Pets
bridget0117
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Intro and a few training questions
in Pets
Hi all, my name is Bridget and my dogs name is Baby. She is a Chinese shar-pei, she is 2 years old and is a very active dog!! I have had her since she was 8 weeks but I never thought I needed to train her and that her craziness would just go away.. I was wrong!! She is super cute and I love her to death but she barks way to much, she pulls me while I'm walking her and if she sees other dogs she flips out, like I said I never bothered to train her but now that I'm expecting I decided she needs training ASAP....
We started her classes last Thursday and our homework for the week was to get her to sit down. It's impossible I can't do it. Every time I try she starts running and jumping and won't listen to me.. It's getting very annoying..
So my questions is, is she to old to be trained? Should I give up on the training? Is there something I'm missing? I feel like I'm never going to be able to get her trained but I don't want to just give up on her..
Any advice is appreciated and thank you in advance 
Re: Intro and a few training questions
This is pretty much what you get when you bring a puppy home without doing your homework. Just like a little kid, how is the dog supposed to stop doing certain things if she's never told not to?!
Read the FAQs in the green board header bar. Implement NILIF IMMEDIATELY.
Find treats she really really wants, and use those when training with or without the use of a clicker (clicker training is mentioned in the FAQs).
No, a 2-year-old dog is not too old to be trained. 5-year-old dogs rescued from horrible living situations can be trained to be well-behaved family members. It's going to take a LOT of time, patience, and commitment. A LOT!
If you've got more questions after you read, come back and ask. There's just too much to cover here, and the FAQs already cover most of it better than I can.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
So, what exactly are you doing when you are training your dog? What do you do to get her to SIT?
I also agree with the NILIF. It is a life saver. But, please realize that this all takes some work. You will have to practice daily many times a day to change behavior. It isn't as simple as deciding your dog needs to learn to sit.
I get what you mean about how is she supposed to know its wrong If I never told her it was wrong, but she's a pretty good dog inside the home.. :-/
We are using the clicker, her trainer got me started on it last Thursday.
I will definitely look into the NILIF and look at the FAQs.
Thank you Lucky
We are trying the clicker and she doesn't really like snacks so I use hot dogs.
When she was smaller she used to sit at my command but as she got older my sister would tell her to sit and she wouldn't sit so she would just give her the treat and I think that kinda messed everything up!!
I guess I just need to be patient and like you said practice it multiple times a day. It's only been one week and I'm already overwhelmed. I will most def do what you two ladies recommend and update you ladies our achievement in a week
thanks again
I will second (or third) all of the suggestions for NILF. We did that in combination with positive reinforcement training classes and they worked wonders. We adopted both of our dogs as adults, one at3 years old and one at2 years old. They have both done really well with training. The key is to use a one word command in combination with a handle signal. When the dog performs the command say, "yes!" in a happy voice and give the dog a treat. You need to practice at least 10-15 minutes a day.
The two easiest commands are "sit" and "look". For sit we say the word, do the hand command and move the hand with the hot dog back so that the dog has to sit when he follows it with his eyes. For look we say "look", give the command, put the treat next to our eyes and when the dog makes eye contact immediately say "yes!" and give the treat. Look is a good basis to build other commands off of because it teaches the dog to give you his attention.
I don't mean this the wrong way, but when training our dog I realized the reason we were getting nowhere was because our body language and our commands were too confusing. We were not simple and consistent enough for the dog to realize what we expected of him. He is a much happier, better adjusted dogthanks to training. You will have an uphill battle because you need to move past horrible behavior you have taught her is ok, so be patient.
That's great that you're looking into training your pup! I think training and working with your dog is a fantastic way to build a strong, trusting relationship, and my dogs seem to thrive on knowing what is expected of them.
Ditto Lucky's advice about implementing NILIF. I've found it to be a great overall approach. Training classes that emphasize positive reinforcement are also extremely helpful, as they will teach you the tools for communicating effectively with your dog and help you spot signs your pup may be giving that you are missing (signs of stress, distraction, etc.).
In addition to practice (which can be just 10 minute sessions a few times a day), patience and consistency are key. Everyone in the house that interacts with the dog needs to be on the same page both in terms of the training and any rules that you implement(for example, if you set a rule that she isn't allowed on the couch, but YH allows her on the couch, she will be confused).
Regarding training an adult dog, it is never too late. I adopted my second dog when he was 4 years old. He didn't know a single command (not even "sit"). We implemented NILIF immediately and enrolled him in a basic obedience class using positive reinforcement. He earned his Canine Good Citizen certificate about 15 months after we adopted him.
Finally, in addition to training, make sure she is getting enough exercise and mental stimulation (which can include training, tricks, games, puzzle toys, etc.). A tired dog is generally a good dog! GL!
I agree with the others about training and positive reinforcement, but I would just like to comment on the leash walking and excitement around other dogs, as we are having the same problem with our rescue. We have only had Casey for a month, and when we first got her she pulled and went absolutely nuts when she saw another dog. She was barking and lunging so much that she looked terrifying. The first thing we did was work on her walk only. You can use a gentle lead or slip lead, and walk her every day in an area where there won't be as many distractions. A word of caution with gentle leads: our trainer said she has seen many lunging dogs snap out of them and escape.
After your dog shows some progress on the walk, find a friend who has a very calm dog that can tolerate excited behavior. Introduce them on neutral territory such as a dog park early in the morning. We tried to introduce Casey to a friend's Boston Terrier at their house, but he ended up snapping at her every time she got close. Not a good experience for poor Casey. Luckily my neighbor across the street recognized that I was trying to train my dog. She let her dog approach mine and they actually got along very well and had a little impromptu play date in the backyard. Make sure that the person you set up a dog meeting with knows their dog very well. My neighbor obviously knew that her dog would not be aggressive toward my overly excited dog because their temperaments seemed to match. The last thing you need is a friend that says their dog gets along with all dogs, just to find out their dog is actually afraid of bigger dogs, yappy dogs, etc. If you have a play date that goes well, try the dog park early in the morning on a quiet day. See how your dog reacts. After that, the walks should be easier because those distractions won't be as "new" anymore...hopefully. At least, that's what's working for us. Expose new things a little at a time.