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Training - Where do you go? Are they good? What sort of techniques do they use?


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Hi, I was just wondering where everyone took their dogs for training if they did. I took my boy training yesterday for the first time yesterday. He is 15month now and I am wishing I had took him earlier and want to smack my own hands lol. It was one of those things I meant to do but other things got in the way and I thought he would be fine as long as I did training with him myself at home and followed "The Dog Whisperer's advice. Anyway, he has recently started growing at other dogs and so I decided I better take him so that the situation would not get worse, plus I wanted him to be able to socialise with more dogs. He used to get on with other dogs really well. Im not sure if it is the fact that he started to get protective over the girl doh when she was in season, or that he met another aggressive owner whilst on a walk and the owner did nothing or perhaps just his age. Anyway I had some mixed feelings about the training class we went to yesterday. The runners especially the main trainer seemed to be a little patronising. There was three other dogs that at separate times growled at my boy and he then growled back and yet the trainers only seemed to be focusing on him. Also, they seemed to suggest having him neutered a little too quickly and didnt seem to want to think about alternatives. I also thought the dogs might have been able to socialise more, maybe naively. It just seemed as if all the dog owners were just constantly avoiding going anywhere near another dog. i kept thinking I believe that he just needs to get used to being near a large group of dogs as he never has before and that I do too and that I also need to be quicker and sharper with him, such as not allowing him to fous on another dog for a second. If Im honest this is perhaps something I have slipped slightly on and I think my energy was a little off that day. What do you all think?? Also, I was wondering if it is possible to trian a Husky to not pull sometimes , such as when on training collar and lead and yet get them to pull when u want to ie when on a harness, or will the dog just get confused?? On a more positive note, he is generally a good, sweet dog. He will sit, stay for as long as i want him too, lie down, gives paw, does a half roll over lol and will come back to me when called when i let him off the lead!! He did do really well with the training games especially considering it was his first time. I wish I lived near the dog whisperer so I could ask his oppinion lol. :confused: What makes a good dog trainer??

Chasing your tail gets you nowhere ... 'cept back to where you started

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the dog whisperer is very good actually. there is also a place in the uk called dog borstal don't know if youhave ever watched it but the trainers there are also excellent.

how ever the training group we use is very good they work towards the good dog citizen scheme and are approved by the kennel club.

i think alot of dog trainers will suggest neutering and if you're not planning on breeding then neutering is a good idea well thats what i think. our sibe will be neutered as we won't be breeding.

the techniques they use are the treat,reward and praise technique.

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thought about classes, but have heard a few bad things about my local one, so am workin on things my self, currently im workin on my two ignorin other dogs we meet untill, they either pass us or come over to introduce themselves, im just using treats and gettin my two to focus on me rather than the other dog, its going really well, apart from when other people let there dogs off lead and they come racin over, n for some reason keep jumpin on diefun,not sure why ,

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Hi thanks everyone , I feel a bit better about it now. The thing is I read this Husky book yesterday and it said that neutering a husky should only be thought of as a very last resort because it ruins their coats - makes them thicker, shaggy and really unmanageable. Obviously that won't be my only concern , but I think im just going to carry on with some training maybe try a different class if this one doesnt work (maybe Sarah's class) and see how he goes. He gets on well with the girl Husky that lives across the road from us, he even let her shgare his treats yesterday!! So maybe its just some dogs thgat get him wound up. Anyway hopefully he will get better with training and age.

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Anyway I had some mixed feelings about the training class we went to yesterday. The runners especially the main trainer seemed to be a little patronising. There was three other dogs that at separate times growled at my boy and he then growled back and yet the trainers only seemed to be focusing on him.

They could have felt that he was a more serious case than the other dogs. Sometimes a dominant or aggressive dog can make other dogs feel threatened and that might be the reason the other dogs were growling. There could have been a lot of body language (not just growling) that your dog displayed to make the other three feel uncomfortable. This may not have been the case at all but something to think about :)

I also thought the dogs might have been able to socialise more, maybe naively. It just seemed as if all the dog owners were just constantly avoiding going anywhere near another dog.

I use obedience club as a way to socialise my dogs in a controlled situation. I don't take my dogs there to play or interact with others, but to learn to focus when other dogs are around and (in the case of my fear aggressive dog) that other dogs are nothing to get worked up about.

I don't like other dogs approaching mine when we are at dog school, as the purpose of obedience training is to get your dog to focus on you, not to play with others. You can definitely use it as an opportunity to socialise, but instead of interacting with other dogs your dog will learn to control himself around them and learn to be more focused on you :)

Also, I was wondering if it is possible to trian a Husky to not pull sometimes , such as when on training collar and lead and yet get them to pull when u want to ie when on a harness, or will the dog just get confused??

Absolutely! You can teach the dog the difference between walking on a nice loose leash when they are wearing a flat or training collar, and teaching them that once the harness goes on that it's time to work.

Hi thanks everyone , I feel a bit better about it now. The thing is I read this Husky book yesterday and it said that neutering a husky should only be thought of as a very last resort because it ruins their coats - makes them thicker, shaggy and really unmanageable. .

TBH I don't think it's anything you need to worry about, especially now your dog has finished growing :) I have never noticed a different in coats when I have had my dogs desexed, they are all in beautiful condition.

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I can't really help you finding a good trainer but Sarah's looks good.

Ceaser does have some good tips but I find they only really work if you are in the right mind! I find that is my biggest problem as if I am in the right state of mind training goes well but if Im tiered, feeling down or angry, etc then it doesn't work as well.

It is possible to get your sibes to walk on a loose lead (look as Nix's, bingnblaze, thread - Blaze's Progress) just shows that when you stick to it, your sibe can walk perfectly on the lead! And when you stick to it they can realise that when the harness comes out its pulling time and when just a lead comes out they are to walk nicely (Raindog, Mick, manages to).

As for catration: I was told that it doesn't make much, if any, differance to their behaviour when castrated when I bought Gizmo although I am having all my 3 castrated as they won't be needing them and Gizmo only has one dropped plus I would like to get a girl some time in the future.

Great post Smeagle, added to rep

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thnx amy :) yeah i mean i managed 2 get Blaze walking nicely on his lead within two weeks and i trained him myself so it can b done if u stick with it and keep positve also look at amys/siberianwolf's thread about gizmo walkin on a lead nicely n she trained him herself aswell so it can b done its just alot ov hard work and patience :) good luck

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yeah I will thanks. I dont really want to have him castrated/neutered unless I really really have to, well not now anyway as we were thinking about breeding them. i can get him to walk quite good now with his new Kombi collar and juster lead.

I just think dog trainers shouldnt be patronising with you, they should just be helpful. I felt as if she was looking down on me just because my dog is not a little angel 100% of the time. I know I will be able to train him to be better because we have a really good bond. He always comes back to me when called when I let him off the lead n the field just down the road from us. so I know anything is possible as this is a rarerity with Huskies.

Thanks for all your comments everyone, they have been really helpful.

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Sorry if it sound harsh but your not going to breed him your going the right way to losing him, want advice STOP letting him off the lead it was ok last time might be next time maybe next few time might be great all the time but if he's a true sibe sooner of later he WILL run and there will be no calling him back by you or anyone that will stop him.

and you thought your dog trainer was patronising...............

like I say sorry if you dont like this but better someone says it.

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that really is harsh Dunc. Of course i dont want to loose him and I would never put him in a situation where this mite be possible. I know a lot of people that would disagree with you, just because huskies are known for doing certain things doesnt mean that always has to be the case. They are know for pulling on a lead for instance and yet it is possible to trian them not too. Also, some dog trainers/psychologists say no matter what the breed, even if it is a Husky the instinct to stay with the pack is stronger then the breeding and is in all dogs and he definitely knows who his pack is. People shouldnt have to be patronising to get their views across, there are better ways of doing it.

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We all have our ways of putting things across and if you read some of my posts on here you will find this id my way like it or not its me if someone does not like it I find its there problem not mine, I do put my points across in away some dont like but if I get my point across I do my job as I see it. Dont take it personaly as I am equally horrible to everyone ask around.

As for dog trainers/psychologists and the likes they are all aloud there appioins but any that say this about sibes are WRONG of course you will get the odd sibe that will never run away you will get the odd trainer that can also train them not 2 run away are you one of them ? am I are any of us ? do we have the right to even try knowing what might happen just so we can say hey look I did it so can you !!! you see where am going with this ? how long before you teach someone else to do it thats not as good at it as you.

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I do put my points across in away some dont like but if I get my point across I do my job as I see it. Dont take it personaly as I am equally horrible to everyone ask around.

I wouldn't say your horrible to ppl Dunc, you just make sure you put your point accross and that's a good thing even if some of us do take offence

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You jokin she only with Marc because I already married lol

ROFPMSL you wish lol lol OMG hang on let me pick myself up off the floor - i fell off sofa i laughed that hard!!!! hehehe

Yes Dunc can be nasty at times but he means well :)

On the off lead thing though, i have let Kimba off only a few times and only in one particular area where i know he's safe - well THOUGHT he was anyway. He was great, ALWAYS came back as soon as i whistled couldn't have asked for better recall - THEN he ran off :eek:

I lost him for 20 mins i was in BITS i rang my friend up in tears not knowing what to do - should i tell marc and get him to help me look do i ring my whole phone book and get a tribe up to help?? Anyway I calmed down and kept walking round whistling and eventually after what seemed an ETERNITY he came trotting up behind me, looking at me as if it say "I'm here mum what's wrong"?

OMG I hugged him gave him treats and snapped the lead back on and it's not been off since, that was the most awful 20 mins of my life!

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The place where you take yours too seems better sarah. I think I might try there.

She is really good, was my fav teacher at primary school and she's great with dogs, so calm and talks to you really nicely, never tells you off either which is great.

It's 5 for an hour which i think is really good value for money, there's prob about 8 to 10 people in the class all at diff stages so you don't feel like a newbie :)

If you go let me know how you get on - i will be starting taking Kaiser next week

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