I'm curious...

Have you taught your dog(s) to do basic obedience (sit/down/heel/stay)?
Have you gone beyond the basics to teach off-leash control?
Does your dog pull on the leash when you go for a walk or have you taught him/her to walk nice?
Do you teach your dog tricks (e.g, shake hands)...if so, what tricks?

Yes, my Annie is basic obedience trained-- very well at home, and functionally well outdoors, at the park, etc. I did not take her to a formal class, but did it all myself, at home. She can sit, lay down, stay, and "wait." And even though she has not mastered "heel," she does have good off-leash recall, so I have no problem letting her off-lead in secluded places where I might be surprised by a middle of the night bicyclist. Some "tricks" she can do include catching a treat in her mouth when tossed to her, holding a treat on her nose until we say "okay," searching for a treat that has been hidden (the "find it!" game), "shake," "speak," and "Go check for kitties." She can also sniff out the tomato hornworm, and pluck them off the plants! She also has mastered leash walking to the point that people have actually stopped to compliment us, and ask if I can train their dog, lol. However.... she is still very much governed by her nose, so if she get blindsided by a particularly irresistable scent, she will suddenly spring off track to investigate, and won't budge until she's thoroughly examined it to her satisfaction.

My new dog, Dottie, I have only had for two weeks, so have not really done any real training with her thus far, however, the rescue has done some work with her, since she does sit automatically for petting and leashing, and will come when called in the house. I don't trust her recall enough yet to let her off-lead except in an enclosure.

Scooby is trained in sit, sit stay, drop, drop stay, stand, stand stay, heel fast pace, heel slow pace, wait and recall. He is also trained in food refusal (not to take food unless command is given). I rarely have him offlead as the offlead parks are full of twits who have no control over their dogs & having him offlead elsewhere is illegal *L*, would i trust him offlead, yes. Scooby does not pull. Scooby will give you 5 or 10 and shake paws.

Nika is training in sit, sit stay, drop, drop stay, heel, stand, stand stay & recall. Also training in food refusal. Nika does not pull. Would i fully trust her offlead at this stage of training, no. Nika has not been taught tricks

I have a chihuahua(puppy) for sale.Any bidy interested should contact me via email on frank_marlon16@yahoo.co.uk.
Contact me for more details and more information about my CHIHUAHUA.

[oes forever]

billy my old english, he goes to obidience school weekly. his been going 6 months now at first he was just wild, now he will sit, stay, wait, finishes, recall work off the lead to heel.his now in the advanced class, he does everything lovely apart from walking on the lead, but on the lead he pulls, off it his at my side, but i wouldnt trust him walking near a road as he is easily distracted. his tricks include shaking hands, giving two paws, rolling over, catches treats (sometimes) he wont give you anything you have to play tug of war for everything. i can take him anywhere off the lead as long as it isnt near roads

Zoe is in her 4th week of puppy training. At training she really doesn't want to do anything, I swear she actually looks like a bratty teenager! She will growl when the other puppy (only one other taking class) comes too close to her. But practicing at home she can sit, lay down, stay (most times). How do you train her to stop barking? Sometimes when she wants to play with the cats, she barks too much and too loud, that's why they don't want to play I think.

We're done in basic obedience (sit/down/heel/stay)...
Now we are in off-leash control training...
Hope my dog will learn as fast I expected...

[oes forever]

ok so ill confiess about my other dog now!
his a staffy cross, disabled but 80% ok now, but due to him time out of his social scene his become a bit agressive. so we thought it was a good idea to take him to obidience class to get him socalised again.
big mistake! after 6 weeks now his still a raving lunatic. and last night was threatened with being expelled because his so naughty.
he just dousnt shut up crying, then when a dog gets near him he tried to grab it, no so much bite it but i am sure that will be his next plan.
ive have gone through 6 weeks on trying with him, last week we introduced a water spray just to shut him up, this week it was the naughty corner (something i used to do with him when he was eating up the house as no amount of shouting etc made any difference yet if you put him in the naughty corner he would sit there shaking, and its only in the middle of the room, not some dark dingy corner)
the naughty corner worked last night to an extent, though he spent 3/4 of the lesson in it, every time i brought him out he was bad again.
i take him for 2 reasons, 1 so my little girl can still go as she loves going and she trains the teachers pomaranion and 2 so he can deal with other dogs a bit better as he is terrible on a walk when he sees a dog.
i am sure he is terrorising all the little puppies that go and if i were them i wouldnt come again, and as the class gets smaller each week his on his last chance. at home he is fine, on the field off the lead he is fine, but put him in a room full of dogs and his just crazy, teacher put it down to his breed, very excitable. tried taking him for a long walk before hand, that makes no difference either.
i dont want to give up but short of putting gaffa tape (oh what a wishful thought) around his mouth i am at my wits end and so is all the class.

I know how you feel...my dog was an absolute nightmare at puppy pre-school and the local obedience class. everytime a puppy went up to her she tried to bite it on the nose and later at obedience she was great until another dog got close then she would just explode.At seven months,we finally took her to a canine phychologist who assessed her as having fear aggression to other dogs which was more than likely a genetic issue. He gave us three choices. euthanise, medicate or special dog school training which involved positive reinforcement only. We chose the last option and found out that fear aggressive dogs who are trained with check collars can actually get worse as that sort of correction actually instills more fear and so aggression increases. Training was done purely with food and positive verbal and tactile reinforcement. These dogs really need a calm and confident owner who they trust will look out for them. It worked really well as long as you are able to develop the trust they need. They cant cope with any yelling ect and they can feel tension through the lead if the owner is stressed. It was a big and continual learning curve for all of us. Hang in there and get some professional advice...you wont regret it!

[oes forever]

terric.
he is my partners dog and his great for him. only he dousnt take him for regular walks, only for a blast on the field. its me that does the 3 walks a day and i have an old english in the other hand, chaos is not the word for it. both dogs are obidient in the house. but on a lead is something else.
i think brunos issues are the fact he cant defend himself if he were to get in a fight as he cant jump up. before his accident he was a very patient dog and if a dog had a go at him he would walk away, he would give them 3 chances before he would fight, it was amazing to watch, vary patient. but now he will attack on sight, perhaps when you cant defend attack is a better option in a dogs eyes. but when off the lead he is totally trustworthy.

Originally Posted by makahana

Zoe is in her 4th week of puppy training. At training she really doesn't want to do anything, I swear she actually looks like a bratty teenager! She will growl when the other puppy (only one other taking class) comes too close to her. But practicing at home she can sit, lay down, stay (most times). How do you train her to stop barking? Sometimes when she wants to play with the cats, she barks too much and too loud, that's why they don't want to play I think.

You teach her not to bark by teaching her to bark on cue. You can also teach her "quiet".

Have you talked with the teacher of the class about how to deal with Zoe's growling at the other puppy?

My Tanner is about a year and a half and he had trouble with class--too long...he would zone out after about 45 minutes. Like kids, they have short attention spans.

Originally Posted by oes forever

ok so ill confiess about my other dog now!
his a staffy cross, disabled but 80% ok now, but due to him time out of his social scene his become a bit agressive. so we thought it was a good idea to take him to obidience class to get him socalised again.
big mistake! after 6 weeks now his still a raving lunatic. and last night was threatened with being expelled because his so naughty.
he just dousnt shut up crying, then when a dog gets near him he tried to grab it, no so much bite it but i am sure that will be his next plan.
ive have gone through 6 weeks on trying with him, last week we introduced a water spray just to shut him up, this week it was the naughty corner (something i used to do with him when he was eating up the house as no amount of shouting etc made any difference yet if you put him in the naughty corner he would sit there shaking, and its only in the middle of the room, not some dark dingy corner)
the naughty corner worked last night to an extent, though he spent 3/4 of the lesson in it, every time i brought him out he was bad again.
i take him for 2 reasons, 1 so my little girl can still go as she loves going and she trains the teachers pomaranion and 2 so he can deal with other dogs a bit better as he is terrible on a walk when he sees a dog.
i am sure he is terrorising all the little puppies that go and if i were them i wouldnt come again, and as the class gets smaller each week his on his last chance. at home he is fine, on the field off the lead he is fine, but put him in a room full of dogs and his just crazy, teacher put it down to his breed, very excitable. tried taking him for a long walk before hand, that makes no difference either.
i dont want to give up but short of putting gaffa tape (oh what a wishful thought) around his mouth i am at my wits end and so is all the class.

How has the teacher suggested you deal with the aggression? I'll tell you how I was advised to deal with Tanner.

Tanner is a cocker spaniel, one and half, rescue. As rescues go, he is amazingly "issue" free--except toward other dogs. He barks and growls and lunges at them. Even though we think for the most part he is wanting to play--the instructor and I are concerned that the wrong dog will take him seriously and in very short order severely injure Tanner. Besides, such behavior will not get him certified as a therapy dog which is a goal of ours. SO...I was told to give him a strong leash correction and let him know his behavior was unacceptable. Now, for those who disapprove of leash corrections: we did try redirection and breaking his stare and all that lower level corrections to no avail. Thus, the need to ramp it up.

I'm glad to say that Sunday afternoon, we went to a local park--our practice location for doggie and children encounters--and Tanner did very well. He approached on dog very nicely to say "hello" and the dog growled to which Tanner came back to my side and sat with his back to the dog. Then, with another dog he started to bark and growl and I corrected and he immediately turned his back to the dog and sat with a looked that seemed to say "see, I'm being good..."...so we are making progress!

I hope you figure out a solution for your staffy.

Originally Posted by Frecs

You teach her not to bark by teaching her to bark on cue. You can also teach her "quiet".

Have you talked with the teacher of the class about how to deal with Zoe's growling at the other puppy?

My Tanner is about a year and a half and he had trouble with class--too long...he would zone out after about 45 minutes. Like kids, they have short attention spans.

Yes, the trainer models for me, she gets in the middle and very calmly puts her finger on top of zoe's nose and says no no, you are okay. I guess because zoe's scared of the other way more active chihuahua. The trainer said some dogs might never get used to other people and dogs. I am hoping that is not the case with zoe, she pees or poops on anyone who tries to hold her.

Okay, so how do I teach her "quiet"? any tips?

Originally Posted by makahana

Yes, the trainer models for me, she gets in the middle and very calmly puts her finger on top of zoe's nose and says no no, you are okay. I guess because zoe's scared of the other way more active chihuahua. The trainer said some dogs might never get used to other people and dogs. I am hoping that is not the case with zoe, she pees or poops on anyone who tries to hold her.

Okay, so how do I teach her "quiet"? any tips?

For the submissive pee/poop: NO TOUCH, NO TALK, NO EYE CONTACT. That needs to be told to everyone. Tell them to ignore the puppy until the puppy shows that she is ready to be petted and then they should only pet her body or under the chin--not on top of the head. A really good way for people to introduce themselves to Zoe is to sit on the floor with their back to her and ignore her. Let her come up and sniff them and only acknowledge her when she is clearly wanting them to pet her. People tend to get way too excited over a puppy and many puppies are like Zoe, all that excitement is just too much.

To teach "quiet": After she has barked, wait until she is quiet. Say "good quiet" and treat. When she starts to anticipate getting a treat for stopping, start saying "ssshhh" and when she stops, say "good quiet" and treat.

Originally Posted by Frecs

For the submissive pee/poop: NO TOUCH, NO TALK, NO EYE CONTACT. That needs to be told to everyone. Tell them to ignore the puppy until the puppy shows that she is ready to be petted and then they should only pet her body or under the chin--not on top of the head. A really good way for people to introduce themselves to Zoe is to sit on the floor with their back to her and ignore her. Let her come up and sniff them and only acknowledge her when she is clearly wanting them to pet her. People tend to get way too excited over a puppy and many puppies are like Zoe, all that excitement is just too much.

To teach "quiet": After she has barked, wait until she is quiet. Say "good quiet" and treat. When she starts to anticipate getting a treat for stopping, start saying "ssshhh" and when she stops, say "good quiet" and treat.

Wow, thanks, I think I can do that.

She is trained almost all basic training, still has to master some things to do it perfect and in good timing. She knows come, sit, down, stay only in the down position though, stand, heel, come fore( come to heel)mostly,sit when stop after heel, forward, attention, and some other little things. Most on leash still of course.

If you have any advice or anything please post on it.

I guess I should post about Tanner's training:

Tanner knows:

sit: including sit when I stop walking (sit from heel)
down
stay (from both sit and down)
Come to front or to heel position
wait
sit & wait until released with "okay eat" before going to food bowl
heel
walk nice (walk without pulling but not at heel position)
with me--walk close to me but not necessary to be at heel
watch -- look at me
touch (as in touch my palm...this is used to teach other tricks)
high five
back -- both from heel position and from in front facing me position
leave it

We are working on building reliability especially in his recalls as he is very prey drive oriented and wants to chase cars and anything else that moves....

Our family dog Lucy (Wheaten terrier) is a pretty big butthead at obedience classes too. At her first puppy class she barked like a maniac, even though we had never heard her bark before. In her second round of classes as an adult she locked her legs during every class and wouldn't walk anywhere. She's very terrier in nature and gets too overexcited by other dogs to concentrate on the training part. At home we've trained her to sit, stay, lie down, roll over, play dead, shake, and stand up. What she needs is some leash training and more appropriate socialization though!

Originally Posted by BigBlackDogGal

Our family dog Lucy (Wheaten terrier) is a pretty big butthead at obedience classes too. At her first puppy class she barked like a maniac, even though we had never heard her bark before. In her second round of classes as an adult she locked her legs during every class and wouldn't walk anywhere. She's very terrier in nature and gets too overexcited by other dogs to concentrate on the training part. At home we've trained her to sit, stay, lie down, roll over, play dead, shake, and stand up. What she needs is some leash training and more appropriate socialization though!

Ahhh...terriers...gotta love'em!

Do you take her for daily walks on leash? How do those walks go?

We are really working with Molly on leash training, she gets SO excited and loves to pull. Josh and I only give her enough leash to walk next to us, and we give her space when she's doing her business. If she doesn't pull and stays next to us w/out pulling, she gets a treat...which is not really working very well, so far at least. We live on the 3rd floor of an apt building, she's finally figuring out that the stairs are not so scary.
But outside of that, she is:
Crate trained
Bell trained(ringing a bell that we have taped next to the door when she needs to go outside)
Sit
Josh taught her to "watch" her toys-I'll post a video at some point bc its honestly pretty funny.
Fetch