside only dogs. Either they are a part of the pack, or they aren't. It's your call.
Any time man, any time. Just don't make me do it too often, i.e. keep your ass outta the hospital! :tongueout: :hugs:
 
#410 ·
Ok guys - I've posted about my new cocker named Molly. http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=736837
Granted I've only had her for 24 hours and we are bonding REALLY well. She is 11 weeks old & an absolute cutie.

Last night she was introduced to her crate. It's a little big for her now, so I have blocked off part of it as per the instructions I have read here. We took our last walk around 11 pm, settled into the bedroom & got her in her crate without problem. When I turned off the lights & tv to go to bed she did the usual puppy thing of barking, whining & fussing. I didn't respond & after about 20 minutes she settled down and went to sleep.

Around 5 am she needed to go outside - we got on our leash, did our business, and went back into the crate herself without prompting. I closed the crate door and went back to sleep. Once the light was on, she cried/barked/fussed for another 30 minutes. I again ignored it and she eventually settled down again.

Now, like I said, I know this is normal puppy behavior - especially being her first night away from her parents, familiar surroundings, and siblings. From what I have been reading in this thread, ignoring the behavior (After making sure her physiological needs are met) is the right thing to do. I guess I just need reassurances that it is!

Also, I know she's trying to figure out the pecking order & who is the leader here...when she's ignored and wants attention she barks & fusses. I don't acknowledge her until she's quiet because I don't want to reinforce that unwanted behavior. IS there anything else I am missing or not doing?

I am keeping her on the leash most of the time, but I do let her off to play with the other dogs. She's getting really good and walking on the leash & she follows me around wherever I go.

Thanks for all the info! I plan on getting the books that you have recommended as soon as I can afford it and we will be going to "puppy school" when she's old enough!
 
#411 ·
Thanks so much... :D I'm reading and absorbing ...

One thing I wanted to correct:
Now with the biting at the feet issue, that's bad. What that tells me is that she associates the walk with excitement. Fist of all, the biting should be corrected right away, that behavior should not be tolerated.
She *never* puts teeth to person. She has *mouthed* me once in the past six months, and any sort of mouthing since she was a little teeny puppy was met with a thumb pushing her tounge down her throat. When she found out the response hadn't changed, she hasn't since... even in play. I don't tolerate that at all, and I have not considered it a threat. She's never been mistreated by a person and she uniformly loves all the people she meets.

Excitement is her #1 problem. She gets excited when we go for a walk. She gets excited when I come home. The only reason that we've managed to make feeding time a calm endeavor (she's highly food motivated ... and that's a serious understatement) is to do what I call "puppy acrobatics" -- Sit, Stay (while I walk away), Come, Down, Side, Up, Wait, (put the food down) OK (release word). She won't go thorugh a door if I tell her not to.

Going for a walk isn't easy with her right now -- hence the head collar. The birds are exciting. The grass is exciting. There's frogs everyhere, and they're REALLY exciting. The kids playing -- exciting. The bugs? Exciting. Did I mention the birds and flowers? EXCITING. That blade of grass moved! EXCITING! *does the puppy bounce* ... So she currently has to lay down and wait while I'm putting my shoes on. Any movement from her is met with a pause and the agony of the seconds stretches out while I look at her, correct her, and go back to sloooooowly putting my shoes on while she waits with bated breath. And then the leash comes out. (EXCITINGGGGGG!) and she almost moves. I look at her, she makes sure she's really layin down. Then I put the leash on, with her trying to bite it (because it's EXCITING!) ... the same thing with when someone new comes over or she meets someone new on the street while walking. (EXCIIIIIIITINGGGGG!!!1!one!11!!eleven!!1!!!11!!!1!!!)

I've added the martingale (I had one, just seems I didn't know how to use it properly and she's now wearing an old, cut down leash ... long enough to grab, short enough that she doesn't trip over it and can't bite it. Did I mention that she's still growing and is now tall enough to place her head on the table?

Few more details: She was the *star* of an adult dog obedience class I took her to when she was four months old. She did perfectly. Knows her left from her right still, walks well on a leash (but likes to be out at the end of the leash -- not towing, but definitely not heeling.) Sits on command, lays down after a thought or two. She's fed once in the morning, again, HIGHLY food motivated (understatement of the year, she'll do anything for *kibble*) .

What I don't know what to do is how to go from here. Short term goals:
-- Barking at joggers and bicyclists while driving (keep in mind I'm driving, hard to correct her while I'm driving.)
-- General EXCITEMENT!!!!!!! issues -- she gets at least a 45 minute walk a day, usually gets to go play at the dog park in the evening for an hour or more, but is otherwise at home with just the array of expensive suppoesdly-indestructible toys to play with, plus the thickest rawhide chewies I can find. No raw bone. She should be at least somewhat stimulated enough, but everything that I do that she might like is met with EXCITEMENT! I mean, the dog jumps in the shower with me for *baths* ...
-- I'd like to teach her to heel on and off leash and I will search out that thread.

My problem is that I feel like I'm doing 90% of everything right, but with that last 10% I've got no idea how to accomplish it.
 
#412 ·
Originally posted by speck
Thanks so much... :D I'm reading and absorbing ...

One thing I wanted to correct:


She *never* puts teeth to person. She has *mouthed* me once in the past six months, and any sort of mouthing since she was a little teeny puppy was met with a thumb pushing her tounge down her throat. When she found out the response hadn't changed, she hasn't since... even in play. I don't tolerate that at all, and I have not considered it a threat. She's never been mistreated by a person and she uniformly loves all the people she meets.

Excitement is her #1 problem. She gets excited when we go for a walk. She gets excited when I come home. The only reason that we've managed to make feeding time a calm endeavor (she's highly food motivated ... and that's a serious understatement) is to do what I call "puppy acrobatics" -- Sit, Stay (while I walk away), Come, Down, Side, Up, Wait, (put the food down) OK (release word). She won't go thorugh a door if I tell her not to.

Going for a walk isn't easy with her right now -- hence the head collar. The birds are exciting. The grass is exciting. There's frogs everyhere, and they're REALLY exciting. The kids playing -- exciting. The bugs? Exciting. Did I mention the birds and flowers? EXCITING. That blade of grass moved! EXCITING! *does the puppy bounce* ... So she currently has to lay down and wait while I'm putting my shoes on. Any movement from her is met with a pause and the agony of the seconds stretches out while I look at her, correct her, and go back to sloooooowly putting my shoes on while she waits with bated breath. And then the leash comes out. (EXCITINGGGGGG!) and she almost moves. I look at her, she makes sure she's really layin down. Then I put the leash on, with her trying to bite it (because it's EXCITING!) ... the same thing with when someone new comes over or she meets someone new on the street while walking. (EXCIIIIIIITINGGGGG!!!1!one!11!!eleven!!1!!!11!!!1!!!)

I've added the martingale (I had one, just seems I didn't know how to use it properly and she's now wearing an old, cut down leash ... long enough to grab, short enough that she doesn't trip over it and can't bite it. Did I mention that she's still growing and is now tall enough to place her head on the table?

Few more details: She was the *star* of an adult dog obedience class I took her to when she was four months old. She did perfectly. Knows her left from her right still, walks well on a leash (but likes to be out at the end of the leash -- not towing, but definitely not heeling.) Sits on command, lays down after a thought or two. She's fed once in the morning, again, HIGHLY food motivated (understatement of the year, she'll do anything for *kibble*) .

What I don't know what to do is how to go from here. Short term goals:
-- Barking at joggers and bicyclists while driving (keep in mind I'm driving, hard to correct her while I'm driving.)
-- General EXCITEMENT!!!!!!! issues -- she gets at least a 45 minute walk a day, usually gets to go play at the dog park in the evening for an hour or more, but is otherwise at home with just the array of expensive suppoesdly-indestructible toys to play with, plus the thickest rawhide chewies I can find. No raw bone. She should be at least somewhat stimulated enough, but everything that I do that she might like is met with EXCITEMENT! I mean, the dog jumps in the shower with me for *baths* ...
-- I'd like to teach her to heel on and off leash and I will search out that thread.

My problem is that I feel like I'm doing 90% of everything right, but with that last 10% I've got no idea how to accomplish it.
Speck,
First off let me apologize for the time its taken me to respond. I have been dealing with some serious health issues lately and it has been hard to concentrate on anything lately.

Anyway, I agree with you, you sound like you are doing the 90% right.
The other 10%??? Ok, first off only praise her when she is calm. If she gets excited by strangers than take her somewhere (retail pet store?) where she will be absolutely flooded with people. This will take many repetitions. Try and go on the weekends when they are busiest. Work the down and stay A LOT, at home till you can get her to over an hour. Then start to throw in as many distractions as you can come up with.

From the sounds of your post, if she WANTS to follow your commands she will, no problem, but if she doesn’t want to, then there are problems. We have to get her to do things she doesn’t want to do, when she doesn’t want to do them. Conquer this and you will see a huge difference in her behavior.

Ok just went back and read your original post.
No you are not expecting too much out of a 15month old, hell, I’m expecting the same things from a 5 month old I just adopted. So get her out there and start working her.

Btw, best trick I have used for the car, was have someone else drive and the moment she “lights up” squirt her in the face with a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar and a good firm NO!!!!

Lemme know how it goes

Mike
 
#413 ·
I posted this in GNG and was told that you'd be able to help.

I've had my neutered female dog for over 8 years and got her at 9 months old....she was a rescue. They listen to us, walk well w/us, but we didn't do any real training. We talk to her and she listens.

Our daughter turned a year old this past weekend and started walking on her own overnight. This has our dog scared or something. She gets close to her and the dog will growl while looking away. It's obvious she's scared because her tail is between her legs and she's lightly growling with her head turned away from us.

I thought she was used to our lil girl since they're around each other a lot. We pet her while holding our baby and she's very happy and will even lick our lil girl (even when we don't want her to). But this growling (she's done it 3 times in the last few days) has me very scared. I don't know what to do.

Please help. Someone suggested an animal behaviourist, but I'm afraid their suggestion will be to put her down. Our dog is 75 lbs and God forbit she even nip at our daughter, it would cause major damage and scars.
 
#415 ·
Originally posted by Tristan
I posted this in GNG and was told that you'd be able to help.

I've had my neutered female dog for over 8 years and got her at 9 months old....she was a rescue. They listen to us, walk well w/us, but we didn't do any real training. We talk to her and she listens.

Our daughter turned a year old this past weekend and started walking on her own overnight. This has our dog scared or something. She gets close to her and the dog will growl while looking away. It's obvious she's scared because her tail is between her legs and she's lightly growling with her head turned away from us.

I thought she was used to our lil girl since they're around each other a lot. We pet her while holding our baby and she's very happy and will even lick our lil girl (even when we don't want her to). But this growling (she's done it 3 times in the last few days) has me very scared. I don't know what to do.

Please help. Someone suggested an animal behaviourist, but I'm afraid their suggestion will be to put her down. Our dog is 75 lbs and God forbit she even nip at our daughter, it would cause major damage and scars.
Tristan,
I'm so glad you are searching out help. I want you to take a big sigh of relief now. This can be fixed, but it needs to be fixed one-on-one. I can give you some starter things to do, but I highly recommend you hire a professional in home trainer. Whatever the cost, it will be less than the trauma of your daughter being bitten.
First of all, all dogs in the household must be put and kept on a leash AT ALL TIMES!!! .
Your dog is showing signs of being a fear biter and this can happen in a flash. If you do not have the leash in your hand when it happens, you miss the moment that you "could" actually do something.

Start with basic obedience classes immediately if not sooner. The trick here is to get the dog to do things she doesn't want to do, when she doesn't want to do them. And no she is not too old. If a trainer tells you that, find a new one.

Let me know what you think
Mike
 
#418 ·
Originally posted by G20man32904
Back at ya:thumbsup:
care to share with the rest of the class?


:tongueout: :tongueout: :tongueout: :tongueout: :tongueout:
 
#420 ·
Originally posted by G20man32904
Nah, just something that me and Tristan have in common. ;) :wavey:
Well fine, be that way.

:miff:


:tongueout:


:wavey:
 
#421 ·
G20 - Thanks for all your help in PM. I just wanted to tell you (and everyone) that keeping Molly attached to me for the past 2 days has REALLY made a big difference. She's actually sleeping in the room with me (in her crate) and NOT barking for hours on end. She's been testing me & trying to figure out her pecking order, but things are definitely better.

We are heading in the right direction! Thanks!
 
#422 ·
Originally posted by ppk/sfan
G20 - Thanks for all your help in PM. I just wanted to tell you (and everyone) that keeping Molly attached to me for the past 2 days has REALLY made a big difference. She's actually sleeping in the room with me (in her crate) and NOT barking for hours on end. She's been testing me & trying to figure out her pecking order, but things are definitely better.

We are heading in the right direction! Thanks!
I'm glad to do it ppk.
I have told you the secret to a well trained dog and you are applying it daily. :supergrin:
Now if I could just get everybody else to follow it, I would be out of a job!. :shocked: :supergrin:
 
#425 ·
well, since I'm not sure when Mike is going to be back, I'll chime in here. There are a few things you can do to get the "recall" down.

The first thing you can try is to use a 6 foot leash and get a few people to help out. Go out side and stand in a circle with the dog in the middle. Start with the leash in your hand and call the dog. If the dog doesn't come right away give him a quick leash correction and call him again. Once he comes to you, praise him and maybe give him small treat. After that, toss the leash to someone else in the circle. Have them do the same thing.

If you can't do that or after he has that down you need to get a longer leash. If you have some rope you can tie that to his normal leash to extend the length also. Wait for the dog to start doing his own thing and then call him. If he doesn't respond give him a quick correction and try it again.

One thing you need to watch is your body language. If you have the dogs attention but he is not coming to you, bow slightly, turn around and start walk away while continuing to call him. This will also encourage your dog to come towards you. Once he gets close don't forget the praise!
 
#426 ·
Originally posted by CentralMsGunFan
question

My dog has become very obedient, that is when i have his attention. But when he is off leash in my back yard and he starts sniffing a trail it is very difficult to break his concentration. Come, whistle, ect nothing with work. what do you think?
Along the lines that Blinky wrote, get a 30-50ft lead. Let him use that everytime outside and call him when finished. Being attached to you, he HAS to come eventually, have a treat in your hand waiting. Do the treat thing several times. Pretty soon the dog will realize, coming to you means reward (physical, food and verbal!).
Done deal after that. :supergrin:

Thanks again Blinky for picking up my slack. ;) :wavey:
 
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