Calling all dog trainers!

mrtentaclenun

Help! My dogs are nightmares!

I have a 4 year old male corgi, and a 5 year old female beagle (both are fixed). They are adorable as all get out but I cannot take them anywhere! They embarrass me with how they pull and drag me around, how they bark CONSTANTLY and try to jump on everyone they see, how they don't listen to me! I am so jealous of my neighbor, who has a 4 year old sheltie who just walks around with him, enjoying the day, calm as can be, and not even on a leash. Doesn't bark or jump, just walks around with his owner. I WANT THAT! I want my dogs to be like that! But they DO NOT listen to me ( It is heart breaking. If I have a cookie and they are inside they will sit/lay down/shake hands/ etc but outside, or if someone else is around, it just isn't going to happen.

I cannot afford a dog trainer (the corgi went to petsmart training once and dropped out...) so this is all on me! Any tips? How do I get them to be well behaved!

Contrarian

Well you have certainly come to the right place! I know there are TONS of dog trainers here that will be able to help. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

AZTrailRunner

I train dogs for a living, and have to warn against seeking open advice on the forum. It's not that me and other trainers don't like helping, but training dogs is more than just following a few tips. It usually involves a relationship with a trainer who will be with you throughout the process, to answer questions, and provide more guidance when there are snags.

What you will get here is a lot of advice; good, bad, and other. The problem is, unless you are a trainer you won't be able to identify the good advice from the bad, and could easily make your problems worse.

I say this not to be a jerk, but just to offer a word of caution about filtering the advice. Personally, I love the book Ruff Love. For $15, you can get started in the right direction, and within a month be able to see if your problems still exist.

Good luck. :happy:

tam120

http://www.cesarsway.com/

livnlite

What you can not afford is to have badly spoiled dogs. Getting them to listen to you will be hard to learn through tips over the internet. It would be difficult to learn calm assertive behaviour by reading about it only. Learning by example would be so much easier. It's not about learning a few tricks here and there. Although, being informed is half the battle. Educating yourself about dog behaviour is always a great idea. So you can understand why they do what they do, and correct behaviour problems. Good luck!

Dropping out of a Pet Smart training class? Was that the dog or YOU?

grassette

A Sheltie is unique. A dog that reads your mind, and WANTS to obey. We had one. They are irreplaceable.

Now with a Collie and a Llasa Apso. Rambuctious full grown collie too. And stubborn little Llasa Apso.

Teach your dogs a single word command with a hand gesture. Command for not jumping on people: down. With hand at 90 Degree angle, palm facing down.

Walking with a leash. Get a choke collar for training. Dogs will quickly learn not to pull. Once they know how to do that, tTrain the dog to heel, using a sharp pull on the leash whenever the dog starts to walk a step ahead of you.

Walking the dogs: carry sliced hot dog weiners. Let the dogs know you have them. When another dog, person comes along the path, anticipate their arrival by allowing dog to smell the treat. That will get their full attention. When the person/dog has passed by, reward yours. Progress from that to giving them a treat everytime someone goes by and they don't react.

foremant86

http://www.cesarsway.com/

ugh do not listen to cesar, his methods are so outdated it's not even funny.

AZTrailRunner

http://www.cesarsway.com/

ugh do not listen to cesar, his methods are so outdated it's not even funny.

^^^ AGREED!!!

kayleeblue

http://www.cesarsway.com/

ugh do not listen to cesar, his methods are so outdated it's not even funny.

^^^ AGREED!!!

I though I was the only one that felt that way!! Good Luck! You have your work cut out for you. Remember patience and repetition and lots of it! .

MrsCon40

http://www.cesarsway.com/

ugh do not listen to cesar, his methods are so outdated it's not even funny.

^^^ AGREED!!!

No one should listen to that jerk. Dominance theory, my *kitten*.

Unfortunately, training is PART of the cost of dog ownership just like food and veterinary bills. You need to consult with a professional who can meet your dogs in person and assist you with a training plan.

:flowerforyou:

foremant86

As others have said it's very hard to offer advice without really seeing your dogs in person and understand their personalities.

what works for one dog doesn't always work for another.

I personally have never paid for a dog trainer but I've studied a lot of different training techniques that I use with my dogs and have had great success.

also please do not use a Choke collar, they are dangerous and can seriously harm a dogs throat/trachea. If you buy any kind of training collar, make it a halti or a pinch collar. But pinch collars are not meant for all dogs, some dogs react badly to them and others dog fine, i personally use one for one of my dogs and it works wonders but I tried using one on my brother's border collie and he completely shut down.

Also with training your dogs it's best to take them out one at a time so that they do not feed off of each other's energy and make it more difficult for you.

StrengthIsBeautiful

A personal trainer (for your dog), one that comes to your house and will go on walks and to the park with you, is worth their weight in GOLD.