# How to handle others who want to "train" your dog



## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

I have a question here about something that happened and I am not sure if I am over reacting about this or not.

I was a pet food store the other day and the employee there offered Chance a treat. Which is okay with me, but please ask me first instead of just grabbing one to give him?
That was my first annoyance. What if for any reason he had a known allergy to some ingredient and I had to be careful what he is fed? 

My second annoyance and a bit moreso with getting ticked, was when the person who was waving this treat in front of his nose commanded him to sit first.

Am I incorrect with allowing a STRANGER to "train" my dog?

My thought with this is, I really do not want him listening to instructions from a complete stranger. I can see the burglar now,
"Sit! Down! STAY!" as he helps himself to my jewelry...


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I would also be very upset about a stranger feeding my dog without asking first. A friend of mine has had the very problem you mentioned, her dog has severe grain allergies and there have been times someone at a dog park gave him a biscuit and then he spent the rest of the day vomiting. I do not allow strangers to treat my dog, and if they ask at the pet store I ask what kind of treats they are first and if I'm not familiar with them I say no. 

As for the training... I also wouldn't appreciate a stranger trying to train my dog. But I don't think you should be concerned about him obeying commands from a burglar. He would either protect you/your house or not, and being obedient to friendly strangers won't really influence that. I'm very proud of my dogs for obeying simple commands from strangers, and its useful and important during times when I am away or something is happening at the vet.


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

Lin said:


> As for the training... I also wouldn't appreciate a stranger trying to train my dog. But I don't think you should be concerned about him obeying commands from a burglar. He would either protect you/your house or not, and being obedient to friendly strangers won't really influence that. I'm very proud of my dogs for obeying simple commands from strangers, and its useful and important during times when I am away or something is happening at the vet.


good point about the vet.
I just found it very rude all the way around. It raised the hairs on my neck when he started commanding my dog. Nervy.

He even started to push down on his rump to make him sit. I noticed that Chance's expression changed for a moment, like he didn't like that touch at all. That is when I jumped in explaining that is not how he is being trained by me, so please just give him the treat as the socialization was more important to me than whether he sat or not.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

I think we all need to be advocates for our dogs, especially out in public.. Don't be a afraid to speak up and tell people to back off.. We all have a voice and need to be proactive!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I would have stepped in as well. That was out of place and the employee should have never done that! They have no idea how you train, and its not their place to interfere. Many dogs aren't trained in english, so sit wouldn't mean anything to them. Many respond to only hand signals. My dog Tessa is my service dog, and I'm hoping Emma will be my next SD when Tessa must retire. I NEVER press on her shoulders if she hesitates for a down or comes back up from a down stay, even though its standard practice for many. Because I use my SD as a brace, pressing on the shoulders and I do NOT want the dog to lay down or buckle to the pressure. 

He was completely out of line.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I've never really had anyone try that on one of my dogs..The stores I go into, petco/petsmart, all have always asked first "can she have a treat?",,if I say YES, I also add, tell her to sit first and they comply

I tend to notice ALOT of people (strangers) who do this type of thing (like with chance),,have a preconceived notion that they are a friendly looking dog so it's no big deal to push themselves onto a dog like that.

Masi isn't the friendliest looking dawg so maybe that's why people ASK first or avoid her all together LOL..


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I think some of us need to lighten up. I'm sure the person's intentions were good. No wonder we have such a litigious society, everybody's so quickly offended by the slightest thing.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I absolutely do not let strangers give my dogs treats that I do not provide. Sometimes we stand in front of the grocery store and I pick certain friendly looking people to treat my dogs with my treats. I do not let strangers walk up and give them commands at all. If we are in class others in class may do so to help out if I am away from the mat for minute but my dogs know those people and so do I and we are in the same training class. I most certainly would not let anyone come and put pressure on Raina as she would probably bite them. I have told people "Do not approach my dog." before - drunk obnoxious guy at the store. We have to be our dogs advocates. You never know what that "friendly" stranger may think it's okay to feed a dog.


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> I think some of us need to lighten up. I'm sure the person's intentions were good. No wonder we have such a litigious society, everybody's so quickly offended by the slightest thing.


Lighten up yourself please.
I knew he wasn't trying to be mean, but it was still rude. Nice intentions or not.
You're right about the litigious society. What if Chance turned and bit him for pushing down on his hips? Something tells me that the person would have gone to sue me.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

Was this a pet store where they offer training classes? Maybe the employee just did what, to him, was a natural thing. Personally, I've never had anyone attempt to correct my dogs at a public setting (although many, many people ask to pet them). In MHO, maybe the employee overstepped into your personal boundaries, but it certainly doesn't seem like it was done with any negative intent or consequences. Let it go, and tuck the experience into your memory data file. I, like Lin, don't mind my dog being polite and responsive to friendly strangers. Knowing she will retain her manners around strangers is a good feeling for me.


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

EchoGSD said:


> Was this a pet store where they offer training classes? Maybe the employee just did what, to him, was a natural thing. Personally, I've never had anyone attempt to correct my dogs at a public setting (although many, many people ask to pet them). In MHO, maybe the employee overstepped into your personal boundaries, but it certainly doesn't seem like it was done with any negative intent or consequences. Let it go, and tuck the experience into your memory data file. I, like Lin, don't mind my dog being polite and responsive to friendly strangers. Knowing she will retain her manners around strangers is a good feeling for me.


No, privately owned small place.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I don't mind treats, and it doesn't have to be some fancy grain free brand for me to let them have an occasional treat at a petstore....they've also always asked me at both petsmart and petco. Never had someone just give them one.

I also don't mind if they tell them to "sit" prior to feeding it, but I wouldn't let them touch them to "make" them sit. Mine also don't sit with a butt press.


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

Rerun said:


> I don't mind treats, and it doesn't have to be some fancy grain free brand for me to let them have an occasional treat at a petstore....they've also always asked me at both petsmart and petco. Never had someone just give them one.
> 
> I also don't mind if they tell them to "sit" prior to feeding it, but I wouldn't let them touch them to "make" them sit. Mine also don't sit with a butt press.


I think it was the way he was overall in his demeanor acting like "Lord of the animals"
It wasn't even a friendly command in my opinion, it was "SiiiiiiiiT!" With the tone going up at the end and loud. Since Chance didn't sit fast enough for the guy, he reached around and started pushing his rump down. I saw Chance's face change and his head start to turn towards the area the guy was pushing. I took it that Chance didn't like it, so I REALLY had an issue then and stepped in.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I would've stepped in too. You did the right thing.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Yeah, giving my dog a treat without my permission or touching him without my permission are both big no-nos. I'll politely but _very_ firmly tell people that doesn't fly. 

My dogs don't have to follow orders from people they don't know. I'll tell people that too.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

PaddyD said:


> I think some of us need to lighten up. I'm sure the person's intentions were good. No wonder we have such a litigious society, everybody's so quickly offended by the slightest thing.


I have to say I tend to agree with this. It's not like they were a dog terrorist and intent on seriously injuring your dog...

Sure it's nice if people ask (people should ask) to pet/feed my dog. But when I take them out in crowds and in the public is that something that will always happen? Not so much. 

GENERALLY, I think with my GSD's it happens more, people do ask. But not always. This is why I super socialize my dogs so they aren't going to be worried by these sudden pets/pats in their lives.

Frankly, it's a compliment when they ask my dogs to sit. It's an acknowledgement that they think I've got some training on my dogs. And, frankly, my dogs don't usually get 'free' treats anyways so a 'sit' is the least they are expected to do.

The other thing is I feel I am out in public with my dog to help educate people about the breed and proper training. So while I also would have been a bit stunned if someone reached down to push my dog's behind down, THAT I would have been HAPPILY AND CHEERFULLY ABLE TO RESPOND TO! We don't have to get mad just cause people are ignorant. They really really don't 'know'. I'd have quickly been able to pull my dog back to me with the leash (happy happy FOR THE DOG, don't want them to start freaking out from strangers cause I have inappropriately freaked out myself) and shown that my dog can sit fast she's just not used to doing it for new people (though my dogs 100% are) and best way to show her is to be patient not to push....

Much better to leave an incident like this with the 'stranger' less likely to do this to the NEXT dog he meets. Then leave him all pissed off cause I went off on him (not saying you did). Or (this is the worst of all things) for my dog to have picked up I was upset and now start to act unreliably with out in public. I certainly don't need that. I'm there to give calm guidance and leadership.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Of course things are gonna happen in public places and of course our dogs should be able to handle it or respond appropriately.. But sometimes we do need to ask ourselves just how much are our dogs supposed to take or put up with?

Still think we need to be advocates for our dogs!


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

What is great with this forum are the different opinions getting everyone's takes on how they would be/feel.
I guess I am a little protective right now as the boy is shooting hot chocolate from his rump due to worms, has only had 1 week experience in his life of being in a house, being loved and cared for. 
If I didn't want people near him I would not have brought him into the store to begin with. I do want socialization, and THAT for me is the number 1 priority. 

I was nice to the guy in my response in regards to his pushing down on my boy's behind. I didn't like it though, and from Chance's reaction, neither did he.

However, who in the heck wrote the book saying that the dog HAS to perform something everytime he gets a treat?


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

> I was nice to the guy in my response in regards to his pushing down on my boy's behind.


Exactly! 

When I tell people I don't want them interacting with my dogs or not to give them treats, I'm not nasty about it either.. Unless the people just don't get it and then I may switch gears..


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

Dharma has been socialized from the moment I brought her home but she still doesn't like strangers touching her. She prefers to approach them first. And she normally won't take a treat from anyone at Petsmart. She just doesn't for some reason. Maybe it's because they are strangers, so that would not have gone well had someone tried that with her. I doubt she would have bitten but she would have made enough noise that the guy would have backed off real fast. I doubt I would have had time to tell him off. She would have done it for me.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I can't imagine anyone touching my dog that doesn't know them. The person was pretty bold and should know better, especially working in a pet store. 
I've seen people ask for a sit when offering a treat at pet stores, they do ask ahead of time if they can give a treat.
I've said yes only once when Onyx was a pup. My dogs don't like crunchy treats and spit them out or won't even take them anyway.

But to physically push on the butt is a no-no in training! If that is their representation of training, I would have said something just because everyone knows the nose is what makes the butt go down, not opposition reflex!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I can honestly say I've never had anyone attempt to teach my guy in a social setting. We've been approached by the staff at animal supply stores and they've asked if they can provide a treat to Hondo. 99% of the time Hondo won't even sniff it. But when they inquire, I'll say, "Sure, we'll give it a try!" and then I'll ask Hondo to sit. Hondo's normal response is to just stare at the person - at that point I don't think any adult in thier right mind would attempt to touch him.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Fortunetly I've always been asked first before feeding... usually before even approaching. My male sort of stares people down with no waggy tail and just a real serious look. I only say something to them when they are saying a command he doesn't understand "lay", or sometimes sit... its usually close enough to sitz that the dogs get it anyway. The way they ask is so consistant I've gotta believe they really stress that to their employees

And if they ask him to shake, I tell them he doesn't do tricks lol


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## Sunstreaked (Oct 26, 2010)

EMarie59 said:


> What is great with this forum are the different opinions getting everyone's takes on how they would be/feel.
> I guess I am a little protective right now as the boy is shooting hot chocolate from his rump due to worms, has only had 1 week experience in his life of being in a house, being loved and cared for.
> If I didn't want people near him I would not have brought him into the store to begin with. I do want socialization, and THAT for me is the number 1 priority.
> 
> ...



I think that based on Chance's history, you do have some special considerations with him. You're right, you've only had him for a week, he's not well, and there's no way you could know yet what his triggers are, if any. 

It's a sense of personal space being violated, I think - like when strangers touch your baby without asking - and it will definitely raise a parent's hackles when it happens. Someone under our care is within our "space" and we feel responsible for what occurs. 

Staying nice, but firm, is a great response. Even a brief explanation about rescue dogs in general, i.e., their backgrounds aren't always people friendly (or something of that nature) and no one should just touch a dog because of it? Of course, I'm a talker by nature, so that would probably just spill out of my mouth anyway. 

When my girl was about 10 weeks old, we one time took her out in public for a Halloween parade. Our little group was away from the main crowds, but close enough for some good socialization. A friend (although not close) came out and just scooped Eva up off the ground and started smooching on her and petting her (rather vigorously, I might add).  I WAS PISSED!!!! 

How DARE he pick up my "kid" without even asking me?!?!?!?

Fortunately, she wiggled and he put her down and unfortunately I couldn't speak to him about it because of the situation and too many ears around. But it still struck me as overwhelmingly RUDE, so I do get where you're coming from. 

Maybe the quick response - interrupting even (with a smile) - that Chance is "in training" when someone gives him a command - might work. It would at least stop/re-direct the person at the moment they move to touch the dog? Sorta like Cesar's "psssttt"???


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

DharmasMom said:


> Dharma has been socialized from the moment I brought her home but she still doesn't like strangers touching her. She prefers to approach them first. And she normally won't take a treat from anyone at Petsmart. She just doesn't for some reason. Maybe it's because they are strangers, so that would not have gone well had someone tried that with her. I doubt she would have bitten but she would have made enough noise that the guy would have backed off real fast. I doubt I would have had time to tell him off. She would have done it for me.


 Dharmas the bomb! lol
Well, I have had 2 things going on with Chance since getting him that I am not sure what he would have done if I had not jumped in.
Remember the first incident with the guy who was approaching me a bit too quickly. Then yesterday on the way to the vet, this one dog who likes to "attack" your vehicle while driving past, came running at me again.
I thought Chance was going to go through the glass at him. Scared the bejeezus out of me.
When at the vet's, there was an older male larger dog in the waiting room and they were very friendly with each other, so Chance seems to react if thinking there is an aggression thing going on. His head started turning towards the guy's hand when he was pushing him down and his expression changed. Yeah, I think it was better for all that I jumped in at that point.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Rocky's got spinal arthritis and doesn't take kindly to people he doesn't trust handling his back area when he's having a flare-up. My father-in-law's dog has bad dysplasia and is extremely protective of her hips. 

Anybody who would go up to a strange dog and push down on their bum is a moron.


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## damaya (Feb 1, 2011)

Emoore touched on what I was thinking that I haven't seen metioned yet. I wouldn't feel comfortable feeding/touching someone else's dog without asking or being invited to do so. Kind of a commom courtesy thing. 

I remember the time I sat on a guy's Harley once without asking.......once


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Rerun said:


> I don't mind treats, and it doesn't have to be some fancy grain free brand for me to let them have an occasional treat at a petstore....they've also always asked me at both petsmart and petco. Never had someone just give them one.
> 
> I also don't mind if they tell them to "sit" prior to feeding it, but I wouldn't let them touch them to "make" them sit. Mine also don't sit with a butt press.


This, exactly. I was cool with the store employee up to the point where he pushed on your dog. For one, that's not how I train either, and two, it's probably not a good idea to do that to a dog you don't know. Although I suppose that he could be reasonably sure your dog wasn't aggressive just by the fact that you were out in public with him. But still...

It's nice that stores allow us to bring our dogs in though. But I agree with the people who have said that you have to be an advocate for your dog and step in when the time is right, before your dog is uncomfortable. I think you did just fine in stepping in when you did and getting the employee to leave your dog alone. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially since you and Chance are still getting used to each other.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

JakodaCD OA said:


> The stores I go into, petco/petsmart, all have always asked first "can she have a treat?",,if I say YES, I also add, tell her to sit first and they comply


Same here. I don't have a problem with other people giving my dog a treat, but they always asked me first, which I appreciate. And since *I* make my dogs do something to get a treat, I tell the person that they have to sit first. I would not let someone push on their butts to make them sit - if my dogs didn't sit immediately, and the person started to reach towards my dog I'd hold out my hand for the treat and show them how to use it as a lure. 

But you are well within your rights to decide you don't want people giving your dog treats, even if they ask you first. If you don't know how to say no politely, allergies or "on a special diet" is something that most people will understand, even if it's not actually true. And then smile and move away. As others have suggested "he's in training" or a "he's a brand new rescue and still a little shy" are other things you can say to discourage people from approaching if you're not sure how he's going to react and what he's comfortable with. If you think it would be okay for him to meet a particular person don't hesitate to set the rules either, as with Dharma where she approaches people vs the other way around. Just tell them to ignore him while you're talking and see if he's interested in approaching them. 

We take our dogs to a brewpub on the weekend where we sit outside and each lunch. There's a low wrought iron fence around the seating area, and dogs have to be leashed to the outside of the fence. Since they get each other too excited, (every time we take them someplace together they think we're going to the park to chase balls and go swimming! ) we've been taking them one at a time. I put the dog in a down, and if people ask if they can meet him/her I either release them to get up and "go say hi", or I smile apologetically and say "I'm sorry, s/he's in training". Some people look confused by that, but nobody ever forces the issue. 

Mostly we leave Halo in a down as people walk by, to reinforce calm obedient behavior in casual, informal situations, (she's a star in training class, but she recognizes the difference between training and not training!) because that's where she needs work, but Keefer is a big cuddly love sponge who likes hugs, even from strangers, so I usually let him meet people. He's great with kids as long as they're old enough to understand that they need to be calm and are not running around shrieking, and I'll instruct the parents how they should approach. If I have any doubts that they'll follow instruction, I simply decline.

One little girl was GREAT - Keef was laying down calmly next to the table when she and her mom (or grandmother?) came by and said she loved dogs and asked if she could meet him. He's actually had little kids fling themselves over him and been totally fine, but I instructed her how to approach and she promptly sat down on the sidewalk a few feet away and slowly scooted over until she was close enough to pet him. Talk about staying calm! He never even got up, they stayed there on the sidewalk together while she petted him and he licked her face. :wub:


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

I had a friend stop by once, he had some treats for the pups, he had Max sit, and then try putting the treat on his nose, I him to stop it immediately, and told him its very un dignified to do that to a GSD, when I take Max to the local pet stores, they always ask to give him a treat, since they found out his "air bark", they have him do that for the treat, which is fine


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I have had people ask my dog to sit before, or other commands. I don't think they were trying to train my dog, just giving the dog a command. I don't really care if people do that. Bianca won't generally respond to a stranger's commands anyway so it doesn't matter. Actually once I was talking to this man, I mentioned that Bianca knows German, and he immediately started giving her German commands.  Bianca looked at the guy like "who the heck are you?" and ignored it. Usually when I tell people she knows German they will say "achtung!" or something, but this guy actually knew German.

However if someone tried to push down on my dog's rump/back I would be VERY annoyed. First of all I don't train by pressing on my dogs, so if you did that they would just push back (especially my Golden, who was trained to hold a solid stand-stay even if you push on the back/rump.) Second, how do they know the dog doesn't have hip or back problems where it could be painful if they do that? My previous dog has spondylosis and arthritis, and another had hip dysplasia and pressing like that could hurt.

If someone tried to give my dog a treat without asking I would also NOT be happy. I don't mind someone like a pet store employee giving Bianca a treat, but Bianca has food allergies. She's also on a grain-free diet and so I prefer if she doesn't have grains. I can't think of a time anyone offered her a treat without asking, the pet store employees always ask first. Usually when I tell them she's allergic to poultry, they just don't give her one because they're not sure if the treats they have contain any, but if they do know and tell me it doesn't have any poultry, I will let them give it to her.


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## szariksdad (Jun 25, 2010)

My wife and I solved this problem in that we only train our dog in her native tongue which is not English. So when we go to stores yes they ask if then can give our pup a treat. However when he hears then english word sit he just looks at them in a funny way and then we tell the employee that he does not know any english words. It makes it easier for us that he only knows to listen to us and not others.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Since Chance is such a fluffy friendly looking dog you might always have people want to interact with him, he's just so cute. He's had a lot happen to him in a short amount of time so you'll have to step in and keep well-meaning or stupid or inexperienced people from being too forward with him. You can tell people he's newly rescued and hopefully they'll get the idea--but someone trying to force him into a sit...you're right, that's just rude and disrespectful


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

EMarie59 said:


> ............................................
> However, who in the heck wrote the book saying that the dog HAS to perform something everytime he gets a treat?


 
No book, just that many folks like to see a dog do something for their treat. 

As long as they ask if it is ok to give the treat, (in case of allergies) I don't care if they say "sit" or something like it. It is interesting to see if Baron will perform it. 

I don't really care if he does or not - just interesting! The only thing I would care about is that he takes the treat nicely without "chomping".


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I just simply don't like it. If I hand my dog over to you, then you can train her. But as long as that leash is in my hand, I don't expect her to listen to anyone but me.

If someone tells her to sit while handing her a treat, she won't sit. Why would she listen to them? She looks at me like "is this joker for real?" I will tell her to sit and her butt hits the ground.

There was one guy at the stables we used to board at that just insisted he needed to train her. he would stand over her and get progressively louder as he DEMANDED that she sit. Or if she was tied to a saddle rack for a couple minutes while I was doing something, he would rush right over and start giving her commands. I wanted to punch him in the face. Most often, I would just leave the area where he was at if he came over by us.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

EMarie59 said:


> I have a question here about something that happened and I am not sure if I am over reacting about this or not.
> 
> I was a pet food store the other day and the employee there offered Chance a treat. Which is okay with me, but please ask me first instead of just grabbing one to give him?
> That was my first annoyance. What if for any reason he had a known allergy to some ingredient and I had to be careful what he is fed?
> ...


First I just want to let you know that I'm not an expert or trainer. I'm just offering my feelings as a parent/owner. It would annoy me too if someone offered my dog a treat or gave commands without asking me first. Even during puppy class, the trainer told me what she was going to do before she did it.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

I just read some of the other posts and have a little more to say...When I brought Mac home I was a newby and soaked up all of the knowledge and advice I could. But the bottom line is...it was my responsibility to train my dog. 

One time I was walking Mac with a friend and she tried to grab the leash to show me how its done. Another time, I gave Mac a "super treat" and told her he should be left alone while he ate it. She stood up and tried to grab the treat from him to see how well he was trained. He growled and she scolded him. We were still working on that with him...and it wasn't up to her to get involved. And I told her so.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Mac's Mom said:


> I just read some of the other posts and have a little more to say...When I brought Mac home I was a newby and soaked up all of the knowledge and advice I could. But the bottom line is...it was my responsibility to train my dog.
> 
> One time I was walking Mac with a friend and she tried to grab the leash to show me how its done. Another time, I gave Mac a "super treat" and told her he should be left alone while he ate it. She stood up and tried to grab the treat from him to see how well he was trained. He growled and she scolded him. We were still working on that with him...and it wasn't up to her to get involved. And I told her so.


I had a friend pop my dog in the face with his hand once. We had words.


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## BOHICA Bay (Jan 26, 2011)

ken k said:


> I had a friend stop by once, he had some treats for the pups, he had Max sit, and *then try putting the treat on his nose, I him to stop it immediately, and told him its very un dignified to do that to a GSD, *when I take Max to the local pet stores, they always ask to give him a treat, since they found out his "air bark", they have him do that for the treat, which is fine


The specific nature of your wording has really made me wonder - would you consider that act (putting the treat on the nose) to be acceptable for breeds other than the GSD?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I also think sometimes 'people' think they know more than owners (and sometimes they do),,as in "training"..

I remember once sitting in the vets office with Masi, she is not a fan of the vets, and was having a minor meltdown. This woman came up and started giving me a loooooooong lecture on how to socialize my dog, yada yada yada...I let her ramble, and finally said "Are you a dog trainer?",,,"well no",, since by this time she had grated my last nerve, I said "well than move along because I'm not paying for your advice nor do I want it for free"...

The techs were laughing their butts off, because while I am no expert, I've had gsd's for my entire life, pretty much know what i'm doing with my own dogs, and don't need some 'wannabe' giving moi a lecture)


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

hunterisgreat said:


> I had a friend pop my dog in the face with his hand once. We had words.


oooh I don't blame you...I would so pissed


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

I'm okay with people giving commands to my dogs ... sometimes the doggies listen, sometimes they don't. It's kind of random who listen to when it comes to strangers so I get a kick out of watching them. I'm also okay with people giving me training tips and advice. But definitely not okay with people putting their hands on the dogs. That's a major no no.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

On the other side of the coin...I was working Hondo at Tractor Supply - we encountered a pushy man with a pushy ankle biter and I was able to re-direct Hondo before he had any reaction to the victious monster in a small dog suit. We went down an aisle, I had Hondo sit and then I was all over him with praise. 

I was approached by a woman who saw the entire thing. She stopped about 6 feet in front of me and told me how well I did, and how well the dog responded. I was beaming with pride! She then asked if she could pet my dog. I said, "Sure!". And she stood there...a moment went by.....then she said, "Well, are you going to release him from the sit?" Duh! My bad. And here I thought I was the dog whisperer.


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## westallkennel (Feb 3, 2011)

I use to work for a large pet store chain and the rules are that you first have to ask the owner for permission to aproach, feed or pet their animals. I do not let people feed my dogs until I say it is alright. If someone tries to give my dog a treat she will not take it until I give her a release word. This can be taught with a LEAVE IT comand. I would not be as upset about them telling my dog to sit as I would about them pressing on the back to make them sit. This could not only cause injury to the back but also be taken as a sign of agression on the part of the dog and may cause a bite. Do not be afaid to speak out and tell me "NO" If in the case of an empoyee tell management. A person who approaches a dog with out the owners permission is looking to get bitten.


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

I have never had a pet store employee do that! They always ask first about the treat and unfortunately, always have to say no due to his IBD. Never had one try to force my dog to sit as I always put him in a sit if someone wants to pet him. He is so big, that I have never had anyone try to pet him without asking.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

Dharma and I were in Petsmart one day and I was looking at the treats and she was standing next to me. All of a sudden she whipped around and went crazy. I quickly turned around and found this young guy, one of their employees approaching her from behind with a dang treat! He jumped back and said "I just wanted to give her a treat". I proceeded to get Dharma under control and then tell him that it is never, NEVER a good idea to approach a dog from behind!! And by then Dharma certainly wasn't interested in the treat.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

DharmasMom said:


> Dharma and I were in Petsmart one day and I was looking at the treats and she was standing next to me. All of a sudden she whipped around and went crazy. I quickly turned around and found this young guy, one of their employees approaching her from behind with a dang treat! He jumped back and said "I just wanted to give her a treat". I proceeded to get Dharma under control and then tell him that it is never, NEVER a good idea to approach a dog from behind!! And by then Dharma certainly wasn't interested in the treat.


Did the employee actually do anything to the dog or was he just walking up to him? A fellow shopper could have been just walking down the same aisle toward your dog (from behind) - would that have also caused the dog's aggressive reaction?

If so, then I wouldn't have taken the dog into a store if he is that reactive to people walking close to him in the store.

Could have been very bad for everyone.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have not read all the responses, will go back and do so, my gut reaction is that this is not something to lose sleep over. 

I cannot believe that your dog is not smart enough to get the difference between a pet store clerk or vet tech and a burglar in your home.

If your dog did have an allergy, you would have to say quickly, "Sorry, my dog has food allergies." No biggie. 

They are not sitting there thinking about ways to tick you off today.

I think it is not so much a "I want to train your dog" thing, as "I want to preserve my hand and not get bowled over thing."

In a perfect world, a clerk would ask, can I offer your dog a treat. You would then tell your dog to sit and then remind the dog Gentle. And the dog would get the treat. 

But pet store clerks work with John Q Public. And if they only train their dog to do one thing, it is sit. And it can make the dog less likely to jump up and snatch the treat. 

So, If you really, object to this, just say No, when they start offering. 

If you do not over-react, your dog will not be permanently damaged from the exchange.

Now, if they pulled the leash out of your hand, jerked up on the collar, belted out SIT!, and pushed down on the rump, THEN I would take my dog back and say, "How about this: how about you buy yourself a dog, and feed it, and house it, and vet it, and THEN you will have a dog to train."


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

selzer said:


> I have not read all the responses, will go back and do so, my gut reaction is that this is not something to lose sleep over.
> 
> I cannot believe that your dog is not smart enough to get the difference between a pet store clerk or vet tech and a burglar in your home.
> 
> ...


Selzer.
Just adopted Chance a week ago came from a home he was removed from due to abuse and neglect.
Was hoping to get socialization i.e., nice talking, petting, etc. NOT with a stranger training and acting like LORD of the Dogs.
The guy PUSHED down on his rump trying to make him sit. Chance has not had any obedience training yet. All he has known is hits and being chained to a tree outside.
Chance's facial expression changed when the guy started to push down on him and his head started turning towards the back at the man's hand. Yeah, I was going to get involved. I was polite with the guy considering what he just did. I am not losing sleep. 
Just asking for opinions, though I do have my own, and pretty strong ones at that.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

EMarie59 said:


> I have a question here about something that happened and I am not sure if I am over reacting about this or not.
> 
> I was a pet food store the other day and the employee there offered Chance a treat. Which is okay with me, but please ask me first instead of just grabbing one to give him?
> That was my first annoyance. What if for any reason he had a known allergy to some ingredient and I had to be careful what he is fed?
> ...


Sorry, I did not read all that in this first question. 

I guess if he pushed down on your dogs rump, then I would probably have told him to go and get a dog if he wants to train one.

He is lucky your dog did not act out of fear, as your dog is still learning to trust you. So, I guess you maybe should be more proactive when people try to approach your dog.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

I haven't had that happen, but if someone had gone to the point of pushing on my dog, I would be ticked too and would say something at the time. I may have asked the employee for the treat and given it to my dog myself.

I would send a note or email to the owners, just to let them know that employees should ask first before feeding a dog (even though I think most people who know their dog could be allergic would certainly be on high-alert for any incoming treats, especially at that type of store), and should not touch a dog without asking.

That way you'll have turned a stressful experience into something that can help other people & dogs.


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## plusdoegsd (Nov 15, 2010)

totally out of order alot of well meaning people out there understand nothing about properly greeting someone elses dog. good for you to stand up for your dogs personal space......bravo


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## EMarie59 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ucdcrush said:


> I haven't had that happen, but if someone had gone to the point of pushing on my dog, I would be ticked too and would say something at the time. I may have asked the employee for the treat and given it to my dog myself.
> 
> I would send a note or email to the owners, just to let them know that employees should ask first before feeding a dog (even though I think most people who know their dog could be allergic would certainly be on high-alert for any incoming treats, especially at that type of store), and should not touch a dog without asking.
> 
> That way you'll have turned a stressful experience into something that can help other people & dogs.


Hahahaha..guess what?! It was the OWNER who did this to Chance. I went in there yesterday to get some more toys for him and it was the same guy. I asked him who the owner was, and he smiled saying it was himself.
After talking with him for a bit I realized that pretty much anyone can open up a pet store and have no earthly clue how to handle an animal.
He has 5 dogs at home and was talking about the behavioural issues he was having with them. I asked if he ever took them to obedience class and he said "No, I find that to be a waste of money as I can train them myself by reading books."
Yeah, okay buddy..how has THAT been working for you!..No wonder he pushed on my dog's rear. he is clueless.


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## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

When Minka was in puppy socialization everybody fed each others puppy to get them thinking people are nice (I guess). Then the instructor started having people hold the treat over the pup's head, say "sit" and wait to treat until they sat. I wasn't real thrilled with this however I decided it wasn't a big deal because my training word for sit is in Czech. I did watch very closely to make sure nobody touched her. There was one guy who was even trying to get other people's pups to down! Ah no! Luckily, he never tried it with Minka.

Earlier in the class the instructor said we were going to do a puppy circle where every body would sit down and start passing puppies around! No sh*t! I said politely, that I would sit that out. The instructor wanted to know why. I didn't feel like getting into it with her so I said "personal preference", how can you argue with that? From then on I think people though twice about doing too much (anything beyond asking for a sit) with Minka.

So long story short, I don't care if pet store people ASK before they treat her nor if they ask her to sit (she already assumes these humans will ask that) but no other commands and they do not physically manipulate her. Petting is OK because Minka likes that, at least now while she is still a puppy. All my other GSD became pretty aloof as they matured and if there comes a time when she doesn't want to be petted by strangers then I will speak up for her.


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