up against the odds

[onyx'girl]

I see many of the 'kennel dogs only taken out to train' as being a bit unbalanced, crate spinners and a bit over the top with their energy....they leak drive by whining or barking when doing obedience. Some are dog reactive or aggressive as they are fence fighting w/ the other dogs in the kennels.
They may perform well in trial but living with a dog in that way is equal to living with a piece of equipment, I'd rather have a companion who I can enjoy as often as possible.

[huntergreen]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

I see many of the 'kennel dogs only taken out to train' as being a bit unbalanced, crate spinners and a bit over the top with their energy....they leak drive by whining or barking when doing obedience. Some are dog reactive or aggressive as they are fence fighting w/ the other dogs in the kennels.
They may perform well in trial but living with a dog in that way is equal to living with a piece of equipment, I'd rather have a companion who I can enjoy as often as possible.

this.....

[DollBaby]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

I see many of the 'kennel dogs only taken out to train' as being a bit unbalanced, crate spinners and a bit over the top with their energy....they leak drive by whining or barking when doing obedience. Some are dog reactive or aggressive as they are fence fighting w/ the other dogs in the kennels.
They may perform well in trial but living with a dog in that way is equal to living with a piece of equipment, I'd rather have a companion who I can enjoy as often as possible.

Exactly... don't fry his mind

[Capone22]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

I see many of the 'kennel dogs only taken out to train' as being a bit unbalanced, crate spinners and a bit over the top with their energy....they leak drive by whining or barking when doing obedience. Some are dog reactive or aggressive as they are fence fighting w/ the other dogs in the kennels.
They may perform well in trial but living with a dog in that way is equal to living with a piece of equipment, I'd rather have a companion who I can enjoy as often as possible.

What a sad life

[lhczth]

My dogs are companions first. They are not sport's equipment to be stuffed away into a crate or kennel until I want to play. I have titled 4 dogs and they get to play, lie on the couch, play with stuffed toys (Deja is on the couch with one right now) and sleep on the bed. Enjoy your dog.

[Yoschi's_Pet_Human]

Originally Posted by lhczth

My dogs are companions first. They are not sport's equipment to be stuffed away into a crate or kennel until I want to play. I have titled 4 dogs and they get to play, lie on the couch, play with stuffed toys (Deja is on the couch with one right now) and sleep on the bed. Enjoy your dog.

Like I said, I want my dog as a companion, first and foremost.. we do crate when not at home to keep him from destroying our house and to keep him safe... we have a large pond in our backyard and he's not able to get out on his own yet if he falls in...

The part of my question that hasn't been answered yet is with consistency... I know to not repeat commands or overuse his name etc... my family doesn't pay any mind to these suggestions ... it's the lack of consistency that I'm worried about.

[Liesje]

Just use different commands. My family doesn't know my dog's real commands

[CainGSD]

Agree on the two sets of commands....dog club friends and myself use "house" commands such as go lay down which means put your dog self down somewhere with a toy and relax versus "Platz" I want a straight immediate down with your attention on me and to stay there until the I give you the next direction. I use a "walk" command with me not pulling on the lead but not in any formal position or pace. The "formal" commands are used for training and trialing and not used by others with my dog.

She is funny even if someone tries....her head whips around and she looks at me like "REALLY?"

[hunterisgreat]

Originally Posted by wolfstraum

I was told the same thing by a trainer when I got my black Sch3 dog at 8 weeks....

Lee

He was already SchH3 at 8 weeks??! Please pm me this trainer, I can learn much from someone with this sort of training record and prowess!

(I know, but that's how I processed that sentence on the first read lol)

[cindy_s]

I did have a problem with my now older dog that I was TRYING to do AKC OB with. My BF would give him a command, and if the dog didn't comply, it was no big deal. He would do things like play ball with him and tell him to sit. If the dog didn't sit, BF would still throw the ball. He would say, "He (the dog) doesn't have to unless he wants to". I just had to give up. I bought a second dog with full intent to do SchH with her. She is trained in German for competition, and BF is not allowed under any circumstances to use those commands. He does not 'play' (ie. throw a ball) with her, but she is allowed to hang out with him all the time. I work nights, and the two of them spend a great deal of time together. My dog isn't crated. She is a companion dog unless it's work time. It has worked out GREAT! I was told when I started SchH, that you are going to mess up your first dog. I took my AKC OB dog as my 'mess up' dog. This one may or may not work out. But, go to training and learn everything you can. If it doesn't work out, you'll be way ahead of the game in knowledge, and you can get your OWN dog!