I Cried At The Park... ...so it's time to hire a trainer. Let me set up the story: It was a gorgeous day on Saturday so I decided to take the dogs to a community park for a nice walk. Cooper has been doing so well with his Easy Walk Harness and Max learned to walk well in front of the house (same harness) so I felt confident taking both. We got to the park and my partner and I each grabbed a lead. Max started barking uncontrollably. We figured it was just from all the excitement and it would stop shortly so we proceeded. Both dogs were pulling like crazy and were completely out of control. Max barked continually for an entire mile around the lake. I had with me treats, a clicker and a can of coins. Nothing would stop him. Cooper forgot how to walk properly. I was so utterly disappointed that tears began to roll down my face. This was supposed to be a nice walk in the park. By the time I got to the car, we were all in hysterics. DONE. I live in a small town and have search over and over again for a trainer. Today, on a whim, I visited a local pet store asking for a recommended trainer. She said they have a trainer who follows a clicker/reward system and classes were starting tonight! I called the trainer to find out more. I can't possibly handle both dogs on my own at a class. She's going to do in home training. She also said I could attend the classes for free (as a private client). Tonight, Cooper and I are going to meet the trainer and attend class. I feel a huge sense of relief and a huge drain on my wallet, but I'm very excited. I hired a trainer when Cooper was a puppy, but sadly, never followed through with the training on my own. I'm committed now. I owe it to my dogs. I truly hope this is a new beginning for us. |
Aw...bless your heart. I know how you feel. Sometimes when all of mine are barking when they hear the littlest thing I feel like I could cry. I am sure they will do great and cant wait to hear what you think! |
Aw! So sorry to hear this. I guess the Drama Team is at it again! Great that you got a trainer.... looking forward to hear how they do.... Wishing you the Best.... Kathy |
I have a barker myself who doesn't walk in a straight line :rolleyes: But I'm not one to get embarrassed easily and she does entertain people. I hope training classes go well. |
I'm sorry you were in tears :( but I'm SOO happy you are getting a trainer. I think you will truly enjoy the training and bonding, and it will be something great for both you and Cooper. :thumbup: Please keep us updated on your progress! I'm so excited for you guys and I KNOW you can do it! |
Best of luck to you with the new trainer. I will look forward to hearing progress reports and soon you will be able to advise those of us who need help when ours are on leash. Since mine rarely are on leash, they tend to forget everything in between times. It is pretty much a case of "50 First Dates" here! |
Thanks everyone. I'm excited and hopeful. I feel like we've been stuck in a vicious cycle. They are hyper and wild because they don't get enough exercise, yet I don't want to take them anywhere because they are hyper and wild! I'm sure it can go unsaid, however for those who don't know me, I don't mean to make my dogs seem like a nuisance. They are my family and only want what's best for all of us. |
I know exactly how you feel. It's so disappointing when all you've been looking forward to is a nice, relaxing walk with your little ones, in the beautiful sunshine . . and it gets ruined by bad behavior. I raced to the dam the other night; so beautiful to walk there. I was scrambling to get both dogs there before dark, thinking it would be one of our last times there before winter. They were HORRIBLE. And I had had a long,stressful day at work and it just was an awful outing. To top it off, some man had a huge dog off-leash, and, of course, he came running up to both of my dogs . . . Ringo went crazy; I was scrambling trying to pick up Lucy . . . NOT the walk I had planned. |
Karen, I'm sorry you had a bad day at the park with the boys. I'm sure things will improve, especially with a trainer!! :) |
Bless your heart. I can just imagine how frustrating it is for you. You want to take them out and have them enjoy it, as well as you enjoying it. Of course, you love them to pieces. No one would ever doubt that. I hope the trainer is able to help you out. |
We just got home a little while ago. I met the trainer. There was a father and son with 2 german shepherd puppies and Cooper and me. The 2 GSDs were so sweet and very timid and just wanted to put their heads on their owners. Cooper was his busy self, smelling, sniffing and paying no attention to anything but "gotta go there". We learned how to load the clicker and this week i'm going to work on the "watch me" command with both Coop and Max. She's coming to my house Monday for an hour. She wants me to write a list of things I want out of the training. That may be a long list. The trainer follows a clicker/reward training with no choke, shock, prong collars, etc. Her background is military and social work. Cooper took to her right away, as he does with everyone. I look forward to Monday. As a side note, Max got his first haircut today. The groomer is not a very good groomer but Cooper LOVES going there, so we go and I feel comfortable leaving him there. She said Max did fantastic. But does anyone remember Cooper's lamb pics? She chopped all of Max's head hair off like a crew cut. It's just awful and he looks so different. No more top knot, but I guess it'll grow. He kind of resembles a goat. And now i have Cooper's hair long so he looks like a sheep:rolleyes: People probably think I have a farm in my backyard. |
I'm sorry about the haircut, but it will grow back. It's just painful waiting for it to grow back!:D |
I hope for the best with the trainer. And Oh boy we all have had days like that at the park. |
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