Dog Problems/Trainer

[Kiara_the_Ferret]

I was just curious if anyone has a dog with problems and what those problems are. I'm wondering what some common problems real ppl are having with their dogs (though I believe it's the person's fault, not the dog's).

[Zhaylin]

Housetraining. I have had several dogs and it has often been a problem, but not as bad as with my familes first dog. If he became excited or scared, he'd pee everywhere. I tried to calm his anxiety but nothing seemed to work. So he was doomed to life as an outside dog. Our current dog is a sweetheart. When we live at the Farm, she has 83 acres to freely roam whemever she wants and neighborhood dogs often stop by to play. She was an inside/outside dog and went to the door whenever she wanted outside. Our biggest problem with her is getting her to come to us when we need/want her and FLEES. Until we find something to control the flees, she's staying outside because she infested 2 homes with the nasty beasties.

[Man of Steel]

Fleas. It's 'fleas'. 'Flee' means to run away. My dog flees when she thinks I'm going to put her back in the pen, and most of the time does not come when she's called. This is wholly my fault, though, and I'm the first to admit that. I don't give her nearly enough exercise, and don't work with her enough lately. Plus I went about her initial training the wrong way. I use Cesar Millan's methods now, and will train my next dog from a puppy by his methods. Because, frankly, it works. Far better than anything else I've ever seen. It is amazing to me the effect your posture and projected energy can have on your dog. The most common problem I see in dogs, bar none, is jumping up. For most dogs, this is easily fixed, though with some you have to try different methods of going about it. Heck, mine still jumps up when she gets too excited and I haven't specifically told her not to in the last five minutes. Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason you're wanting this information? Planning on getting a dog soon or starting a dog training school?

[Kiara_the_Ferret]

Yeah, jumping, house training, and fleas! Honestly I love dogs, and I'm a Cesar Millan fan. What he does is amazing and makes perfect sense. The reason is, I'm planning on getting a dog, so I want to know as much as I can so I do it right from the start. Thats the main reason. Second reason is that I'd love to work with dogs. Many dogs are ignored/neglected, put down, or put in shelters because of our lack of knowledge, or knowing but not following through and taking action.

[Odd_Nonposter]

The most common problem I see in dogs, bar none, is jumping up. For most dogs, this is easily fixed, though with some you have to try different methods of going about it. Heck, mine still jumps up when she gets too excited and I haven't specifically told her not to in the last five minutes. I've got a 3 yr. old border collie and that's his biggest problem. If it's somebody he hasn't seen in a while, rest assured, he will jump on the person. (And having a 40-60lb. dog jump on you (and probably tag you in the crotch) is not a fun thing to experience.) He's not hyperactive, like most border collies (we found him sleeping on the bottom of the pile at the puppy farm,) if anything, he sleeps too much. The other big problem with longhaired breeds is, well, HAIR! I'm not allergic, but you better see how much hair can be brushed out of a border collie in the spring shedding season. You could stuff a mattress with it. The best thing I've found for training a dog is the clicker method. You get a clicker (or just snap your fingers) and click it when training a dog whenever the dog is doing something positive. After a click, give the dog a very small treat. The dog will become conditioned to the fact that a click means that it has done something good. Rather than forcing a dog to 'obey,' the clicker method uses positive reinforcement.

[Shift]

I have none, my dogs are amazing. Ok, I guess walking without a leash is something I'll have to work very hard on And with the puppy, 'stay'. Otherwise, my dogs are very obedient and lovely Except that one won't let you trim her nails. ...rest assured, he will jump on the person... The best thing I've found for training a dog is the clicker method. You get a clicker (or just snap your fingers) and click it when training a dog whenever the dog is doing something positive. After a click, give the dog a very small treat. The dog will become conditioned to the fact that a click means that it has done something good. Rather than forcing a dog to 'obey,' the clicker method uses positive reinforcement. I find for jumping, a very swift and hard knee to the chest will usually stop that. Just be mean once, and end it forever. The thing I never understood about the clicker method is, why not just say 'good dog' instead of click?

[hellohihello]

My dogs would be the perfect dogs. ( Beagle/chihuahua ) They BARK! I can't get them to stop at all, it takes about 2/3 minutes of calm assertiveness.

[Odd_Nonposter]

Because the click is instantaneous and distinctive. If your voice is the main input for reward, the dog has to filter and understand exactly what you're saying to know if what it's doing is correct. If you're teaching a dog to do a specific trick that involves timing, a click can be administered faster than saying "good dog."

[grasshoppa]

my dogs jump on people too...They are 90-95lbs each so it can get pretty dangerous. Especially for the elderly and the young.

[Clairity]

Except that one won't let you trim her nails. That's my main problem too! Between them fighting me and my fear of cutting too far down.. I just give up and let the groomer do their nails. It amazes me how they will struggle with me but they'll just let the groomer do whatever to them without a fight. .

[ninja9578]

It's always the owner's fault. The owner needs to be assertive and be the pack leader.

[Shift]

Someone watches too much dog whisperer Yea... I had a vet and two techs and myself sitting on my beagle and it was a no-go She's too terrified. Next time I'm home I'll have her sedated and get it done, I guess

[Man of Steel]

A better method for jumping up, though it does not work on all dogs, is a sharp, loud, hard, "Kch!" sound, while making eye contact and giving a disapproving, stern sharp look. Then immediately turn away and ignore the dog. Something else that works better if the dog is just hyper is grabbing their front paws and walking them backward when they jump up. Do it fast, so they lose their balance. It scares them; a dog doesn't like to feel unbalanced. And what Ninja says is true of most cases. Not ALL, because there are always scenarios where a dog is affected by outside distractions and influences, but 90%, yes. However, just being assertive isn't all there is to it. It's the biggest step, yes, but not all of it. You need to have a basic understanding of what makes your dog do what it does. I started clicker training my Lab, but I didn't like the positive reinforcement method. It is, to me, counter-intuitive. All that happened was that she became focused on getting treats, instead of actually obeying my commands. She paid more attention to the reward than the reason for the reward. She got to where she would spontaneously sit, or lie down, and expect a treat. Now, I'm not saying that this is solely the blame of the method; I was probably doing something wrong. But I do not use treats to train anymore, as a general rule. Cesar Millan's philosophy/method works far, far better in my experience. The Monks of New Skete have a few good tricks up their sleeves as well. Basically, a common-sense approach works best. Dogs are pretty simple creatures, but they all have unique personalities. To me, it is a joy to discover this in each dog I meet.