dog training tips and questions

[Rockbadchild]

My Vegas is progressing very well we are now at the stage of loose walking with standard collar with e-collar, she will not leave her bed (still a slip hear and there) her recall is very good but still need a zap her and there. Her heal is getting along very good as well. She now play with my other dog, all the preying and fixation is gone. I would say an other 4 weeks we will be able to walk in town off leash.

 

[Rockbadchild]

We did our first in town off leash walk with Vegas (walk around the block), she did very well and she made me proud since we haven't spend a whole lot of time training lately. Its a pretty hairy feeling to be honest not something I was totally comfortable with but it was a nice experience .. We have to keep working on the heel as she is not that great for it yet, espicially the walking heel and that's very important for off leash walking, then its a matter of trusting her.

Next time we meet with our trainer it's the final test to get certified we are his first client to complete it.

 

[scootr]

I had a heeler that was rock solid on heel. I never used a shock collar, just a leash until it wasn't needed. When I stopped he stopped in place and sat.
A real pleasure. Unfortunately he passed years ago

 

[Rockbadchild]

So it turnout mg GSD was afraid of stairs lol it was a project, I tried to make her go down on her owns but no, nothing worked, she didn’t want to hear about it so i showed her how to go down then i brought her down in my arms. She sniff around and got back up then i command her to go down and she did
, it was very funny on all 4 spread out) I gave her a treat once down and praised her.

 

[Dftodd]

So it turnout mg GSD was afraid of stairs lol it was a project, I tried to make her go down on her owns but no, nothing worked, she didn’t want to hear about it so i showed her how to go down then i brought her down in my arms. She sniff around and got back up then i command her to go down and she did
, it was very funny on all 4 spread out) I gave her a treat once down and praised her.

My GSD would spread out similarly when walking over one of the bridges on the walking trail by my daughters place.

She would position herself dead center of the bridge, ears would lay flat, and then do the sumo walk

She didn't like stairs either and never encountered any until we moved into the camper with stairs up to the bathroom and bedroom.

The stairs were super steep, so I had to lengthen them out (two steps).

For about a week, one of us would have to stand at the foot of the stairs and provide moral support for her to come down.

She would go up the stairs when we were at work and we would stay up there until one of us got home so she had her moral support to come down them

After about 5 days, her confidence improved and she started coming down them without someone by the stairs.

I had built a wooden ramp outside to get into the camper since we are living in it.

Makes it much easier to get in and out with laundry and groceries.

 

[MossRoad]

My mother in-law had a schnauzer that wouldn't go down the basement steps. She'd just stand at the top and whine. So I carried her down and she ran back up and whined some more. Repeated. About the 3-4 time she came down on her own and that was that. From then on she'd follow anyone down there just to see what they were doing (usually laundry!)

 

[Rockbadchild]

New things that is happening with my trio, I get Laika (my Lab) to go fetch her bole for feeding time and once she dose I get her to go get Oakley (my golden, collie mix) food bole as well, its supper funny she dose it with such of excitement...

Oakley is loosing a lot of pep this year, his years are counted. Every morning now I ask him if he wants to come to the property and the following day of a big day he will refuse, so I let him stay at the house. Sometime he his simply hesitant, I will open back the house door and let him choose. I also won't let him jump down from the truck, he was disgruntle at first but now he lean right into it, its pretty sad to see him deteriorate so quickly, he his only 8 years old, he his now living his best life (killing and chasing all kinds of things at the property) but its life... I simply wish he experienced that for more years that he did.

The two female get along very well at the property, (they are best bud out there) but in the house is a bit more finicky still but very manageable. I notice it is more challenging when the wife is around, the lab resource guard her. Yeah I lost Laika (the lab) to my wife, she is no longer my dog as soon as my wife show up in the vicinity, the fact that Vegas (the GSD) is my dog pushed Laika to my wife even more but that's ok I guess.

 

[scootr]

The sad part about enjoying a good dog is losing them. I lost my buddy Tag this year. He was only 9 and I thought we had many more yrs to come then we didn't. If you love them it's a big loss. Spend time enjoying them everyday.

 

[Eagle1]

The sad part about enjoying a good dog is losing them. I lost my buddy Tag this year. He was only 9 and I thought we had many more yrs to come then we didn't. If you love them it's a big loss. Spend time enjoying them everyday.

I lost my big Karakachan Modi at 13+ and a pup from him Honey 11 earlier this year. Never easy but his day had been coming a long time, he was just determined to live. Honey was much shorter notice, same cancer that killed her sister last year.
Seem like the pups saw it and came online as working dogs younger than expected.
Still really miss my big side kick and enforcer, but he no longer has to drag his failing body around.

 

[1 Old Man]

Stop it. I was just going to have a cup of coffee and read some on TBN.
Thinking about losing my last GSD, or the one I have now.....ruined my
morning. Too much to think about....

 

[Eagle1]

Stop it. I was just going to have a cup of coffee and read some on TBN.
Thinking about losing my last GSD, or the one I have now.....ruined my
morning. Too much to think about....

Sorry......
You never get used to it.... and that is a good thing for your soul.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Stop it. I was just going to have a cup of coffee and read some on TBN.
Thinking about losing my last GSD, or the one I have now.....ruined my
morning. Too much to think about....

Ah, that wasn’t my intent at all, sorry to darken your coffee. That’s why I keep three of them around… so there's always a backup when one goes into retirement mode.

 

[Jstpssng]

I also won't let him jump down from the truck

I did the same with Ruger as he got older, although I didn't realize he had bone cancer. Then one day I was running late when stopped to cut a tree out of the road so opened the door for him without thinking. He went down and never got up. It was all that I could do just to get him back in for his last ride.

And that ******* tree stayed there for a year, until somebody else moved it.

 

[scootr]

My old dog was blind for his last 5 yrs. He learned new commands like go left, go right, and look out slammed the brakes on hard. He knew the house, the yard, the barn, and everything in between. He would go with me to feed the barn cats everyday. I'd say kitty cats and he'd beat to the barn and be waiting at the door. He learned Barbeque too. When I said that he made a bee line for the back door. Every night he would climb the ramp and get up on the bed. I think that's the part I miss the most. He adapted pretty well but, honestly, I missed my old seeing dog during those 5 yrs. Those Queensland heelers stick like glue

 

[rontaki]

Reading about your dogs and losing them is bad for my keyboard-salt water can short it out.

 

[LouNY]

Well our old pup just got put down this afternoon. She had been diagnosed with bladder cancer a while back. Meds only did so much.
An old man like me having to load a 100 pound dog into the back seat of the pickup was a circus. Fortunately she has always liked to ride and once I got her up all I had to do was help her with her hind quarters to get up the ramp. Once we got to the vets office it took a crew to get her out and onto a stretcher to carry her in.
Once we made the decision we knew we had to make she was asleep and then down in just a few minutes.
This one is hitting me harder then most of them have over the years, even the ones that I had to put down were easier then this one. Have to wonder if it's because I'm not far from that time.

 

[Eagle1]

Well our old pup just got put down this afternoon. She had been diagnosed with bladder cancer a while back. Meds only did so much.
An old man like me having to load a 100 pound dog into the back seat of the pickup was a circus. Fortunately she has always liked to ride and once I got her up all I had to do was help her with her hind quarters to get up the ramp. Once we got to the vets office it took a crew to get her out and onto a stretcher to carry her in.
Once we made the decision we knew we had to make she was asleep and then down in just a few minutes.
This one is hitting me harder then most of them have over the years, even the ones that I had to put down were easier then this one. Have to wonder if it's because I'm not far from that time.

Never easy..... condolences

 

[1 Old Man]

Well our old pup just got put down this afternoon. She had been diagnosed with bladder cancer a while back. Meds only did so much.
An old man like me having to load a 100 pound dog into the back seat of the pickup was a circus. Fortunately she has always liked to ride and once I got her up all I had to do was help her with her hind quarters to get up the ramp. Once we got to the vets office it took a crew to get her out and onto a stretcher to carry her in.
Once we made the decision we knew we had to make she was asleep and then down in just a few minutes.
This one is hitting me harder then most of them have over the years, even the ones that I had to put down were easier then this one. Have to wonder if it's because I'm not far from that time.

Sorry to hear this.

 

[alexpops]

You have my deepest sympathies. That is never an easy action, but I get that some wind up being a lot harder than others. Remember the good times, the quirks, and know she had a wonderful, longer life because of you. As far as time, I know she'll be waiting for you same as a few of mine will be waiting to greet me when my time comes.

 

[Jstpssng]

Well our old pup just got put down this afternoon. She had been diagnosed with bladder cancer a while back. Meds only did so much.
An old man like me having to load a 100 pound dog into the back seat of the pickup was a circus. Fortunately she has always liked to ride and once I got her up all I had to do was help her with her hind quarters to get up the ramp. Once we got to the vets office it took a crew to get her out and onto a stretcher to carry her in.
Once we made the decision we knew we had to make she was asleep and then down in just a few minutes.
This one is hitting me harder then most of them have over the years, even the ones that I had to put down were easier then this one. Have to wonder if it's because I'm not far from that time.

I am sorry to hear this. No matter how many dogs we have it always sucks... and there are those special few who make it even harder to say goodbye.