# Trainer told me my puppy was vicious!



## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

My puppy is 14 weeks old. We've had her for about 6 weeks. I took to her a "dog trainer" today. She told me she works under a lady who trains dogs in Beverly Hills and was taught from the best & I actually got her number from that webpage. Anyway I show up and see all their shepherds, about 8 of them, and they all are beautiful and very responsive to her. Im a new dog owner so I figured she must know what she is doing. She puts a prong collar on my puppy and I tell her I don't know much about those things and Im not sure if its safe to use on my little one. She tells me its completely fine and tried to get my puppy to heel for her, among other things like down position. My puppy was hating every second of the prong collar. My puppy Willow even tried to bite her a few times and actually got the trainer pretty good twice. Then she told me that my puppy was vicious, extremely dominant and mean. She actually called my puppy a problem dog. I have never seen my puppy act the way she was acting while the "trainer" was working with her.

She then asked me where I got the puppy and about her parents. I told her that her dad was a AKC registered dog who they wanted to train to be a cop dog. Im guessing he didn't make the cut and was eventually rehomed and bred with a german shepherd who wasn't registered.She told me that my puppy had working lines from her dads side and weak nerve from her mom.

My puppy is very sweet towards us at home and enjoys our company. She follows us around the house everywhere. She used to nip a lot but has gotten extremely better. She's never shown aggression towards us. I feel like she is describing a different dog, not my puppy. Part of me thinks she doesn't know what the heck she is doing, because she put a prong collar on my puppy and told me she uses them on her adult dogs as well. Part of me is a little bit worried that there might be some truth to the things she said, only because she has more experience with these dogs than I do. I feel like I've just been given a terrible prognosis but how could she know all those things just by spending one hour with her.

Just had a terrible first experience.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

time to start doing some research on your own about training, etc. I would not blindly rely on a trainer(even if they were super recommended, it always comes down to who is recommending)


> Im a new dog owner so I figured she must know what she is doing. She puts a prong collar on my puppy and I tell her I don't know much about those things and Im not sure if its safe to use on my little one. She tells me its completely fine and tried to get my puppy to heel for her, among other things like down position. My puppy was hating every second of the prong collar. My puppy Willow even tried to bite her a few times and actually got the trainer pretty good twice. Then she told me that my puppy was vicious, extremely dominant and mean. She actually called my puppy a problem dog. I have never seen my puppy act the way she was acting while the "trainer" was working with her


Do not allow a trainer to put a collar on your puppy that you have no knowledge on. You need to advocate for your puppies well being(mentally as well as physical). This trainer should not have put a prong on your puppy until the trainer explained to YOU why they were doing so. 
Find a club that knows the breed, and get with a handler or two that can mentor you if possible.

Very responsive to her, or very submissive to her? Did you see the difference in the dogs body language? I'd rather have a dog with confidence and not submissive, but engaged with the handlers. What did you see actually?


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Run, run, fast as you can and take your puppy with you!

What a %#^&* of a 'trainer.'

Any fool can coerce a dog to do their bidding, but a GSD will learn, then you positively reinforce and then repeat, repeat, repeat.

nipping is normal for a GSD puppy.

She's too young for a prong collar.

A 14 week old pup "agressive?" I don't think so!!

Your instincts are right on. Don't let this woman's assessment worry you for a second.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Find a new trainer immediately.Seriously,do NOT let her near your puppy again.Willow was scared and hurt and only defended herself.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

onyx'girl said:


> time to start doing some research on your own about training, etc. I would not blindly rely on a trainer(even if they were super recommended, it always comes down to who is recommending)
> 
> Do not allow a trainer to put a collar on your puppy that you have no knowledge on. You need to advocate for your puppies well being(mentally as well as physical). This trainer should not have put a prong on your puppy until the trainer explained to YOU why they were doing so.
> Find a club that knows the breed, and get with a handler or two that can mentor you if possible.
> ...



Since Im a new owner its hard for me to say FOR SURE but thinking back on it, I did see them being very submissive. The ears on a puppy went all the way down when they asked it to go in the down position. To me, that is a behavior that shows they are scared. And yes I won't be letting anyone use any kind of weird equipment on her again. Total puppy parent failure on my part!


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

zyppi said:


> Run, run, fast as you can and take your puppy with you!
> 
> What a %#^&* of a 'trainer.'
> 
> ...


We are never going back there again. That was the worst experience of my life. I want training to be a fun positive experience, not negative and dreadful! She basically couldn't get my puppy to be submissive to her with her stupid collar so she just said all these things were wrong with her.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

dogma13 said:


> Find a new trainer immediately.Seriously,do NOT let her near your puppy again.Willow was scared and hurt and only defended herself.


I think that is exactly why she bit her! Poor baby, I feel horrible about it. I seriously can't believe how hard its been to find a trainer who works with working dogs specifically.


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## annabirdie (Jul 3, 2015)

Ridiculous!!!! No need for a trainer at 14 weeks anyways, and no way is your puppy agressive at that age. Keep Away!!!!!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

are you limiting yourself to only Santa Barbara?


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Fodder said:


> are you limiting yourself to only Santa Barbara?


I've been looking for a german shepherd trainer here in Santa Barbara/Ventura/San Luis Obispo area for 6 weeks with no luck so at this point Im open to driving a little farther. Do you know anyone??


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

annabirdie said:


> Ridiculous!!!! No need for a trainer at 14 weeks anyways, and no way is your puppy agressive at that age. Keep Away!!!!!


Yeah I figured my puppy was very young for training. I mostly just wanted to find and meet a trainer I liked so that I can stop worrying about not having someone when the time comes.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Agaribay805;7685914 Then she told me that my puppy was vicious said:


> Reminds me of what my BIL said when he took care of my pup at 9-10 weeks old for an evening......2-3 complete entire hours. Yeah.....those "vicious" GSD pups.....LOL.
> 
> 
> SuperG


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

SuperG said:


> Reminds me of what my BIL said when he took care of my pup at 9-10 weeks old for an evening......2-3 complete entire hours. Yeah.....those "vicious" GSD pups.....LOL.
> 
> 
> SuperG


My mom also says my pup is a handful lol


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Agaribay805 said:


> My mom also says my pup is a handful lol


Imagine that......


SuperG


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Agaribay805 said:


> Since Im a new owner its hard for me to say FOR SURE but thinking back on it, I did see them being very submissive. The ears on a puppy went all the way down when they asked it to go in the down position. To me, that is a behavior that shows they are scared. And yes I won't be letting anyone use any kind of weird equipment on her again. Total puppy parent failure on my part!


 I'm not a new owner, and not inexperienced and I had the same sort of experience when I tried to get an assessment done on my then 4 year old dog.
We all make mistakes and now you know better. Lesson learned, move on. There are some real dirtbag trainers around, and loads that are just clueless. 
Next time ask if you can observe a class, if they say no keep looking. Leave your girl at home and watch how they handle the dogs and the class. If anything doesn't seem right about it ask after the class for an explanation. Talk to the students in the class, see how they like it.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

You would think she had more experience with GSD pups than that. Just work on engagement and training at home until you find a place you like and trust.

As to the collar, the prong collar is a tool and can be used properly or improperly. Obviously, using it on a puppy is 'improperly'. A prong is not bad in and of itself, though.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

There has got to be a IPO club down there that can give you some trainer suggestions. IPO/Shutzhund Club. I'm sure there has to be some good trainers in that area. Don't give up. Ask anyone you meet with a well behaved shepherd. You could contact a German Shepherd rescue organization as well and ask them for recommendations. Just some ideas.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I went to see one trainer that thought she could fix Midnites reactivity. This was after I already seen a couple different ones, I was gathering techniques. She was a frail kind of woman compared to me that thought she knew it all. So I gave her the leash. That did not go well, she had no control over him and he shredded her arm with his nails, blood everywhere. She looked at me like don't sit there and do nothing, I asked her if she was done thinking she could control him? I calmly took him back and put him in a sit without issue. Then she went on to say she could private lessons for like $150 an hour,, with no guarantees it would work because he was hard to handle and not allowed in any classes with other dogs. I thought to myself I hope she has good medical insurance I took her card with no intentions of ever using her. Fast forward a month...I continued working with Midnite, found a club that knew the breed. We went to a doggie event with dogs everywhere, Midnites first true test. He didn't react to one dog, that trainer was there trying to sell her services. I asked her if she remembered him, I then told her that he just needed a good trainer and I walked away


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

llombardo said:


> I went to see one trainer that thought she could fix Midnites reactivity. This was after I already seen a couple different ones, I was gathering techniques. She was a frail kind of woman compared to me that thought she knew it all. So I gave her the leash. That did not go well, she had no control over him and he shredded her arm with his nails, blood everywhere. She looked at me like don't sit there and do nothing, I asked her if she was done thinking she could control him? I calmly took him back and put him in a sit without issue. Then she went on to say she could private lessons for like $150 an hour,, with no guarantees it would work because he was hard to handle and not allowed in any classes with other dogs. I thought to myself I hope she has good medical insurance I took her card with no intentions of ever using her. Fast forward a month...I continued working with Midnite, found a club that knew the breed. We went to a doggie event with dogs everywhere, Midnites first true test. He didn't react to one dog, that trainer was there trying to sell her services. I asked her if she remembered him, I then told her that he just needed a good trainer and I walked away


Great story and funny as can be...and kudos to you for taking Midnite back and showing the "trainer" the results you achieved....reminds me of the "trainer" I interviewed a couple years ago regarding a similar reactivity issue and when inquiring about the methods he uses....I received a " well.....I like to put lavender oil on their ears and it makes a huge difference....."...hmmmmm...well, maybe it does in some cases...I decided maybe it doesn't in our case....so I moved along.

SuperG


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

SuperG said:


> Great story and funny as can be...and kudos to you for taking Midnite back and showing the "trainer" the results you achieved....reminds me of the "trainer" I interviewed a couple years ago regarding a similar reactivity issue and when inquiring about the methods he uses....I received a " well.....I like to put lavender oil on their ears and it makes a huge difference....."...hmmmmm...well, maybe it does in some cases...I decided maybe it doesn't in our case....so I moved along.
> 
> SuperG


I would have asked the trainer to demonstrate that lavender and just sit back and watch that disaster


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

What a nightmare story. I wonder if you need a trainer specifically experienced with working line GSD's for basic puppy training? Maybe some of the more experienced here can help with that....

I would think it's not absolutely necessary for young puppy training but may become more important when she's older. I bet she needs to "experience" another trainer soon because it's very likely she got a little "damaged" with that experience. She needs a trainer that can reverse that and show her that training is fun and rewarding.


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## Starry Sea (May 8, 2013)

I believe I've had experience with the dog trainer (or one of the others that works for them) and have heard many stories of dogs that have been broken by them, and even one that was killed due to negligence. 

When I was training my mom's golden with them in their puppy class they kept advocating negative reinforcement in a variety of situations that just didn't seem useful or effective to me. At one point the trainer sprayed her own dog with bitter apple, just to show how she reacts to it, and the dog went down and started shivering, not a reaction I ever want to see from my dogs.

Throughout the class they kept pushing their 3 week, leave your dog with us, course for every single issue with our dogs that we brought up. "So your puppy doesn't like the cat, we'll you can leave it with us and we'll fix that", honestly it felt like most of the class was just a high pressure sales pitch for their 3 week course. And I know people who have done their course and their dogs came out seemingly with more problems than they went in with.

Anyways, after that lovely experience I found out about a training facility in Arroyo Grand called Gentle Touch Dog Training and have been working with them ever since. The are a positive reinforcement training style and every teacher I've had has been fantastic. I have taken 4 dogs through their puppy/ adult classes and they are wonderful about answering all of my questions. Most of the trainers compete in things like nosework, agility, conformation, and rally and they have courses for all of these sports. I've done all of the nosework with both of my GSDs and had a such a fun time.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Sabis mom said:


> Next time ask if you can observe a class, if they say no keep looking. Leave your girl at home and watch how they handle the dogs and the class. If anything doesn't seem right about it ask after the class for an explanation. Talk to the students in the class, see how they like it.


Thats a really good idea!


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

The concept of positive only training is a wonderful thing. I can't see a thing wrong with it. It's great for very young puppies as they have to be shown what is you want them to do. How can you be hard on a puppy when it does not have the slightest idea of what it is you want them to do or it's not well ingrained yet???

However...... once they are trained and they enter their teen-age years, things can change. My puppy knew what to do and simply had more important things SHE WANTED to do. I soon learned that PO training was not going to work for her and I would never be able to get good obedience in an emergency situation.

I do use the prong for walking though I did not use it until she was 8 months old and had training but chose not to obey..... It works in amazing ways.

The other important thing that I learned here is when the puppy is trained and you see a refusal to obey because they would rather do what THEY WANT there must be follow through and never once is the pup allowed to disobey a command. My puppy chooses to disobey - she gets confined to her "time out" room and all fun and activity stop for her for a while. She hates it but when I let her out and "ask" for the obey of what she refused - it is immediate.....

Also, you can't be afraid to use the deepest most commanding voice possible when you are getting hesitancy on a command. They come to know that voice and the push and stubbornness can often vanish in an instant


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Galathiel said:


> As to the collar, the prong collar is a tool and can be used properly or improperly. Obviously, using it on a puppy is 'improperly'. A prong is not bad in and of itself, though.


Ive been reading up on the prong collar since this happened and I don't think its a bad tool. However I would prefer to try to teach the dog without it, if it all possible.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

DutchKarin said:


> There has got to be a IPO club down there that can give you some trainer suggestions. IPO/Shutzhund Club. I'm sure there has to be some good trainers in that area. Don't give up. Ask anyone you meet with a well behaved shepherd. You could contact a German Shepherd rescue organization as well and ask them for recommendations. Just some ideas.


There is a reputable rescue in LA that Ive contacted and they gave me a couple names. They both didn't have a place where I could meet up with them to train because my Willow hasn't had her 3rd vaccines yet and they wanted to charge $300 per hour to drive down here, which I didn't go for. Id rather wait a few more weeks and drive to them for a cheaper rate. I will be trying those two out and seeing how that goes though.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Check out APDT.com for a trainer in your area and like others have said, observe first without bring the pup. Glad you ditched the "trainer".


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

llombardo said:


> She was a frail kind of woman compared to me that thought she knew it all.



It's so frustrating when some "trainers" think they know what they are doing and say they know what they're doing and only end up wasting your time and money.


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## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

zyppi said:


> Run, run, fast as you can and take your puppy with you!
> 
> What a %#^&* of a 'trainer.'
> 
> ...


YES to all of the above!

Susan


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Stonevintage said:


> What a nightmare story. I wonder if you need a trainer specifically experienced with working line GSD's for basic puppy training? Maybe some of the more experienced here can help with that....
> 
> I would think it's not absolutely necessary for young puppy training but may become more important when she's older. I bet she needs to "experience" another trainer soon because it's very likely she got a little "damaged" with that experience. She needs a trainer that can reverse that and show her that training is fun and rewarding.


I probably don't need a working line GSD trainer for her right now but I'd love to find one that I like now, so that I can't ask all kinds of questions. I love this website but I also need a trainer as part of my support system. I don't have the skills/knowledge/experience necessary to raise a GSD on my own. The training is more for me than for her. And yes I agree that she now must have a super positive experience next time. I almost feel that putting a prong collar on a 3 month old puppy was border-line animal abuse. I wonder what goes on when other people aren't there to watch.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Starry Sea said:


> I believe I've had experience with the dog trainer (or one of the others that works for them) and have heard many stories of dogs that have been broken by them, and even one that was killed due to negligence.
> 
> When I was training my mom's golden with them in their puppy class they kept advocating negative reinforcement in a variety of situations that just didn't seem useful or effective to me. At one point the trainer sprayed her own dog with bitter apple, just to show how she reacts to it, and the dog went down and started shivering, not a reaction I ever want to see from my dogs.
> 
> ...



Yes she kept saying over and over how my problem dog needed serious help and I was so lucky that I went to her. She kept telling me the best thing I should do is leave my puppy with her for 2 weeks. I told her heck no! My puppy's cheerful spirit would have been broken so quick if I did that. I'm going to look into this place in Arroyo Grande. Thank you for the referral. Most people I know have small dogs and so special training isn't really needed. One GSD I know has owners who are on their fifth one so they do their own training now and the other GSD I know did training in a different state before they moved. Finding the right trainer has been such a challenge to say the least.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Vicious at 14 weeks?? That is hysterical! Personally I think you can do better on your own. 

But find a trainer find training classes and things "you" can do .. are all in here:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/7589889-post13.html

And a bit simpler with the leash work, see first clip here:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html

As far as the "prong" goes?? 16 weeks is the preferred age but even still, if the "puppy was flipping out?? Then the trainer was clearly doing something wrong?? Most likely she "expected" the "puppy" to behave when it had the "Prong" collar on?? And your "puppy" did not do what was expected?? Then she went over the top with torque?? Just a guess as I use a SLL myself. Tools don't train dogs .. people do. 




.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I don't think you are better off on your own. Just because you found a screwball trainer, doesn't mean you should swear off all trainers/training classes. 

Keep looking. And NOTHING wrong with getting your puppy out there and into classes at this stage. But trust your gut more. You want training to be fun and positive, especially now. You know this, you said so. Trust yourself, your right. If someone tries to do something to your dog, tell them NO. Tell them to explain what it is that you should do, and then, if that doesn't seem reasonable, say, "let's try something different." 

You do not have to manhandle your dog. You do not have to do what a trainer says. You do not have to let a trainer take the lead and do something to your puppy. At the end of the day, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, this puppy is yours and you will be responsible for the dog's behavior. It's on you. So, if something doesn't seem right, don't do it, research it, and decide whether or not it makes sense for you and your puppy.

Good luck.


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## MamaofLEO (Aug 8, 2014)

Agaribay805 said:


> I've been looking for a german shepherd trainer here in Santa Barbara/Ventura/San Luis Obispo area for 6 weeks with no luck so at this point Im open to driving a little farther. Do you know anyone??


I have zero geographical knowledge of California (which is pretty sad :-( but I did come across the regional GSD Club of America (Regional Clubs - Southern Pacific), which may lead you to a great trainer if you inquire with one of them. Also came across GSD club of LA (https://www.facebook.com/German-Shepherd-Dog-Club-of-Los-Angeles-County-298667460294690/), which may also assist---our Chicago GSD club is 30+ miles outside of Chicago (and about 10 minutes from me!) so it may be located outside of the metro area. If not mentioned, perhaps your vet can recommend a trainer, as well  

A side note: don't be so hard on yourself, you will find a trainer that will fit the way _*you*_ want to train your pup.


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## Suka (Apr 9, 2004)

I have no idea where anything is out there, but I recommend Dog Training San Francisco | Dog Training Reno Koru K9 in California. Maybe they can help you find someone closer, if you aren't near?


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

After making phone calls all weekend and not finding anything close to home, I went ahead and called the trainer who works for Westside LA German Shepherd rescue. He is legit and his rate seems fair considering his expertise. My Willow growled the other night and tried to bite me when I got her off my daughters bed. She barked up a storm last night because we didn't let her on the bed and she talks back a lot in general. I don't know if this "trainer" from Saturday tainted my perspective or maybe Willow needs more boundaries/structure. It's probably both. Either way I'm ready for a positive experience this time.


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## MamaofLEO (Aug 8, 2014)

Agaribay805 said:


> After making phone calls all weekend and not finding anything close to home, I went ahead and called the trainer who works for Westside LA German Shepherd rescue. He is legit and his rate seems fair considering his expertise. My Willow growled the other night and tried to bite me when I got her off my daughters bed. She barked up a storm last night because we didn't let her on the bed and she talks back a lot in general. I don't know if this "trainer" from Saturday tainted my perspective or maybe Willow needs more boundaries/structure. It's probably both. Either way I'm ready for a positive experience this time.


I hope it works out!!!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

> maybe Willow needs more boundaries/structure.


They always need boundaries and structure. It may help to think of how you want her to behave as an adult. Keep that in mind and start teaching her those things now. If you teach her to sleep on the floor or in a crate, thats probably going to be where she'll always want to sleep. What she learned was rewarding as a puppy, is her foundation for behaving as an adult.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

She has some structure but I can see that she would benefit from more. She sleeps in her crate at night every single night, and during her day naps. Sometimes we would let her hang out with us on the bed while we watch tv for 30 minutes before the lights when out. For the last 6 weeks she never gave me a problem about moving her to her crate until she growled the other night and tried to bite me. That was Saturday night. We decided she lost her furniture privileges and let me tell you, she is not happy about it.


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## deldridge72 (Oct 25, 2011)

It is never too early to start training-classes are great as soon as the shot series are completed-helps with socialization-finding a trainer experienced with a variety of breeds would be ideal. A prong collar is an excellent tool in knowledgeable hands-most pups are resistive to something new and can be quite nippy as a result until they adjust.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Agaribay805 said:


> She has some structure but I can see that she would benefit from more. She sleeps in her crate at night every single night, and during her day naps. Sometimes we would let her hang out with us on the bed while we watch tv for 30 minutes before the lights when out. For the last 6 weeks she never gave me a problem about moving her to her crate until she growled the other night and tried to bite me. That was Saturday night. We decided she lost her furniture privileges and let me tell you, she is not happy about it.


yeah, my pup has NO furniture privileges. She has to earn them. I tell her that she has to earn more out of crate time but she just doesn't seem to understand 
The other night she wanted to be on the couch...but on the couch nipping at me. She really wanted me to get her a special toy or treat for her and I was not doing it. So she got more aggressive. After I made myself really big and let her know she wasn't going to intimidate me, we went out into the yard and 'walked it off". 
Pups go through phases as they grow and want to experiment with throwing their weight around. Sometimes they are over tired. Sometimes they want something and must think we are the dumbest people on earth to not do their bidding. It is all about being immature, not vicious.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

here is an article that was posted in a training community on Google plus
Puppy Play: Signs of Normal and Aggressive Behavior

use what sounds right, toss the rest


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## stingeragent (Mar 23, 2016)

The majority of this thread is why I do not want to waste money on a dog trainer. I wouldn't discredit the prong collar as it has helped my weenie dog a lot within the last 2 or 3 days of using it. They really aren't bad. I put the collar on my arm tonight and gave it numerous hard yanks, just to see what he was going through with it on. I wouldn't use one on a puppy most likely, but I'd more discredit their use by some, than their effectiveness overall. I'm assuming the trainer you used, has become cocky, and when their typical methods didn't work, they blamed the dog. In reality every dog is different. A prong collar may never work for some dogs, but it may be night and day for others.


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## Rosy831 (Feb 27, 2016)

stingeragent said:


> The majority of this thread is why I do not want to waste money on a dog trainer. I wouldn't discredit the prong collar as it has helped my weenie dog a lot within the last 2 or 3 days of using it. They really aren't bad. I put the collar on my arm tonight and gave it numerous hard yanks, just to see what he was going through with it on. I wouldn't use one on a puppy most likely, but I'd more discredit their use by some, than their effectiveness overall. I'm assuming the trainer you used, has become cocky, and when their typical methods didn't work, they blamed the dog. In reality every dog is different. A prong collar may never work for some dogs, but it may be night and day for others.


I really hope you got an education on using a prong collar before using it on your dog. It's not just about fitting it correctly, it's also about introducing it to your dog so that they understand the communication. It's not just yank and crank!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Rosy831 said:


> I really hope you got an education on using a prong collar before using it on your dog. It's not just about fitting it correctly, it's also about introducing it to your dog so that they understand the communication.* It's not just yank and crank!*


This can't be emphasized enough with a DACHSHUND (which is what I assume the poster meant by "weenie dog"). Their spines are extremely fragile and problem-prone.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

I have since found the perfect trainer for us! He explained to my why my puppy was aggressive when I tried to get her off the couch, how to get her to stop nipping without using redirection. He showed us how to walk her on a leash without any pulling using only a leather leash and flat buckle collar. She is a completely different puppy now. I don't feel like I have to act big and tough to get her to listen to me anymore or talk in a authoritative tone of voice. Of course she isn't perfect and still messes up once in a while. Im feeling more confidant that we just have to be consistent with the training we've learned and she'll get the hang of social expectations. I think that I should have viewed this lady in action before bringing my puppy to her. Thankfully we didn't have to experiment with too many trainers and found just the right one on the second try. 

I didn't picture us using a prong collar as part of training. I realize every situation and every dog is different but regardless, we didn't want to run and rely on it from the get go. If I absolutely needed one, Id consider it as a last resort.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Sounds good....that confidence feeling can go a long way at times.

Oh, there is no acting involved...dogs see right through it....


SuperG


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