Tully-Behavior Issues

He has sit, down, sit stay, down stay, leave it, spit it down pat. When he chooses, that is LOL! Leash manners are very good most of the time. He will now sit quietly when we greet other people. He comes on command sometimes but no where near what he needs to be. He is FAR more strong-willed than even our bloodhound was but he is coming along. AND even better than that he is starting to become a snuggle-bug!

Crowe wrote:
There's not much point in setting all of us up for failure and causing unnecessary stress.

I endorse "training when they're ready"

That being said - I spend most of my training time with a young dog, perfecting "come" and "sit" and "leave it" because those commands are life-savers. The rest can come later. My bro-in-law raised a couple of young dogs destined to become Service Dogs - and I think Augie's general rowdiness drove him crazy - every chance he'd get, he'd grab the leash and "train Augie" At first it was funny because Augie wasn't listening to him in the least - but when I saw Augie start to show resentment, I banned my BIL from doing any "training". Yeah, a 6'5" man can force a dog to "heel" - but that's not my idea of a well-trained pup.

I'll admit that it probably took Augie longer than most of my other dogs to reach the "teach me something" stage, but at about a year-and-a-half, he started doing things he thought would make me happy. He's my helper - if I drop my car keys or a pen or a tool, he'll immediately pick it up and hand it to me! By waiting until he wanted to learn, he learned a ton of commands quickly and easily; and continues to do so. And he heels offleash like a champ ;-)

Tully will let you know when he's ready!

Deb and Ed M wrote:

winnietrey wrote:


Yes, went with the Herm Sprenger, in three 1 hour walks it has made a night and day difference.

Just throwing this out there, don't know if it is correct. But in a sort of worst-case scenario. I have heard it more than once that, a prong collar can come apart at the worst possible time. (As in your dog is lunging after another dog) Some folks recommend a backup collar.

My first thought is that if your dog is lunging at another dog, even with a prong collar on - you REALLY need some help.....LOL!

The first prong collar I bought had nylon straps that clicked together with a plastic buckle - yeah, I could see that setup failing. But it was also a cheap collar that came with little plastic tips to cover the SHARP edges of the prongs. After the first tip fell off, I threw that one away. The first Sprenger I bought had the traditional choke-chain attachment, but those should be put on by removing a link. Back to arthritic hands (rolling eyes).... so the newest one I have, has a metal clasp and there's a sliding cover that keeps it from accidentally coming open. It's easy to put on and remove without getting tangled in Augie's long ruff. But it was also around $50 on Amazon - quality doesn't come cheap.

Naw not lunging at other dogs so much as doing what your Auggie did in your other post. More wants to play. But that would be a bad time for the Sprenger to fail. (Depending on the other dog) And from what I have heard they do on occasion fail. Which is why I also use the choke chain as a backup. And as I mentioned choke chain is loose and not doing anything, would just be there if the Sprenger failed
Which is why I have it on as well

Nothing wrong with waiting until Tully is a bit older and has more patience and self-control.

We've tried the martingale collar with limited success. After much thought and angst we have decided to withdraw from the Canine Good Citizen class and take it again when Tully is older and neutered. We're not quitters but sometimes reality and common sense take over. There's not much point in setting all of us up for failure and causing unnecessary stress. When I called the facility to advise them we would not be returning I got the chance to speak to one of the trainers and she agreed it was a wise choice at this time. It kills me to waste the investment (the class wasn't cheap) but discretion is the better part of valor.

winnietrey wrote:


Yes, went with the Herm Sprenger, in three 1 hour walks it has made a night and day difference.

Just throwing this out there, don't know if it is correct. But in a sort of worst-case scenario. I have heard it more than once that, a prong collar can come apart at the worst possible time. (As in your dog is lunging after another dog) Some folks recommend a backup collar.

My first thought is that if your dog is lunging at another dog, even with a prong collar on - you REALLY need some help.....LOL!

The first prong collar I bought had nylon straps that clicked together with a plastic buckle - yeah, I could see that setup failing. But it was also a cheap collar that came with little plastic tips to cover the SHARP edges of the prongs. After the first tip fell off, I threw that one away. The first Sprenger I bought had the traditional choke-chain attachment, but those should be put on by removing a link. Back to arthritic hands (rolling eyes).... so the newest one I have, has a metal clasp and there's a sliding cover that keeps it from accidentally coming open. It's easy to put on and remove without getting tangled in Augie's long ruff. But it was also around $50 on Amazon - quality doesn't come cheap.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
Re: prong collars - yes, that collar enabled me to hang onto the leash (arthritis) during Augie's antics. He too doesn't like to pull very hard against it; and IMO, he got so used to not pulling, that he simply doesn't bother, even with his "regular" collar. BUT: spend the money and buy a GOOD "Herm Sprenger" collar. The cheap ones have "square-cut ends" and the Sprengers have round, smooth ends. Surely they are more comfortable for the dog to wear?

.

Yes, went with the Herm Sprenger, in three 1 hour walks it has made a night and day difference.

Just throwing this out there, don't know if it is correct. But in a sort of worst-case scenario. I have heard it more than once that, a prong collar can come apart at the worst possible time. (As in your dog is lunging after another dog) Some folks recommend a backup collar.

I my case I have a choke chain along with the prong collar. Choke chain although clipped into the leash (along with the prong collar) just hangs loose and does nothing. However, if the prong collar ever broke, I would still have control with choke chain.

Just a thought, but makes me more at ease doing both

Oh dear. I just looked for folding tricycles on Amazon and came across this one.

Check out the photo. That's a BIG trike!

I never thought of using a trike for stability. I'm going to have to look into those.

Crowe wrote:
Part of the problem is keeping up with the exercise he needs.

I SOOOOO understand this - and to make matters worse, we spend 5 months in a condo, which means dogs-on-leashes.

Last fall, I bought an "old lady 3-wheeled bicycle" - Augie trots (or gallops) alongside the front wheel. I use the command "trot" instead of "heel" because heel puts him too close to the rear wheels. Anyway - he loves it; and although I can ride a 2-wheeled bike, the 3-wheels is a ton more stable in case he pulls sideways; and I only need one hand to steer it no matter what speed we are going.

My bike is a Schwinn "Meridian" - a heavy beast with one speed, but it's solid as a rock and it's not like I'm riding it for miles....