Hi All

I am picking up my pup a week on Sat, and have been reading a lot on the importance of training from a pup onwards. Today I went with my friend who has a three yr male black flatcoated ret, who was a rescue dog on a walk down to the local fields. She has spents hours training him and he is now good while out and about.

We were walking along when coming the other way is a lady with her 5 month choccy lab puppy. She was a nice lady but she started talking to us and saying what a handful her lab was and that now at 5 MONTHS she was considering having him trained!! The dog was all over the place, jumping up, growling at my friends flattie, rolling his eyes and bounding all over the place whilst its owner says "oh how sweet, hes still a puppy and hes so playful".....

The lab finsihed up with a grand finale falling into the canal and then being dragged up the muddy bank and him jumping up at us sending mud everywhere and his owner smiled at him and kept sliding him titbits to reward his bouncy behaviour!!!! oh Please

I intend to make sure my dog will not be like this, and he will be at training classes as soon as I can get him there.

do other people meet others who think their dogs mad uncontrolled behaviour is sweet. Arrrrah makes me mad.

I undertand that other doggy owners do not have as much exp and common sense as others on these boards, but surely training your dog is a basic thing!!!!

Hi

I got my dog at 8weeks and as soon as he had both his jabs I took him to training, I was at home with him all day and kept training him through out the day. although he got really good at all his commands using treats as rewards, he was never all that good at the training classes. the months went on and he got worse and worse, at home he would only do any commands if we had treats or a toy etc on us and at the classes he didnt want to know. At home he is still brilliant at his commands when he knows he will be rewarded and so I am working on getting him to listen to us with just a lot of praise and the occational reward, we are getting there but had to try using a 'gentle leader' walking aid as his pulling was getting out of control which wasnt healthy on my back, but I am pleased to say that the 'gentle leader' works and I dont know how I coped with out it, it really keeps him under control. I spoke to a behaviourist When he got to 6 months about my dogs attitude towards the classes and he said that some dogs find it stressfull to be in a closed environment with loads of other dogs and people, so I stopped taking him and we are getting on a lot better now, but in answer to your question, no I do not think uncontrollable dogs are sweet, but dont be to hard on the owner, she maybe doing her own training at home and finding it as difficult as i have, and believe me I have worked extremely hard to get my dog to a good level of controlability:D

BTW he is a GSD so a bit more of a handful than a beagle :)

You have obviously never trained a beagle :)

Beaglebonkerz,
I don't agree with the lady treating the dog for this behaviour as she is just making life hard for herself.
However, our 16 month old beagle went to training from being 14 weeks old every week and it hasn't been easy. Both me and my husband have participated in training classes and we've put lots of work in with her but she still howls and does somersaults when she sees another dog. We have tried everything to prevent this behaviour but as you will know she is a beagle and they are very strong willed. Her behaviour is not through a lack of training.
Our 5 month old beagle is completely different. She is very quiet. She doesn't bark at other dogs and is completely calm when we are out with her.
I think alot depends on the individual dog as they all have their own personalities. Some are highly strung and others are quite laid back. I would definately start the training classes early with your beagle. Even though my dog barks at other dogs she is excellent in all other respects. Her manners in the house are excellent and she does perfect recall training, which i was told we would never do with a beagle.
Good luck with the training

sorry had to laugh at him falling in the canal.........my friend was walking her mad rottie who saw something and without warning shot off and dragged her into a canal. she a *large* lady......and i no i shouldnt but i howled laughing. :o :o.

I took my lab pup training as soon as she had her jabs and continued on and off for about 6 months.
I am home with her all day and train/trained LOADS with her. She loves life and loves to play, labs are notorious for being exciteable but very trainable. She is 13 months now and has settled down a lot, but can still have her moments. I'm sure many have thought I was a crap owner who didn't train their dog, but little did they know we went training every week and worked on commands every single day. Puppies have short attention spans. Training needs to be kept short and sweet. You can't expect miricales either. Please show me a well trained Choccy lab at 5 months!! I would be in awe of that trainer!!!

hI On reading replies to my original Post I have yet to collect my dog and I am fully prepared to train him properly as I have in the past have had 5 beagles and I know how to handle this breed and what I dont know I will learn from my trainer.

Thanks

There still seems to be an old fashioned idea about that pups don't start training until 6 months. Maybe as this is whwn Guide dog pups, Fox hounds etc go from being puppy walked to formal Training.

They don't seem to realise what is meant is serious training for work. the training for control and manners starts from the moment they come out of the nest!!!

hi

with all due respect the puppy was probably just so excited i to have a 6 month old pup who is trained regulary and getting better behaved by the day ,but... when we are on our walk she is just so excited to see everyone and every dog she jumps up and acts like a puppy pocessed the growling you refer to is just play no more than that ,labs are naturally boisterous and how do you know she has'nt been training him theres nothing worse than someone looking down thier nose at you cos you have a boisterous dog and making presumptions ,when you get your puppy you might just have to eat your words!! and mines also fallen in a swampy lake!

Hi

I realise that puppys are high spirited and jump about when pleased to meet people, but the lady said she was only thinking of starting training now. just thought it was very late to start proper training, mind you he was a lovely dog, beautiful, just thought she was bonkers giving him treats and encouraging him to bounce all over strangers soaking wet and muddy!!! Still pups will be pups

well better late than never, at least she has realised she needs it.

Not everyone is as "bright and clever" and knows everything about puppies the way you seem to (never even had one!!)
I am pleased this person is a genuine dog lover who obviously has a lot to learn about dogs but I know that the kind, caring members on this site will give her all the help and support she needs.

So good luck with your new puppy, hope you dont eat your words!!

Hey I am new to this site and I never said I knew it all about dogs, its all a huge learning curve. I know debates good. Each to there own hey.

There is a definite lack of tolerance and understanding from *some* dog owners toward folk with young puppies. The majority of those who look down their noses at the loony puppy careering round are those who have either forgotten what its like and/or have easier to train dogs.

When Willis (Dane) was younger, I worked extremely hard to train him - but because of his size hardly anyone would let him play with their dogs, even though he was gentle - luckily, he is very good with other dogs still, even though it nearly broke my heart to see them put their dogs on the lead and rush past (I always made Willis go on the lead and sit and wait to be invited to play). He sat so patiently, desperate to play and they had none of it :( Except a lovely lady with whippets who really wore him out ;)

Since I moved out in the sticks, I don't have that problem. I now take him in the field with my other dane and he has a great time, and I don't have to put up with the glares and the comments and the scuttling away. Live and let live, I say. Walking dogs should be a social thing....not one where we look down our noses at other folk who might not be quite as good as us.

Aw, that's so sad about Willis being desperate to play and the other owners scuttling past :( If i had lived near you, he could have had a play with my BSD - who is not phased (sp) by big dogs and would have probably loved him :) I can understand people with very tiny dogs not wanting them to play with a very large boy, but not those with medium to large themselves! Poor Willis - <<he sat so patiently, desperate to play....>>

People can be too uptight sometimes. It's getting that old balance that is the problem, but generally speaking i do feel it is very important to be tolerant :)

Lindsay

Exactly the same thing happens to me and my dane now :( and to be honest i can't wait till we move to Wales when we won't bump into intolerant people.
A lot of people call themselves dog lovers when in fact it means they love their dog and no other!

We live for Saturdays when mine can play with another dane, otherwise it's lonely walks for us.

In reply to other dogs behaviours can I say we have had more trouble with stupid owners than anything else one example is:we went down to the park with ours,very hilly,very grassy,very muddy after all the rain.We have big strong dogs who are dominant over others so we don't let them run loose unless we are in a 'safe' area.this guy has 3 dogs running daft,not on leads totally uncontrolled,couldn't get them back in and they ran around ours snapping growling etc,whats an akita to do?So my hubby had shouted to the guy to put them on leads,the guy kept insisting they were just having some fun they are fine!!!My hubby was dragged by 2 dogs in the chase!!(actually it was really funny to watch but it must have been sore)the guy then realised what was happening and started shouting at us!!Hello!!Our dogs were leashed and were under control until these 3 things got uncontrollable.Thankfully none of his dogs were injured but our bitch had her heel nipped.Our dogs only react like this if provoked I might add.

How is your poor husband after his Akita Sleigh Ride? Funnily enough we know an Akita owner who says the same things about folks letting their dogs run up to his bitch, and a Leonberger owner who feels owning one giant breed is unfair as no-one lets their dogs play with his. We would, but we seldom meet them now as they only let the Leonberger off lead when noone is about. After spending the first 5 months of having Morse apologising, I just thank goodness Im not in the other owners shoes when their dogs have a moment. Mind you I was fuming today when I recalled Morse and leashed him out of consideration for a Yorkie and the little horror leaped to the end of its flexi lead and snapped at us!

hubby is fine,he admits it was more that his pride was hurt than anything else,wish i'd had a camera,a real youve been framed moment!!!!,sandra

Poor Morse, Lorelei!
I did a similar thing today, wound Sparky in (he's on his lunge line again at the moment after his Houdini trick two days ago) when I say a very old looking dog approaching, its owner left it free, though admittedly walking to heel off lead, and it went for Sparky as we walked past. What with that and the GSD incident a couple of weeks ago, the poor lad is beginning to develop an inferioriy complex. I just hope he starts to learn from it and realise not every dog is friendly!
Tracy

Sparky is going from tolerated pup to teenage pest in the eyes of other dogs & being a smart lad will learn to display due deference when approaching other dogs to avoid confrontations, or learn to act tough for the same reason. Its hard for them I suspect. Morse thought the Yorkie was funny, he just dances sideways then barks loudly to warn em off. He knows he can out run most dogs.:D

Hello,

I know what you mean about be "apart from the crowd" with big dogs.

I know someone who has a St Bernard and no one would let him play with their dogs/pups same really with me Stafford pup (no way think most owners)

So we set up a Bandapart play group in the park; 1 Stafford (Sal),1 StBernard,1 Great Dane, 1 Rotweiller, 2 Elderly Greyhounds "who live with the St Bernard" and 1 yorkie (he joined because he wanted to be different)

They still play together now. And have been joined by a couple of the nicest Black Labs I have ever meet simply gorgeous called EBB and Flo and their pal the Cocker Spaniel bitch Fizz.

Karen

This week i have actually got talking to an owner of a red setter, bit smaller than mine but he can hold is own....

So things are looking up..

Sarah and Dolly (The not so lonely dane now!)

I have advised owners of a big bouncy GSD pup to try the approach of putting their pup on lead and walking over to a friendly looking dog owner and asking if they will allow their dogs rto greet the pup. Plwenty of these opportunities and bouncy pup learns to greet nicely. Once the owners realise pup is nice then they can be alowed soem supervised play, and pretty soon the pup has lots of freinds, and by this learns to be have well among other dogs and also doesn't get over excited or frustrated at their mere sight.

My breed isn't as large, but they can be surprisingly storng and bouncy as pups. I use this method to teach them good manners, and then if they come on dogs around a corner or just out of sight there are no problems. If they meet a less friendly or grumpy ojne they accept it with a shrug of the sho7ulders so to speak.

I have two newfoundlands that are nearly 2 so although well behaved, the female can still be a bit bouncy when excited. Although they are good, they too rarely get to play with other dogs and I have to leash them near people as some even scream as I walk past. The worst is kids in a group scream (mostly put on) then run away and run back to scream again (thank heaven they are not a hyper breed!!). Life was much easier with just a spaniel!!