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Russic · 06-22-2010, 11:12 AM

Note: Bit of a long post so I'll provide notes at the end of it if you aren't interested in reading a novel.

I can't stand dogs that are poorly trained ... more accurately I suppose I can't stand dog owners who have failed to properly train their dog. I never had a dog growing up, so I just blissfully passed judgment on those with poorly behaved animals. Now that I actually have one I'm quickly realizing just how hard it is. I am doing something wrong and am wondering if the CP brain-trust has some ideas. First a little back story:

We picked up Harry, a 7 year old lab from a shelter around a year and a half ago. He was described as having slightly more energy than some, but we took on the challenge. He was decently behaved but seeing as we had a baby on the way we decided to hire a professional trainer.

He performed admirably in all his tasks. We worked very hard to make sure we completed our homework and in the end he could do the basic obedience stuff quite well (sits when we stop walking, lays down by command from a distance, comes every time we call, doesn't pull ahead of us on walks etc.). It is this really good behavior (and the ease at which it came) that confuses us as to why with some things he is so incredibly bad.

There were some "quirks" that our trainer had a harder time dealing with. He is an older gentleman who has had about 30 years of experience. He claims that in his 30 years he's seen very few with stronger issues than Harry. Our first task was getting him to stop going overly mental for tennis balls. His focus on them was almost unbreakable. I obviously would never do it, but I'm confident if you bounced a tennis ball in front of him you could break a 2x4 over his head and he wouldn't move. We were able to deal with this for the most part. He tries very very hard to drop the ball for you when you ask, but one of these days I expect his head to pop off his neck in excitement.

Next came leash aggression. Not sure what we did to cause this one, but it's gotten worse over the training period. The trainer we worked with had us escalate the tools to find Harry's tolerance level. Basically we started with a standard leash, went to a choke chain, then to a prong collar and finally onto a shock collar. I fully understand the arguments against these tools, but if we could stay on track and not attack my character I'd really appreciate it. The trainer said he only uses the shock collar in the most extreme cases and Harry is the first dog to ever not respond to it. It's not the snarling "I want to eat you" kind of aggression ... more of an over-the-top excitement that looks like he wants to eat the other dog. He means well, but it looks very bad and scares almost everybody (and rightfully so).

We've had to go back to our old stand-by, the Gentle Leader. For those unfamiliar, it fits over the nose and loops behind the jaw and then behind the ears. It kinda looks like a muzzle but it doesn't close his jaw. The main idea is it's an easy way to give a slight tug and have him look up towards you for a very light correction. Harry still goes balls-crazy around other dogs (only when both are on leashes), so in the end the gentle leader is the only tool we have that we can hold him back with, which is important as she only has one free hand with a stroller. I do feel bad as he hates it, but we've found no other way to control him.

Finally the main issue. He gets incredibly excited riding in the car. Doesn't matter if we're going to play frisbee or go to the mailbox ... he loses his shi*. He makes a sound similar to an ewok in a blender and hops around incessantly. As we get closer to our destination his excitement builds to a full-out bark, which he only brings out in the car. Upon arriving at the destination (assuming it is a dog park or my parents place to play) we have to leave him in the car for about 20 minutes until he calms down. We took him camping last summer and he lost his mind for 90 minutes. Maybe kinda sorta ruined the entire vacation. It seems silly that we go on camping trips but can't take the dog.

Now that there's a baby in the equation it's to the point where we've stopped taking him places. His excitement bubbles over, scares the baby and then we have a screaming baby on top of the most annoying sound in the world. Not fun. I feel guilt for this as there must be something we're doing very wrong. I thought taking him everywhere might help as he could grow to learn that car does not necessarily mean play time, but no dice.

Money is pretty tight these days, so while we are looking at further training, it won't be until fall or winter.

Notes for those who don't want to read the above 50 paragraphs:
- Harry is a 7 year old lab with high energy
- Worked with a professional trainer who was able to get basic obedience down, but some very strong problems persisted or got worse (leash aggression and freaking out in the car being the worst)
- Car rides send him over the edge with excitement and it's to the point where we actively avoid taking him anywhere.
- We are just coming out of a maternity leave, so money is slightly tight right now and we won't be able to afford more training until the fall/winter.

Has anybody dealt with this? Advice?

06-22-2010, 11:12 AM	#1
Russic Dances with Wolves Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Section 304 Exp:	Let's Train My Dog By Committee Note: Bit of a long post so I'll provide notes at the end of it if you aren't interested in reading a novel. I can't stand dogs that are poorly trained ... more accurately I suppose I can't stand dog owners who have failed to properly train their dog. I never had a dog growing up, so I just blissfully passed judgment on those with poorly behaved animals. Now that I actually have one I'm quickly realizing just how hard it is. I am doing something wrong and am wondering if the CP brain-trust has some ideas. First a little back story: We picked up Harry, a 7 year old lab from a shelter around a year and a half ago. He was described as having slightly more energy than some, but we took on the challenge. He was decently behaved but seeing as we had a baby on the way we decided to hire a professional trainer. He performed admirably in all his tasks. We worked very hard to make sure we completed our homework and in the end he could do the basic obedience stuff quite well (sits when we stop walking, lays down by command from a distance, comes every time we call, doesn't pull ahead of us on walks etc.). It is this really good behavior (and the ease at which it came) that confuses us as to why with some things he is so incredibly bad. There were some "quirks" that our trainer had a harder time dealing with. He is an older gentleman who has had about 30 years of experience. He claims that in his 30 years he's seen very few with stronger issues than Harry. Our first task was getting him to stop going overly mental for tennis balls. His focus on them was almost unbreakable. I obviously would never do it, but I'm confident if you bounced a tennis ball in front of him you could break a 2x4 over his head and he wouldn't move. We were able to deal with this for the most part. He tries very very hard to drop the ball for you when you ask, but one of these days I expect his head to pop off his neck in excitement. Next came leash aggression. Not sure what we did to cause this one, but it's gotten worse over the training period. The trainer we worked with had us escalate the tools to find Harry's tolerance level. Basically we started with a standard leash, went to a choke chain, then to a prong collar and finally onto a shock collar. I fully understand the arguments against these tools, but if we could stay on track and not attack my character I'd really appreciate it. The trainer said he only uses the shock collar in the most extreme cases and Harry is the first dog to ever not respond to it. It's not the snarling "I want to eat you" kind of aggression ... more of an over-the-top excitement that looks like he wants to eat the other dog. He means well, but it looks very bad and scares almost everybody (and rightfully so). We've had to go back to our old stand-by, the Gentle Leader. For those unfamiliar, it fits over the nose and loops behind the jaw and then behind the ears. It kinda looks like a muzzle but it doesn't close his jaw. The main idea is it's an easy way to give a slight tug and have him look up towards you for a very light correction. Harry still goes balls-crazy around other dogs (only when both are on leashes), so in the end the gentle leader is the only tool we have that we can hold him back with, which is important as she only has one free hand with a stroller. I do feel bad as he hates it, but we've found no other way to control him. Finally the main issue. He gets incredibly excited riding in the car. Doesn't matter if we're going to play frisbee or go to the mailbox ... he loses his shi. He makes a sound similar to an ewok in a blender and hops around incessantly. As we get closer to our destination his excitement builds to a full-out bark, which he only brings out in the car. Upon arriving at the destination (assuming it is a dog park or my parents place to play) we have to leave him in the car for about 20 minutes until he calms down. We took him camping last summer and he lost his mind for 90 minutes. Maybe kinda sorta ruined the entire vacation. It seems silly that we go on camping trips but can't take the dog. Now that there's a baby in the equation it's to the point where we've stopped taking him places. His excitement bubbles over, scares the baby and then we have a screaming baby on top of the most annoying sound in the world. Not fun. I feel guilt for this as there must be something we're doing very wrong. I thought taking him everywhere might help as he could grow to learn that car does not necessarily mean play time, but no dice. Money is pretty tight these days, so while we are looking at further training, it won't be until fall or winter. Notes for those who don't want to read the above 50 paragraphs:* - Harry is a 7 year old lab with high energy - Worked with a professional trainer who was able to get basic obedience down, but some very strong problems persisted or got worse (leash aggression and freaking out in the car being the worst) - Car rides send him over the edge with excitement and it's to the point where we actively avoid taking him anywhere. - We are just coming out of a maternity leave, so money is slightly tight right now and we won't be able to afford more training until the fall/winter. Has anybody dealt with this? Advice?