Following on from CC's question.......

mollichop

mollichop

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........About someone else being rough or mishandling your dogs. What would you have done in my situation a couple of weeks ago?

So i've been going to gundog training with the boys every week. Had 5 sessions so far but have decided to find another trainer now :(

The guy had a chicken pen which we would go in at the end of a session. He always took hector in there (on a long slipline) while I waited at the gate with Pads.

He was not paying attention, too busy looking over his shoulder to chat to me (not dog related just chit chat) he didn't notice the cockeral in the long grass but Hector did and went to flush it. The idea was that the dog should indicate the bird only.

The guy picked him up off the floor by the lead and then shoved him on the ground and held him down with his knee. Blew his whistle in his ear for about 5 seconds (seemed longer) and kind of dragged him a bit.

Now, I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. I know you'll probably say "if that was my dog i'd have killed him" but at the time my reaction was just to blank him. I think I was worried if I spoke up he'd think I was 'soft'.

He tried to be overly funny saying "blimey he's a bit sharp isn't he?" and I just took the dogs and said i'd call him to book another lesson after my holiday and was very short with him.

Am so angry with myself - Hector learnt nothing from that. If he'd said "leave it" or "no" o.k but a whistle right in the ear means nothing to him.

Really feel that I let Hector down in that situation. He is a sensitive dog that I have never had to tell off, certainly don't want it coming from someone else! :mad:

So what would you have done and was it too harsh? Hecty was not hurt by it (although worried about damage to ear?) but was confused by it.

I want my dogs to work for me because they love to not because they are 'made' to if you know what I mean.
 
I am almost bubbling with rage FOR you. In that situation I can honestly say I would have lost my cool. Thats the kind of response I'd expect if a dog was attacking another etc, not for a simple indiscretion in training. To me thats humiliation and excess of force - the punishment disproportionate to the crime. Poor Hector.

I would have snatched my dog back and given him a piece of my mind (man not dog!)
 
When I visited him in A&E :o I would have actually asked him why, exactly he had done it.
Sorry I don't mean to portray my dog as an unmitigated monster but mine would have defended himself if someone treated him like that, for not very much at all, as Kitty says - the only time I have done anything near that harsh was when B was about to drag a motorcyclist off a scrambler bike (it was a combination of scruffing, a half Nelson and a 'clothesline' move from WWF wrestling :o) and it was touch and go whether he would 'take' it or not, luckily for us both, he did.

If a trainer doesn't take the time to get to know the dog, what it is like, what is appropriate, how sensitive/hard the dog is, then he or she is not worth bothering with - one size does NOT fit all.

One of my trainers has had to step in with me once, I have recounted the tale before, the dog was launching himself at a puppy with me in tow, teeth, hackles, barking, the works, he took me totally by surprise, A leapt in, grabbed the lead and said 'YOU speak to him' and held him in the air for several seconds while I yelled 'NO!'.

It wasn't pretty but it was that or a dead puppy and it was a turning point for us both in terms of me having to buck up my ideas and handle him more confidently and not tolerate any nonsense.
I trust A implicitly as he has dealt with some very hard dogs, he knows B and they get on well.
 
Aww poor hector ... I think you'll just have to leave it and find another trainer :(

I had a 11 week old GSD picked up by the back of the neck by an old woman trainer at a training class years ago because it didn't sit ... I was fuming and ended up walking out as wasn't sure I could control myself not to do the same to her ... often pondered going back with one of my working pups and see if she tried that again as they wouldn't stand for it :mad:
 
CaveCanem said:
:p Quite, RB!!!
I bet all her dogs are crippled by the time they are five if that's the way she jerks baby pups around!!!
Click to expand...

Someone outside was saying "why are you annoyed she knows what she's doing because she been a trainer for years" :rolleyes:

I don't think its commonplace to beat kids with belts nowadays .. does that mean its ok to let a pensioner do it to kids?
 
I always think if you treat a dog that roughly, for a minor problem - where the hell are you going to escalate to when a real problem arises?

If you already pulled all your cards out of the hat when a pup wont sit, what has he got to worry about when he decides to go for a person etc? If you've hefted them around from the day dot, that day when you really need to make an impression - you can't. My dogs have never had to have a good smack etc because from little puppies they learnt that happy mummy and sad mummy are motivators enough. That way should they ever engage in awful behaviour (fighting or biting a person) they'll know the difference!
 
ridebumble said:
Someone outside was saying "why are you annoyed she knows what she's doing because she been a trainer for years" :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I think this was what I thought - don't say anything, he's a well respected trainer. But am so upset/mad at letting Hecty down and not speaking up for him at the time.

Like you say Kitty, it was not fitting for what he did - he didn't get hold of the bird, just went to, but isn't that indicating? I don't know, could kick myself now for not kicking HIM at the time :mad:

The thing is i'm very outspoken and not at all soft, (Pads has felt my wrath on many occasions when warrented) I just seemed to go numb at seeing it as it came from nowhere.

This man was recommended to me, I did my homework 1st - have since had 3 people tell me he has a reputation for being hard on dogs.
 
IME, and I don't mean to tar all with the same brush but certainly a lot of gundog trainers can be a lot harder on dogs than 'normal' people.

However, to me the punishment definitely does not fit the crime. I hope Hector isn't too traumatised by the experience.
 
Poor Hector! I can't imagine a nicer, more well behaved dog than Hector - really no need for that kind of reaction!

The first time someone did something I did not like to my dog, the woman was a trainer and I was having problems so I thought she knew best. I did not say anything at the time, but read up on training afterwards, saw there were alternative approaches and changed trainers.

Since then I have had more of the 'courage of my own convictions' even among people who are knowledgeable, so when I have had to (2-3 times since) I have intervened, politely told them that this would not work for me and my dog and taken my dog away. If I am wrong, my loss!
 
thanks Booboos - that's just it - he's a real sweetheart, hope he hasn't lost confidence as a result.

GinaB, i'm kind of getting that impression. i really want to continue with their training but need to look around a bit more I think to find someone with a bit more empathy for a dog with his nature. I'm at the gamefair this weekend so maybe will find contacts there :)
 
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