puppy training/ dog advice

[maxweg]

Just needed to post this!!

please, please make sure when you need puppy advice or help or have a real dog problem , you speak to someone that is either qualified (you can find a list on the internet) or can provide references, I was talking about well meaning people that are taking money for this!.

I have just come across a situation that really did make my blood boil.

whilst going back to my car at our local country forest, a place very popular with dog walkers, I came across a lady shouting instructions to a man with a 5mth old cocker pup.
The other owner (wife) was in the car and she said to me "fingers crossed I hope this works" This pup was being marched around the car park with the man screaming "heel" then jerking the pup back to him so harshly that all 4 feet were coming off the ground.

If any of you would care to remember "Barbara Woodhouse" days, it was her style!

This women is not a trainer but the local dog walker( I do know her), she must think that walking dogs qualifies her to try to train dogs.

I have years of experiance with dogs but would never profess to knowing it all and would never dream of telling people what to do with their dogs, however well meaning, I leave that to the dog professionals.

so please dont part with any money and ruin your relationship with your canine pal to people that think because they own a dog that qualifies them to dish advice.

If you had a problem with your kids you wouldn't ask the bus driver just cause she had kids! It nice to listen but would you let her sort your kids? no I dont think so! so dont let a well meaning person try to train your dog.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I have trained other people's dogs in basic obedience casually (not for money, because I enjoy it) and I don't have letters after my name!

I don't profess to know it all (and I certainly wouldn't jerk around a small puppy!) and I posted a lot on here when I was having problems with my own boy (I think it's harder when it is your own

)

Although I will concede, especially in large working type breeds (such as my own

), if the vast majority of them were in a specific training class with dedicated trainers, there would be a lot less pully-arsey-bitey-rude dogs on the streets.

As I have said before, a fresh pair of eyes always helps.

 

[Booboos]

I see what you mean but it's difficult to do anything about this.

Part of the problem is that people do not need to be qualified in anything to give advice, qualifications are NOT a guarrantee that the advice will be any good anyway, and there are many different schools of thought on dog training, some of which disagree with each other on what should be done!

I have done a trainer's course, but it was in clicker training, which is not everyone's cup of tea and it did not correspond to any qualifications. I also volunteered for free for years in the local dog training club but always as an assistant so I dealt with the more straight-forward issues.

I think the best thing to do is to read up a bit on various options, check out your trainer before you take your dog to them and refuse to do anything you think will be bad for your dog.