Tsar Chasm Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Considering sending our dog away for training; he has a few issues, and some niggly problems i'd like sorted out. We've gone as far as we can with him and I feel we're letting him down. Has anyone had any experiences with these kind of centres? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evei Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I always think it is the person that needs training. Even if it is just to learning coping techniques as I do think some dogs are very damaged. I know how tough it is with a problem dog (3 years to get mine good) but I do think getting the required help from a good trainer and working on it yourself must be better, otherwise the dog will surely fall back into old patterns as your not doing anything different. EDIT: I know someone who sent their GSD away as it bit a delivery boy. It helped it for a month but it slipped back to old habitats as they had not learnt how to control it properly.. it was a ticking time bomb and pts, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willman Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I did an intensive dog training course at a centre which offered this service just off the M25, even they didn't recommend it or actively promote it. It can be beneficial for dogs with "proper" issues so they can re align themselves with society,but tbh if your dog was one of those types the problems would be more than niggly and most likely would on the front page of some redtop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsar Chasm Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 I always think it is the person that needs training. Even if it is just to learning coping techniques as I do think some dogs are very damaged. I know how tough it is with a problem dog (3 years to get mine good) but I do think getting the required help from a good trainer and working on it yourself must be better, otherwise the dog will surely fall back into old patterns as your not doing anything different. I know what you are saying and to a point I agree with it. I am letting him down through my own failures not only to understand his problem; it being a fear of other dogs, but in not having the knowledge to deal with it. I suppose what I need is some breathing space and if some of the smaller issues can be ironed out I can work with a trainer at a later stage. I suspect he has had no socialisation and in his current state it's unlikely to happen. I have put over 18 months of work into him already with only a little to show for it. I know he has the intelligence to achieve so what I need is a better starting position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evei Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I know what you are saying and to a point I agree with it. I am letting him down through my own failures not only to understand his problem; it being a fear of other dogs, but in not having the knowledge to deal with it. I suppose what I need is some breathing space and if some of the smaller issues can be ironed out I can work with a trainer at a later stage. I suspect he has had no socialisation and in his current state it's unlikely to happen. I have put over 18 months of work into him already with only a little to show for it. I know he has the intelligence to achieve so what I need is a better starting position. Mine was dog aggressive. It took two years to get him to an acceptable stage and the last year he has mixed pretty well. He is overly bossy in his initial meetings still but I know his body language so well and have a good control so can generally see a problem arising and stop it before it starts. The biggest thing was getting him around other dogs and him learning from them, once they can do this they come on in leaps and bounds. We started slow with onlead walking around known dogs and indoor training classes and built up to growl classes and well controlled agility classes. We used a muzzle to get to this stage safely. (about 2 years, half of it was bloody dreadful) For the last year he then has been allowed his muzzle off with dogs he knows well and now we are at the stage of muzzle off in most situations as he has learnt to be told off by other dogs and not react. The first 2 years felt like we were getting nowhere so I know how you feel! Nicest thing is going to the park and people saying they remembered how bad he was and that they cannot believe he is the same dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlyJ Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Mine was dog aggressive. It took two years to get him to an acceptable stage and the last year he has mixed pretty well. He is overly bossy in his initial meetings still but I know his body language so well and have a good control so can generally see a problem arising and stop it before it starts. The biggest thing was getting him around other dogs and him learning from them, once they can do this they come on in leaps and bounds. We started slow with onlead walking around known dogs and indoor training classes and built up to growl classes and well controlled agility classes. We used a muzzle to get to this stage safely. (about 2 years, half of it was bloody dreadful) For the last year he then has been allowed his muzzle off with dogs he knows well and now we are at the stage of muzzle off in most situations as he has learnt to be told off by other dogs and not react. The first 2 years felt like we were getting nowhere so I know how you feel! Nicest thing is going to the park and people saying they remembered how bad he was and that they cannot believe he is the same dog! Hi Tsar, I totally agree with Evie on this one. My Max was very rude around other dogs and didn't know how to deal with being told off (rightly so) for his bad manners. I tried all the books and eventually booked him into 2, yes 2 separate residential training schools. I thought I was doing it all wrong, which I found out later, that I partly was. The residential experiences cost a fortune. The first one was quite successful but I realised that as I wasn't there for the training, no amount of 'training me' was going to replicate what happened at the school, with hour after hour of corrections. Max responded for a little while, but still got barmy and bouncy around other dogs. The second experience was truly awful. A school in Notts which promised the earth and delivered absolutely nothing at all. There was no evidence of any training at all and the training DVD they promised me was 'lost'. The proprietor gave me no advice about how I should do anything and he came back from there with worms and fleas.... Since then (this was a couple of years ago), I have tried to be consistent with him and the best thing that happened was that I was recommended a trainer called Emma Darbyshire who had stopped a friend of mine's dog from being pts because of its behaviour. I had about 6 sessions with her on a weekly basis and she honestly taught me more about how to deal with Max's bad manners than anyone ever had before. This was a year ago and Max now plays really well with other dogs (once I've checked his body language and theirs). He can do agility and gun dog training with other dogs around and doesn't bother with them and last week we had a friend over with her 8 week old puppy, in out house and Max was perfectly behaved the whole time, even with this pup bouncing around and nipping him. I can honestly say that the residential training was a waste of time and money because you will never do exactly what they do and the dog knows that. I can'y recommend Emma highly enough, and no I am no relation or even friend!! I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsar Chasm Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Fairly unanimous then. Desperation leads you to try anything I suppose. I'll go down the conventional road then and organise a trainer to explain where i'm going wrong. He's an incredibly beautiful dog even by Shepherd standards and I want him to be relaxed in the world. Evie I was thinking just the other day how good it will be to hear people say what a pill he USED to be. Aly do you have any more details you can PM me about Emma? Willman, thanks for your input, much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsar Chasm Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 One other thing before I go. He's pretty nervous and very strong a consequence of this is that it's only myself that walks him. A knock on effect of this is he panics when I go out without him which has led to an increase in his barking. This i'm hoping will moderate as he becomes more confident. Is that a logical conclusion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H_Hounds Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Without being able to witness his behaviour, it sounds pretty fair to me. My oldest great dane, skye, used to be extremely aggressive to other dogs and it has taken us two years to get her to a 'calm' state but she will never be allowed to mix with dogs she doesnt know. wev had her three years now and shes four in may, and only my husband can walk her otherwise she regresses right back to when we first got her. thankfully she has tremendous respect for my husband and he only has to point his finger to the sky and she speeds over, throws her bum on the floor and gives him paw. he never even taught her that she just wants to please him so badly lol. i would definitely recommend using a trainer and I know how they can get you down. maybe you should have a long weekend away before you start your training and start a fresh with a clear mind. going to PM you the number of my trainer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsar Chasm Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Without being able to witness his behaviour, it sounds pretty fair to me. My oldest great dane, skye, used to be extremely aggressive to other dogs and it has taken us two years to get her to a 'calm' state but she will never be allowed to mix with dogs she doesnt know. wev had her three years now and shes four in may, and only my husband can walk her otherwise she regresses right back to when we first got her. thankfully she has tremendous respect for my husband and he only has to point his finger to the sky and she speeds over, throws her bum on the floor and gives him paw. he never even taught her that she just wants to please him so badly lol. i would definitely recommend using a trainer and I know how they can get you down. maybe you should have a long weekend away before you start your training and start a fresh with a clear mind. going to PM you the number of my trainer This eejit is clueless with how to behave with dogs and has no real comprehension of his own species language Weekends! ......Away! .......I'm unfamiliar with these customs. Tell me, are they synonymous with others i've heard 'feet up' and 'relax' ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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