I’ve been good training dogs since I was younger, I’ve had 3 pit bulls and mastiff. But, for some reason my pit bull puppy is just so bold and hyper xD. He knows all his tricks I taught him, he just doesn’t really listen when he doesn’t feel like it.
ex. Inside, he’ll sit, for a treat, he’ll sit. Outside, hes dragging me across the field to get to another dog xD
I improved his leash skills alot, but not enough. I was thinking Dog obedience classes? The only I’ve ever heard of was some in petco, and I think that is going to be tough. My dog never got socialized properly as a puppy, and he is TERRIFIED of men. And very wary of new people. He loves other dogs though. I’m trying to work on that [he trusts 2 men, my boyfriend and my mother's boyfriend] I think I should get a female trainer.. Are there such a thing as PRIVATE dog obedience classes [positive reinforcement] ?
Nancy~ My dog is scared of men, when I got him, I think he was abused by them, when he sees one, he growls cries and hides behind me with all his hair on his back standing up. I don’t want to put him through that yet, I want to train him the basics first, then try to slowly show him men.
Thanks for your input though! ^__^
Tagged with: classes • Obedience • Private
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Absolutely. And I think you’re on the right track here. Ask your vet to recommend a trainer in your area.
Sure there are! I had a priviate trainer come an tell me what I was doing wrong with walking one of my dogs! She was great! I had her here for 4 lessons and We worked mor on me than the dog because it was discovered I was the one who was giving the dog wrong body signals. I learned a ton and the dog did too!
I recomened it highly. Start to look for one!
You are right, privite lessons sound like a great idea. Call your vet and see if they have names of privite trainers. Good luck and thank you for being willing to work with your dog and not just dump him.
1-1 Training is a must try Pet Smart and check out the trainer before hand how many years under their belt….have they worked with your particular breed…..worth the money and the time…..good for you for being responsible
I have a Dane puppy who was like that (in regards to doing all his tricks when he wanted to do them, but not when I wanted to do them), but he’s gotten better now that he’s started to mature (he’s a year old now).
I have heard of private obedience lessons, but it was through an animal shelter that it was available. So maybe try your local shelter?
For the socialization, I would suggest taking him to a grocery store or mall, and standing a safe distance (as to not scare him) from the general population. Let him just observe the people going in and out of the stores. Bring lots of yummy treats, and give him lots of praise if he seems calm, and is sitting. Once he’s mastered this – take him a bit closer, and keep working up until people can come up to him and pet him, and he enjoys it.
Oh yeah, for distraction, try teaching him the ‘watch me’ command! I found that worked WONDERS for my pup. Take a treat to his nose, then bring it to your face and say ‘watch me’. Give him the treat and repeat. Then, when his attention is drawn away, say ‘watch me’ and if he looks at you – give him LOTS AND LOTS of praise and treats! Soon enough..he’ll be wanting to pay attention to you!
Good luck with your pup!
Yes there are many trainers who offer private training in addition to teaching classes. You can talk to your trainer at PetCo, to your veterinarian, or visit one of the websites below to find one.
there is such a thing. talk to your vet about it and have him recommend a trainer. thank god your doing something about this. many people sit and think they will grow out of it
Yes, there is such a thing. Call your veterinarian’s office to see if they can recommend someone. Trainers often drop off business cards/brochures at vet. offices to advertise. You can also try looking in the phone book. Local pet stores would be a good place to inquire, as well.
P.S. Grooming & boarding establishments will often offer training services, as well.
a good private trainer is a great asset. ask around for recommendations, especially from people who have well balanced dog. they should readily answer questions about technique, cost, expectations, etc. your dog needs to get nuetralized to its fears as soon as possible. do not continue to shield him from men or he will be unpredictable and dangerous around 50% of the population. I don’t think that a female trainer is necessary. the key is a good trainer, regardless of gender. a good male or female trainer will be able to read your dog, gain his trust, and use that trust to teach trust to others.
Petco might not be the best place to train your dog because there are so many factors that you cannot control. The dogs and owners aren’t screened before signing up, meaning you may be paying to be penned in a store with dangerous dogs and careless people full of customers who you also can’t control. The training here is generic and is often too chaotic to allow for the kind of attention you and your dog need.
a good private trainer assesses you first, then you and your dog, and then you, your dog, and other dogs and people that the trainer and you both can trust. the fact that your dog loves other dogs is a plus, and the trainers well adjusted dog may be able to encourage your dog to trust other people by showing him that its not as scary as he thinks.
above all, don’t isolate yourself and your dog because either one of you are intimidated. the sooner you and your dog can get past this hurdle, the happier and safer you all will be.
especially now with the current, although completely irrational, public perception of pitbulls, you have to be more than careful. i have a german shepherd and a chow/rottie mix and people cross the street when they see us coming. its so important to have these dogs under control because our dogs are blamed no matter who the aggressor is when there is a problem.
good luck! it sounds like your pup has great potential and you are awesome for wanting to catch this before it develops into a greater problem.
I doubt private training is what you need and it shouldn’t matter what sex the training instructor is. The dog needs to pay attention and listen to YOU, not the instructor. YOU need to pay attention and listen to an instructor and the dog behaves when there is no one else around, supposedly, but it is when there are stressors/distractions when he completely ignores you so training him in a essentially sterile environment isn’t going to help him in the least. You are coddling to him and making excuses for him in your post and that is likely exactly what you do in your ‘training’.
Absolutely, I’ve had a trainer come to the house with both my dogs. It’s one on one, I ask as many questions as I need to, and it’s a hands on experience with techniques. The first trainer came with a friend’s recommendation, the 2nd from an ad in the yellow pages. I did not sign a contract or commit to x number of sessions, I paid hourly for the time and both trainers were good and got the job done. My vet’s office recommended a trainer who wanted to sign me up with a contract for over $500, I wouldn’t do that.