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02-19-2009, 11:34 AM | #1 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: California
Posts: 865
| Overwhelmed im at my whits end with sherman.... ive jsut about had it with him and this isnt like me. Im a very patient person... i dont usually get this frustrated... expecially with dogs. Every day we practice stop, sit, wait at the gate before leaving my patio.... and every day it takes at least 5-10 tries to get it "right" (and by right i mean he wait just long enough for my to get my foot through the gate) he just doesnt seem to catch on... shasta and little man have no problem letting me go first and actually wont walk through the gate until i do. as soon as we get out of the gate... its like turbo speed and hes at the end of the leash on two feet pulling like a mad dog. ive tried every technique from holding the leash at a 90 degree angle, quick turns in the opposit direction, stoping, bringing him back to my side and sitting (which lasts 2 seconds and then hes up and pulling in another direction). the only thing that semi-works is his gentle leader which only really works cause he cant pull AS HARD. if we see another dog or person its like hes a crazy dog that thinks he needs to protect or something. growling, barking, pulling, and theres no getting his attention back. shasta barks at people and other dogs too, but most of the time as long as they dont approach us i can distract her and get her to focus on me instead. this morning i was running late as it was... and sherman was the last one i took out for a potty break... he takes the longest out of the three to find the right spot... just when i think hes about ready to go... someone walks out of their apartment to head to their car... and off goes crazy dog barking like hes going to kill him. i broke down and just started crying right there... people around must have thought i was crazy standing there crying with a mad dog going psycho. i guess the most frustrating part of this was that when sherman and shasta were really young i took them to puppy classes... because i got them at a discount i signed both of them up and started them off and once sherman went to his new home i would come pick him up once a week and bring him to class. he was always so good in class... walked next to my side, automatically sat when i stopped, waited at doors, was a pro at the leave it command, and then his owner didnt want me taking him anymore after the 4th week... and did he take him.. nope.. of course not... instead his influences were an aggressive poodle that barked at the wind, and overactive poodle/jackrussel mix (we think) that destroyed anything and everything, and 2 german shephards that never got out of the back yard. Me and my mom use to say that Shasta got the looks and sherman got the brains... but apparently hes lost them... i just had to vent, im sorry. i have gotten in contact with a trainer who is certified and has been training for many years, and will hopefully be setting up a private lesson first and then see where we wanna go from there. im just so overwhelmed right now....
__________________ RIP Pebbles. Mommy loves you and misses you!!! Mommy to 3 Yorkshire Terrors Shasta, Sherman and Little Man |
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02-19-2009, 08:01 PM | #2 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming, US
Posts: 4
| I'm so sorry... I so know how you feel. With my first Yorkie GoGo... this happened. I broke down and cried with her one day. But you have to remember your little person with fur is gonna sense the frustration in you and so they'll act out even more because they don't know what to do or what's wrong with you. I realized with Bebe and Gogo, you're gonna have good days and bad days. You also can't use just positive re-enforcement. Sometimes you gotta uses negative too. Some personalities just need this much structure. I use treats and the spray water bottle. I consistently use a loud buzzer sound as "no" for the verbal warning. They learn this noise quickly and it's unmistakable. I use it and Bebe stops immediately because she knows she's doing something wrong. From there I immediately correct her. And make her center herself in the command before we continue. When Bebe consistently obeys she gets the treats. And if she repeatedly disobeys she get's two warnings and then the water bottle. The first verbal, the second verbal and shake the bottle... the third verbal and water spray. I only do the water if it's warm outside or we are in doors. Sometimes when Bebe is acting completely out of control it's the only way to bring her back to calm and centered. I stop and make her stop verbally. If she can't stop the water bottle makes her stop... then I command her to sit and center herself. We will stand there like that until she centers, calms down and sit. And I don't care who's watching me stand there like a fool with this little dog, making loud buzzer sounds and all. Bebe comes first. I'll move she has to stay. From there I force her to stay until I give her the release command (Ok, let's go). If she moves before the release she get's the "wait" command and we stand still again. If she continues to disobey, she gets the water bottle. The whole point of this is to show her walking and having fun outside is a reward. In order to get the reward she must obey first. Remember to pick and chose your battles. I only use the water bottle when it is a danger for Bebe to disobey (Ie walking outside with no leash). If we're doing tricks or something it's strictly reward based. |
02-21-2009, 06:27 PM | #3 |
Thor's Human Donating Member | Hi, I wrote a long response to you yesterday and the computer ate it. Bumping, and I hope you feel better.
__________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger. |
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