Thought you might all like to see Phoebe with some of her friends at Bryn Mawr Re Hab. This was the hospital's thank you Day to us as Pet Assisted Therapy Dogs and Owners. They served hot dogs!!!!!!
Lynda Farrell
Blue Heron Consulting &
Honeysuckle Hill Farms
Lynda Farrell
Blue Heron Consulting &
Honeysuckle Hill Farms
Hi-
ReplyDeleteWe just adopted a 5 month old lab/boxer rescue and we have had her for about a week. She is very timid and often times is scared when she is outside of the comforts of our apartment. She has become very comfortable and loving with us however when we are outside she barks and sometime growls at people - not overly aggressive but more as a warning. We took her to a dog trainer and they said she will never get better but might get worse - do you think a dog of this age can not be trained to be a well socialized animal or should we get another opinion? Thanks!
-Julia
I'm not a professional, but I personally get second opinions on everything..especially here! Don't know who the trainer was but that prediction sounds harsh...How often did the trainer see your pup? And how soon after you got the pup did you take her to the trainer?
ReplyDeleteAlso one week out of rescue is a very short time and it sounds like alot has been expected of her. The fact that she is bonding with your family is fabulous and encouraging. Sounds like she is trying to protect you outside - keep her on a leash at the beginning so you can train her...when she barks her warning, tell her "good protect" turn her head towards you...give her loves and say "okay". It works!
This is a baby you have here, just prime for learning. Yes, get another opinion! I've used Mary Reimer in Newtown Square and she is fabulous!
Bob.........Your thoughts!!??!
Julia -
ReplyDeleteI agree with Linda that it could be a bit too early to put much stock in such a grim prognosis. I can't even imagine what special knowledge a trainer would possess to even conclude that your dog "...will never get better...". An encouraging fact is the mix of your dog includes two breeds with such wonderful dispositions under normal circumstances. Do you have a history of your pup's first 5 months of life - which could give you clues as to a reason for the overly protective. Another encouraging fact -- keep in mind that dogs who live in a loving, caring home really have one mission in life - to please their owners.
With all that said, before you do try another trainer - perhaps you can train yourself on several techniques that, if conducted on a continuous, persistent basis will break your pup of this negative behavior. Not taht I am an expert by any stretch, but when I prepare my articles, I do fairly exhaustive research and then compile what I feel are the best of all sources. So, read through these two articles (links below) that I think are fairly relevant to your specific situation and see if you can envision yourself having the patience to implement one or more of the training techniques. I would also put a great deal of stock in Lynda's training suggestions - she has two of the most well-behaved, lovable pooches you could ever meet. I truly believe that while trainers are certainly effective in many cases, the best way to train yoru dog is to train yourself to train your dog. After all, you're the one who will be following through on and benefiting from the training. And, from a dog's perspective, I can't help but believe that they would much prefer being trained by their loving owner in their own domicile than a stranger in a strange place. Here are the two links. If you feel the articles don't cover enough, google "stop dog from barking" and "stop dog from growling" to get more help.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Clicker-Training-Your-Dog---Help-For-Owners-With-Older-Dogs&id=2654073
http://ezinearticles.com/?Clicker-Training-Your-Dog---Help-For-Owners-With-Older-Dogs&id=2654073
Best of luck Julia. Let us know how you make out.
Bob Hunsicker
Thank you both for the information it is very encouraging. We are going to stick with our pup and give her lots of love. I think you might be right about expecting a little too much too soon so we are going to try some stuff at home. I will let you know how everything turns out :)
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