Dec
30
2009
What Should I Do About Training My Adult Dog?
Posted by: Alan in Hunting Dog Training Tips, tags: About, Adult, Should, Training, What
I have an adult dog (4 years old) and a puppy (4 months old).
My adult dog has fear aggression and I am trying to retrain as I do my puppy. The problem is that my two daughters and wife do not always follow the correct reinforcement training techniques as they should to be consistent with what I am doing.
How should I proceed with the training without alienating the family from the dogs and without undoing my training progress?
Entries (RSS)
December 30th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
It’s difficult to answer without knowing the entire problem. I would proceed with what you have been doing to train the dog – getting reinforced occasionally is better than never.
If you are trying to bring your family on board – perhaps a reality check for them? If they don’t help and the dog’s behavior doesn’t improve, this (list all pertinent points, like the kids can’t have friends over, etc.) is how their lives will be adversely affected. Maybe that will help them realize the benefit of supporting you. Or, you can always take a cue from the training you are giving your dog. You see the daughters reinforcing the dog, they get a chocolate bar (or whatever). Secrets to Dog Training, by Dog Trainer Expert, Daniel Stevens. It’s a terrific book on how to train dog.
There is always the option of hiring a private trainer to work with you and try to get everyone to work together, as well. Believe me, most trainers have dealt with these family issues before.
http://kingdom-of-dog.blogspot.com/
December 30th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
First off you need to get your family on board ASAP. You can spend 5 days training your dog doing an awesome job with him. And if your family isn’t on board with you they will destroy that training in a matter of minutes. I don’t know your family so that’s going to be on your shoulders but they have to be consistent with what you’re doing otherwise he’s not going to learn. Make it fun for your daughters. I have 2 neices who love training my German Shepard because once the dog starts listening to them they think it’s great!! Kid’s love being the boss! In saying that, once everyone is on board it sounds like you have the right idea. Stay very very consistent with the training. Make sure he’s getting enough exercise everyday. Long walks in the morning is a must! About an hour every morning. I also recommend getting him into dog obedience classes that have other dogs around with him. It’s a little more challenging for him because of the distractions but that will get him socializing with other dogs and will help with that fear aggression. Also, look into doggy daycares. Depending on how aggressive he is however, he may not get accepted. Good luck! Feel free to post more questions. Hope I helped!
YOU CAN TEACH A DOG NEW TRICKS!!! I hate that cynism!! Stay positive and don’t get frustrated!!
December 31st, 2009 at 4:48 am
Ask your wife WHY she won’t be consistent. Explain to your wife why consistency is important.
As for your daughters, if they aren’t going to obey you, oh well, there goes their day or evening outside. Or oh well, their goes the computer for the rest of the day, no phone, etc.
As for not teaching an old dog new tricks, that’s crap. We had a 10 year old dog we taught things.
December 31st, 2009 at 7:38 am
you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
December 31st, 2009 at 10:14 am
you cant teach an old dog new tricks