Do I have what it takes?

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Last night was the first night that both boys had back to back hour long training classes - and I'm exhausted! Wednesday is also my golf clinic day so earlier I was whacking a hundred balls on the driving range so add that to 2 training classes and well lets just say my age is showing.  So Rooney & Stuart need to be fed and walked (meaning gone poop) all by 6:00 p.m. when it is time to load up in the puppy hauler.  I have a bag (think diaper bag for dogs) that I pack with enough training treats to last a month, leashes, poop bags, etc.   I also take our large soft-sided folding crate so that which ever dog is not in the current class has a place to stay where I can see them, don't want anyone to "walk off" with one of my boys!  It is a 40 minute drive to get to the training facility so by the time class is over, I repack the suv and get back home, it makes for a long night.  Both of them hate their turn being left out of class and there is a little whining going on but I'm hoping that they'll get the idea soon enough.  Stuart is attending "Good Manners" and is the only dog there under a year, he actually does pretty well if I let him run the zoomies off before class gets started - lol.  Rooney's class is the Canine Good Citizen and frankly I am embarrassed that he didn't do this before his first b-day - he was ready and then I got Stuart and had my hands full of paper plate poop and didn't get it done.  Rooney could test now and pass so it is just a good refresher for him but I have to admit that I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew - I am worn out!!!  This morning we got up at the usual time and did our potty - neither boys wants breakfast - they went back to sleep so I'm not the only one pooped out!  The one question that I have for you training pros - we put Stuart in an Easy Walker last night to give it a try - and I need to go buy one for training purposes, I do want to go back to a regular collar down the road but Stuart has times when he pulls, not always but as he gets bigger - he is getting worse.  So  Easy Walker or Gentle Leader?    

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[Adina P]

Cop out or not is up to YOU.  It's what YOU want to achieve and what you want out of your dogs. If your goal is merely a walk where you don't get your arm yanked out...then use what you need to use to accomplish that goal.  If your goal is something else then use what you need to use to accomplish that.   Prong collars...well I think if you use it right then the dog gets to choose whether or not it experiences discomfort and it ALWAYS knows what choice it has and if it wants comfort over lunging it will choose comfort. 

As to your trainer, I personally, regardless of how much I liked the person...would never choose a trainer who didn't have amazing dogs of her own as examples.  If a trainer can't gain control over her own dogs, then how can she train people with a lower skill level to do so over their own dogs?  That's why I always will only choose trainers who have gone far and above what I even want to do with my dogs because it means they have their stuff together and know what it takes because they've done it.

[Adina P]

P.S. with positive training and treat training...the collar/harness etc tends to only be a way to contain the dog so it's not running amok or out in the street.  The 'training' is the OTHER stuff you do besides hold the leash for safety.  But some training methods actually depend on using a specific tool because it is closely intertwined with the actual training method.  Others just kind of pick a bunch of techniques and mix and match (not my preference).  I'm a method kind of girl.  I like things that have a record of working well over time with all sorts of dogs, because it allows one to get 'better' at using the method.  With the mish mash of ideas kind of training...I don't think one ever really gets GOOD at doing it because there is no 'it'.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Yes of course you have what it takes! That is plain and obvious! Keep up the good work!

 

My trainer says that you should use the easy walk if your dog is simply a puller in general, but if the dog is distracted by stuff - like sticks or squirrels, then you need the gentle leader as it makes it easier to redirect them. That being said, she recommends focusing on training and only using those tools when you are not doing training.

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Jane, I have two dogs and I use regular collars that are joined together by a tether to which I attach a single leash.  The two of them, initially, joined together to attempt a dislocation of my shoulder when we would walk.  Each and every time the tension on the leash got tighter than I like, I would plant my feet suddenly...which stopped them in their tracks.  Then I called them back to the heel position, and we would start out again.  In the beginning of this exercise, it took a long time to get around the block!  Now they know what will happen if either of them pulls.  We go no where.  If I stop, they now automatically return to the heel position.  When I was first dealing with the pulling issue, sometimes, just to keep them paying attention, I would abruptly change directions on them and they would have to catch up.  I still have to plant my feet occasionally, like on the way to the dog park, but for the most part, they walk together without pulling now.  Just keep at it.  You can accomplish this.

[Bryce P]

Easy walk harness works just as well as the head control system. But with the harness no annoying face wiping while you are walking.