Dog Training, How much is reasonable?

[TrinityRhinoIsInDetention]

I have organised for a dog trainer to come to my house

I am paying a 'course' fee, one amount and he will come to my house regularly for as long as it takes to sort out the issues we have.

What would you say would be a reasonable amount??

just want to check I haven't messed up big time

anyone?

are you all out walking your dogs?

please talk to me

how much £££ is reasonable or how much time? is this training training or behavioural modification?

time each day depends on age of dog - are you going to work alongside the trainer during the sessions?

I don't do one-off fees, but rivals others do and it ranges from £150 to £350 last time I snooped stumbled across them

hi mitchy
he is coming to the house to train the dog with us
me, dh and all the children

lol @ snooped

Duke is 12 months

good luck! at least you won't be running up a massive bill, how much is he charging?

just out of nosiness interest, is he KC accredited or affiliated to any particular organisation do you know?

he is here

shit I'm panicking now
I didn't think about acrredited and stuff

oh fuck
this really is a steep learning curve

well that didn't work at all

hmmm

oh am sure it makes no difference, there's so many different schemes - I was really just wondering whether that was something that had appealed to you or not

am sure that just by virtue of spending that extra time on structured activities with Duke and having support you will see massive improvements anyway

thanks mitch

Message withdrawn

he leaps the fence and runs off whenever he wants

he wont come when I call on a walk if he doesn't feel like it

he chews the kids toys

he has chewed the sofa

he basically doesn't listen to me unless he feels like it

but he does listen to dh more

Message withdrawn

This is the best dog training book ever

Also essential for any other living breathing thing.

Moondog's book recommendation is good, but your pup sounds like he's going through puberty.

How old is he Trinity? It's very common for them to do all this between 6 months and 1 year ( 2 years for late developers loke labs).

And is he castrated?

He is 12 months now

He is booked in for his castration on monday

we were told they wont do it any earlier than that

we rehomed him when he was 7 months

he was handed in for rehoming becuase the lady that had him was working long hours and a long commute so he was locked in a crate for 14 hours a day

just mentioning that as then you know he wasn't rehimed for behavioural reasons

It won't be a quick fix - the things you want to change take time. Recall particularly.

For chewing you need to give him lots of things he's allowed to chew, make sure he's not left alone to become bored.

Depends on how much the trainer is asking but I'd be sceptical. You'd be better of going to an obedience class - ask at your vets.

Don't Shoot The Dog is my 2nd favourite book after Culture Clash, after Training Spaniels by Joe Irving for the unwitting misogynistic hilarity

Cant really take him to classes as I have 3 small children

he has lots of things hes allowed to chew which he does aswell

what would make you sceptical?
serious question

I'd bail out at any mention of 'pack leader' or instructions to start 'gesture eating' before the dog is fed and that sort of jizz.

what the hell is gesture eating??

he did say that he thinks of the kids as his equals and thats why he doesn't listen to them

oh fuck
how do I cancel

oh help

I had no clue how to find someone to help so I jumped at the first one I found on yell

what would I do with the kids if I have to go somewhere

I thought him coming to my house was good

I think they call it that, it's the notion that the leader of the pack eats first so some behaviourists advise owners to either pretend to eat from the dog's bowl first, or have their proper meal before feeding the dog and that sort of thing. Usually followed by instructions to make sure your dog doesn't go through a doorway before you, never gets up onto the furniture, doesn't walk ahead of you (even if years of selective breeding have gone into refining that very behaviour in gun dogs for example)

oh it just goes on and on and on when most of the problems it seeks to address can be sorted once the dog learns some basic commands, matures, is well fed and gets appropriate mental/physical exercise

but your man might not be like that, am sure pack leader theorists are a dying breed! can you have a no-obligation consultation with him to find out whether his methods feel ok for you and your family?

this is what they say on their site

In the convenience of your home, we will show you how to use our proven techniques in training your dog. For the duration of the dog training program, you and your dog will benefit from receiving intense one-on-one dog training designed specifically for your dog, based on its personality and temperament. The dog training will be fun, fair and firm. We use verbal and hand signals in our dog training. Teaching and training your dog basic odebience commands and implementing them on a daily basis. Be consistent. An obedience trained dog can respond properly to your commands.

Heel - The Heel command teaches your dog to maintain a position close to your left side while walking.

Sit - The Sit command gets immediate control of your dog in any situation.

Automatic Sit - With the Automatic Sit command, your dog will sit every time you stop.

Stay - The Stay command teaches your dog to sit at a spot and stay there, until your dog receives the release command. After the intended time of stay, the stay command is always followed by a release command.

Down - The Down command can calm an active and loud dog. It is also good for regaining control of your dog or stopping your dog when it is exhibiting inappropriate behaviours or habits. If a dog is on a long Stay command, the down position would be more comfortable to the dog.

Come - Teaching your dog to come when called. The Come command is one of the most important commands to teach your dog. This is also known as the recall command. All properly trained dogs must learn to respond to its owners' voice.

No - In dog behaviour training and dog obedience training, the No command is used for correction, and is the most important of all commands. No lets the dog know what the dog is doing is wrong and to stop that action or behaviour. Your dog must learn to respond to a sharp NO promptly and obediently.

Okay - The Okay command gives permission to your dog. This command also, releases your dog from a Stay position.

does that sound ok or awful
I'm really wobbling now