Dog training - I'm a failure

[welsummerchicks]

They can be taught at this age but it will be a lot of work.

I'd say though, that most people's dogs have a thing or two that they aren't very good at. If they're good in general please don't feel too bad.

Our dogs were like that at one point so we would separate them and stuff them full of treats the entire time. They got to the point where they were like they were with fire works, the first sound of fire work, they would look up and us and say with their eyes, 'FOOD?'

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Another way to get a handle on walking dogs separately is to use your crate. Put one dog in the crate and go walking with the other. Next time (next day even) reverse the order. Even if the one in the crate fusses, nothing bad is going to happen to him. Eventually he'll decide the same thing and just lay down to sleep while you are gone.

Teaching them to accept that you are working one at a time when they are in sight of one another will take 2 people. One person per dog. You place both dogs on down-stay, then walk off with one and begin whatever exercises you want to work on. Person #2 stays with dog #2 but not in contact with him unless he breaks his down/stay. Then he corrects the dog and puts him back on down/stay. You repeat this until he is solid with the idea that you work others besides him.

If you don't want dog #2 barking the whole time, you must first teach him a command for silence. I always use the front door for this. This is also a 2-person job. Person #2 rings the bell. The dog barks. You silence him, reward him for his silence and answer the door. (Which is why you need someone you know to be the #2 guy, so he doesn't mind the long waits before you actually answer the doorbell!) Once the dog is solid on this exercise, then you can add those exercises that teach him to watch you working someone else.

In training, whether it's dogs or horses, break the thing you want him to learn into many smaller pieces, get him successful on those and then assemble the whole thing into the big exercise that was your real goal. Baby steps are so much easier for them (and us) to master.

HTH

Rusty

 

[ShrekDawg]

I agree with the others, you need to break this habit now, and the suggestions here are all good ways to do it. however, i still kinda think awww brotherly love!

lol

also, i agree with wolfwoman, I saw this ad for this leash once, it was one leash but had kinda split in 2 with a clip on each one at the end of it so you could walk 2 dogs at once. I think that would be a good idea, especially for you since you need to be able to switch hands easily.

however, I still think you should at least try to break the habit first so that they can at least learn to accept the fact that youre allowed to work with one at a time and sometimes you must do it so they need to learn to deal with it and just accept it. it may be useful to teach them this because even if you can walk them together, there may be other circumstances at some point or later on where they will need to be able to accept this as a fact of life and be seperated so they dont freak out and/or so it doesnt develop into seperation anxiety. I think theyre like this because theyre both part of the "pack" so they dont want to be split up or seperated from their fellow pack members however you should still try to teach them that they sometimes need to be split up and that youre the leader and you make the decisions about what goes down and when and not them because otherwise you may have a case of full blown seperation anxiety and/or potentially other issues later on.

however, they sound like good dogs and you sound like you know what youre doing so if theyre good dogs otherwise, try not to beat yourself up over this too much. nobodys perfect, not even animals, so dont beat yourself up over it, they sound like great dogs.

good luck!

*edited for spelling

 

[SallyF]

I have one of those double leashes and I love it. We have a golden lab (50 lbs.) and a chihuahua/terrier mix (20 lbs) and I put them both on it. They don't seem to get tangled up in it, like they can with two separate leashes, and I only have one thing to hold.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
Curious... Golden Retriever or Yellow Lab or mix?

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Quote:
That's what I was going to say next

Then, If the dog in the crate starts barking or whining bang on the crate with a shoe and say "NO" They should for sure learn not to whine when told not to.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Then, If the dog in the crate starts barking or whining bang on the crate with a shoe and say "NO"

Sorry but I cannot agree with this. Never confine an animal and then threaten it. Dogs and horses do not need to be fearful to learn what you want to teach them. Honey always works better than vinegar. Teach the silence command OUTSIDE the crate.

JMO


Rusty​

 

[Payette]

Quote:
Make sure your dogs are getting enough exercise. Hyper dog= crazy and destructive dog. If your dog has too much energy, he will be harder to train. Wear him out, then work on training. You have German Sheperds. These dogs have LOTS of energy!!! Maybe you could get them to run on a treadmill for an hour or two. German Sheperds are also very smart. They have also been known to be aggressive. Make sure you socialize them well. If you have any trouble, I would suggest watching the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel.

 

[Payette]

Quote:
Sorry but I cannot agree with this. Never confine an animal and then threaten it. Dogs and horses do not need to be fearful to learn what you want to teach them. Honey always works better than vinegar. Teach the silence command OUTSIDE the crate.

JMO


Rusty

I agree with this! NEVER strike or yell at your dog.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Sorry but I cannot agree with this. Never confine an animal and then threaten it. Dogs and horses do not need to be fearful to learn what you want to teach them. Honey always works better than vinegar. Teach the silence command OUTSIDE the crate.

JMO


Rusty

Thanks Rusty, I agree.
Both dogs are heavily exercised - especially Kane while we try to keep his weight in check. Neither is truly aggressive, but Jax will make you think twice about coming near me if he doesn't know you. It's in his bark. Exactly what we wanted from them, considering I am home alone on this isolated farm while my DH works nights.