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Met with a trainer tonite...

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  llombardo 
#1 ·
Midnite needs some work, but its not that bad and I should be able to get him going in the right direction. The trainer believes he is well bred and someone probably spent a good amount of money on him, but had no idea what they were getting into. She did a couple of things with him to see his reactions to other dogs. First she took out a life like small stuffed dog and put it about a half block down. We walked with Midnite and when he got closer, he put his head down, which she said was good. Then he continued to nose the fake dog and knock it down. Problem one is that Midnite does not know how to properly greet other dogs and he goes right for their face. She brought her husky out and he reacted like I thought he would and it took a minute for him to calm down. His threshold in distance for other dogs is about 20-25 ft right now. At that distance he is less focused and easier to manage. Higher value treats are going to have to be given during this training. He also liked the squeaky ball and when another dog got closer you could see him chewing on the ball harder, she said that could be a problem down the road. By the time the fourth dog walked by he was easy to distract. She gave me a couple tips...carry treats and if he starts to get reactive throw a handful so that he has to hunt them and forgets the other dog and she also had me walking him and making a quick turn telling him follow me, that worked for him to. When I put him in the car she brought out her Leonberger and he was interested, but not as serious. Another trick that works is for me to walk away, as focused as he is on other dogs, he is still watching me and will follow. She doesn't think he needs a reactivity class, so we are going to try a regular small class with him. She will have barriers that are made for dogs like him. She didn't see any aggressiveness, but he gets really excited and just doesn't know what to do. This probably comes from him having no socialization with other dogs and no training. She thinks that he will be fine with some work...I'm happy that I will be able to do something with him. She thinks he would be great at nosework, so we will see. One day at a time....
 
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#2 ·
That test sounded goofy. My dog would bark out of suspicion at a fake dog, they arent dumb enough to think its real. Also it sounds like you expect certain bad behavior based on your experience- forget the past, once in the class your dog will do great as long as you expect that.
 
#3 ·
I can only hope he does well in class, he likes to learn, but I can't put any other dogs in danger either. I have to learn how to manage him for him to succeed.
 
#7 ·
I have never used or had to use these corrections, I would love to be able not to use them. The way I see it, for two weeks he was thrown in to a house with 5 cats and he has never seen a cat in his life. He is now ignoring them for the most part and now starting to walk away when they swat at him...HUGE for him. This has been done with consistency and management, but I still don't let my guard down. The most correction he has gotten is a firm no and depending on the situation it has worked and it hasn't. He is a very strong dog, biggest concern is him redirecting his excited reactivity on me...There is no trying to stop him when he gets in that mode. At the pet store I had biscuits in my hand when he got to this point...he took the biscuits out of my hand and threw them. He almost throws a tantrum, he reminds me of a child going through the worst terrible two's that are possible. Since he has never been taught he has no manners. Teaching manners to a strong willed one year old male working line is not as easy as I thought.
 
#5 ·
At this point listen to your trainer....they see things that you don't in terms of your dogs reactions. Based on that they suggest certain methodology they feel will best work for YOU and the dog. Remember...fixing this is going to be team effort from both of you....the trainer has to factor in your ability to execute certain methodology in coming up with a fix. As a person who does this( trainer/behaviorist), I can tell you that very often it's the owner that makes it difficult to remediate certain issues. Not purposely, but because they are incapable of executing plan correctly unless trainer is right there to assist. So work closely with your trainer....and I would not subject your trainers methods to an Internet scrutiny unless there is something you feel is grossly wrong. Sounds like your trainer is approaching this reasonably.....good luck!
 
#6 ·
Thank you for this...I do trust this trainer and she told me exactly what I already knew, but didn't know how to go about it. I have to say I was pretty close to what she was saying to do, but now I know exactly. She had some good ideas and really they are very simple things that can be done to get this done right. Midnite doesn't know it yet, but I've set up goals for both of us and because he is attached to me(trainer said that he has bonded to me nicely), we will make it work. This dog has had zero socialization and training..I can't feel sorry for him, I have to work with him and show him what is expected. I really despise people that get a dog like this and do nothing with him, then get rid of him because of that. There is no way that someone without commitment or previous GSD experience could own this dog.
 
#8 ·
I am going to go to another trainer to get him evaluated. I have a feeling she will tell me the same thing, but it doesn't hurt to get more ideas. She has lots of experience with mals and working line GSD's. I am prepared to do everything necessary.
 
#10 ·
After everything I've read, I have no doubt this is a Czech line GSD.

He may as well be Hans's darker brother, but with much higher drive. Hans did have a brother like your dog, but the breeder didn't choose him for us.

I do think he needs a job. Given what he does with putting his nose to the ground, I think tracking would be an excellent outlet for him.
Train him, and he will be the best dog you've ever had.
 
#11 · (Edited)
We made some progress today. I know that he feels my tension around other dogs, so I decided to go somewhere where I knew the dogs were safe. We went to Petsmart where they have doggy day care. They are behind the glass and I know he can't get them:D, so I was much more relaxed. We walked past those dogs about 50 times and I had venison with me. He did not react once and remained focused on me. It was good because they were only 5 ft away, but SAFE. As we left there were a couple dogs at the check out line and leaving...he remained focus on me, well the venison, but that is a start. He is actually quite calm and relaxed in his crate. Exercise both mental and physical are going to be key here.
 
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