Shetlander Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Wow, I didnt think this thread would cause such a reaction...I guess this is a great exmple of differant people's opinions;) Oh, this is a fairly mild reaction as reactions go around here. There are certain conversations that easily become heated with Dog People and training is one of them. Diet, crating, neutering, breeding, and vaccinations are a few other hot topics that immediately come to mind. Good luck with the training and let us know how your cute little girl does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polly Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Shetlander, thank you...I will:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsms99 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 My experiences with Dan. I'm guilty of training him TO pull, since I've often taken him out running with me. The start out to the desert is all uphill, and I don't mind the power assist. However, my wife didn't like it so we tried: Gentle Lead: He hated it. He is a sight hunter, and the loop over his muzzle got in the way of his vision. Gentle halter: worked OK. He tends to get his feet tangled up, but he doesn't pull too hard. Prong: worked great. After 60 seconds on the first try, he settled down and walked with a bit of slack. However, I find it time consuming to put on & off, and it is NOT something to leave on! I saw nothing cruel about it - it didn't cut him, but it obviously conveyed the idea not to pull. Once he knew, he just didn't pull so it never hurts him. Training: we worked to get him to heel. It took a few weeks, but he CAN heel now. However, it takes the fun out of the walks. We sometimes have him heel anyways, but I don't use it often now. Bottom line: prong worked best overall, but we stopped using it. When he walks with me, I just let him pull. My wife doesn't - she insists on him heeling until the desert. I find myself driving him the .5 miles to the desert, and letting him run loose several times a week. He's a runner, but he'll return after 20-35 minutes. When I let him out of the car, he has to sit patiently until I unleash him. It may not be the best solution, but the sight of his initial run out at top speed, leaping over and between the cactus, makes it worthwhile to me. That, and the look on his face when he returns...you can feel waves of happiness rolling out of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 M.L....the funny thing is I do own a clicker I got for my Pug mix that passed away..he didnt respond to it..but maybe with Dixie the BC it will work.... I found out the hard way that you need to be very exact in your timing to use the clicker. If not, your dog just ends up confused and not knowing what the correct behavior is. It helps to watch a few videos online before you start training. I certainly needed to! Also, use a tasty treat that you don't usually use...chicken, hot dog, steak...something your dog only gets when working with the clicker. You can start by making the association between the click and the treat. Just hang out and click then treat, click then treat. That in itself becomes a fun game. Do that for a few days so your dog learns that the click means a treat is coming. Then start the serious training. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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