Remedial Dog Training

[Patt]

Does anyone have experience training older dogs?

I have a 2.5 year old Rottwieller/Labrador Cross ... he has a fantastic temperment ... loves all people and all dogs. His only downfall is that when he is off leash and we ask him to come, he decides not to.

I say decides not to because he knows what the command means, and does perform this command adequately in confined areas (yard, house etc).

My wife wants me to get him trained up a litter better on that particular command. Any suggestions from the ATOT dog crowd?

Ace

Ace2

 

[RKS]

I have a 3.5 y.o. lab that would not listen as well. Something clicked after he turned 3 and now he doesn't go anywhere far and always comes when called. I think it was him resigning himself to the fact that he was not the Alpha.

Try putting he on a long lead (50'), call him once, if he doesn't respond immediately, yank him back to you. Rinse and repeat.

There are thousand of training books but I have never had the patience to read a single one all the way through.

edit: It works great at night/during rain. I just open the garage door, tell him to go pee, and he does his business somewhere in the shadows, and runs back in.

 

[Alienwho]

Cool cross of a dog.

Have you ever watched the "Dog whisperer" on the discovery channel? Watch a few episodes of that and that will help a lot. Seriously, it's pretty good.

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: Alienwho
Cool cross of a dog.

Have you ever watched the "Dog whisperer" on the discovery channel? Watch a few episodes of that and that will help a lot. Seriously, it's pretty good.

Thanks ... no I have never watched that show, but will try to catch it sometime. I never seem to get to watch much TV these days. I'd rather take my pup for a swim in the river I just want him to come to me when I call so it is easier to get him on the leash to head home.

I'm hoping that my dog realizes eventually, like RKS' dog, that I'm the alpha. I'll have to try his suggestions too.

 

[Alienwho]

Originally posted by: Patt

Originally posted by: Alienwho
Cool cross of a dog.

Have you ever watched the "Dog whisperer" on the discovery channel? Watch a few episodes of that and that will help a lot. Seriously, it's pretty good.

Thanks ... no I have never watched that show, but will try to catch it sometime. I never seem to get to watch much TV these days. I'd rather take my pup for a swim in the river I just want him to come to me when I call so it is easier to get him on the leash to head home.

I'm hoping that my dog realizes eventually, like RKS' dog, that I'm the alpha. I'll have to try his suggestions too.

if you watch it, that's the first thing he does. He doesn't wait for the dog to realize he's the alpha, he makes it realize it in the first 5 minutes the dog sees him. Even though he's a stranger, he becomes the alpha in minutes.

 

[Akhen]

My dog is the exact same way so I got a Gentle Leader Headcollar and so far its worked a lot better when I take my dog out.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: Akhen
My dog is the exact same way so I got a Gentle Leader Headcollar and so far its worked a lot better when I take my dog out.

I tried the GL on Bacon for about a year. The only thing it did was leave a band across his nose from the pulling (even though it was sideways).

I found for MY dog that a prong-collar worked the best. It is self correcting so Bacon never really tried to pull against it. Now when I take Bacon for a walk I usually let go of the leash without any issues since I am pushing a stoller and watching out for my other son riding a bike.

BTW My wife bought the Dog Whisperer (Ceasar Milan) book for me to read. Since I can't read anymore (law school kills any subsequent desire) I quicky scanned it; basically walk your dog until exhaustion, then train, then play.

 

[V00DOO]

I highly recommend taking your dog to an obedience training class. You should be able to find a group obedience training class in your local community which will run $80 to $150. The course will run about 6 to 8 weeks.

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: V00DOO
I highly recommend taking your dog to an obedience training class. You should be able to find a group obedience training class in your local community which will run $80 to $150. The course will run about 6 to 8 weeks.

Ace has been through obedience training already, though we didn't do any outside work. Maybe a refresher course? He passed with flying colours the first time ... but has seemed to regress. This is his only bad habit

BTW RKS, love the name Bacon for a dog :thumbsup:

 

[adairusmc]

A shock collar took the stubbornness right out of my six year old chocolate lab.

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: adairusmc
A shock collar took the stubbornness right out of my six year old chocolate lab.

I'm not sure that I, nor my wife, want to go to that extreme yet ... I don't really want to change his personality in a radical way, I just want the little ah heck to run back to me when I call. Maybe I just have to carry better treats

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: Patt

Originally posted by: adairusmc
A shock collar took the stubbornness right out of my six year old chocolate lab.

I'm not sure that I, nor my wife, want to go to that extreme yet ... I don't really want to change his personality in a radical way, I just want the little ah heck to run back to me when I call. Maybe I just have to carry better treats

Yeah.

I had a problem with my dog with chasing the neighbors horses. In oregon it is legal to shoot a dog harrassing livestock. I was on good terms with this neighbor, and of course I didnt want my dog to be shot (he never threatened to or anything), so I got the collar to break him of it. I think I only had to hit him with it twice at first, and now he knows that that black collar does, and is a perfect angel when he is wearing it (and even when he is not, all I got to do is show him the controller when the collar is off of him and he shapes up in hurry).

 

[RKS]

...

BTW RKS, love the name Bacon for a dog :thumbsup:

thanks, he is a chocolate lab. we were going to get a yellow lab and call him Eggs but we quickly found out that lab pups are a handful and decided to quit while we still had a little control.


edit: sorry, large pic

 

[Patt]

Originally posted by: RKS

...

BTW RKS, love the name Bacon for a dog :thumbsup:

thanks, he is a chocolate lab. we were going to get a yellow lab and call him Eggs but we quickly found out that lab pups are a handful and decided to quit while we still had a little control.

edit: sorry, large pic

I see the pinch collar there ... think I might be trying that one for more control on the leash too. My wife doesn't quite have the handle on the dog that I do, and she is soon to be walking with a baby stroller

Good pic

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Alienwho
Cool cross of a dog.

Have you ever watched the "Dog whisperer" on the discovery channel? Watch a few episodes of that and that will help a lot. Seriously, it's pretty good.

:thumbsup: I love that show.

Cesar Millan should really rename that show "Dog Jedi". He has an uncanny control over dogs.