Is a dog trainer worth it???HELP PLEASE Texas is about 4 1/2 months now and I do have to say that he is very entertaining and cute. I love him very much and try to do everything to make sure he is happy. BUT, lately he has become a nightmare!!! Pees where ever he feels like it, will no longer pee on pee pad, he wont let anyone pick him up, he don't care about the word NO, and he barks all day. Had a trainer come by and told me it would cost $775 for 6 weeks!! WOW, there has to be a cheaper way.... :confused: He started chewing on my wall!! He holds it until I let him out to poop under my bed or in hall way!!. any suggestions would be GREAT!!! |
It sounds like you need to follow Cesar Millan's methods. It sounds like he is becoming dominant over you. You as the pack leader need to be dominant over him in all things. Check Cesar's books out at the library or buy them. They have been a great help to us. We follow Cesar's methods and our dog has never been a "problem child". I hope you can figure out how to stop that unwanted behavior. He's acting out because he doesn't see you as pack leader. Plus the chewing is a normal teething thing but it sounds like it is out of control - chewing on your wall? Yeah that's not right. He's marking up your territory as his. |
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These are just a handful of issues that you need to address. Potty training is not an easy process and your dog is extremely young. Most puppies are crate trained and are not given free reign of the house without constant supervision. They are not born knowing what you want them to do, you actually have to teach it to them..and that includes actually rewarding your dog when he gets it right and NOT PUNISHING the dog when they get it wrong, because it's really your fault (the trainer) and not the dog's fault. You should probably read this: http://drsophiayin.com/docs/articles...earns2Earn.pdf This has a lot of useful information and pictures. I followed the crate training process when I got Teddy at 3 months old until he was about 5-6 months old. Now, he has an expen but he does NOT have free reign of the house. He's had maybe a handful of accidents in the house since he was 3 months old (he is now 10 months old) and all of his accidents have been my fault. As for the barking, are you yelling "no" to get him to stop? Because well, again, there's no way for him to actually understand what that means. Are you rewarding him when he's quiet? Are you only paying attention to him when he barks? Is he getting enough exercise? These are all things you need to address and here's a good video on how to teach your dog NOT to bark: Good luck! |
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I agree with Rosey. Enzyme cleaner like nature's miracle is a must, and no free reign at all until he understands what it is you want from him. Give him too much room and he's bound to make a mistake. |
At 4 1/2 months I don't believe your pup is fully trained. I think you need to keep up the constant supervision, frequent trips outdoors, a firm "NO" when you catch him going indoors, and crate/exercise pen use when you can't watch him constantly. Cesar's books are really helpful. I read "how to raise the perfect dog" and found it really helped me understand the stages of life and learning of dogs. I may not implement every training method, but having a firm knowledge of the pyschology of dogs is a great help. Good luck! Don't give up. Diligence and constant attention at this stage is required. |
I think a training class is always a helpful tool with puppies. I highly recommend for everyone to attend one. You can find local clubs usually that have obedience classes, or even a Petsmart or a Petco. I think it's super important for a puppy and I wish I had done it. I trained Jackson on my own and it worked out very well for us. He's a very socialized well behaved dog but I also had a lot of time. Being 18 and on college break when I got him as a puppy was very helpful because I had a lot of time. But I still wish I had taken him just for the experience. We did an agility class last year and it was sooo much fun -- I'd highly recommend classes, if only for the socialization. Also, check out YouTube users zakgeorge21, kikopup, pamelamarxsen, etc. |
I agree, that at 4 1/2 months you still have a lot of training to do. Like Brit, we trained Uni ourselves, BUT also like Brit, we had a lot of time on our hands, were able to bring her to work with us everyday, so people that work regular jobs that can't bring their pups with them really are at a disadvantage as far as training is concerned. Uni used to pull the drywall off too. In our brand new house. That was not fun. But she was a teething puppy! It is to be expected. She also chewed on the bullnose corners of the walls and pulled up the carpets in some spots. However, pups need to do the "bad" things so you can tell them they are bad, so in the future they know they shouldn't do them. Otherwise they don't know it's bad and they shouldn't be doing it. When did you get the puppy btw? And also he is way too small to have free reign of the entire house. The younger the dog, the less space they are allowed. If they do well, they get more space. If they start to relapse, they get space taken away. Eventually Uni was peeing in the downstairs pad, then racing upstairs to poop on the upstairs pad. In less than a year old she had free reign of the entire house. However, do not just lock them up in their space and ignore them while you are home. Puppies need constant attention. Have him on his harness tied to your waist so he is always near you. Watch for signs they need to potty, sniffing, circling, etc. I've found that most stop peeing if you pick them up. Some not so much and picking them up just makes a bigger mess. You need to find out which catagory your pup fits in. don't give treats. Do training sessions during mealtimes. Puppies tummies are so small, if you feed them regular meals then try to do trick training, they won't be interested due to a full tummy. Yorkie tummies are the size of a golf ball, keep that in mind. Uni didn't get a "treat" until she was about 2 yrs old. Every single meal was trick training time. At 5 mos, she had plenty of tricks under her belt already. So my very long winded post says, no don't get a trainer. Most trainers accessible to regular people like us are no good anyway. You'll learn more for free on youtube. |
I second the advice to get ceaser Millan books or DVDs. His books really help you understand why your dog is behaving in a certain way and gives you tools n how to stop bad behavior. For potty training, I recommend How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days. |
HOLY SMOKES! That is a LOT of money for 6 weeks of training. I am assuming that is 1:1 training in your home? With your puppy being so young I would try a class. At 4-1/2 months the class would be more for socialization of your puppy and just introducing the very basic commands. Definitely recommend that. For the barking, get a new squirt bottle and put plain water in it. Whenever he is excessively barking squirt him and tell him quiet. The water will get his attention immediately and then you give the command. You don't want to yell at him just say "quiet" in a strong clear voice. "NO" is a very general word and I believe people use it too often trying to correct numerous behaviors. Whereas, giving him the command "quiet" tells him what you want him to do rather than just telling him to stop doing what you don't like. It is more of redirecting the bad behavior. Good luck to you and let us know how you are doing! |
I took Tessie to puppy classes for 10 weeks at Petsmart,and it was a great experience. she learned simple commands and I learned tips on puppy training. She also got to socialize with other dogs, mostly her age and size. |
I agree that a class is a good idea. It should be MUCH less expensive than 1:1 in your home training and it will give you a good foundation so that you can continue training on your own. A basic puppy class is a great place to start. |
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