Your Questions About Dog Training
James asks…
Dog Obedience Schools?
My girlfriend has about an 8-10 month old chiuaua. She got it after it was already 6 months or so, and it wasn’t “potty trained” and knows absolutely nothing (I’m not even convinced she knows her name). It gets into everything, messes on the carpet, causes problems, etc. She lives at home still, and her mom said she has to either get it trained or get rid of it soon. She’s considering putting it into obedience school.
From my understanding, obedience school does more training along the lines of sit, stay, heel, etc. Does it help with potty training or basic behavioral things as well?
On a side note, I’ve grown up with and raised dogs my whole life. However, none of my dogs ever required obedience school, and are very well-behaved. If I were to take the dog for a couple of weeks, and train it, would the training stick once she got back to my girlfriends house? She’s simply not firm enough with the dog.
Training Expert answers:
While obedience school does concentrate mainly on things like sit, heel, stay etc. It still does have benefits.
First of all, it teaches you how to teach your dog and how to communicate with it. Once you learn how to teach these exercises, and the dog learns how to learn, it’s easier to teach other things.
Also, instructors will usually be more than happy to advise you on other issues you may be having.
BUT, your GF needs to be willing to put in the work. If you train the dog, the dog will learn, but it will likely only listen to YOU. SHE needs to get the dog’s respect and attention, or it will continue to ignore her.
Sandy asks…
Can i put my dog in obedience school?
I have two beagles. boy and girl and they are both six years old. my girl beagle is very well trained and doesn’t run off. my boy beagle however jumps on counters to get food. runs out the front door when he see’s an opening and when i take them for walks he sometimes pulls and i can’t let him go off the leash, but i can with my girl beagle. I really want him to be well trained like this so I can take them places such as dog parks or lakes to go swimming. Unfortunately, the only problem i have to get around it getting me parents to let them go to obedience school. Thank you for all your answers everyone(: Also, if you have and “home” training tips for me that would be great too:)
Training Expert answers:
Obedience classes are a great way for YOU to learn how to train your dog. All obedience training is , is finding the right way for you to communicate to your dog what you want him to do. And once you know, you must make a commitment to your dog to reinforce this method of communication for the life of your dog…you will always be training your dog. Especially a beagle!
Many people say they can’t afford classes…but when you weigh the cost against the attainable goal of having a well behaved animal…(one who is SAFER for being obedient)..then the cost is minimal.
First, I would recommend that you begin basic training with both of your dogs…but NOT at the same time. It would be best for you to train your male beagle separately. Do 2-3 sessions a day of about 15 minutes each. Work on your basics of sit, stay, come, down, off and leave it. For your dog you are going to want to REALLY work on leave it (for the counter surfing) and come (recall). You can do some research online for the exact method of training..and I would do positive reward unless you find this does not work for you. Try a resource book like My Smart Puppy or Dog Training for Dummies. Even though your dogs are 6, you need to start from square one.
As for the counter surfing…you need to be careful not to leave anything out to tempt him. And you need to watch him carefully so that you can correct him if he makes an attempt to go for it. Give the leave it command…and praise him when he listens.
Recall can be tough for a beagle…they can be stubborn and do tend to go off on a scent. Be sure your recall is excellent before you let him off leash. Try working with a 25 or even a 50 foot lead. Make him understand that coming back to you is the best thing in the world. In fact, don’t scold him or chase him or use a sharp voice if he doesn’t listen to recall…he needs to learn to WANT to come back..and he won’t want to if you are frustrated and scolding. Sometimes it is best to work with a partner so that they can herd your dog back toward you if he doesn’t listen.
It is a lot of work to accomplish your goals..but very worthwhile for both of you! You can have a lot of fun once they are more well behaved. It is OK that they are 6…dogs can learn at any age.
Kudos to you for wanting more for your pets!! Good luck.
Michael asks…
Problem…dog training anyone?
where can i find a Dog obedience school/classes in or very close too Morehead KY? i’ve already looked on yellowpages, phonebook, and internet. i need one pronto please.my dog only sits when he wants too and won’t do anything else
Training Expert answers:
I would not recommend PetSmart. In fact it is best if you do the training yourself. It may seem like a huge task to bear, but your dog will respond MUCH better if he knows you are the leader of this training. There is a course online that I highly recommend. I couldn’t believe how fast my dog picked these things up, and it’s fun too. Here is a link to the website:
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/index.php?aff=jonoman1&type=nohop&tid=train
Lisa asks…
Why do people assume if someone asks for advice on here they have not trained their dog?
I asked a question referencing the prong collar, as my lab/staffy mix is bullheaded and will not catch on to walking nicely on any training leash. I received quite a few answers telling me to get my dog in obedience school and I need to train my dog. We have invested a lot in our dog. She has been to an obedience class and we have had an in home trainer. I am not offended at all by those comments because I know how diligent we are on a daily basis with her. Do people just assume that all dogs are easy? She is very very stubborn and has a mind of her own. Anyways, I am writing this to say don’t assume people haven’t trained their dogs if they need help with a training issue. Thanks! Have a lovely day!!!
Training Expert answers:
It’s because many people on Yahoo want a quick fix and haven’t even considered dog training as a first step.
I’m glad you are a responsible dog guardian and your dog has been to training. It’s a lot of work to train a dog and stubborn dogs are even more work.
Unfortunately you are in the minority. Just look at how many 1 and 2 year old dogs that are dumped at the pound because they didn’t magically train themselves.
Purrs and wags,
The Cat Lady
Lizzie asks…
I don’t want to send my dog to obedience school!?
I don’t want to send my dog to obedience school but i think i might have to. He digs holes through the fence and runs of so we can’t let him do his business without someone out there so we have to keep him on the porch. The gate so he can’t get of the porch has to have to have a chair in front so he can’t push it away with his paw. He is always jumping on people plus there is all this biting. He eats everything he can get his paws on too. But i don’t want to send him to school! please tell me how i can train him just like the trainers there do. Or at least get him to stop doing al those things.
Airedale terrier
Training Expert answers:
No one has mentioned that you have an Airedale!!! OMG these dogs are way high energy. All of the answers on what you need to do are really good…but you need a reality check…you say you let him out to do his business and want to do so without someone there…that means you are not walking him…His behavior tells us he is bored out of his mind. Airedales are dogs that absolutely need more exercise than most breeds…they need a schedule, they need discipline, walking, playtime and training. You are not putting in the effort and the time. This is really the wrong breed for you to have if you can’t provide those basic needs. Plus, it sounds like he is still a puppy, so that behavior is even more exaggerated, less attention span and no one is telling this dog the right way to behave…so he is doing what comes naturally…they are runners, jumpers, diggers!! The best dog for agility play that you can find! But he will NEVER stop this behavior without YOU doing the changing! PLEASE read up on this breed. Read up on proper training techniques..and how to raise an Airedale. If you can’t adjust your schedule to accommodate the needs of this breed of dog, you should seriously think of rehoming him. Its not a bad thing to place a dog where he will be better fulfilled. You can think about adopting an animal better suited to your lifestyle…something low energy that will be a real couch potato. I hope you do your homework , learn about Airedales and find a way to see to his needs…I am sure he’s a great dog, he needs you to bring it out. Good luck.
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