Member Questions – 5/25/21

Here are today’s member Q&A – see you tomorrow (Wednesday) in the LIVE

Naithan and Shadow

Evening Robert, I have been trying to teach my 16mo GSD to bark on command. I increased his drive with tug misses & then tether him. I teased him similarly to rag work. he would just jump, lunge, bite, but no barking. I only trained before meals & tried the same method by placing the food bowl inches out of his reach which he whined instead. I’ve done about 3 sessions in 20 minute but still not one bark. eventually tires out from lunging,stares at me, and then lies down. I know he definitely knows how to bark.

Anly Ha

On our night walk I sat at a lit parking lot by a busy intersection to desensitize him to car lights, night sounds and smells. One male who we’ve passed several times on our night walks saw us and decided to approach us (20 ft away). I put up my hand to say no. My dog got up from his down, lunged and growled as a warning. I said ‘no’ and put him back in a down. Is there something I can improve on so my dog is not making those decisions on his own?

Amit

Hi, In Loose Leash Training you talk about choke and prong collars.

In the FAQ you have a video on Prong or E-Collar and you say to start with a choke chain and afterwards switch to Prong or E-Collar.

I’m not sure I understand. If you conditioned the dog to a choke chain, why would you need nor want to change to a Prong?

My dog has territorial aggression around my house and on walks some fear based aggression towards 1% of people and 15% of dogs and he had some bad experience on choke with trainer

Simon

Hi, What’s your thought about neutering working dogs like german shepherds? My dog is now 1 year old and he is not showing extreme interest in female dogs. My mother thinks that in the future he will be problematic because he is not sterilized and that I will not be able to control him. I really don’t know if that’s true? Can you tell me your opinion about sterilization, pros and cons and how it affects dog training and his drive.

Dan

10mo GSD just finished the first heat , exhibiting new aggression. I have been training 2 times a week since 8 weeks old. She is very good at meeting new people and dogs in stores or walks when on lead and I introduce. She has always barked at little kids, which I interpreted as her wanting to play with them, maybe incorrectly. Recently she had 3 episodes. While down, people approached slowly. All no contact, 6-10 ft away. She lunges, barks and in one case so far nipped. She also chased the toddler, barking. exhibits barking and intermittent aggression with small kids. I made a naive assumption that dog thought kids were puppy substitutes to play with. She recently was exposed to a 3 yr toddler. was ok for about 5 min, then spontaneously turned, chased the kid barking, and nipped her his diaper. no injury.

Ed

Thank you for sharing your expertise. Your encouragement is always appreciated. Midge, our 10 month old rescue Terrier/Australian Cattle dog is progressing better than expected. Our concern is that we live in an area that is shared with rattlesnakes. We continue to train the “leave it” command but Midge does not always respond quickly. Do you recommend Rattlesnake Aversion classes? If so, what type of method? If not, what do you recommend? Blessings.

Kevin G

I have a 5 month old German Shepherd that loves to play fetch. She will return the ball and drop it at my feet every time but only let me pick it up if I have a treat in my hand. If I reach down to get the ball she lunges for the ball and it becomes a keep away game. If the treat is in my hand she lets me pick up the ball every time. How can I stop this resource trading issue I have created with the dog.

Sam

Our pup fell into a pool. I Made a stupid, stupid mistake. I took our dog out to potty at our family’s house, without a leash. The pool was open and I was not quick enough to recall her. She likes water but has never been over her head. She popped up and I pulled her right out. She was fine that day, but developed an infection from inhaling water. I feel awful. She is 1 and we have yet to teach her to swim.

I am hoping to implement her threshold manners around all water, any advice?

Thank you!

Jamie S

I have 2 GSD, a 13 month old female (Allie) & a 5 month old male (Echo). They are both great pups & love to train. Echo we’ve had for 6 weeks, we are working on focus & luring. I considered sending them to a Board & Train but I’m nervous about sending them away & it’s a lot of $, we don’t have. As a teacher, I have summers off. I’m wanting to create a 2-3 week training program as if they were at a Board & Train. What’s your advice. Trying to create my own “Training Program” at home for my 13 mo female & 5 mo male German Shepherds. I have summers off, I wanted to spend the first 2 or 3 weeks, having structured training schedule so they learn more, quicker. They train now 2-3 times a day, we always make it fun & they love it. I just wanted to see better results. Just as if they were at a Board & Train. What is your advice? They both are great pups, I’m lucky I’m their owner. Thank you

Daniel

Our adopted puppy is coming up on 6 months. Lately, when surprised, she’ll hackle-up, huff, and sometimes woof or bark. Usually (not always) we can interrupt this within a few seconds using a command, play, or food.

Tricky situations for her: people popping out around corners, gardeners in bushes, or passing a lone person on an otherwise empty sidewalk.

She’s casual and friendly when it’s busier outside.

We live in a condo and would like to help her be quiet and comfortable in everyday life.

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