I need help with my dog.
I am probably starting obedience training with my dog in a week. I say probably because part of me is convinced it won't do anything.
As soon as we go outside, he doesn't listen. I know this is a common problem, but as I try to retrain him outside, he doesn't care. I try to get his attention with a treat, but he just keeps sniffing. Saying his name won't break his focus. The only way I can control him is with a leash.
Would obedience class help him at all if he doesn't give two fucks about treats or food outside? Should I cancel and just use a chain or prong collar to train him? Does that make me a bad dog owner?
I just don't know what to do with him.
>>2126489
pls respond
Yes, this is very common with training. Going to obedience classes can help, your trainer will give you ideas to help find how to motivate the dog, and it will be good to practice in a more distracting environment
>>2126537
But what can I do in the mean time? He doesn't listen to me and tries to sniff into the street and eats all kinds of garbage on the ground. I really don't want to hurt him.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z45gvql74Y
https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=6yw_l3Ci_Q0
>>2126489
What kind of treats do you give your dog? I tried milkbones with mine and she didn't give a shit and wouldn't listen. As soon as I got some bacon-flavored treats, she was super interested in training. Other dogs might respond well to a toy like getting to play with a tennis ball or a squeaky toy as a reward.
>>2126557
I'm saying that different dogs are motivated by different things, like >>2126537 said. Maybe try a different type of treat or different reward, like praising or petting him after he does what he is supposed to do. Right now, the smells in the grass are way more interesting than whatever you are rewarding him with. Try to find something he likes more than sniffing the grass!
I don't understand. When did this "don't do anything negative to your dog" stuff start? Would you not spank a child either? C'mon. The dog has limited capability to reason. Reward the good, punish the bad. My dog had a super-high prey drive toward cats and was very dog-aggressive when I got him. He was nearly uncontrollable when we went out in public, if he saw another dog or a cat. Sometimes even just a particular person would set him off. Awful recall, too, if there was any distractions whatsoever.
Shock collar cured that shit. Helped with a lot of his other issues too. Now he's a fantastic dog and people always comment on how obedient and friendly he is. Used correctly, with good timing and consistency, the shock collar is an excellent training tool. But you have to learn when and how to use it, otherwise you'll just make a mess of things. You need to take classes just as much as the dog does.
>>2126562
How do I even get his attention then? If I started patting him and loving on him to get his attention while he was sniffing, wouldn't that be teaching the wrong message?
I will try some different treats though.
>>2126570
I dont know. I want what is best for my dog. Some friends have recommended those more aggressive collars to me, but I just don't know if they are needed.
One last bump before bed
>>2126610
Look up kikipup and zacgeorge on YouTube, go their channels, scroll through the videos till you find things that apply to your dog.
>>2126570
It's not so much -only praise-as it is learning better communications with your dog.
Dogs were bred to work with us, so 99% of the time they want to please us. We are humans and smart enough to use that to our advantage and get the dogs attention, and show them what we WANT them to be doing, instead of what they ARE doing WRONG.
And once the dog learns that you are going to give it love and affection in return for doing something right, then it starts to pay more attention to you in order to earn more love and attention.
They also act like toddlers so you have to be interesting otherwise short attention span and "that thing over there is really exciting" Is going to get the better of them.
>>2126489
My mom has a chihuaha (chiwawa) like that. Sometimes I just do things like change my voice and say wanna go outside really fast and enthusiastically while offering it snacks or going for a walk. All enthusiastically. It gets excited and follows me out. If I stop acting enthusiastic it just stands by the door walking in circles.
>>2126615
Tried a few of what ZakGeorge says. His leash walking stuff worked pretty well and he doesn't really pull (although he has sort of been regressing as of late).
But none of the "how to get your dog to listen" videos worked. I am trying to retrain him outside but I cannot get his attention. Not even treats will break his focus from sniffing, and he places himself in danger a lot by trying to sniff near or in the road, or eat random things.
That is why I am here. None of the standard recommended youtube channels are helping me.
pls
>>2126615
That's when you buzz them with the shock collar. When you are trying to get their attention back and they won't listen. If they won't listen because they wish to please, they will listen because the don't wish to suffer the negative consequences. My dog didn't lay off cats because he wanted to please me. He left cats alone because he didn't want his head to get cooked off.
