What Dog Owners Do...

Grimmerick

I was one of those that never did much research and went out and picked up a pound puppy. She is great and I have given her a good and loving home. She has survived and thrived 3 years without training besides sit, and stay which common sense can train. However, to make it easier for dog and owner training is definitely necessary. So now we are training with a dog behaviorist to help her become more socialized. She has always been very friendly just spazzy at first. If I did my research first I probably wouldn't have gotten a dog at all. So I am glad I didn't do much research. Now it is about my girl and tweaking her to be comfortable in any situation. after a while of having her I realize at some point training is necessary. But If i had done my research she might already be dead in the kill shelter I got her from. Sometimes being a little untrained is better than being dead. She always has the chance to be trained............but not if she is dead.

I like your story. I love that you tried, and I love that you took the time to teach sit and stay.

The reason I emphasize on research is simply because most people aren't ready for the commitment of a dog and just go on impulse. A dog shouldn't be an impulse by for most people, but hey, if they're responsible enough to teach the basics and take them to the vet, I'm happy. Everyone is different.

I do see where you are coming from as far as people that get dogs then realize they are too much trouble so they either get rid of them or treat them like crap...............that pisses me off and those people can go walk in front of a train. I knew when I got her that she would never ever worry about living anywhere else but with me. She will be with me until one of us goes and if I go first the she goes straight to my parents or my brother. I made the commitment and she might as well have been birthed from my own loins, she is my dog baby. I just wish everyone could be committed and intelligent about it because in that situation the wrong animal is the one that suffers.

Susabelle64

I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!

I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!

As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!

And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL

When I say I choke chain I mean one with a restriction on the closure size, of course - even they're rare in the UK

I've always called that a martingale

Susabelle64

My husky/border collie cross has never been very good on the lead, despite all the different lead and training variations I've tried. My pure border collie walks perfectly to heel off of the lead, so it's slightly frustrating she just doesn't 'get it'. I started off with a regular leather collar and have tried Halti's, gentle leaders, two different harnesses, and a half choke collar. I'm not sure prong collars are even legal here in the UK, but if they are I've never seen one used. The only thing I have left to try with her is a full choke but I'd really rather not.

She's attended dog training weekly since she was 16 weeks old, and training started as soon as we got her home as a pup. One day, one day...

On another note, she recalls and obeys distance commands perfectly fine off of the lead. She's a free-spirit.

Some dogs no matter what conventional tools are used just like to pull. period. I had a friend who was a trainer and also had a puller, what she did was use a very long leash, she attached to a flat collar, brought it around the dogs hind quarters and back to the front to loop it around itself once. When the dog pulls, the leash will actually pull the hindquarters in forcing the dog into a sit. Loose the dog can walk just fine, but soon as they pull ahead, tightens across the hindquarters....sit. It takes some coordination to do this but it is very effective in dogs especially difficult with pulling.

SuffolkSally

I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!

I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!

As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!

And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL

When I say I choke chain I mean one with a restriction on the closure size, of course - even they're rare in the UK

I've always called that a martingale

Which I guess is technically correct - in the UK the same sort of arrangement is also called a martingale but is made of fabric and used for sighthounds such as greyhounds, whippets, lurchers etc because they have long delicate easily damaged necks and tend to lunge after prey, so they're safer with something wide and soft which spreads the load and checks the impending sprint at start without choking the dog.

Can't imagine one made of metal ever being used here - certainly one designed to use inward facing prongs would attract a lot of negative attention to the owner.

rbjd2004

I struggled with my dog for the first 6-7 months that I owned him. He was so easy to train with most aspects of basic obedience, and I tried different leash training methods and harnesses but no matter what I did he just wanted to drag me around all the time. I went to trainers and even began working at a socialization/training facility about 5 months in so that I could further educate myself (I eventually became a trainer myself, but that was long after my "Ah hah!" moment). I often found myself frustrated and even got to the point where I didn't want to walk him at all anymore.

From the get-go I wanted a dog that could eventually jog with me daily, so I quickly lost patience with his behavior in the beginning because I was in it for the workout companion, not the training. A lot of people gave me advice, and of course I tried to jump right into the walk and treat method. Too bad my dog wasn't a mind reader. Once I began to view our walks as training exercises, not as cardio workouts, I saw quick results. The video posted earlier in the thread is fantastic. So what if for the first 5 days or so we only made it about 10 feet in ten minutes? Lots of stopping and figure 8's worked wonders.

I was the typical frustrated 1st time puppy owner (though I had grown up with dogs in a house, this was my first apartment dog and the first dog that I trained on my own) and like many of us dieters, I just wanted to see the results. Once I changed my attitude and expectations, he began to respond; he probably taught me more about my own patience and psychology than any person ever could. I added my second dog Emi to the household 1.5 years after I got him (same age, rescued 65 lb bluetick coonhound mix), trained her, and now I walk or jog with them together daily on easy walk harnesses with loose leashes. They both stay on my right side (I find they are less distracted if I am the buffer between the dogs and any passersby). Wes still needs occasional leash corrections but he quickly moves back into his position.

Struggling with my own patience through having a dog eventually led me to training as a profession (and I think also led me to yoga, better health, and less stress overall - thank you, Wessie!), and helping clients better understand their dogs and rediscover the joy of having dogs is definitely the most rewarding aspect of the profession. Working both as a vet tech and as a trainer, I too have encountered many disturbing, sad, and misguided attitudes out there. Don't even get me started on some of the behavior I've seen (often times even defended by the owners) at dog parks - honestly, I just don't go anymore.

There is nothing wrong with using a prong collar properly. Unfortunately, much like the techniques used in certain training TV shows, some tools can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Kudos to those who use training tools and techniques properly.

Sorry I wrote a novel, lol.