Best tips on teaching your dog to be in the house

[Audrey Goldman]

Archie is in the kitchen gated from the rest of the house but in clear view of me sitting at the computer 2 feet away. There is a doggy door with access to a large hillside. I really want to train him to be in the house with the family when we are home. He is 13 months and each attempt has him grabbing something, anything, within reach then off on a chase. I have spent $1,000 on professional trainers so now I just want the wisdom of real ordinary dog owners. Those of you who already know me, know this is my first dog and a lot bigger (50lbs) than expected. Other than a tether, what has worked best for you??? Audrey

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I not sure what your question is - does he run out the dog door when you attempt to play? Why is he gated from the rest of the house at 13 months old? I am just trying to get a handle on the real issue.
Does he know the "HERE" commnad? I know that when Samantha is in that chase state of mind, she has selective hearing -she selects not to hear me. When Samantha plays that hateful game - chase - I just turn and walk back into the house. She absolutely hates that! So when I just walk away, she does realize that I am not happy.

[Adina P]

Audrey, may I make a suggestion? Since this is a training/behavior issue that is not exclusive to chocolate doodles...you might get MORE help and ideas if you post in the main forum rather than just in this group for chocolate doodles. You'll be limited in how many members see this and respond to only those people who have dogs the same color as yours...and this question is much bigger than a color issue.

[Adina P]

Oh and in addition to posting in the main forum...if you can give us some more detailed history of why he's been relegated to the kitchen only, what type of training he went through (board and train? classes? private trainer who came to the house?) and what methods, what you specifically did for training, etc...that would be useful.

Also tell us why the tethering method is not a possibility (at least some times). It's just a factor of the internet, sometimes we NEED all the possible details to really understand. Also have you tried to just keep a loooooong leash on him so that he can NOT get away when he wants to be chased? All you'd have to do is close off the doggy door, put his leash on and then if he grabs something you've got 20 feet of leash trailing behind him you can grab EASILY. No chase. That's the thing...if he is trained to "Come" and trained to "SIT" and trained to "STAY" all these problems vanish. There is no dog that can NOT be trained...you may just need a better trainer.

As an ordinary, real dog owner...all I can think of is despite the money spent...he's still UNTRAINED and still NEEDS training. Goodness...trainers who are willing to take that much money and give you NO results should be forced to refund. Honestly, the 'training' is the owner's responsibility in everything but board & train. But if someone who purports to teach owners HOW TO train their dog can't get the job done, they shouldn't be training. WHO did you go to? Feel free to private message me. I can give you the name of some trainers in SoCal that if you honestly committed and followed their program...you'd have a nearly perfect dog in a few months. It's not easy, but it's possible.

[Audrey Goldman]

All 3 trainers did treat training. So, Archie will sit, stay and come only for treats. As long as I continue with treats he is a perfect dog. He will not stay for more than a minute w/o a treat. All three trainers were private and came to the house. They would show me what to do such as sit, stay, leave it, etc. Then of course the real work is for me. One trainer suggested tether stations in the house so Archie could be around us but not free to roam. I do that as well. In addition I have done two obedience classes at a park. Archie is not a bad dog, he just cannot be untethered. Maybe that is exactly what a 13 month old is like and I just need to know that. Sometimes when he is on the 6' leash he will reach something or jump on the couch. After several of these bursts I am exhausted. After holding back 50 lbs of excited dog my arms are like noodles. At this point I walk him back to the kitchen and close the gate. In the kitchen he has the doggy door and can go outside if he wants, but the rest of the house is off limits. Often I sit in the kitchen and read or watch TV so he is close to me. Everything in the kitchen has had to be moved as he is so tall he could reach all but the highest items. I am at work 3 full days a week so he goes to doggy day care every Wednesday for socialization. I walk him twice a day to work off some of the energy. Each trainer said 10 minutes of training a day would be sufficient as after a repetition of 75 times a dog will get a command. I have done the "leave it" command with the dish towel about 200 times and he still grabs it if he can. Maybe my expectations are too high for a 13 month old dog. Audrey

[Adina P]

Your expectations are NOT too high. And you're right he doesn't sound like a bad dog at all...just a smart dog who knows exactly how much he can get away with. Sorry but to me it sounds like something went way wrong in training. It really upsets me to know that trainers like this charge so much and do essentially nothing...they've allowed you to bribe your dog and get him NOWHERE and let your dog get to 13 months and be absolutely untrained. I'm not a pro, and I haven't been there to SEE exactly what you were taught and how well you were able to carry it out, but I think you were ripped off. How far are you willing to drive for training classes? How much time per day are you willing to invest in training? Depending on your answers, I may have some recommendations for you. I think you need to move to a different form of training that uses NO treats and gives the dog consequences for choices.

[Audrey Goldman]

I work 20 hours a week and then consult the rest of the time. I am willing to drive most anywhere in Los Angeles but I CANNOT tell my husband I am spending more money on training. I have an unusual hillside house so that was the original reason to have the trainers come to me. I wanted them to see the set up, the yard, etc. It is not a traditional house with a traditional yard. I thought by seeing the set up, where the doggy door is, it would help with training tips. I am open to your suggestions ASAP. Audrey

[Audrey Goldman]

Please give me the names of people who do the NO treat training. Thanks, Audrey

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Audrey, I agree with Adina, after 3 trainers and some consistency from you, at 13 months old you should be getting a little more cooperation. I live in Arcadia, east of Pasadena, and I am going to recommend a good trainer who trains in La Canada. Before I give you the website I will tell you that I have two ALDs, Roo and Tigger. They are full brothers, but not littermates and have extremely different temperments. Roo is high energy, high drive and 45 pounds and me with a yucky back. Tigger is laid back and mellow - obviously much easier to train. This trainer helped me learn to use a e-collar ( yes a shock collar, but I tried it on myself, it is not that much - like a static electricity shock). I did not use or need one with Tigger, nor was one recommeded. An ecollar, used properly works to reenforce commands and is useful at a distance. Towel grabbing for example. It is not mean, really. Roo is a tremendous handful of dog and I have had Siberian Huskies all my life! With the e-collar Roo, now 20 months old, hras become a well mannered dog, although he still has his moments they are fewer and farther between. I know longer keep the e- collar on him. I did keep it on him consistently for the first 15 months. This trainer's name is Scott Williams his website is Beyondtheleash.com. he has trained lots and lots and lots of dogs, uses treats, e-collars, pinch collars,e `tc. A really good trainer has lots of ideas to suit each dog. He works in LaCanada which is a bit of a hike for you,but doable. I do not know if he will come to you, although he did come to my house once to help me with frontdoor crazies. Check out his website

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Oh I forgot - Penny Scott Fox has an excellent reputation in the LA area. I have not been to her classes yet, but intend to do so. Just type her name in google. If she won't come to your home she might recommend a closer good trainer. She is really highly thought of and well known in the So Cal area. Good Luck