General Question Dog Training

[karlajgee]

So as I have posted before, I am having problems with Murphy being a little aggressive/dominant to the point where my husband is pretty fed up with it and told me to look into obedience/training classes here in Maryland. I found one and they have different ways I can go about it.. First option is an in home training and behavior modification program where the trainer would come into my home and work with us. Second option is a board and train program where they would take Murphy for ten days and work with him. Obviously I would miss him those ten days but at this point I am so frustrated I would do anything. Does anyone have any suggestions, or has gone through any classes like these before?

 

[pattonsmom]

Hi Kara!

Let me first start off by saying I am by no means an expert! My boy is 5 months old and I got him at 7 weeks. He is my first bully after wanting one for 11 years. What I can tell you is that your story sounds somewhat similar to mine. When we got Patton to say he was a handful is an understatement! My boyfriend and I got him together and there were so many nights I would call him crying to come home because I didn't know what to do with our dog and there were also some nights that he said he would say he was giving the dog one more chance and that was it! Never in a millioin years would I have allowed that to happen, I would have left him before I let go of my baby. Anyway....we found a Puppy Kindergarten class in our area that was starting in a month. Patton actually "graduated" from kindergarten yesturday! (I am a proud mommy!) Since we were both at our wits end at that point and could not wait another month, my boyfriend found a private trainer/aggression specialist in our area that came to our house. That first 2 hour session with him was priceless! He only travels within a 50 mile radius otherwise I would recommend him to everyone on this site that is looking for training tips. The techniques he showed up and just his calm presence, Patton took to him and the "drills" the trainer taught us both right away! This was in March. Fast forward to present day, and we recently moved at the beginning of June to a new house and asked the private trainer to come out again just to help us help Patton get acclimated in his new space as we all know Bullys and their OCD! He was shocked to see just how much Patton had changed!

Sorry for the long post....I just wanted to get my point across that if you are able to have a trainer come to your home and see your baby in their own surroundings it is a great start and I recommend it to everyone who asks me. Patton is now an almost perfect gentleman who makes my life better in every way! Best wishes and best of luck to you! You will find what works for your family just keep trying every day, that's what we did!

 

[cefe13]

I have no experience (our only experience of professional dog training is outdoor obedience classes that we attended last year when Castor was a puppy), but I would think that unless the problems are grave (as those described in the fascinating thread titled 'aggression is not a death sentence'), it is better that you and your husband take an active part in the training than sending the dog away for training. I would therefore start with the home training option.

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

I would also do the home training session. Being an active participant of training helps with bonding. It has more advantages than sending him off to a "boarding school" . It would not only be a learning experience for you but it would help with trust, respect and like i said before bonding. goodluck with your boy. hope you resolve any issues you are having with him .

 

[JakeP]

Married to the same guy for 21 years and with 2 college kids, having a puppy was like raising another baby after so many years!!! So when I got Jake as my boy, it was stressful for my husband as we are starting putty training and all. Being new to raising a pet it was quite frustrating when your baby doesn't follow your command and sometimes would play rough. He wasn't aggressive as my Jake is very calm but sometimes he was too much for us to the point I even questioned if I did a right thing of bringing a puppy into our home.

My vet recommended to get puppy class training and gave me the number of the trainer. After a week of frustrations, I finally gave in. She came into our house and trained Jake for 2 hours and it as money worth spent. She was not only training Jake how to respond but she also trained us how to treat Jake's response to our commands and calling. It was hands on and personalized training just for my Jakey.

So based on my experience, I'd say go for it.


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[RiiSi]

I would also have him trained at home, with you. You're the one he needs to listen and obey. Most puppy or dog training is as much people training.....He sure looks like a handfull

 

[2BullyMama]

I would also have him trained at home, with you. You're the one he needs to listen and obey. Most puppy or dog training is as much people training.....He sure looks like a handfull

So, so, so true!!