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Help! my adopted rescue BC nips and growls!


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However, I myself just don't have the psychological makeup to shock a dog. I have also read very bad things about dogs with aggression issues, who were made much worse with shock collars.

 

The good news is that you don't need a shock collar. You don't need to punish your dog at all to help your dog through what you are describing.

 

Seriously, I do recommend that you check out Click to Calm and TACT. The TACT DVD is super beginner friendly and I believe it would help to clear up some of your confusion. Also, I believe that it would help you start to move past the negative feelings that you are experiencing.

 

I agree: all the conflicting info is crazy-making. But look at the responses here: some people have been angry with me, because I did not jump right on the NILF bandwagon. How do I know NILF is better than clicker? or clicker better than choke chain training? or any of it better than Cesar Milan method?

 

That is a challenge. Unfortunately, only you can sort through this to figure out what is best for you and for Ladybug.

 

But the good news is that you can do it.

 

I am not rejecting any method. My mind is open. But I keep hearing negatives, which is just TERRIBLY disheartening.

 

I can understand that.

 

Here's a positive for you:

 

If you keep on learning, keep on working with your dog, keep on looking for what will work, you and your dog can make progress together.

 

If you are willing to invest time, study, patience, learning, and - yes - some money - into this dog, you will most likely come out on the other side far better for it.

 

It sounds like you know what you don't want. It sounds like you know what you want, as far as a long term goal is concerned (although it may be that goal will need some tweaking as you go along). It sounds like you don't know how to get from point A to point B.

 

I remain open-minded and willing to try or investigate ANYTHING that would help.

 

If you PM me your location, perhaps I can get you the name of someone who will steer you in a direction that I believe, based on what you have written, you may prefer to what you have tried so far.

 

Lastly: in a few weeks, she will be at the vet's office and I will talk to him about A. medication and B. consulting with the behaviorial department at the Ohio State Veterinary college.

 

Excellent!

 

I wish you the best.

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It was SHE who quit on my dog. I am sorry if there was a misunderstanding. I did not get frustrated after 3 sessions and demand more results, or going faster, or refuse to do the (extensive) homework. SHE QUIT ON US. She told me she was afraid of getting nipped, and that if she was nipped, she was legally obligated (as a registered trainer) to report it to the county, and that would give Ladybug a "bite history" -- meaning if she ever nipped anyone, she would be taken away and probably euthanized.

 

OK, so she wasn't the trainer for you.

 

I can understand that you feel like she quit on you.

 

On the other hand, if she felt that she was not qualified to help you, isn't it best that she was upfront with you about that? If she was afraid of your dog (justified or not), isn't it better that she let you know that first as last? Now you can move on and find someone else.

 

I know that a bad experience with a training facility can be incredibly upsetting - I know that from experience.

 

But the only thing you can really do for your dog is move on and find someone who can help. There are people out there who can help - many, many people who will not ask you to shock your dog. It may take some patience and legwork on your part, but if you are committed, you can find them.

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Laurel,

I'll say this again. No one can tell you what specific training program will work for you. People have suggested any number of things, including NILIF. And no, I don't think anyone jumped on you for not jumping on a specific training bandwagon. We cannot see you or your dog or know exactly what is going one between you, nor the dynamic with the rest of your family and other people. All we can do is suggest things.

 

If you've read a bunch of books and looked at a bunch of videos, did anything stand out that made more sense to YOU than any of the others? Was there any one method that made you think "I can do that, and I think I can be reasonably successful implementing that method"?

 

What people are saying is that once you settle on a method you think *might* work, then you have to try it and be consistent (hubby, too, and if he's worried about what you might do with Ladybug, then he really needs to jump on that training bandwagon too) and give it time to see results.

 

You can see, just in this thread, how you can describe something and people will think you meant one thing when you really meant another. So you can understand how hard it would be for any of us, sight unseen, to give you any real training advice that you can apply right now and see quick results.

 

I gave you the best advice I could--what I would do myself--which is to choose a method I thought I could do and then try it. See how my dog responds and adjust as we go. I know what my immediate reaction would be if one of my dogs lunged at me and nipped me out of excitement or whatever. But what I'd do might not be something you'd be comfortable doing. And it might not be effective. And how your dog responds might require you to make a slight adjustment for next time. And if what I do requires impeccable timing, then it might not work for someone who doesn't have good timing. In other words, these are all hands-on, direct observation things. And that means they're things you have to try, evaluate, continue with or throw out, depending on how Ladybug responds.

 

A couple of people have offered to suggest trainers. If you feel more comfortable taking the approach of getting someone to train you to train your dog, I would suggest you take one of them up on the offer. The one thing you will have to remind yourself of is that it will take time. If you go the route of a trainer, then it will also take money. This is not a hopeless case, but as long as you remain frustrated--with us, with Ladybug, with the trainers you've talked to--you're not going to be able to move forward with Ladybug. I know when I'm frustrated with a dog I'm training, the best thing I can do is walk away and cool down. They read us well, and stress and frustration begets stress and frustration; it's a vicious cycle that will keep all of you unhappy.

 

J.

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