I am stifled, embarrassed, anxious about my dog.

[Parsifal]

JenJay -- you've had great suggestions here, and I love the way KathyW picked up on a couple of essential features.

I'm pretty geographically isolated too, and Annie shows it, although I've socialized her since she was a pup by taking her to Petsmart and Farmers markets at least once a week. You may not ever have a dog who's totally comfortable in public, but you CAN have a dog who is well-mannered and reliable in public situations.

Some DVDs that will help and that I consider essential -- you can probably get them through the library (I did) --

Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas
The Language of Dogs Starring by Sarah Kalnajs
Really Reliable Recall by Leslie Nelson

And one of my favorite, favorite dog books is The Other End of the Leash. Really good, really pleasant to read. If you don't enjoy reading, maybe get audiobooks on dog training instead? I love listening to books when I do my chores or take Annie on walks.

I'm glad you're going to classes -- videos and books are great (especially videos), but there is nothing in the world like a good trainer for really making a difference, and the doggie socialization is very important too.

In a year, I predict, you'll be coming to this forum telling new members, "Don't worry, I've been there, this is how I fixed my problem, I now have a dog I can enjoy anywhere."

Also -- just the act of training and working with your dog will have wonderfully calming and confidence building effects on YOU! Trust me -- you'll come out of this feeling pretty great about yourself and your dog. And there is no better companion in the world than a well-trained GSD.

There's a section somewhere on this forum that recommends dog training books, videos, etc.

Best of luck. Let us know how it goes.

[LouCastle]

Originally Posted By: KathyW
I am not an advocate of an ecollar but again used corectly by a professional it is aeffective tool for many kinds of behavior but I do not think fear aggression is one of them. Discard the ecollar unless you are studying under Lou Castle who is the only ecollar trainer I would consider.

Yikes, high praise indeed! Thanks very much Kathy.

I treat fear aggression with an Ecollar in a round–about way. I merely teach the recall and the sit with the Ecollar per the methods described on my website

There are two anecdotes there, one written by me and one by someone else who used this method to fix this issue. Both dogs were highly fear aggressive and both dogs responded to JUST THIS METHOD of dealing with the issue. You can read one story here. Roma's Story. And the other one here, Simon's Story

My theory of why this works is in Roma's Story.

[Parsifal]

Lou -- fascinating. Liked your explanation of why the ecollar worked. The comment by Roma's owner about the inappropriately painful stim levels of the cheap e-collars, even at low levels, should probably be placed in flashing lights....

I couldn't tell from the article -- does Roma always need the ecollar, or does she go without it now that she's discovered the non-fight/flight response?

[LouCastle]

Originally Posted By: ParsifalI couldn't tell from the article -- does Roma always need the ecollar, or does she go without it now that she's discovered the non-fight/flight response?

In this case the Ecollar wasn't used specifically to teach the dog OB. It was used to teach her that the world was not a frightening place. Once she learned that, the Ecollar was no longer necessary.

But I advocate that dogs who are taught OB with it wear the Ecollar all the time just for insurance purposes. Keep in mind that a dog is a living, thinking organism that at any time, can decide to disobey a command. When that happens in a life threatening situation, for example, failing to recall when running towards a busy street, the Ecollar is the ONLY tool that allows you the chance to remind your dog that obeying commands is not an option.

But there are many people who want to remove the Ecollar after the dog is trained. SAR handlers, PSD (Police Service Dog) handlers and people who compete in the sports can't have the Ecollar on the dog during certifications or competitions. There's a method on my site that I suggest to wean the dog off the Ecollar.

[Kayos and Havoc]

Roma's story is extremely inspiring. At the risk of hijacking this thread....I just applied to join the forum on Lou's website. I am interested in learning more about e collars as another tool in my bag.


"back on topic now"

[Sarah'sSita]

I found good Info for my Female at http://www.k9aggression.com

Good luck.

[Kayos and Havoc]

What happened to the OP?

[Karin]

Originally Posted By: KathyWWhat happened to the OP?

I was wondering the same thing!

[Kayos and Havoc]

I hope we did not scare her off. I would love to see her suceed with her dog.

[puppymamma]

Hi JenJay -
I understand your pain, mine is tricky in training too. It sounds like you have a great area to be walking and really exercising your dog. I wouldn't want to leash at that time either. However, if your dog Knows his is free to disobey your commands when she is free, that's not working. Too much choice for the dog. If she disobeys the recall when walking, go get her and put her back on leash for a while and then try again in the same walk. Of course praising when she does recall. She'll learn soon enough that she has to earn the freedom you give her on a walk.
Good luck.