Training Your Dog

[Nienke]

You already gave the answer to your own question: the pup does it at night and, thus, you can't catch her in the act.

Therefore, you can better prevent her from doing so by confining her in a cage, in a room in the house or keeping her tight up during the night.

It is a very natural behavior for pups to dig. Punishing after the act will not make your pup understand that it is her DIGGING that causes you become angry. It only results in her loosing trust in you or, worse, becoming afraid of you.

Nienke

[misterman21]

I have just inherited a small dog (bitch), I assume she is approx 18 months. Lovely dog but a little unruly. However my main problem is that she becomes very anxious when let of the lead and will run away. Luckly she heads back to the car. I got her from a lost dog kennel - I assume this habbit is what put her there.

She is very happy and secure whilst on the lead but I would like to let her off for a bit of a run. Any advice please.

PS an excelent thread

[Nienke]

You mean that your dog is anxious when in a strange environment and, therefore, as soon as she gets the chance will head back to what she think is a safe haven (your car)?

[misterman21]

You mean that your dog is anxious when in a strange environment and, therefore, as soon as she gets the chance will head back to what she think is a safe haven (your car)?

Thats correct - any advice

[Nienke]

Although there's way too little information to give a proper advice, my first thought is to take it slowly with her. Exercise her off lead in places she feels comfortable and safe.

If she feels safe on lead right next to you, I would take her to unfamiliar places on lead for short periods of time, always making sure you stay below the treshhold of anxiousness.

And at home you start up with obedience training.

Example: a while ago I have trained a labrador and his owner. Besides a few trips to the vet (which, as it turned out, had been traumatic to him. He was petrified of tiles), he had never come further than their garden. And on top of that he got a total fit once a male elephant passed by, while he just happened to be in the front of their garden.

We started off training a bit away of the gate, slowly moving towards the gate, but staying under the treshhold of anxiety. When that went fine, we trained while the gate was open. Then, a few steps outside/inside, ouside/inside, and further and further away from the garden. When that went very well, we trained him to go in the car, something he totally freaked out with in the beginning. Then, in the car and to a nearby lake and forest. Training close to the car, and walk on longer loose lead. etc. etc.

Always make sure you stay under that treshhold. DO NOT force!!!! And reward for good behavior.

The owners of this dog (they are Thai) did a fantastic job. After 5 weeks, they could take the dog out to the park and other places on a long lead, not yet off lead, and the dog loved it. As for the tile issue also there was major improvement.

Hope this helps a bit.

[TANU1977]

6 month old Dog, she is well tempered good with Kids & cats, I need to find her a good home quickly as I’m leaving Thailand next week! Can anyone help me? Location Pattaya

[tonywebster]

I have two english cocker spaniels, father and son. The father is 6 and his son is 2.

When i walk them the father is well behaved and does not pull, however the son constantly tries to pull, always putting strain on the leash. No matter how much i correct him he does it, only when getting tired does he stop.

Now the issue is do I walk the two dogs on my left side? when i do he doesn't pull and walks slightly behind his father, but i normally walk the son on my right hand side so they both have space and are not rubbing together as we walk. What is the correct procedure with two dogs, walk both on your left?

[Nienke]

I don't think there is a right or wrong procedure here. It depends on the preference of the owner and what the owner has taught the dogs.

Personally I prefer to walk my dogs on the left, whether that's one two or more.

In your case, if the 2-year old walks nicely on your left together with his dad and there are no issues between the two dogs, why not keeping it that way?

However, if you prefer the younger dog on your right then it is advisable to train him for this alone until he gets the point. Then you can start training them together till they both walk on loose leads. Once that's established you can take them both out for walks again.

[midnightjay3]

Thanks!

I will have a new pup next month and I'm looking forward in training her. She's a beagle and my sister has it too and they are very sweet and lovely!. We have a couple of dogs in our house but this one is different.

[topt]

Hi,

Firstly thanks to all the posters for sharing the information on here which I hope will be very useful to me and my GF. I have read quickly through most of the posts but there are a couple of areas where I am hoping I can get a bit more information - and apoloogies if I missed this in my perusal.

Stopping a dog from jumping up at us - how

How to toilet train a dog to go in one place or less than half a dozen as current.

How to stop the dog from going upstairs - she has already gone up but i am not sure she could get down very easily!

We have a 15 week old female German Shepherd which we have had for the last 3/4 weeks. I am not permanently in Thailand so most of the training will fall to my GF who can be quite firm. Originally she wanted the dog to sleep in the house but due to toilet issues she seems okay with her sleeping outside. She seems to have found the coolestr place which is either on some steps leading to one of the sliding windows or in a depression in the flowerbed she has scooped out next to this step. The blanket we put out for her tends to get dragged around the garden at some point. We have a house in a vuillage and the house has a small garden/drive which allows the dog to circumnavigate the house.

If she is in the house and one of the doors is open it seems that now she wuill go outside to go to the toilet - initially she peed on the tile floor. She seems to go mainly at night/morning before we get up as we end up picking up 5/6 poos located all round the garden - but not on the outside tiled/concrete surfaces.

Is their a way to train her to go consistently in one area?

Also she does not go to the toliet at all when we take her for a walk around the village even though there are a couple of grassed areas and multiple droppings from other dogs in the village on the grass verges.

Although my GF has owned dogs before she has never had a puppy (and i have zero experience) so any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[bina]

first of all, to teach all this cannot be done over the net; there is soooooooo much info on the web that u can really google for most. however, u can get your girlfriend in touch with our sponsor trainer, nienke, lives up north however, as she is a professional, and have your girlfriend take it from there.

second: a dog needs one place to sleep: a bed, crate, cage, doghouse. not a hole in the garden as she will learn to dig mor eholes for other places to sleep and u want a single place for when she needs to be sent to her place while there are visitors, repairmen, etc. so whether in or outdoors she needs a definate bed area.

third: gsd are easily trained and therefore easily learn bad habits by laziness and lack of knowlege on part of owner so it is up to u: take her out on walks, praise her when she poos/pees, and do not head straitght home after she does so, or will train YOU to keep walking and she will never pee/poo while on leash, u have to have her 'go potty' at the beginning of the walk, praise her, then go and play, or be turned loose. so now u have to untrain her from running all over the place, and also get her on schedule i.e. after nights sleep go out, potty, then play. eat, then potty. mid day break, potty and a bit of play. dinner, same same. night before sleep, potty. stick to the same routine and she will learn.

ah. pick up all th epoo but one in an area that u want her to go in. when u take her out, when u see her start to search for an area to go, as she goes, tell her 'go potty' or what ever word u want her to know for telling her to pee/poo . she will learn quickly to go in one area only,, and also on command if needed (when rushed for time). inside the house, keep her crated or tied in one area when u are not around, like at night (next to bed with water available, not food). block off the stairs when u arent around and never let her go up when u are around. most dogs learn quickly what and where they can go w/o invitation.

german shepherds learn easily and praise works wonders with them; at around age 8 months they will test u again, but mature after that. remember that she may come in to heat at 6-8 months so u will have to have a place to lock her up with no access to dogs, so get her used to being inside or somewhere, now.

bina

israel

and google for positive reinforcement training, etc lots of info for basic stuff.

[topt]

Thanks for your reply Bina especially as uit looks like you are away. We are however in Pattaya so Chiang Mai is out of the question. I have found lots of info but not specifics on the questions I asked.

We also contacted some local trianers and they all (3 of them) wanted 25k baht for a three month programme which I felt was excessive - both in time and money - is it?

In the last week the dog has been sleeping in the bedroom with my GF and has apparently been controlling herself - the dog that is She is also getting more confidant on going down the stairs. I am back in Thailand tomorrow evening so now have the issue of traing her not to be in the bedroom. Unfortunately the downstairs is very open plan and thetre is no way to block the staircase. I will be having a door installed on the kitchen with a view that that will be where she sleeps when I am there but I can see how this is probably going to be confusing for her although your post suggests it should not be a big problem - I am so hoping...

When I am there we take her for walks at least twice per day and let her off the lead on a couple of grassed areas in the village but she has not once shown any inclination (that I can see) to go?

I particularly would like some specifics as to how to train her to stop her jumping up at all and sundry - which I have looked for but can only find very general tips so far.

Thanks again .

[Nienke]

I particularly would like some specifics as to how to train her to stop her jumping up at all and sundry - which I have looked for but can only find very general tips so far.

Don't reinforce undesired behavior, but reinforce and reward the behavior you want instead. And be consistent in that.

Btw I have had customers from Pattaya as well.

[topt]

Nienke,

Can you explain a little about what you mean by "don't reinforce undesired behaviour" as I was not aware we were - is there something I said we did that you feel does this as if so I would like to correct it? I know we are not being structured enough in her training along the lines as suggested in the earlier post by Bina but I still do not have any real idea how we stop her jumping up which is becoming more of an issue as she gets bigger. Turning aside and ignoring her does not seem to make any difference and if you put out hand/arm to stop her she mouths/bites - and becoming more of a bite the last few days.

Also if you could say how it would work having a customer in Pattaya - and what your thougfhts were on the rates I quoted?

Thanks

[Pink Mist]

thank god for the dog whisperer

[Nienke]

Hhhmmm, I politely disagree. And here's why:

Experts say Dominance-based dog Training Techniques made popular by television shows can contribute to dog bites:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sophia-yin/experts-say-dominance-bas_b_204482.html

Canine dominance: is the concept of the alpha dog valid? : http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201007/canine-dominance-is-the-concept-the-alpha-dog-valid

Dominance in domestic dogs - useful construct or bad: http://www.journalvetbehavior.com/article/S1558-7878%2808%2900115-9/abstract

“In a retrospective study on spinal pain, injury or changes in dogs conducted in Sweden, Hallgreen (1992) found that 91% of dogs with cervical anomalies experienced harsh jerks on lead or had a long history of pulling on the lead. Uses of chokers was also overrepresented in this group. This strongly suggests that such corrections are potentially injurious.

Karen Overall MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB.

Clinical Behavioural Medicine for Small Animals.

DAMAGE CAUSED BY USING CHECK/CHOKE CHAINS

Article written by Robin Walker, Veterinary and Dog Behaviorist, in the 1999 issue of The Veterinary Record

It is vitally important that you train your dog when it is young to obey commands and not to be a general nuisance for other people, and for this reason a dog training collar is often used for such purposes. However, it is possible to injure a dog b

y using training collars ineffectively or overzealously. They are never to be used as a means of punishment or violent reaction to a dog's mistake. Unfortunately, that is precisely the type of use they often get. Possible Injuries to Dogs Choke chains are perhaps most responsible for unnecessary dog injuries. Choke chains work on very large dogs with thick necks that won't be easily damaged and should only be used when you need to get quick control of the animal. That being said, excessive choke chain use can lead to long term injuries for your dog. They include: tracheal and/or esophageal damage, sprained necks, foreleg paralysis, laryngeal nerve paralysis and hind leg ataxia.

Tracheal and Esophageal Damage

By punishing behavior with a choke chain, not only are you not leaving your dog with positive reinforcement, you could permanently damage their trachea and/or esophagus. Consistent yanking on a choke chain as a means of training does little else than make them afraid.

Sprained Necks

Spraining the muscles of the dog's neck is another lasting impression made by choke chains. Too many well-meaning dog owners think they are training their dog when in reality they are inflicting severe psychological damage to them.

Foreleg Paralysis

Persistent use of the choke chain can also can lasting damage to the forelegs of the animal. Transient foreleg paralysis, as it is known, is caused by damage to the nerves that run to the forelegs.

Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis

Another type of paralysis that can be inflicted upon dogs by the use of choke chains is to their laryngeal nerve. Paralysis to this nerve can affect the dog's voice for life. By "training" your dog with violence, not only are you simply teaching them to fear certain reactions and not really training, but you could possibly be injuring them for life.

Hind Leg Ataxia

Hind leg ataxia in canines shows symptoms such as imbalance, wobbliness, buckling leg joints, tripping, falling and even collapsing. This too can be caused by the use of choke chains, and it is another reason to never use them on your dog.

If choke chains do not work and can cause permanent damage to your dog, what does work? Dog training is by far the best way to have a well mannered, happy best friend. You have to train them psychologically, not physically.

Continued in next post ...

[Nienke]

Explanation of what the dog really is saying. Who's the real aggressor here? :

Food aggression in Holly the lab. Body language dissected - with captions: https://www.facebook...v=4655581307021

Jonbee. Explanation starts at 3.34 mins :http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR6w1FL8NXc

Gracie, a Labrador :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7HFs4h62UM&feature=related

Did Cesar Millan have to hang the husky? : http://www.psycholog...-hang-the-husky

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9YOyM2TAk

There is no question whether the traditional (force-based) way of training works. It does and has done so with many dogs. But, over the last few decennia knowledge on dog behavior and language has improved, training techniques have improved and shown to be very effective.

so, my question is: now that there are proven very effective humane training techniques that can obedience train dogs and modify problematic behavior, why still choosing for the (much) lesser (or sometimes completely lacking) dog-friendly force-based intimidating traditional techniques, which can cause serious injury, is based on a dominance theory that has been proven to be outdated, and keeps on ignoring the language the dog is trying to communicate?

[pokoal2000]

Very interesting, but let me tell you my story. I had GSD all my life and each one is very different, just like people. Now I have 4. One of them is a male nearly 5 years old and he never needed any training. He knows everything and understands better than my wife.He guards the house, goes on patrol around the garden, walks perfectly on the lead, always comes, even when he is busy,never bites, and teaching pupies how to behave. He is just amazing and understands everything you tell him.

[Nienke]

Very interesting, but let me tell you my story. I had GSD all my life and each one is very different, just like people. Now I have 4. One of them is a male nearly 5 years old and he never needed any training. He knows everything and understands better than my wife.He guards the house, goes on patrol around the garden, walks perfectly on the lead, always comes, even when he is busy,never bites, and teaching pupies how to behave. He is just amazing and understands everything you tell him.

Your post makes me miss my GSD's: RIP Daika, Alex, Joshka, Jenny, Stormy, Kasper. :'(

[WhoWhenWhyWhat]

Anyone interested to learn Obedience Training and perhaps, participate by suggesting better techniques?

I am going to start training 4 of my GSD puppies soon. Perhaps, have it recorded on video.

It will be basic obedience as I'm unsure if anyone's interested in learning how to Attack Trained GSD's.

Cheers

[WhoWhenWhyWhat]

Sorry, my above-mentioned post's cancelled. Do not want to hijack the OP's thread.

My apologies.

Cheers

[triffid]

I have a GSD, now about 4 years old. He is unsocialised and untrained - I accept the blame. He is fiercely protective of the house and grounds and the two other people he knows and loves. He tolerates the maid - she isn't a dog-lover - whom he finally got used to after a week or two of barking from the cage. Furthermore he has come to be ok with my chihuahua and the several cats - all of which predated him at home; I say this to show that he is not necessarily of a wild disposition.

I want to know if he is too old now to be socialised-trained so as to not attack anyone entering the grounds/house or approaching me? I know there will be many supplementary factors on which answers may depend, and also perhaps issues of methods. But, in any circumstances, is what I want possible for a GSD of that age and background, or is it too late?

[Nienke]

No, he is not too old to learn new tricks.

But knowing the background of this dog, the cause of his barking (anxiety and not dominance), the fact that your dog has been able to practice and refine this behavior for 4 years, and despite of all the attempts (punishments/corrections) to stop this behavior it has gotten worse not better, the desensitization and counter-conditioning process (which I think is strongly indicated here) will take (considerable) time and needs your full involvement, commitment, change of mind-set and above all patience patience and more patience, because the behavior modification progress goes with baby-steps, progress and set-backs.

[triffid]

I was was hoping it wouldn't be a process needing a lot of time and patience. I should have known better! But thanks, Nienke.

[Hel123]

Hi All,

I've recently retired to Thailand and live in a house with a totally secure garden.

I've read this thread and found it very interesting.

Back in the UK I to kept working GSDs and Malis but didn't think it fair to bring my current 2 dogs with me, one 8 years old and the other 5 years old (Mother & Son) so they've stayed in the UK with my daughter.

I'm now looking to buy a pup or young adult either a GSD or Mali.

However, I've been looking at the Thai dogs (Ridgeback) obviously I've never owned or trained a Thaidog but based on what I've read they appear to have a similar temperament to a Mali ??

I have no Dog contacts here in Thailand so if anyone can point me in the direction of a breeder or if anyone knows of a young adult that's for sale please let me know. As I said the breeds I've had over 25 years experience with are working GSDs and Malis but if the Thaidogs are as good as what I've read then I'd condsider also consider a Thaidog.

Apologies for going off topic but I felt that plenty of real dog people have contributed to this thread, hence, my post.

Many thanks,

H.

[Hel123]

Anyone ?????

[Nienke]

Hi All,

I've recently retired to Thailand and live in a house with a totally secure garden.

I've read this thread and found it very interesting.

Back in the UK I to kept working GSDs and Malis but didn't think it fair to bring my current 2 dogs with me, one 8 years old and the other 5 years old (Mother & Son) so they've stayed in the UK with my daughter.

I'm now looking to buy a pup or young adult either a GSD or Mali.

However, I've been looking at the Thai dogs (Ridgeback) obviously I've never owned or trained a Thaidog but based on what I've read they appear to have a similar temperament to a Mali ??

I have no Dog contacts here in Thailand so if anyone can point me in the direction of a breeder or if anyone knows of a young adult that's for sale please let me know. As I said the breeds I've had over 25 years experience with are working GSDs and Malis but if the Thaidogs are as good as what I've read then I'd condsider also consider a Thaidog.

Apologies for going off topic but I felt that plenty of real dog people have contributed to this thread, hence, my post.

Many thanks,

H.

Are you on Facebook? If so, I can pm you a contact, who is THE person to talk to. From (working) GSD to Mali to TRD breeder.

[KC 71]

[KC 71]

If they play up - give them water- seems to work for me !

[Hel123]

Hi Nienke,

PM sent

Thx

H