At my wits end.. please help!!!

[NewHouseFreshStart10]

We moved house in December, dog settled really well and got back into normal routine quickly, or so I thought...

Bit of background, he has been a fairly reactive dog since the age of 6 months when he was attacked by another dog on a walk. Up until moving we were doing really well with his reactivity but since moving house it seems that every single sound, no matter how quiet it is he goes absolutely crazy, runs around the house barking and growling, this is ten times worse when he is let out into the garden, the neighbour has a dog which sometimes barks in the house and he will howl at the top of his voice in the garden with no end in sight.

Then when it's dark, times by ten again, his recall disappears and he bounds up and down the garden howling and growling and there is absolutely nothing I can do to get him to listen to me, he has this evening done it on a walk when hearing a car door shutting.

I really do not know what to do?! As soon as he is let into the garden he is gruffing and pacing, just to say as well he NEVER did this at the old house and there were plenty of noises there too.

I really hate the idea of upsetting the neighbours when he is doing this at 11pm when he is let out to the toilet

Does anyone have any suggestions? Up to now I've tried spending time with him in the garden giving him treats etc to show him he doesn't need to be stressed out there but that didn't seem to have any effect so now as soon as he goes off he is brought straight back inside.

He is currently intact and I had heard that having him neutered could calm him, has anyone had any experience with this?

Any advice is appreciated x

I have no idea how it ‘works’ and actually, I don’t really care.
I just want a happy confident dog!
If using a prong gives me that then so be it.

I was absolutely consistent with positive reinforcement and always worked under threshold as advised.

I find it telling that even after years of training her behaviour was perfect for as long as she was hungry.
That tells me all I need to know to be honest.

As I said earlier I refuse to get into a debate about ethics, the reasons behind how things work or don’t work.

The fact is I had a dog who started with a minor problem.
I used positive reinforcement (correctly) for years and ended up with a dog so damaged she was close to being put to sleep.

So in desperation I tried Jeff and she is a changed dog.

I think he is great and take back my own views about him being cruel and abusive.

By all means try positive only training.
But if it doesn’t work for you try balanced training like Jeff practices before deciding they are a lost cause.

My point is that unless you took professional advice you likely didn’t Use positive reinforcement correctly - most owners don’t, and that’s why it didn’t work. It’s highly unlikely that you and your dog have totally different responses to training/learning than anyone else, ergo there was a problem in how you we’re applying the techniques

The problem now is that You’re focussing on punishment being the solution (and promoting o punishmebt to others) which is dangerous and contrary to all scientific evidence, so i’m Not surprised that you can’t Explain how it works.

If you’d sought support from an appropriately qualified positive reinforcement trainer you’d have the same results without the punishment element - the key to effective learning is generally in the application, not the tool. Its quite possible that Jeff is a great trainer and he would likely be just as good if not better if he understood that aversive techniques aren’t actually needed to achieve his results (which is why most reputable trainers that used to use punishment techniques have moved away from them as they’ve understood this better)

It’s a shame that your desperation didn’t take you to a qualified behaviourist who would ensure the good welfare of your dog whilst also teaching you appropriate training techniques.

I’m also interested as to why on Earth you’d even consider taking your dog to a trainer you considered abusive before trying a reputable accredited behaviourist?

Jeff Gellman is an idiot and gives ridiculous cruel and dangerous advice.

Anyone that takes 12 mins to teach a down stay and most of it is having to justify why his method is correct knows he is on slippery ground!

OP your dogs behaviour is not unusual nor is it extreme but it does need some modification.

Only take the dog out into the garden on a lease (not a long line) a lease that you are holding the end of. Go out everytime with your dog to wee and poo.

Is there anywhere else he can wee and poo at night for a while eg on lead and go out of the front of the house.

Do not let the dog practice the fence running

Initially you need to bring down the stress levels then you can start working on behaviour modification.