I took Barkley to a private training lesson today. The trainer was very good and informed me that I needed to be in control and not him. (Others have told me the same thing but, of course, I thought I was in control.) Right away she was able to tell that the Gentle Leader that I had used successfully with Ellee and Izzy was not working on this dog. She brought me a pinch collar (much thinner than the one you gave me, Megan) and adjusted it to his neck and then walked him around this very large arena that she owns (her specialty is agility training). She had him heel, turned him when he got ahead of her, and made him sit. There was more than one awful painful sound that came from Barkley but she assured me it wasn't hurting him and that he was just trying to get his way. I was almost in tears but understood that what she was saying was correct. Every time she stopped and said 'sit' he would sit and then immediately lie down--she would then pull him back up, walk him again and repeat. His lying down was his way of saying "I am in control and will do what I want". It only took her a few times and there were no more yelps. He looked like a dog that was ready for one of those fancy dog shows. Then it was my turn--I was, as usual, a bit clumsy but I eventually felt much better about the whole process.
Her advice for jumping was a squirt bottle with a straight spray. I am also going to put him on the choke and leash when he meets someone in the yard or house.
We talked about his aloofness--comes from the Pyrenees part of him. At first he would not look her in the eyes and was not tempted by her treat (salmon flavor) --I brought liver flavor treats that he likes and she was able to get him to connect using those.
I really liked her. Her method is lots of praise when he does the right thing.
I am substituting tomorrow so no morning walk for us. Training will have to start on Friday.
Our good friends had amazing luck with dog training. I was absolutely shocked at how fast their dog realized and accepted that he was no longer calling the shots. Good luck to you & Barkley!
ReplyDeleteSounds like she's a good mixture between a positive reward trainer and the practical one who acknowledges that different dogs require varying methods of discipline.
ReplyDeleteHang in there and remember that it's just like with kids: he really does want you to be in charge and set boundries! Don't feel guilty! Just remember what happens to a kid when you give him/her everything they want, never say no, and don't enforce the rules: SPOILED!