Quote:
Originally Posted by CFrance
Barefoot, send me a PM too! We're still using the Gentle Leader after 5 years and two obedience classes avec leash training! I'd love to get rid of it as people think it's a muzzle ("Why are you muzzling a golden retriever?!"). But he's strong enough to pull me across the road if he sees a rabbit/deer/kitty/bird/piece of fluff...
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For sure, we will meet up with you when we get to TV in November. We'd be happy to help if we can. I'm not a professional dog trainer, but I've had 11 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses. I love working with animals. It helps that Fireboy is very strong, he is a retired firefighter. We don't believe in punishment, just consistency and firmness. Training should occur when the dog is very young, but you can teach an old dog new tricks. A few years ago, we adopted a mature 70 pound rescue with "issues". The people we got her from said she couldn't be trained. It took no time at all for us to train her. She just didn't understand what they wanted her to do, they were giving her conflicting signals.
In the meantime, the number one rule of dog training is that your dog needs to respect you as leader of the pack. Especially a large dog. Even if he is the only one in the pack! Some dogs just automatically respect their human as the dominant tribe member, some have to be taught. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Do you make sure you always feed yourself before you feed your pet? The pack leader always eats first. Do you make sure your dog sits and waits while you go out the door first? The pack leader is always given that courtesy by pack members.
With small dogs, if you're lucky, you can get away with spoiling them and babying them. But with large dogs, it's all about respect. I believe in rewarding positive behaviour rather than punishment, but with firmness and especially consistency.