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.

Sorry that happened.

He still looks like a sweet big baby. No big deal.

It's every day with us. We'll figure it out.

LMAO!!! I'm sorry, but this cracks me up! And now that aside, I'm so sorry for your disappointment today. I'm sure they will take well to training and you will soon be posting about your wonderful, well-behaved pups at the park! Good luck to all of you!

I'm glad i finally took a proactive step. And about the hair....I always see gorgeous yorkies walking out of there. Then I go pick up my boys and I'm like omg is this a joke? LOL. I feel like I'm on candid camera when I get them.

Oh, I'm sure you're just being an overly critical mom...post some pics of the farmyard animals and let us be the judges! ;)

Yeah, I'll get on that right away:D

I want to make a suggestion... please don't take offense :)....

I think you may need to 'lighten up' a bit, on them and yourself! Remember, you are working with a very young dog and a puppy! And they have Yorkie in them! It's a major accomplishment just to get harnesses and leashes on them, and to get them out the door. You should be proud! (only slightly kidding). But really, you need to lower the bar just a tad.

Try to find some enjoyment in their antics, and relax a little, and laugh... out loud. If you expect less from them, you won't feel so bad, and you may end up feeling better as they learn and adjust. Baby steps. Also, if you're feeling all hyper about how they walk, they sense that through the leash, and it can make them worse. Practice 'Laugh Therapy'. Just laugh out loud about something, it will help relax you.(and them!) Make it fun... goes for training, too.

Try playing ball with them in the yard for 30 minutes or so before you take them out. Wear their butts out a little bit... it may help them to relax more. Also, practice just standing, like if you run into a friend and have a conversation. Let them sniff around, but don't make any forward progress for a few minutes.

When you're walking, if they're being crazy, walk faster for a bit... if you speed up... it will keep their little minds busier with walking than silliness.

Last but not least, sometimes I am just not up to handling all four of mine at one time. I'll take two out and then the other two go when we get back, or sometimes I take one at a time, and work with them on individual problems. If they haven't been out for a week or two, like when I have back problems, they are all total maniacs for the first couple of days till we get back on track. I really don't expect much from them on those days, and consider it a job well done if we make it back to the house in one piece! They do get much better by the 3rd or 4th outing, knowing they'll be going (as in 'routine') can help settle them down a bit. Longer walks help too.

And don't expect the entire walk to be perfect. It won't be. They'll see a squirrel, or like Tinkerbell, a car and try and chase it. Or kids on the street with bikes and all sorts of distractions, other dogs or the occassional cat.

Some people may judge you by your dogs' behavior on leash, but I for one know better. Each animal is different and responds differently. I judge you by the fact that you are concerned, you are getting them out for walks, and you are seeking help, and you are aware that you may need help. This makes you one fantastic dog owner. I think dog training is always a work-in-progress, there will always be room for improvement. And there will always be days that things could have gone better, and days when you think someone swapped your dogs out for a different pair.

Enough, Love and Hugs to you and yours, and get out there and walk those puppies!

:D

No offense taken at all. This was just a post focusing on the negative. Believe me, I could write ten pages on their positive behaviors. With that being said, they both went on separate walks this morning, we played frisbee, practiced the clicker and the "watch me" command and had a great morning.

I already learned a lot in my first training class last night and am using that positive energy I was taught. The UPS guy came today and I said one "quiet" and a click and they didn't bark again. It was shocking. Cooper even dropped his ball for me.

I am totally lighthearted with my boys. But it really is time to teach them and myself.

(trying to pick my jaw up off the floor!) I think I like your trainer! Great... I just didn't want you to get too discouraged.... some people do and it's sad when that happens... for both the dog and the owners....
Going to attempt a foursome now... if I'm not back in an hour......:D

First 2 are Cooper. Second 2 are Max. They look almost identical now. I told the groomer I was growing his hair, including the topknot. Not sure exactly what happened there. I do love to see his eyes now, though. He was running outside today and looked exactly like Britster's Jackson. I couldn't believe it.

Just one more:

They are doing the "watch me" command. Max is really into it LOL

OMG! I clicked the picture and was about to say "Max looks like Jackson!" and then I read your post. They look GREAT! How old is Max now? I'll have to try and find a picture when Jackson was at that age. I think these he was around 5 months....

Max will be 6 months next week.

Love Max's classic Yorkie head tilt! His haircut is adorable. Max and Cooper make a great looking pair of brothers.

Share more with us: You wrote that the clicker worked at the door. How are the boys responding to it in general? What are you using for treats? How often are you meeting with the trainer?

I love that photo. I don't know why the groomer cut all the hair off his head. I told her we were working on a top knot, and we were getting good at it too!

I'm not sure how they are responding to the clicker because I don't know what to expect. Max seems to respond well to it. Cooper, like everything else responds when he wants to. We aren't really doing anything this week other than "watch me". The trainer suggested using cheerios for treats which I thought was a good idea until Cooper threw up. His stomach is very sensitive. He does well with Gerber puffs treats. Both boys like them.

I'm meeting with the trainer once per week and that starts tomorrow.

Great post.
Patience and expectations I think will be my key words before I take our dogs out. We always combine fun walks, with obedience training, but there are days for one reason or another, they don't get the long walks they are used to. so pent up energy. When you have a dog at Utility level and one just barely at basic obedience one, and another at CD, it is hard not to transfer expectations from one level to another. I think I'll now reverse my order of training, from the novice on upwards. Maybe then it will help me not to expect to much from my obedience babies.

Thank you for your post