Dog boarding school

[houselikeashed]

Our dog is about to go to boarding training school. Has anyone done this? And was it successful? I'm imagining we'll miss him terribly, as will our other dog. He is out of control though so we need to do something. I know it's our fault we didn't train him enough when he was younger, but we've never had a Spaniel before and just weren't thorough enough.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Great - that's good news. You might even find that you enjoy training and are inspired to keep at it.

Don't be despondent if it all goes backwards for a bit: dogs and people all have off days. Just keep your resolve and go back to the trainer if you ever need to.

[Stellaris22]

Fantastic, good to see trainer helping you and dog. Glad it's going well!

[Guardsman18]

So pleased to read your update.

[houselikeashed]

Update.
All going super well. We can walk him off lead and keep him under control. Still having training sessions (for us) with the trainer and its all pretty impressive really.
I know its an extreme measure but I have to say for us it's working out very well. Money well spent.

[Stellaris22]

That's great, glad it's going well! The support for any upcoming issues is brilliant to hear.

[houselikeashed]

Quick update.
So I'm feeling positive. We had a long session with the trainer on how to get our dog to take us as seriously as he does her. Lots of support on hand and instructions to go back immediately if we start struggling.
We have to get this right now.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

*chases

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Which is why sending your dog off to dog training school won't work
Tell that to the gundog trainers who take in dogs for weeks or months to train them for the field (some of whom no doubt have bad puppy habits already), and then pass them back to owners who use them as peg dogs or whatever.

And to people who foster problem dogs for rescues and sort out the bulk of their issues and then pass them on to new owners with advice.

Yes, I know this is a bit different since OP was there as the problems became established, but provided she applies the advice she is given, and continues to train on walks, the dog should respond.

She also needs to go back to the trainer if problems crop up - which they will, shit happens, dogs are inventive critters.

Yes, people should pick the breed with care: I 100% agree. People should also look at pedigrees and talk to the breeder: is that lovely Vizsla puppy descended from generations of unworked show-line dogs, or is its recent ancestry thick with field trial winners?

But people don't always. But at least this owner is trying to fix it. Better that than a spaniel that chased a deer out onto a main raid and gets itself killed whilst causing an accident.

[adaline]

Ignore the people who say you need to give the dog up. You have clearly tried and there are some very smug people on this thread.

Most of the people who have said that have had their own struggles with their dogs. I know Wolfie had some serious problems with separation anxiety, for example, and the damage her dog caused could have caused lots of people to rehome.

What people are saying is that the solution isn't to send your dog away for a month and expect the problems to disappear. Dog training involves regular (as in, daily) sessions either with a trainer or using their techniques yourself, often lasting years. And in most cases, it's the owner who needs training just as much (if not more).

Which is why sending your dog off to training school won't work. You could send your dog to the best trainer in the world and the dog could behave impeccably, but if the owner doesn't learn the same techniques and doesn't dedicate the same amount of time, it's a pointless exercise, because the dog will just revert back to its old behaviour.

"only experienced dog owners should have dogs".

See, this I disagree with. But unexperienced owners should be careful picking their breed. They need to think about the time they have, what they can realistically dedicate to a dog and whether the time they have is enough for the breed they want. By all means get a working dog if you live on a farm and stay home and have several hours a day to dedicate to your dog - but if you live in a flat and work full-time, maybe accept that a husky or collie isn't for you. I do think picking the right breed is a BIG factor in succeeding with your dog.

Anyway the whole argument is pointless as OP has already sent her dog off and spent the money. Hopefully it works and things settle down for both of them.

[IrmaFayLear]

I agree there are some horrors in The Doghouse. My working retriever was a nightmare . We were asked to leave dog training, and hours and hours of training by myself left him laughing behind his paw. I was at my wits' end but would never have considered even for one microsecond rehoming him. In the end I got a personal trainer and we went right back to basics. My dog is still very wilful and stubborn, but is so loving and the best friend anyone could have.

That being said, on The Dog House when I sought help I was given the worst pasting and told "only experienced dog owners should have dogs". . Hope they don't think the same applies to babies as the whole of MN (and human existence) would have to close down.

[sunglasses123]

I hope it goes OK. Well done. Ignore the people who say you need to give the dog up. You have clearly tried and there are some very smug people on this thread.

Do come back and tell us how it went please

[adaline]

I'm not saying she shouldn't use the service if that's what she wants - but she shouldn't expect it to solve all her problems. My dog is two and had classes for a year, and he still gets trained on every single walk and I don't anticipate that stopping anytime soon.

Dogs are hard work and loving your pet isn't always enough. I love huskies but I wouldn't ever commit to one because I don't have that amount of time and energy to dedicate to a dog, so getting one would be cruel. The dogs needs have to take priority over a persons wants.

I would love numerous dogs and cats - we don't have the time, space or money to facilitate that so it won't happen because it would be cruel. Lots of "well loved" dogs end up in rescue because owners bite off more than they can chew and the dog ends up with behavioural issues that they can't solve or cope with. Again, loving your dog isn't a reason to keep it. You need to dedicate the time and energy needed for your chosen breed. Otherwise it's unfair and bordering on animal cruelty. Sprockers need to work - if they don't have a job, they suffer.

[Branleuse]

But she loves the dog and doesnt want to give it up. Bit bonkers to send a much loved dog to rescue when she could use a perfectly legal and humane dog boarding and training service as a last ditch attempt to make some progress?
There are more than enough dogs sent to rescue already

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I really hope it helps and OP keeps on top of the training.

How can she when she's not there to see what's happening?

Because she is going to be having sessions with the dog and the trainer. She said so:
We get some handing over sessions at the end of his 4 week stay, and regular top up sessions afterwards to make sure all is still ok when we've got him home.
So one would imagine that the trainer will show the OP how to maintain and reinforce the new behaviours, and give the OP the chance to rectify any issues that crop up once the dog has come home. A good trainer can teach you what to do pretty quickly.

adaline
If you can't put in the required work and training then you shouldn't have a dog. It's not fair on them.
Actually, I agree with this. But this dog has a caring owner who recognises that she's cocked up. Not having the knowledge or time to correct behavioural issues isn't actually a sin, and she's trying to resolve that problem. More than that, she appears to be committed to putting in the time to maintain the new training, which will take a lot less time than correcting the poor behaviour.

Once the dog is home, she might find that it helps to join a gundog club of some sort and attend regular group training sessions.

[adaline]

I really hope it helps and OP keeps on top of the training.

How can she when she's not there to see what's happening?

[Stellaris22]

I think it's great OP is doing something about her dog, not just rehoming or ignoring the behaviours. I really hope it helps and OP keeps on top of the training. Solving problem behaviour is something most people need professional help with, they are getting help. I don't understand why negative judgement is here. We all agree there are dogs that aren't great when out walking, why criticise someone getting help?

[Wolfiefan]

The issue is that by sending the dog away for training the OP won’t learn all the skills needed to continue training. They won’t have the experience and ongoing input from a trainer. My pup is doing weekly classes but we do a minute or two every day at home too. And my older dog did formal training until she was about two. She’s now three and I still reinforce the behaviour I want. It doesn’t take a few weeks.

[adaline]

are you saying she should not have this dog and rehome it? Weird.

Yes. If you can't put in the required work and training then you shouldn't have a dog. It's not fair on them. Working dogs like sprockers are high maintenance and require a lot of input. If their owner can't provide that, then it's better that the dog goes to a home where it's needs are fulfilled.

Lots of people give up dogs like huskies and collies for similar reasons - they go for a cute dog and don't realise how much effort it takes to have an obedient, well-trained one. Sending a dog away to a training school isn't the answer. Training takes years, not four weeks.

[Bowerbird5]

Not everyone knows how to train a dog. The OP is doing something about it and if they continue it at home then she will have a lovely dog.

[Bowerbird5]

You need to keep it up when he comes home. The woman next door sent hers to a behaviourist they still badly behaved because she didn't follow through.The person that trained them said they were beautifully behaved at hers but said she wouldn't have them again because the owners didn't bother and also confused the dogs with mixed messages. I know she shouldn't have told me but I was asking in general about her job when I met her through someone else. She asked where I lived because there was a chance of helping her for a bit but it was too far. She asked me how the dogs were and I said they drive me mad because they bark all the time. It was then she said it, out of frustration I think.

[Wolfiefan]

@Branleuse if she can’t spend the time to train it then actually yes. It’s part of being a dog owner to do training.

[Branleuse]

@Wolfiefan are you saying she should not have this dog and rehome it? Weird.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

If you haven't got time to train a dog then you shouldn't have one
OP has already accepted that as a family they picked a type of dog that was more than they could handle. They are now trying to compensate. Far better IMO than dumping the dog with Blue Cross or keeping it with a substantial set of bad habits to either live life on the lead or be a total pain in the arse (the sort of rude over-exuberant dog MN loves to hate). Plus, correcting the problems caused by a lack of training takes more time and experience than just training in the first place.

It's almost as if some people on here want this to be a disaster... Clearly, boarding out dogs for training can work, given that people do it all the time. Good luck, OP: please let us know.

[twoheaped]

@houselikeashed I hope it goes well and he comes back more manageable.
Well done for actually doing something and not being tempted to rehome.
Look forward to reading your updates.

[adaline]

No need to assume everyone is evil with nasty training techniques.

I've not assumed that, but if OP isn't there, she's not going to know what techniques are being used. The trainer could easily use positive rewards around her, but negative ones when she's away. She'd have no proof either way.

I just don't like the idea of sending a dog away for training - in my experience it's the owners that need training more than the dogs do. How is OP going to learn how to handle her dog if she's not there?