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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Ev lives the Lower Mainland of Beautiful British Columbia, Canada where she has been training dogs since 1969. She is experienced in many methods including clicker and motivational training. Ev is an original Superdog Performance Team member and her own dogs have travelled and performed with the Canadian SuperDogs since 1984. She has also served as an A.A.C. judge ans is an original Member/Trainer with the Dogwood Pacesetters Agility Club.
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[Edit]
6/16/2005
Hello, We have a Labradoodle that will be two years on July 4th. He has always been difficult but smart. He is obedience trained, but only behaves when he wants to. He wears a bark collar and it only works sometimes at the highest setting. He loves children and has always been great with them, but he uses his nose to push and will nip at clothes. He is very excitable (hyper). We live with a lot of animals( goats, horses ) he irritates the horses to the point they try to trample him yet they love my other dog.
He has become aggressive with other dogs at the dog park and today he tried to kill my goat, he would not stop when I tried to control him. (he did not turn on me). We are worried that this will always be an issue. He was with us with the goats all day and knows not to bother them but 3 minutes after I went to get the trash can he attacked. He knew I could not see him. He recently started sleeping in the house and I am firm believer that dogs belong in their bed not ours, but my son has been letting him in his and I am afraid this will cause more issues. I would normally find this dog a new home with out children or animals but my son is attached. Any advice would be great. Also the dogs are kept separate 50% of the time so they don't get to pack like. (The other is only 4 mos) (marc, California )
First off, I think you meant that he has attended Obedience Classes but he is not Obedience Trained or you would not be having so many difficulties with him. It sounds as though he has too much freedom. More regulated times of 'earning his freedom' and supervision when that freedom is given, would help you a great deal.
In most cases, once a dog learns that he 'can' tackle and harm another animal - it doesn't
stop. You can work to control it and even deter this behaviour pattern but it is unlikely that you can stop it completely. If you fear for your livestock, then he should be kept away from them unless on a leash and supervised with strict guidance.
Having a dog sleep on the bed, despite what some 'Alpha Obedience Trainers' say, does not make other issues with that same dog, worse. It all depends on 'how' these situations are handled and the timing in which you handle it. (e.g. if a dog soils the carpet, you don't reprimand him one minute and then in the next minute allow him up on the bed or couch for attention.) Keeping the dogs separated will not help IF that 50% is not spent with you and your guidance, training, etc.
I totally disagree with any tools or aids like bark collars, shock collars, halties, etc. It is a lazy man's device to control what they are not willing to train. A Squirt Bottle with supervision, timing and routine scheduling of training times will work as good if not better.
There have been Leash laws on the books since the early 1800's and the one reason why I disagree with off-leash parks. If dog aggression has become an issue, it could be because he is either not being kept on a leash or the leash is being used in an improper manner when encountering another dog. This type of thing cannot be explained and must be shown to be understood.
I would attend another session and possibly two or three more Obedience Classes and try to find a different trainer for each as each Trainer has different views and methods and you may learn something from one that you didn't from another. It doesn't sound like you have an evil dog but you may have unintentionally created a problem dog and it will take time to correct
Canine Caretaker Training/Consulting
http://www.k9care.ca
"United We Stand."
http://www.standunited.ca
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