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 #1116453


Ashmash
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 Training Tips Please!!!

I have a 7 month old puppy named Jazzy who I need help training. Right now she will sit and lie down but only if I have food for her. If she’s not playing with my mothers dog Bella then she will come when I call her name. She is Deathly afraid of the leash and I have no idea why. She does wear a collar with a tag, but she hides when I put the leash on her.

Is there any method of training that I can use that will help these problems? Right now I am on Christmas vacation and can spend almost all day with her for another week, but when school starts I will only be able to spend at most 2 hours with her everyday.

I’m not exactly sure what type of dog she is. I think she is either a very short haired Border Collie or an ACD. I’m leaning toward ACD.

I’m not sure if this will help but besides my mothers dog(a papillon mix) I have 2 10 year old German Shepards, and they are all fenced in on the back half of 2.3 acres.

If you would like to see any pictures I can get them.

Thanks for any help!
Ashlee
01/02/07  04:50pm

 #1116832


Stephh
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1116453


 Training Tips Please!!!

Ashlee, Was she adopted from a shelter? If so, you should see if there is any background information on her. It sounds like she has been hit with a lead or a lead has been used to punish her. If that is the case it will take a lot of time and reassurance to get her comfortable with being on one. How to train her to not be afraid, I am not sure- sorry. Maybe if she has a regular vet she goes too, you should call and explain the situation and see what they suggest. However you choose to work with her, make sure you are gentle and POSITIVE, any negative reinforcement or frustration she picks up from you will make her more afraid. Good Luck, Stephanie
01/02/07  09:02pm

 #1116981


Ashmash
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   Message To: Stephh   In reference to Message Id: 1116832


 Training Tips Please!!!

No I was given her for free from someone I know, when she was very young. I know for sure that she wasn’t hit with the lead, but she might have picked up on some frustration when my dad and grandfather tried to walk her.

I no longer let them try to train her.

Another thing, when I go outside to play with her all she wants to do is sit in my lap, is there a reason she doesn’t want to play with me? She will play with my mothers dog and by herself, but not with me. Any explanations?
01/02/07  10:31pm

 #1117270


Rae rae
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1116981


 Training Tips Please!!!

well she might be resistant to being lead around. she might have a sort of dominant mind and when you put her on a lead you are telling her where to go and she doesn’t like that. if you put her on a leash and she throws a temper tantrum (barks, cries, flips around, acts like she’s choking, etc.) just ignore it. this will take a lot of time and effort on your part. when she finally calms down while she has her leash on give her a treat. only do this when she is calm or she will associate the treat with throwing a tantrum. never pet or praise a dog when they’re doing something wrong. that will just reinforce them to do it again. don’t baby talk her or anything like that if she is throwing a fit on the leash. when you finally get her comfortable with the leash then start taking her on long walks. make sure she uses the bathroom before the walks because the walks are just for physical and mental exercise, not for marking territory because that will reinforce her dominance. let her walk either beside you or behind you, never in front. when she finally masters this then she may walk in front of you only with permission.
about letting her in your lap... the higher a dog is the more dominant they are in a pack. do not let her jump on your lap or furniture without telling her she can. she cannot just jump up whenever she feels like it. for example if i am laying in the bed my dogs will walk up on the side and look at me. i will make them wait and finally say "come on" and then they jump up. then the next day they do not get out of bed until i do. if they try i make them get back in bed and wait until i’m ready to get up.
this way they learn that i make the calls and my dogs are experts at it now.
hope that helps you some!
01/03/07  05:29am

 #1117363


Stephh
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   Message To: Rae rae   In reference to Message Id: 1117270


 Training Tips Please!!!

I agree with the last post, if you know that she hasn’t been hit with a lead. When first putting a lead on her, try putting her in the back yard without any resistance on it and let her get use to it being on her, it could be dominance or it could be she has never been taught to walk on a lead. Good Luck- Stephanie
01/03/07  10:19am

 #1118016


Ashmash
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   Message To: Stephh   In reference to Message Id: 1117363


 Training Tips Please!!!

Thanks! I will try that.

She doesn’t jump up at me it’s only when I sit on the grass or porch when she climbs into my lap. I think that she might think that she is the Alpha, will the leash training help this?



01/03/07  06:22pm

 #1118539


Rae rae
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1118016


 Training Tips Please!!!

PROPER leash training will help if you have a dominance issue. but remember to be calm because a dog will not listen to you if they think you’re unstable, which is basically when we’re showing any emotion except being calm and assertive- that piece of info comes from the dog whisperer. only pet, comfort, give treats, and praise when she is doing exactly what you want her to do. if she pulls, jumps, whines, or barks at others, either ignore her or correct her. i find better results when i correct my dogs.
01/03/07  11:39pm

 #1118722


K9luv4eternity
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   Message To: Rae rae   In reference to Message Id: 1118539


 Training Tips Please!!!

Oh for goodness sakes!

Dominance this, dominance that......Did anybody care to read "she is deathly afraid of the leash" or "She hides when I put the leash on"? Just because Ashmash never hit her with the leash or had a bad experience with the leash with that dog doesn’t mean her dad or grandfather didn’t.

The WORST thing you can do in this situation is walk up to it, hold it down and snap a leash on, force it to walk and give it collar pops when it doesn’t and treat it like it’s a dominant dog! If the dog is fearful, that kind of advice will only make the situation worse for Ashmash and her dog.

Ashmash, you need to recondition her to associate the leash with good things. If she runs the moment you pick up the leash, start there by just picking it up, and setting it back down. She’ll learn that the leash being picked up is not going to affect her in any way. When you can do this and she just stands there or doesn’t care, then move on to the next step, which is bringing in the treats. Pick up the leash, put it down and then immediatly priase her and give her a treat. She’ll learn that you picking up the leash and putting it down means that she is going to get attention and a yummy. Next try picking up the leash, then sit down and put the leash on the floor and call her over to you so she can get her treats and praise. Now you can work towards getting the leash on her. Do different things to get her used to being around the leash and the leash near her, like first have it in your lap while you give her a treat, then hold the leash and treat in the same hand and give her the treat. Give her a treat with one hand and reach to pet her with your other hand while your still holding the leash. Drape the leash over her back and give her treats and praise. When she doesn’t seem to care anymore about that, then put it on and let her wear it for a while, don’t try and walk with her yet, just let her drag it. Be sure to keep her supervised.

Now she’s pretty much desensitized to the leash. Next step is to teach heel. I always do this off leash first because it’s easier. Just hold a treat in your fist and lure her to your side and say "heel", once she is at your side, give her the treat. To that over and over until you can say "heel" and she will go right to your side. Sitting is not important right now, if you have her sit before you give her the reward, you’ll be rewarding her for sitting. You want heel to be a seperate behavior right now, you can add sit later if you please (although it’s really not necessary). Once she’s going to your side when you say heel, take a few steps forward and lure her along with you while saying something like "stay close" or "keep up". Only a few steps then reward her. Repeat until she does it on command without the lure and you can go more than five steps. Then do the exercise again with the leash dragging, then again with the leash held properly. Now when you take her outside for the first time, she will probably be distracted, but you need to keep her attention so bring your treats and do the training exercise just like you did before. Just keep everything positive, stay calm and don’t get frusterated.

Whatever you do, don’t give her a "correction" by yanking the leash. This could undo what you worked so hard to get.....a dog that isn’t afraid of the leash.

Remember one thing about the difference between punishment and positive reinforcement......If you make a mistake with punishment (as has already happened with your dog because of your dad or grandfather), it will take a long time to fix. But if you make a mistake with positive reinforcement, it’s super easy to undo and retrain the dog.
01/04/07  03:29am

 #1118727


Brisker23456
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1116453


 Training Tips Please!!!

leave the leash lay around the house on the floor or in her bed for days..only move it to another location or to take her for a walk...let her knew the leash is harmless and could even be fun to play with!! i had to do this with my boxer..now he just holds it in his mouth like hes walkin his self!! good luck..hope everything comes together for ya
01/04/07  03:46am

 #1118759


Rae rae
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1116453


 Training Tips Please!!!

what k9luv4eternity needs to realize is that not everyone is going to think they are god in every dog training situation. they need to stop bashing everyone’s advice like they are inexperienced. believe it or not k9 u are not the only one who has ever dealt with an issue with a dog. actually i have worked with a couple of dogs who were scared of the leash. one i just had to project dominance and did not let her do what she wanted on the leash. and guess what it worked. the other one actually had to be worked with a little more. i used a combination of treats and corrections and guess what- that worked too! one of my dogs now went through obedience school and is perfectly trained on and off leash. however he went through an aggressive phase that had to be DOMINATED. whether some want to admit it or not dogs are animals, not people. if you let a group of dogs lose and they come together (most of the stray dog packs that you see) they will form a pack and revert back to basic instincts. so the dogs do think somewhat like wolves and the do think dominance runs the household (or pack in their mind). so ashmash you need to read everyone’s comments and do your own research. one way will not work for every dog in every situation. i think you need to watch some videos on dog training and watch the dog whispere some and decide on your own.
01/04/07  04:41am

 #1119248


K9luv4eternity
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   Message To: Rae rae   In reference to Message Id: 1118759


 Training Tips Please!!!

I’m not arguing.

What I’m worried about is bad advice being given to other people that is completely wrong for the situation. This is obviously fear, not dominane. While your Cesar Millan methods may work for some dogs, realize that they don’t work for all. And like all trainers I have known who used to use those harsher methods, they will backfire one of these days. Positive reinforcement doesn’t backfire.

It’s safer and much more wise to hand out positive reinforcement advice rather than punishment. I highly suggest reading The Power of Positive Training and Outwitting dogs. You may learn something. Believe it or not, I used to be a Cesar Millan fan as well.



01/04/07  04:01pm

 #1119354


Rae rae
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   Message To: K9luv4eternity   In reference to Message Id: 1119248


 Training Tips Please!!!

you say it will not work in every situation. this is why i told ashmash to research both methods. i have already covered that ground. what i am saying is that we don’t actually know the dog or know it’s body language or know it’s true background. that’s why ashmash needs to research and does what seems right for the dog. it’s not our decision at all. all we can offer is advice. i offer mine you offer yours. you don’t have to speak badly of other’s opinions just give yours and let that be that. well this is the last thing i will say on this. i’m sure ashmash didn’t ask this question to see a huge debate come out of it.



01/04/07  05:24pm

 #1119447


Stephh
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   Message To: Rae rae   In reference to Message Id: 1119354


 Training Tips Please!!!

Ashmash, I hope it all goes well for you. If you are confused by my response or anyone elses on this thread, the best thing to do is call your vet. They can give you some tips or recommend someone locally that can help you. I think it is wonderful that you are stepping up to the plate to find out what’s wrong and try to correct the situation. Good Luck- Stephanie



01/04/07  06:16pm

 #1119980


Ashmash
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   Message To: Stephh   In reference to Message Id: 1119447


 Training Tips Please!!!

Thanks everyone!!! I will certainly try everything. I am looking forward to being able to walk with Jazzy around the neighborhood!

I will post some pictures when I can to see if anyone here can properly identify her.

Much thanks to everyone!
Ashlee
01/04/07  11:06pm

 #1120136


Rae rae
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   Message To: Ashmash   In reference to Message Id: 1119980


 Training Tips Please!!!

good luck, can’t wait to see the pics!
01/05/07  12:46am


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