Don't Pet My Dog!

[lrayburn]

I tried the body harnesses, and they just got better at pulling (because it's so much easier to pull when you're in a harness - they are, after all, designed for pulling). I believe they work well with some dogs, but mine just thought they were running the Iditarod.

This is totally true for regular harnesses but not for an Easy Walk or Sense-ible harness where the leash attaches to the front center of the chest. Honestly, I love it when people teach their dogs to walk nicely onleash without the use of a 'gadget' but 90% of the people in my classes simply are not disciplined or patient enough themselves to do it . In those cases, I'd rather use a humane tool to make it happen then have the dog spend it's life pulling on its collar. Congrats to you for pulling it off. I always discourage the use of regular body harnesses because, as you said, they just encourage pulling.

Janie ~ It sounds like you are making good progress anyway! What sort of a puppy is it?

I'm amazed by all you people who actually teach your children to ask before petting dogs, I seem to constantly be training other peoples children for them . I had a 6-7 yr old boy try to climb in my car a couple of months ago as I was trying to unload the dogs. Thank goodness the dogs were still in their crates because, despite years of desensitizing them to children, I can only imagine their reaction at a strange child climbing in their car. I actually had to grab him by the arm while his mother was busy yakking on her cell phone. Seriously?!?!?

Lisa

 

[janie1234]

This is totally true for regular harnesses but not for an Easy Walk or Sense-ible harness where the leash attaches to the front center of the chest. Honestly, I love it when people teach their dogs to walk nicely onleash without the use of a 'gadget' but 90% of the people in my classes simply are not disciplined or patient enough themselves to do it . In those cases, I'd rather use a humane tool to make it happen then have the dog spend it's life pulling on its collar. Congrats to you for pulling it off. I always discourage the use of regular body harnesses because, as you said, they just encourage pulling.

Janie ~ It sounds like you are making good progress anyway! What sort of a puppy is it?

I'm amazed by all you people who actually teach your children to ask before petting dogs, I seem to constantly be training other peoples children for them . I had a 6-7 yr old boy try to climb in my car a couple of months ago as I was trying to unload the dogs. Thank goodness the dogs were still in their crates because, despite years of desensitizing them to children, I can only imagine their reaction at a strange child climbing in their car. I actually had to grab him by the arm while his mother was busy yakking on her cell phone. Seriously?!?!?

Lisa

Thanks Lisa I don't know about progress, . . . I'm trying. I tell you my patience level is challenged much more with my dog than with my children and my son is autistic and my daughter who is 7 thinks she's 27.
Lisa he's smart. Really smart. He knows it too. He's just got some alpha in there too. I don't know what he is actually maybe you can tell me. Shepherd boxer maybe? I have some pictures in my album.
Gosh you know I hate when people don't control their kids around pets. Now that I have a puppy I am more hyper sensitive to people freaking out and saying "Your dog just bit me!" or "He just stained my $200 pants!" from being jumped on. I mean duh, . . .I always warn people and say that he's a puppy he's mouthy and jumpy. People think that just because they've owned a pet that they are the Dog Wisperer and that all dogs love them. I'm just doing what you reccomended and just walking away and telling people that they can't pet him.

 

[lrayburn]

Oh Janie, he's so handsome! He makes me instantly think of an Anatolian shepherd (although his ears don't). I hate to play the "guess that breed" game without actually meeting a dog because temperment and mannerisms can tell you so much too. Anatolians tend to be reserved and require a lot of socialization which doesn't sound like your boy. Of course, it isn't usually two purebred parents in the mix either . Anatolians are primarily used as LGDs (large guardian dogs - they live with and protect their livestock) but are increasingly becoming popular are pets.

I'm the exact opposite, I can be soo patient with a dog or puppy but kids drive me a little batty. Anyway, you said the mouthing was getting better and with a puppy you just spend a LOT of time practicing doing the right things and not doing the wrong things. On the bright side, they grow up quick!

Most puppies at that age don't have any 'alpha' in them. They are just trying to figure out what the rules are. In a normal pack structure, they would be starting to lose their "puppy pass" (older dogs allowing the puppy to behave in ways they would not let another adult dog treat them) so its your job to start making those corrections. If you like to read, Patricia McConnell is absolutely FABULOUS and has several great books and pamphlets available on amazon. I often recommend "Family Friendly Dog Training" or "Beginning Family Dog Training" and "Puppy Primer" available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Friendly-Dog-Training-Program/dp/1891767119/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267206990&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=patricia+mcconnell

Enjoy him and give him a squeeze for me!
Lisa

 

[janie1234]

Oh Janie, he's so handsome! He makes me instantly think of an Anatolian shepherd (although his ears don't). I hate to play the "guess that breed" game without actually meeting a dog because temperment and mannerisms can tell you so much too. Anatolians tend to be reserved and require a lot of socialization which doesn't sound like your boy. Of course, it isn't usually two purebred parents in the mix either . Anatolians are primarily used as LGDs (large guardian dogs - they live with and protect their livestock) but are increasingly becoming popular are pets.

I'm the exact opposite, I can be soo patient with a dog or puppy but kids drive me a little batty. Anyway, you said the mouthing was getting better and with a puppy you just spend a LOT of time practicing doing the right things and not doing the wrong things. On the bright side, they grow up quick!

Most puppies at that age don't have any 'alpha' in them. They are just trying to figure out what the rules are. In a normal pack structure, they would be starting to lose their "puppy pass" (older dogs allowing the puppy to behave in ways they would not let another adult dog treat them) so its your job to start making those corrections. If you like to read, Patricia McConnell is absolutely FABULOUS and has several great books and pamphlets available on amazon. I often recommend "Family Friendly Dog Training" or "Beginning Family Dog Training" and "Puppy Primer" available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Friendly-Dog-Training-Program/dp/1891767119/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267206990&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=patricia+mcconnell

Enjoy him and give him a squeeze for me!
Lisa

Wow how funny. I just checked out the books you suggested and turns out I have them and have read them. When we first started looking we were talking to a GSD rescue. The nice woman who came to the house for a house visit suggested these books too.

By the way I PM you.

 

[lrayburn]

Wow how funny. I just checked out the books you suggested and turns out I have them and have read them. When we first started looking we were talking to a GSD rescue. The nice woman who came to the house for a house visit suggested these books too.

By the way I PM you.

That's great! I love Patricia McConnell. There aren't many trainers that I recommend whole-heartedly but she is one of them. When you are ready to do some advanced reading that isn't focused on training but rather on understanding why we miscommunicate with our dogs as much as we do, check out her book "The Other End of the Leash".

Lisa

 

[Jonezie]

Janie...is this REALLY George?!? In your avatar? Is it my imagination...or has he DOUBLED in size since last month? And is he learning to play tennis?!? LOL! He is too precious! PS...I would first ask if I could pet him and then, if you said yes, roll around on the ground with him in all his puppy glory not caring about my $200 pants. Is that wrong?

I know what you mean about people not asking. When my puppy was first going through his 10 week puppy training (which was as much for me as it was for him), people would inevitably come up to him in the park when we were working on a down stay and speak to him in the most high pitched voice ever. What 6-month-old can resist that? I made a couple of women run away because I said in my most serious voice "No! He's in a down stay!" Of course, after giving him the command to break his down stay, we would run after said women hoping to apologize and explain. They usually just ran raster. Hmmm...what do you think that means?

In any event, my trainer would say DO NOT feel bad about setting your boundary in a firm way. Glad to hear George is walking now!

Jonezie

 

[janie1234]

Janie...is this REALLY George?!? In your avatar? Is it my imagination...or has he DOUBLED in size since last month? And is he learning to play tennis?!? LOL! He is too precious! PS...I would first ask if I could pet him and then, if you said yes, roll around on the ground with him in all his puppy glory not caring about my $200 pants. Is that wrong?

I know what you mean about people not asking. When my puppy was first going through his 10 week puppy training (which was as much for me as it was for him), people would inevitably come up to him in the park when we were working on a down stay and speak to him in the most high pitched voice ever. What 6-month-old can resist that? I made a couple of women run away because I said in my most serious voice "No! He's in a down stay!" Of course, after giving him the command to break his down stay, we would run after said women hoping to apologize and explain. They usually just ran raster. Hmmm...what do you think that means?

In any event, my trainer would say DO NOT feel bad about setting your boundary in a firm way. Glad to hear George is walking now!

Jonezie

Yes Jonezie, . .he has doubled in size!! Welcome back!
I no longer feel bad about saying no. I pretty much say "I wouldn't pet him he is a puppy in training and he's mouthy, . .he'll make you into swiss cheese!" It is hard because this is such a small town, . .you can't fart without the local paper putting it in the newspaper. Yeah the tennis court is the only fenced area where I can train recall off leash. I always joke that he's in training to be a linesman, .. but he'll probably get thrown off the court for missing all the calls.

 

[Afreet]

Janie, when you are working with George, do you invoke your inner drill sergeant?

When I was training my dogs, or working with shelter dogs or whatever, I got lots of advice. I knew what to say, what equipment to try, what books to read, how to use hand signals, how to think about my dogs, blah blah blah. But then one of the ladies I worked with at Rikki's Refuge told me her very simple advice. She said an untrained dog is an emergency situation to her, and that she put dogs through "boot camp". Even though she wanted to pick them up and kiss their noses and treat them like babies, she knew it was "tough love" time and so she just became a drill sergeant around the dogs. And it didn't take long to see that dogs respect that kind of authority!

I have found this really helpful. Now, when I give the dogs a command, I rap it out as if there is absolutely no chance that I won't be obeyed. Once, at a street crossing, I told my dogs to "Wait!" and three schoolkids who were walking next to us came to a full stop, thinking I was talking to them. That happens a lot.

I guess the dogs really do think they are my little private army. When I would coo, "Sii-iiit? Sit? Siiiiit, please?" they just ignored me. When I become Drill Sergeant Lisa and bark "Sit!" they get their butts on the ground double-quick.

Just a thought.

 

[morningstar]

Look, puppies are freakin' adorable, and I don't know how anyone can keep themselves from wanting the pet the little suckers, training or no training.