dog training aka Katie is mad at me

[Stacy]

Katie is almost a year and I'm still having some bratty behavior issues. Eating everything, stealing everything, beating up on the little dog, biting (not agressively, but still!), eating everything (that one deserves to go on there twice.) So I hired a ridiculously expensive dog trainer to come to the house with an electronic collar and help us. 

The good news is that since he was here on Monday she hasn't eaten anything including the little dog. And she does exactly what I'm asking her to do. I'm kind of amazed in the change in her behavior. There's no more biting me or trying to pull my clothes off when I'm on the phone. And we still have 2 more lessons.

The bad news is that she's completely depressed and pouty. She's not being hurt. I'm using this thing on the lowest setting there is. In fact I've had it on my hand and my neck and I can't feel it at all. But she is completely breaking my heart with her sad little self. I don't know what to do. I can call the trainer, but he warned me that she might be pouty for a while. I just didn't expect this.

Does anyone have any advice? Am I being cruel to dogs and breaking her little spirit forever? Should I keep doing what we're doing and expect the pouting to resolve? Or give up and try something different? I admit that I do like her behavior. I just hate seeing her so sad.

Thanks! Stacy 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I have two very close friends (well educated, very smart, and real dog lovers) who trained their fourth dog with what sounds like the same method you are trying. When they described it to me -- the initial pulse is to get the dog's attention, and then the command is given -- my first reaction was that this sounded like the wrong order. I always use my dog's name to get his or her attention, and then I give the command. But, I must say, that for their labrador retriever, the e-collar with the vibration to get him to focus and listen for the coming command, worked. And, I remember that he wore the collar all the time. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi Stacy and Katie

I don't think Katie is sad.  She is just trying to figure out what you want her to do. Previously she has not felt that she needed to pay attention.  At one year old I think this is very appropriate for what you describe. 

 I have used a well known trainer with a shock collar on Roo.  At the lowest level, it is simply an attention getter for the dog who is overly excitable.  I do not feel that when used appropriately under supervision it is in anyway harsh.  As you said it is barely felt on bare skin.  It helped with Roo enormously.  My trainer was very clear that I was not to use it for punishment or to up the signal without his guidance.  A strong signal in the wrong situation could cause aggression.  A low signal said just as I gave the command simply taught Roo that I was worth paying attention to.    Tigger and I trained simultaneously under the same trainer without a shock collar as Tigger was much calmer as a puppy.

I will say that even now with Roo nearly 8 and Tigger  7, Roo still comes very reliably  and Tigger does not.  Tigger has had at least twice or three times the recall training put into him as Roo.  There are of course other factors, the most outstanding being that Tigger is very very interested in smells and Roo is not.  Roo is interested in people.

A long way of saying that I support you with shock collar training with a good trainer helping you. 

I think I kept the shock collar on Roo for about six months and after that he did not need it.