Getting Nervous about Professional Training

AngAngeles13

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Jul 18, 2013
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Khaleesi
So baby Kahleesi comes home on the 17th. She will be 9 weeks old. Husband and I have been researching professional in home board and train programs like mad people. We finally decided on a place called Karma Dog Training. They got really high reviews and use a positive reinforcement method that we like. Last week the trainer that was assigned to come stay with us for a week had a death in the family and can no longer do the job. (Completely understandable) So after a few days the owner calls me with the good news that he's got another trainer that will be available and he highly recommends her. Of course being the review junkie that I am, I went to look up her profile (with Karma and Facebook) She seems super sweet and obviously loves animals, but it looks as if the only experience she has is the apprentice program that they offer. I've never used a professional trainer, and have certainly never spent this kind of bank before...should I be concerned? I really have no idea how much experience it takes. :( I don't want to seem like the ahole here, but I'm a little worried. Any thoughts?
 

JAKEISGREAT

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Mar 25, 2011
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My sister is a professional trainer in California. Im thinking your pup is a little young for this type of training? Most want the pups to be at least 4 months old. I could be thinking of a totally different training program..but why not get to know her a bit and enjoy her. I'm all for a well trained dog..just so young! :)
 
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AngAngeles13

AngAngeles13

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Well, that was one of the questions I asked too. But every trainer we called said they are never too young, and that waiting any amount of time only gives time for bad habits to develop. ?? Am I being duped here?
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
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Well, that was one of the questions I asked too. But every trainer we called said they are never too young, and that waiting any amount of time only gives time for bad habits to develop. ?? Am I being duped here?


Well..I don't think "duped". Lol! But...it certainly seems like a very intensive program for a wee pup. I sent my sister a message ..she was trained at a school in Texas and specialized in training dogs for border control and the military. From there she does problem dogs and also offers a live/learn course. She thinks 6 months would be the minimum and one of her concerns..is..a brand new pup..needs to bond with her family..NOT a trainer. You can and should teach her lots of basic puppy stuff. Sit..stay..down..those aren't difficult. Honestly, in my humble opinion..get to know her..love her and go from there. What bad habits is she going to get? You can certainly control these..
 
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AngAngeles13

AngAngeles13

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Well, can you ask your sister to come back to Texas when the time is right and help me out? ;) Now I am so torn....I have thought about the bonding issue too. Thankfully I will be home the entire time with pup and trainer (if we choose to go through with this) But then again...I will be home 24/7 for her first week and a half home with us....which could be great mom/daughter time potential. :yes:
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
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Jake
Well, can you ask your sister to come back to Texas when the time is right and help me out? ;) Now I am so torn....I have thought about the bonding issue too. Thankfully I will be home the entire time with pup and trainer (if we choose to go through with this) But then again...I will be home 24/7 for her first week and a half home with us....which could be great mom/daughter time potential. :yes:


:hmm: I don't think Texas was her cup of tea! :)
Lets ask a couple people with extensive Bully experience. Personally, it would be like having a new baby and having a nanny there teaching everything. Not for me..but you need to do what's right for you. Just remember...whose interest is that statement of "never too early" in? Lol! The trainer...and their wallets..in my opinion.

@Davidh.. @Sherry.. @desertskybulldogs
[MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION]
has taught his pup lots of great things!
 
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Casper

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Well, that was one of the questions I asked too. But every trainer we called said they are never too young, and that waiting any amount of time only gives time for bad habits to develop. ?? Am I being duped here?

Hey Ang, :), I won't sugar coat it, life is a play on words ! Do you remember the stories of folks going to buy a new car, and coming home with the car driven by the little old school teacher, Heck, That school teacher must have sold her car to everyone. Trainers say it's never to late to start training, again a correct statement, and I bet put on the spot would agree training should be potty training, house training, socialized training, and behavioral training to a degree of chewing exercise and etc, but unless you just have a lot of money to throw out the door, 8-9 weeks of age for your puppy is a little young, first of all they have an attention deficit at this age, there doing so many activities, at one time, they wear themselves out. This is a great time for you to work with your puppy, but a professional trainer at this age is in my opinion, much like lighting your money on fire, and watching it burn. :yes: I'd definitely wait, if I were in your shoes, and take [MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] advice, and these are the reasons for which i'm basing my opinion. Best of Luck, in however you decide, I know you have your bully's best interests in mind!
 

Davidh

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Well it sounds like it could be a lot of money spent on something that you can pretty much do yourself. I say just relax about the training, and enjoy your baby when you get her. Let her be a pup and play, but also you can show her what she can chew on and what not to. Potty training will come with time, and your patience and being consistent. The rest will come in time. So I say just enjoy your baby and get to know each other, once she gets older if you feel you need help then you can seek a professional trainer.
 

Marine91

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:hmm: I don't think Texas was her cup of tea! :)
Lets ask a couple people with extensive Bully experience. Personally, it would be like having a new baby and having a nanny there teaching everything. Not for me..but you need to do what's right for you. Just remember...whose interest is that statement of "never too early" in? Lol! The trainer...and their wallets..in my opinion.

@Davidh.. @Sherry.. @desertskybulldogs
@Marine91
has taught his pup lots of great things!

My wife has done most of the work. I am just helping reinforce it. Anywho. To be honest with you I wouldn't personally use a stay in my home kind of trainer but that is just me. We are still planning on doing some puppy classes with Harlea more for the socialization aspect but to help reinforce what we have already taught her. Bullies can be tough but if you stick with it, use high value treats and have multiple short sessions each day you will see results quickly. When we brought Harlea home we gave her the first full day to explore and become accustom to her surroundings. The next day my wife started to work with her to find her high value treat that she would do anything for. Turns out for us that is bananas. By that afternoon Harlea had learned how to sit without having to be given a treat in return and we only had about an hour total spent during the day working with her on it. Within 4 days she had learned hi five. A week and a half she had learned down. In the last 2 weeks she has learned roll over and tickle monster but she gets them a bit confused at times. The latest thing she has learned is our version of Speak that we call Ewok. She doesn't bark fully, but makes that I want to play or give me that little doggie purr/growl that they do. All this is done using that high value treat and spoken word and hand signals. Each time we work with her we reduce the amount of treats and words used so eventually we will only have to show a hand signal for her to do as we ask which she is already doing with high five. Don't let anyone tell you bullies can't be trained as they can be if you take the time to work with them on a consistent basis and use positive reinforcement even if they get it wrong. You may ask why we are doing hand signals.... We had a dog that had gone deaf later in life and it was hard for him to understand what we were asking of him so over the course of a year we taught him hand signals for what we were asking and it worked out great so we now teach it to all our dogs from the start. The commands we are still working on are stay, come and as always no. She is getting better with them, but not 100% where she should be yet but she will get there.
 
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ddnene

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Winston is supposed to start an AKC puppy class here in a couple of weeks... he will be 8 months old! The only people that I know who have used a personal trainer in the home were people that have older dogs & were dealing w/severe issues such as aggression or destructive behavior. I took Bella to the PetSmart puppy classes, and honestly I think she was too young @ 12 weeks. She was the most stubborn in the class... surprise, surprise... LOL Good Luck :D
[MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION]
I would LOVE to see a video of Harlea & her new tricks!!!
 

Marine91

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[MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION] We are working on a short little video as our vet asked up to put one together that they could show to other bully owners. We should have it done in a few weeks. It is not going to be anything of great length or professional. Just short, sweet and to the point.
 
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ddnene

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@ddnene We are working on a short little video as our vet asked up to put one together that they could show to other bully owners. We should have it done in a few weeks. It is not going to be anything of great length or professional. Just short, sweet and to the point.
I have never been able to get a dog to rollover... I'm impressed already!!! LOL :2thumbs:
 

Marine91

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I have never been able to get a dog to rollover... I'm impressed already!!! LOL :2thumbs:

She started doing it a bit when we were working on tickle monster to rub her belly and she started doing it on her own for the most part. That on only gets worked on in the early afternoon.
 
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AngAngeles13

AngAngeles13

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Jul 18, 2013
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Khaleesi
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Wow Marine! You guys have done a lot of work with Harlea! I guess we decided on professional training because neither of us have one inkling of a clue on how to do things. With all of my research, that's the one thing I didn't even look into. "How to do it yourself." If anyone has any resources you'd recommend, I would definitely like to take a look! :)
 

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