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So I'm taking my dog to a trainer

2K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Kaimeju 
#1 ·
I am pretty much at wits end and broke down an decided to hire a trainer. My year old gsd whom I love dearly will not stop jumping and play biting with my kids. Every time it seems like we are getting better we take two steps back. I've tried everything training my kids and the dog. How much success does everyone think this trainer thing has!? I really don't want to get rid of him. Has anyone had success with a trainer that they didn't have trying to do it yourself ?


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#3 ·
there are great trainers and there are wannabe trainers. listen to them but if things arent working for you then get a new one.

how much exercise is the dog getting? you shouldnt have to get rid of the dog. the dog just needs CONSISTENT rules and boundaries.
 
#6 ·
I am taking him to a trainer that was highly recommended at the dog park I go to. And their dog was very well mannered. I just don't want to pay for something, then it doesn't get fixed and they want more money and more money and by the time you know it I'm broke. I'm not asking for him to be a police dog, just jumping, biting and paying attention to commands while distracted.


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#14 · (Edited)
IMHO this is something a good trainer should be able to show you how to fix in one or two sessions. This is not a complex problem. The trainer gives you the tools to make the changes yourself with the dog, the dog does not change overnight, you have to follow through with the advice given. But I should think it would be easy for a good trainer to impart a training plan to you.

Definitely don't do like I did and get roped into canine special ed reactive dog classes that cost hundreds of dollars. It had better be someone with a lot of experience-just remember anyone can hang out a sign and say they rehabilitate dogs. If you get a gut feeling that more sessions won't help, you're probably right.


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#10 ·
What are you asking exactly? I can't quite follow.

The trainer is not going to fix the problem of the dog jumping and mouthing. You have to fix that. And you have to do it, like Bailif said, by changing how you live and interact with your dog. Whatever you (or your kids) are doing now is rewarding the behavior; that's why it isn't going away.

What the trainer should be doing is teaching you what you're doing wrong right now, and what you should do to decrease the behaviors you don't want and increase the behaviors you do want.

After that it's up to you to follow through by changing your own behavior accordingly and being consistent with those changes. If you don't do that, the program will fail.

This is one of those issues that's really really easy to fix with the dog but sometimes impossibly difficult to fix on the human end of the leash.
 
#12 ·
In answer to your question then, yes, I have had great experiences with my trainer when I was not able to work through an issue. She was able to point out what was going on with my pup, how he was thinking and helped me see the cues the pup was giving. She helped me design a training technique and helped me with timing so that my dog knew exactly what I wanted and how he could get rewarded. A good trainer is worth her/his weight in gold and then some.

Good luck. Be open minded.
 
#13 ·
The first trainer, not so much. But that was my ignorance and a matter of convenience. I had to move 2000 miles away literally overnight for work, so thought I could kill two birds with one stone by putting the dogs into residency training (boarding) while I was finding is a new home. That was a waste of a few thousand dollars.

But then about a year later, I tried again. I located a trainer who trains OB and SchH and competes his own dogs. Someone I felt confident could help me with my rescue GSD. And it has been the best experience ever! He is training ME to train my dog. He sees things I'm doing that I would never recognize, and corrects me, so I'm. It continuing to confuse and middle up my dog. I live rurally, and have to drive 2 hours each way every week to meet with him for an hour, but it has so totally been worth very minute and every penny.

So yes, hiring a trainer can be the lifesaver you're looking for. Just realize, that if the first one doesn't work out it does not mean it's a bad idea, just that wasn't the right trainer for you! And the trainer really is for You, more than for the dog :) the dog's improved OB is your reward.


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