# Looking for training options



## FritzieGSD (Oct 13, 2016)

Hi Everyone, just looking for a little advice here.

We have a lovely 22 month old Female GSD, who is extremely loyal, loving and intelligent but we have a couple of growing concerns. 

First we think that she may have some fear aggression. We can not walk past another dog in the park without her hackles going up and and if the dog shows any interest in us, or is acting erratically, she will go all scary big dog and bark like crazy. She broke her leash once and took off like a shot at a barking dog. She never bit, but she was showing her teeth and scared the bejebus out of the poor lady walking the other dog. 

She has always exhibited a bit of a nervous temperament as we live next to a major road way, and it took almost a year before she was comfortable sitting on the sidewalk without shaking, or pulling hard. Her leash manners aren't the best, and we are forced to use a prong collar as she is way too strong.

She loves people, and is a HUGE suck, but she gets excited around smaller children and chases after them if they are running. She opens her mouth, and of course being children and all, that is nerve wrecking for everyone so we now monitor her very closely around children when outside (and in general). I wonder if this is her herding instincts kicking in?

Either way we are looking at getting some more training for her and I was hoping you guys had some advice. One trainer said she would have to board her for 3-4 weeks and it would cost roughly $3250. Seems a little excessive at first glance. What do you think?


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## FritzieGSD (Oct 13, 2016)

*Nubbie*

Sorry guys, I'm a nubbie here. Should I have posted this somewhere else? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

What is your location? 3200 for 3 weeks is exorbitant...


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## Femfa (May 29, 2016)

In boarding her, are you hoping that she will come back to you completely renewed and refreshed, with no problems and without you having to contribute anything? If so, I question it myself. Personally I think it's just as important to train the owner as it is the dog. The way you react to situations or handle them can contribute to the response your dog gives you. If she's including you step-by-step, then perhaps I could understand it. But imho, I think it's best to have a trainer who assesses you and the dog, who explains to you as things happen why they are happening and how to correct it properly by showing you and seeing how your dog reacts. Being a part of the learning curve your dog experiences may also help you grasp how to best handle situations that arise in the future, rather than sending her off to find that you don't know how to properly correct your dog to get the right response that your trainer might expertly demonstrate with her when you go pick her up.


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## FritzieGSD (Oct 13, 2016)

We live in Hamilton, Ontario.


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## FritzieGSD (Oct 13, 2016)

I agree with you 100%. There is no such thing as bad dogs, just bad parents. We want to be a big part of the training process. This is just what the trainer advised us of. This price also includes consultation, video tapes of the training process, written homework and lifetime support. The trainer called it "severe reactivity rehab". This trainer has not met our dog and was replying to an email made by my partner that was very similar to my original post. 

We want a training program that works for our dog and ourselves, without spending more money then is needed and we want to work with her at home! I guess I'm skeptical about "up sells". Based on how she is acting, what would you say is the best course of action in regards to working with a trainer?


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## Pan_GSD (Oct 2, 2016)

i've looked into the boarding schools for dogs
since they keep the dogs with them, they charge you for shelter, food, and training and it gets expensive
and to keep the training time as short as possible, so the owner can get the dog back as quickly as possible, they will use e-collars and quick corretive methods, rather than positive reinforcement methods which take a lot longer

i have no positive/negative opinion about either methods, just letting you know

they teach commands to the dogs so they will be receptive to them even when the dogs are returned back to the owner, but the owner is instructed to stay consistent with the commands


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I would forget the board and train. Find a trainer that offers private one on one sessions with you and the dog. Then I would get the dog unto some kind of sport. Agility, tracking, basically anything you two can do together. The trainer will be able to better direct you how to respond to the situations that set your dog off. And the sport will help build a bond and trust between you and the dog. This will be a lot cheaper than board and train and the relationship between the two of you will be so much stronger.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

cdwoodcox said:


> I would forget the board and train. Find a trainer that offers private one on one sessions with you and the dog. Then I would get the dog unto some kind of sport. Agility, tracking, basically anything you two can do together. The trainer will be able to better direct you how to respond to the situations that set your dog off. And the sport will help build a bond and trust between you and the dog. This will be a lot cheaper than board and train and the relationship between the two of you will be so much stronger.


Double like what CD Woodcox said. I do Rally with my dogs and believe it or not tnat stuff comes in handy, those skills a d meuvers you learn for the ring, you can use them in every day life. We also do tracking and dock diving

Also what I really like about sports is this...your dog gets out of the car and sees a bunch of other dogs a d people but after you get the hang of it your dog knows it is there to do this fun and rewarding thing with you. So instead of it being about the other dogs and people, it is about the sport. When I take them into a building for a trial they know they are there for that. When I get the boy out with his trackind harness and head for the field there are dogs and people but he is looking for the start article because he can't wait to get to it. 

Neither one of my dogs has people or dog problems to be fair. But the same thing will apply to a dog who does....you just need to get to a basic level and/or start with stuff that is easy for reactive dogs like tracking and nosework.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Board and train can get stuff done fast, but you need to be extremely picky about where you send the dog. Here is a good video on that.


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## FritzieGSD (Oct 13, 2016)

Thank you guys so much for your replies! Very helpful. I think we are going to get some one on one training and get her involved in some sports. She is ridiculously athletic and can jump like crazy! I might do frisbee with her and my wife will do tracking. Pretty excited for that. Thanks for all your help


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Nose works is another great sport to look into as I understand it's a great precursor to tracking. Great bonding experience. We do sledding to let in the snow which is tons of fun. Bikejoring can be done anytime and it is incredibly incredibly fun and great exercise for both. We lots trails here but really want to get bike rack and seek out wider trails. Wear a helmet it is super fast again really fun!!!!!https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fXHVliNsDvQ


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## lbriggs (Dec 12, 2010)

Dennis Etmanski in Embro, Ontario is excellent for working though dog aggression with a GSD. My husband trained his GSD there when we lived in Ontario.
http://www.zck9.org/


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## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

If you do go the sports route, private lessons might be a good idea to start and might even be required by the trainer. It's not fair to the other dogs in a group class to be subjected to a reactive or aggressive dog, and it takes careful management to prevent any incidents in a group class. Sports alone won't cure the aggressive behavior but it can help your training skills.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Pan_GSD said:


> i've looked into the boarding schools for dogs
> since they keep the dogs with them, they charge you for shelter, food, and training and it gets expensive
> and to keep the training time as short as possible, so the owner can get the dog back as quickly as possible, they will use e-collars and quick corretive methods, rather than positive reinforcement methods which take a lot longer
> 
> ...


You are painting with pretty broad strokes there. I doubt you have worked with every trainer that does board and trains. I know that on many dogs, I use +R for the majority of training. I also don't put a time limit on the training contract. I give the clients a general idea of how long their dog will be with me, but I don't set a date. I do however set a price, and that stays the same if I keep the dog for 2 or 6 weeks. Clients provide food and any additional training equipment that goes home with the dog, such as a prong or e-collar if that's the route we decide to take. If someone wants +R only, and I feel it is a situation where that is a possibility, then that's how I will train the dog. 

I will not rush a dog to meet a timeline, and none of the trainers that I work with will do so either.


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## Pan_GSD (Oct 2, 2016)

David Winners said:


> You are painting with pretty broad strokes there. I doubt you have worked with every trainer that does board and trains. I know that on many dogs, I use +R for the majority of training. I also don't put a time limit on the training contract. I give the clients a general idea of how long their dog will be with me, but I don't set a date. I do however set a price, and that stays the same if I keep the dog for 2 or 6 weeks. Clients provide food and any additional training equipment that goes home with the dog, such as a prong or e-collar if that's the route we decide to take. If someone wants +R only, and I feel it is a situation where that is a possibility, then that's how I will train the dog.
> 
> I will not rush a dog to meet a timeline, and none of the trainers that I work with will do so either.


correct i have no knowledge of industry standard when it comes to boarding schools
i was sharing what i have learned through looking at the "off leash k9" schools from west to east

that's interesting, so you don't differentiate price even if you end up training a dog for 2 week or 6 week?


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Pan_GSD said:


> correct i have no knowledge of industry standard when it comes to boarding schools
> i was sharing what i have learned through looking at the "off leash k9" schools from west to east
> 
> that's interesting, so you don't differentiate price even if you end up training a dog for 2 week or 6 week?


The burden is on me to decide what that particular dog needs. It isn't a huge monetary burden to have a dog with me for 6 weeks. Clients provide food and vet care if needed. If a dog needs to settle in for a while to be comfortable, so be it. If the dog needs more time in a given stage of training, I'm not going to push the dog into a situation that will make it uncomfortable or confused. The only thing it costs me is my time, which I would be spending on a dog one way or another. 

So yes, if I quote a 2 week training price to the client and it ends up taking 6 to get the results I want, I do not charge more. If I quote a 6 week price to the client and it ends up only taking 2 weeks to get the dog where I want' I will skip the second half of the payment because it's not fair to the client to charge for 6 weeks. 

I guess it's not a business model I would recommend for someone trying to put food on the table as a dog trainer. I'm in the business because I like training dogs and helping people. I only charge because the wife would kill me if I did it for free (all the time). I do take on a dog for free from time to time if the situation warrants it, such as a service dog that needs tuning up or a dog at the shelter that is labeled aggressive and will be put down without some training.


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## Pan_GSD (Oct 2, 2016)

David Winners said:


> The burden is on me to decide what that particular dog needs. It isn't a huge monetary burden to have a dog with me for 6 weeks. Clients provide food and vet care if needed. If a dog needs to settle in for a while to be comfortable, so be it. If the dog needs more time in a given stage of training, I'm not going to push the dog into a situation that will make it uncomfortable or confused. The only thing it costs me is my time, which I would be spending on a dog one way or another.
> 
> So yes, if I quote a 2 week training price to the client and it ends up taking 6 to get the results I want, I do not charge more. If I quote a 6 week price to the client and it ends up only taking 2 weeks to get the dog where I want' I will skip the second half of the payment because it's not fair to the client to charge for 6 weeks.
> 
> I guess it's not a business model I would recommend for someone trying to put food on the table as a dog trainer. I'm in the business because I like training dogs and helping people. I only charge because the wife would kill me if I did it for free (all the time). I do take on a dog for free from time to time if the situation warrants it, such as a service dog that needs tuning up or a dog at the shelter that is labeled aggressive and will be put down without some training.


very respectable

if i was any close to your school i would definitely have stopped by for a lesson


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## BigHemi45 (May 10, 2016)

My breeder boards and trains for about $375/week.


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