Dogs and bitches
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New to this thread as we have had a dog free house since God was a boy. However January last year we got Ms Cato No1 a Black Lab puppy and the subsequent 12 months have been interesting. He was a delightful little feller until he decided not to be and then was a complete little shite. Upshot was we took him to a guy that breeds and trains gun dogs for a once a week lesson. The important thing to realise here is that the lesson was not for him, it was for us. He emphasised that training is an ongoing thing and it is constant. There is no on/off switch. For sure you can have down time with the mutt for play and what have you but this HAS to be on your terms. It has taken a long time, maybe 6 months to get the (now not so) little bastard to be almost where we want him. The hardest part was getting him to walk to heel to the satisfaction of Nigel the gun dog man. His view was that if the dog's snout is ahead of your front foot then (said in broad Devon accent) "Him be taking the fucking piss." This meant that walking the dog was quite a trial for a long time with much yanking on the lead and loud commands but now he's pretty much there.
Recall was also difficult and we required a shock treatment for him. At one time it was suggested that a shock collar might be the thing but we were naturally very reluctant to try this. What eventually worked was a tin with a few stones in it. The dog really didn't like that noise at all and together with the appropriate command stops him in his tracks. This though needed to be trained in to him in a controlled space but now we can take him on the beach or to the moors and his recall is bloody good, even around other dogs and livestock (on the moor where they roam free). Don't get me wrong, he still has his moments but when he does, the walk or trip is cut short immediately so there are consequences and oddly enough that seems to work too.
He's just over a year old now and all is pretty good. He sits down, lays down, waits when told and recalls pretty well. He will not eat until told to; the other day I put his food down, got him to sit and wait and then went to the bathroom. He was still sitting there waiting on my return, albeit with two small pools of drool under his chops.
So in terms of what we have learned, first thing is to ensure you're in a controlled environment. Demonstrate what you want him to do and enforce this with a command - ie make the fucker sit and then say the command. Do it enough and it is ingrained. Be patient in realising that it will take time and there will often be two steps forward and one back. Stop any walk/play what have you if the response is not satisfactory. Have a shock tactic if needs be but use it sparingly. Lastly use tone in your commands, they do not understand English too well.
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WE are now around 6 months in, and there have been some serious ups and downs.
Because I'm really the only one that is mega strict with the dog, it basically hates my guts. I've never hit her, seldom raised my voice, but I've been more than happy to take her out of her environment in a bit of a huff and place her outside or in her area and shut the doors. She then just gives me this confused as fuck look for a while and gets over it.
My wife and kids thou, seriously. She jumps all over them with love, excitement affection at every single opportunity regardless of what they do. We've probably fucked up somewhere along the line in the training, but I'm struggling to give a shit. I do a lot of walking with her, and she's nigh on perfect. Will always heel when she hears a car, or hears me click the leash. Then when she's off, goes crazy running everywhere but will immediately be sitting by my feet if I call her. Certainly not as perfect when other dogs are around, but she is only 9 months old so that will calm down with age.
Has never shit inside, and hasn't done a piss inside on purpose in ages. Occasional excitement wee, but nothing major. She's not allowed in carpeted areas anyway.
So yeah all in all - well the wife and kids absolutely adore her. The good night routine for the kids takes for fucking ever now. And reality is that if it wasn't for her, I would have missed out on all the nature walks which I've done with her. Something about chucking on gumboots, a coat and gloves, and heading out for a 30 minute sold walk which feels nice. Rain or shine. Happy we got her? Suppose so. Be nice just once to have her excited to see me tho ...
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@MajorRage said in Dogs and bitches:
Occasional excitement wee, but nothing major.
Well shit, who among us isn't guilty of this from time to time?
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We are basically at the same place as you are training, and yeah, it's constant. It is only twice on recall when she has gone into hunting mode that she loses it. Just completely in her own world. Our trainer guy said to use a whistle as a "shock" to snap her out of it but might try this, thanks:
"What eventually worked was a tin with a few stones in it. The dog really didn't like that noise at all and together with the appropriate command stops him in his tracks."
@Catogrande said in Dogs and bitches:
they do not understand English too well.
Actually they reckon an average dog can understand 165 words, a smart one up to 250.
"Brain scans discover evidence that dogs process language in a similar way to humans and are only truly happy if a praising tone of voice is matched by the actual words spoken"
Your dog really does understand what you’re saying, and here is how
Brain scans discover evidence that dogs process language in a similar way to humans and are only truly happy if a praising tone of voice is matched by the actual words spoken
So yes, tone is important.
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@Snowy I'll agree with the last bit when I see one of the fuckers with a degree
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@Catogrande said in Dogs and bitches:
@Snowy I'll agree with the last bit when I see one of the fuckers with a degree
I've met people with degrees who I'm pretty sure didn't know 165 words, let alone what they meant.
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@Snowy said in Dogs and bitches:
@Catogrande said in Dogs and bitches:
@Snowy I'll agree with the last bit when I see one of the fuckers with a degree
I've met people with degrees who I'm pretty sure didn't know 165 words, let alone what they meant.
Yeah I did rethink things shortly after posting, but you know, over here it's mid evening and a glass or two of a decent southern French red means that I couldn't really be arsed.
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Long thought Andrew Cotter the best rugby commentator around, but he's shown himself to be a comic genius in the last few months.
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@Bones I love olive and mabel these vids are cute, but annoy me as unfortunately have a Border Collie now who basically refuses to even be my dog. He would never play along with this.
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@R-L something about labs strike me as the most boring dog ever. Would probably be my last choice.
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@Bones nah they look easy and enjoyable! I grew up with the best German Shepherds ever, hands down the best dog breed, still miss them
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@Bones said in Coronavirus memes:
@R-L something about labs strike me as the most boring dog ever. Would probably be my last choice.
That's like coming out against Christmas. You're dead to me. And to most people. And if you look deep into your heart, you are dead to yourself.
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@Catogrande dead on the inside that Boney is.. All that hair straightening has done something to his brain
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@Catogrande oh look, we got a dog like everyone else has. Let's call it Mabel...or Olive..no wait Bella...oh, Rufus! Now let's watch it's boring indistinguishable body get fat.
I bet your second favourite is a bichon frise.
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@Bones something serious has happened to you lately....you are very angry all the time
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@Bones said in Coronavirus memes:
@Catogrande oh look, we got a dog like everyone else has. Let's call it Mabel...or Olive..no wait Bella...oh, Rufus! Now let's watch it's boring indistinguishable body get fat.
I bet your second favourite is a bichon frise.
Mate on one level you seem like a sensible decent bloke and then you bring in Bichon Frise into a dog discussion. Don't you know anything?
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@R-L said in Coronavirus memes:
@Bones something serious has happened to you lately....you are very angry all the time
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@Catogrande said in Coronavirus memes:
@Bones said in Coronavirus memes:
@Catogrande oh look, we got a dog like everyone else has. Let's call it Mabel...or Olive..no wait Bella...oh, Rufus! Now let's watch it's boring indistinguishable body get fat.
I bet your second favourite is a bichon frise.
Mate on one level you seem like a sensible decent bloke and then you bring in Bichon Frise into a dog discussion. Don't you know anything?
Rufus needs a walk.
