Hi, I posted a bit ago about my dobbie being absolutely terrified of my dad to the point of her peeing whenever she sees him. I wanted to say with some advice from the forum, she's gotten a bit better. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I can slowly see progress! My whole family was gone on vacation for a week which left just my animals and I in the house. I used that time to work on her confidence moving around the house and just being okay staying outside my bedroom. She's still... UPDATE 1.3 yr old scared of dad ..read more

Our much-anticipated return trip back up to Muncie Obedient Training Center finally arrived yesterday , Our first trip back since last Nov. 14th . Our hour and 20 minute trip seemed like it took 2 days to get there . Over the Winter and the re-coup from a TKA it gave me plenty of time to think / re-aval. what we did right / wrong last year , on my part there was more wrong than right , the... Back to MOTC / knocking the Rust Off ..read more

Kratos is 5.5 yrs old he has always had a little 15 yr old shi tzu here with him when we leave to go places well the other dog will be moving out shortly. He was gone for the weekend and I left today for about a hour and kratos was howling the whole time. Things I did to avoid this today because it was a trial run for when the other dog moves out in about a month. 1. I exercised him for a bit outside 2. Make sure her went 1 and 2 before we came inside 3. Fed him a big meal before I left 4... How to break what im sure is separation anxiety fast ..read more

Me and my girlfriend broke up she's is moving out in about a month since I got Kratos 5 years ago she has always been there same with her little 15 yr old shi tzu they are both leaving and I'm sure I'm going to have some real issues with kratos. Recently he hasn't been listening real well to me I believe this is because I'm the one who has tried to train him and keep him on a schedule and took him to some classes early in his life but she always let him do what he wanted and never tried to... Help please ..read more

Edit ..read more

I thought I would create this thread in order to shed some light on the ideas that come along with force free/ R+ training. Maybe debunk some common myths and misconceptions. Curious how many trainers here consider themselves R+? When you think of that phrase, what comes to your mind? What does it mean to truly live with dogs in a way that does not rely on correction as a form of communication? Any questions/ thoughts welcome here!! This is not meant to divide the people of this forum ... R+ Training -a general place to discuss a variety of topics ..read more

For the last month I've been trying to keep my pup off the couch as she has no couch manners yet. I have a long sectional sofa so it's hard to prevent her when I'm sitting on one end she'll just go and jump up on the far end. I tell her "off" and she'll ignore me unless I have a treat (understandable) but when I reward her for getting down she jumps right back up and it's non-stop until I give up and decide to go sit outside with her for some peace. I've been marking and treating everytime... Having a really hard time keeping my 4.5 month old off the couch ..read more

I will mention that I train Dobermans, and not a rookie with dogs, but this one I am studying a bit. I live in a very rural area. No fences. neighbor has a pair of GPs, one male, one female. They are 100% working dogs. I don't know how much human interaction they get, but they never leave the farm and not socialized with other dogs. However, they have both met my dog countless times and never had any concern, though I will mention that their personality is very "stoic". They don't... Studying an attack of a Great Pyrenees on my Dobie ..read more

Today at nose work, we had a party for one of the girls who is moving to the east coast. We all pitched in and brought things to surprise her with: mimosas, bundt cakes, egg bites, fruit, etc. I made tuna fudge and gave some out to each dog in class. We wore fun hats and glasses and just had a blast. As we all stood around talking, we realized that yes, trials and titles are perhaps what bring us to training, but the bonds we form during training are what keep us there. I am a stereotypical... Training & community ..read more

Hello As recommended by some of you here, I decided to give the slip lead a try. This is what I purchased. Slip Lead I find this 1/2 inch thick slip lead very bulky for him. It is very strong but too bulky. Also it does not stay put - keeps sliding down his neck. I do not want to over tighten either. Has a stopper that works but it keeps slipping. I have it right under the ears as per the... Halti head collar and slip lead ..read more