My Dog and I Need to Be Rescued!!

Hi there, alright, I am starting to realize that I actually have quite of bit of trouble with my 3 year old doggie: He is half GermanSheperd half Mastin Pyrenees, not too large but not small either. I have had him since he was 2 months old, so he has been with me the entire length of his age.

When he was a puppie, he had slight issues with aggression and domination, always wanting to be the Alpha and virtually never giving in. Because of that, we spent more time working on his aggression problem instead doing, learning, training, those things we should have normally been learning: follow me when I call, stop at the sidewalk with me, if I let you loose, return whenever I need you to return..heel, at my side, bring it, leave it, all of that. All of that was sidetracked because he had fear and aggression issues as an infant.

Well, now Giulio, that is his name, is turning 3, and he is no longer "aggressive", but he is disobedient, and virtually never follows my calling if he is let loose.. I want to be able to let him off of the leash, and while we are walking at a park, I would like him to devotedly stay by my side while he sniffs around, and rolls on the grass.. but he never does. He loses all of his attention on me, and always turns attention elsewhere; I just returned from a walk a moment ago, and there he was crossing a cross walk in front of cars, unleashed, while I was shouting for him to return to me.. there was a mild amount of traffic, but if he cannot focus on me because he sees another dog across the street, then I obviously cannot let him loose.. he could be killed. Now, I just feel as though I will never be able to release him from the leash while walking.


I was thinking of restarting some training sessions, with big big chunks of steak and chicken in my pockets to see if I can re-orient his behavior back towards me!! Maybe something like that will work..even at his age and this late in the game.. I don't know but in the meantime, while he is no longer "aggressive" per say, he still likes to dominate, and frequently jumps up to my shoulders to control settings and situations, he likes to grab and takeover the leash once he is let loose, and that's another sign of dis-respect obviously; It's just sort of embarassing when other dog owners peacefully walk their devoted, bonded obedient dogs, and I, well I, have to sit there and tolerate this one's mischief..I don't think we have bonded the right way, and to be honest with you, he is too aloof to be considered "devoted" to me.

He is very good at home, very quiet, virtually never makes unnecessary noises or barkings, good about receiving food, his own food that is, loves every moment of attention one gives him, but once we get back outside, it's either me or him. I'm getting tired of being #2 in his eyes, and I am very tired of being ignored when I release him from the LEASH!! HELP!! AND RESCUE US!!

a reply to: tony9802

I think some dogs just naturally spaz when you take 'em outside and let 'em off the leash. They've gotta get used to it.

My dog doesn't get outside a lot. She sounds similar to yours in her behaviors. When she doesn't pay attention, I run and hide. That gets her attention and makes her focus.

I've never had to reward mine with treats. Praise is what she craves, but it's short lived when she's taking in the outdoor world.

Good luck with your dog. I'm sure he's one of those family members whose loyalty you'll never doubt.

Cheers, brother!!

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: tony9802

I think some dogs just naturally spaz when you take 'em outside and let 'em off the leash. They've gotta get used to it.

My dog doesn't get outside a lot. She sounds similar to yours in her behaviors. When she doesn't pay attention, I run and hide. That gets her attention and makes her focus.

I've never had to reward mine with treats. Praise is what she craves, but it's short lived when she's taking in the outdoor world.

Good luck with your dog. I'm sure he's one of those family members whose loyalty you'll never doubt.

Cheers, brother!!

Right, that's what I always thought.. once they are outside and all of their senses are being stimulated by nature and scents, odours, by other dogs and by other people and their scents and odours well their attention is naturally focused far elsewhere.. running and hiding likewise causes him to return so indeed, that is one method..

I was thinking of getting one of those remote control collars that buzz/shock them back into place, I'm wondering if anyone has experience with those devices and how effective they have found them to be..

originally posted by: tony9802


I was thinking of getting one of those remote control collars that buzz/shock them

I'd vote ... no. I wouldn't do that to one of my kids. Won't do it to my dog.

Talk to him. Make him understand. If you can't ... accept that ... and plan ahead.

Just two pennies there for you brother. You're a grown man.

I don't know where you are, but have you checked on line or your local paper, for basic dog obedience classes? It doesn't matter how old he is.

I took my male boxer when he was 4. Boxers are notoriously "spaz" dogs.
He ended up getting most improved in class, and listened very well off leash afterwards.


Or you could just try a shock collar, with a vibrate warning. I'm not usually a fan, but we had to get one for our current female boxer. Even though we live on a country, dirt road, with little traffic, she would not stop chasing chipmunks into the road.
I've only had to shock her once, on low. I always holler "Abby here" before I would even vibrate her. Now, I don't have to do anything, but holler, and she is at my side.

NO SHOCK COLLAR!!!

Thats just cruel! and Its not training!

Stick one on your own neck and give it a try!

Your problem is YOU are not dominant!
You wont get anywhere with him until he see's you as top dog!

Never NEVER let him walk through doors etc before you.
Always feed him right AFTER you feed yourself.
When on the leash NEVER let him walk ahead of you!
When on the leash and other dogs are about MAKE him stay behind you.

All of these things can be relaxed once he accepts that you are boss, but untill then YOU GO FIRST ALWAYS.
Thats dog langauge!

ETA: Being dominant is not about bullying your dog! Its achieved via your behaviour, by always going BEFORE your dog. When he realises he is second to you, then he will start listening to you.

a reply to: tony9802

He hasn't earned the right to be off leash. Until you get him trained to focus on you, he shouldn't be off leash in a situation where he could be hurt. Period. He needs a lot of training on recall and heel. I would get him into a class (Basic Obedience or Canine Good Citizen) and work with him every day with what you learn there.

I don't have a problem with a "shock collar" but I definitely wouldn't use it for this situation. In the wrong (inexperienced) hands, it can actually really mess things up or make a dog more aggressive. Leave that to the experts for now and work on becoming your dog's best friend by playing with him, training him and basically spending time with him.

And watch or record the Dog Whisperer on NatGEO Wild. Reruns are on every day. You'd be amazed how much there is to learn.

a reply to: VoidHawk

NO SHOCK COLLAR!!! Thats just cruel! and Its not training!

Opinion, not fact.
Like I said, I'm not a huge fan either. But there are some dogs, that just have their own mind on some things. Abbys is chipmunks.
I guess I should just let her get hit by a car. That would be more humane than a shock collar.

Because she listens to me, and does everything else I ask, without it on, in the backyard and the house.
Sorry I know my dog.

originally posted by: chiefsmom
a reply to: VoidHawk

NO SHOCK COLLAR!!! Thats just cruel! and Its not training!

Opinion, not fact.
Like I said, I'm not a huge fan either. But there are some dogs, that just have their own mind on some things. Abbys is chipmunks.
I guess I should just let her get hit by a car. That would be more humane than a shock collar.

Because she listens to me, and does everything else I ask, without it on, in the backyard and the house.
Sorry I know my dog.

I'm sorry, but pain and stress is not opinion! Put it on your own neck, then tell me if what you feel is opinion.

As for your dog only doing what its told when its under threat of being electricuted, thats just lack of training.

Would you use one of these collars on a child?
A dog feels and fears just like a child does!

a reply to: chiefsmom



This is a good read concerning the use of electric collars.
KennelClub

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

This is a good read concerning the use of electric collars.
KennelClub

a reply to: VoidHawk

I know all about them. But thanks.

Just like a gun, the problem is not with the tool, but with it being in the wrong hands because most people don't know how to use it, they can make things worse. And they can be set to vibrate like a cell phone. Very rarely should a high level of intensity be used.

www.chicagonow.com...

I SERIOUSLY don't advise using one for this situation and they shouldn't be used for any longer than it takes to train a dog to AVOID something.

We're not going to agree on this and that's fine, but discussing it here is kind of off-topic.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

We're not going to agree on this and that's fine, but discussing it here is kind of off-topic.

Not really, op said he/she was considering using one.

And we're not so much disagreeing, I think there might just be occasions when they could be beneficial, but I certainly do think they should be removed from the hands of the general public. Anyone incapable of training their dog, is also going to be incapable of using a shock collar appropriately.

"Just two pennies there for you brother. You're a grown man."

You can keep your two pennies bro, I can do without your curious? hostitlity?..
Don't worry about my thread, thanks,

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Thanks, I'll check out the show too..

I have met people who have had excellent results with those remote control collars.. it is not about shocking the animal to death, it is simply a device that draws his attention back to you; the voltage or amount of power exerted through the collar does not have to be excessive, it can be very low, and very reduced, so that one's pet simply feels or hears slight sound and sensation.. most of you are acting as though dog owners purchase these types of collars to inflict pain and injury, and surely that is not the objective here..

It would simply serve the purpose of redirecting my dog's attention under any given circumstance, back towards me. In the meantime, I can see that it does nonetheless represent cause for concern, so I will proceed with caution should I choose to feel that it might be a viable option.


Thanks for the feedback on that..

Still waiting for addtional interesting responses or stories on your behalf..

a reply to: tony9802

Just this one thing and I'll bow out. PLEASE Don't use an e-collar as a short-cut for training! The dog hasn't been trained and needs to be trained. He's YOUR dog and YOUR responsibility and you need to spend some time and energy on training him.

You'll be doing him a huge disservice if you try to take a shortcut to training. And since you don't know anything about it, you'll most likely make things much worse. If you're not willing to spend the time and energy it takes to train your dog, please find someone who will.

/OUT

originally posted by: tony9802


"Just two pennies there for you brother. You're a grown man."

You can keep your two pennies bro, I can do without your curious? hostitlity?..
Don't worry about my thread, thanks,

Sorry you took my comments out of context. No offense was intended. None whatsoever. Are we good?