[quote]5.0 wrote:
Blacksnake wrote:
The solution to all your needs…
Thanks, Blacksnake.
And as always, I appreciate your never ending efforts on your “War on Test…” thread.[/quote]
Glad to be of service…and glad someone is reading the “War on Test” thread, I sometimes wonder, since it does take a bit of work to do it…
[quote]Miss Parker wrote:
streamline wrote:
A dog will only obey the Alpha Male, so put some bark in your voice when you speak to them.
False. Our dogs obey every human in the family, children included. Sorry, Streamline, not trying to be rude, I’m just sayin’.
One method that might help your dogs off leash is to walk them individually on leash, using continually longer leashes (you can use one of those long retractable leashes or even a rope). Let them go to the end of the leash and periodically call them back, for no apparent reason.
This just gets them used to automatically returning when they are called. Always use the same command to call them,so they associate that sound with returning to you. Praise them immediately for compliance. Insist that they return to you with a tug on the leash if they don’t do so immediately, and stop walking.
This shows them that nobody’s going anywhere until they return on your command. And as streamline says, put some bark in your voice. Then, when they’ve had a string of successes, start letting them go for brief periods off leash, as they earn it by quick return when you call.
The freedom of being off leash is the positive reinforcer, along with lots of praise & petting for any small improvement. If you don’t have time to walk the dogs separately, you can walk them together, but let them off leash individually. [/quote]
I meant to thank you for that, Miss Parker. Good advice.
[quote]5.0 wrote:
I meant to thank you for that, Miss Parker. Good advice.[/quote]
It’s my pleasure!
Read “How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend,” by the Monks of New Skete. It’s a classic.
If they are in your area, I highly recommend the K9 University training facilities, if you choose to go through a training program. We adopted our latest dog and he had gone through their training, and I have nothing but great things to say about everyone there and the effectiveness of their program. Titus still perks up whenever he sees his old trainer… I almost think he likes him better than he likes us! They are also great at working with “problem” dogs.
And yes, it’s a lot of time, effort, but so worth it.
[quote]sluicy wrote:
Read “How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend,” by the Monks of New Skete. It’s a classic.
If they are in your area, I highly recommend the K9 University training facilities, if you choose to go through a training program. We adopted our latest dog and he had gone through their training, and I have nothing but great things to say about everyone there and the effectiveness of their program. Titus still perks up whenever he sees his old trainer… I almost think he likes him better than he likes us! They are also great at working with “problem” dogs.
And yes, it’s a lot of time, effort, but so worth it. [/quote]
I’m reading their “The Art of Raising a Puppy” right now. My wife just read Cesar’s book. The major common threads seem to be consistency, exercise and time commitment and energy from the owner, although there are also several other points where their methods intersect. They both recommend crating, which we have done since day one and it really works. This doesn’t mean leaving them in a crate all day or using it to punish them. If nothing else, they have been enlightening books as far as the instincts of dogs and how they think and react.
We are lucky in that our 12 week old Goldendoodle came healthy and well-adjusted from the breeder. We still have a LONG way to go, but she is already housebroken and going all night without needing to go out. As with all pups, she is highly energetic and she is teething, so she nips a lot. We have 3 kids 10 and under, and we are trying to get the puppy to respect each of them and nipping is a big issue there, particularly with my youngest(5 y/o). I can already see the methods working.
A big key seems to be routine exercise for sufficient lengths of time. They call for far more exercise than I would have expected or was prepared for. For example, Cesar calls for a 1 hour walk first thing in the morning. The monks call for 3-4 decent walks per day. Neither of these is realistic for us, but we have been working her vigorously at least 2x/day. I did some sprint intervals with her at 6 am today for about 15 minutes before her breakfast and my wife walks her in the afternoon/evening and there will be some playtime interspersed throughout. In short, it seems it takes a lot of diligence when training a dog, but from what I understand, it is well worth it down the road. We are by no means experts on the subject, but I feel like we’re well ahead of the game just by having read these books. I can’t imagine the disservice to our dog we would be doing had we not read them because some of the concepts are not innate to humans. We’ve had a lot of “aha” moments.
DB
[quote] I did some sprint intervals with her at 6 am today for about 15 minutes before her breakfast
[/quote]
Ha, I bet she loved that. I worked for a veterinarian for a year and a half and man, Goldendoodles are the most hyperactive dogs I have ever seen! They have fantastic temperament though and it sounds like you guys will be great for her.
two dogs are a whole different ball game…definitely need to be seperate while you train them…like out of the house and off the property seperate. you’ll have to be absolutely consistent in their training if you ever want them to pay you more mind than each other when they’re together.
Yeah, I’m a fan of Cesar Millan and his English counterpart, although I forget her name. I love watching their shows. Very hands on, but in a good, assertive, non-violent way.