Six Week Basic Training Class for my adult dog??

[Delaney]

I am a first time dog owner. My dog Puffin is a 13 lb malshi (half maltese, half shih tzu). I got Puffin when he was five months old. He is now 18 months old.

I am trying to decide if is worth it to sign up for a six week (6 hour) basic training class. When he was a puppy, I think he would have had more to learn, but now he seems to know what he needs to know. He was naughty at times when he was a puppy, but now he behaves.

He does pull on our walks, but I think that's because he is so excited. I would like to stop him from barking at deer that he sees out back or dogs being walked out front, but I don't think the training class will address that.

I'd love it if I could take him to the park and let him off his leash, but I don't think any amount of training would stop him from chasing after a deer (for example). He's convinced he can hunt a full grown deer, but at his size, I would be afraid for him.

I think he'd enjoy being in class with other dogs, but then again, he may hate the fact that he won't be playing with the dogs.

Should I bother with the training class?

 

[Red Badger]

IMHO, you are about 15 months late with this post.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I took a golden retriever puppy to training classes when he was 14 months old or so. He was just so big he would drag me on the leash. The classes were extremely effective. He became a very well behaved dog that I wasn't afraid to take out in public. It would probably be too late if you wanted to do high level training with him, but if you're after basic manners, I think that's achievable.

 

[omni550]

A single friend adopted a stray female dog a few years ago. Being a stray, it's a guess as to the dog's age (young-ish...2 or 3 years old at the time, perhaps) -- and breed (suspect part-pit bull).

Once or twice, a few years after adoption, the dog, while being walked on a leash, 'got into it' (attacked by fighting/biting?) with another leashed dog.

Anyhoo, the dog's owner was worried that this aggressive behavior might continue and result in the dog causing major harm and thus possibly being confiscated and put down.

She found a local dog training facility that has a very structured program to train dogs, reduce aggressive behaviors, etc. I don't remember any details, but, basically, she gave them the dog for 6 weeks. She couldn't visit nor stop by to observe the training. When she got the dog back, it was like a new dog...no issues with aggressing towards other dogs, etc. The owner is thrilled as she is no longer fearful of her dog attacking another dog nor person.

So it is possible to train older dogs to have significant behavior changes, too.

omni

 

[Scrapr]

One of our Goldens would pull like crazy on the leash. We got a harness that attached on her chest. Every time she would pull she would be turned sideways. That did the trick. As she got older she didn't need it much longer

 

[splitwdw]

I am a first time dog owner. My dog Puffin is a 13 lb malshi (half maltese, half shih tzu). I got Puffin when he was five months old. He is now 18 months old.

I am trying to decide if is worth it to sign up for a six week (6 hour) basic training class. When he was a puppy, I think he would have had more to learn, but now he seems to know what he needs to know. He was naughty at times when he was a puppy, but now he behaves.

He does pull on our walks, but I think that's because he is so excited. I would like to stop him from barking at deer that he sees out back or dogs being walked out front, but I don't think the training class will address that.

I'd love it if I could take him to the park and let him off his leash, but I don't think any amount of training would stop him from chasing after a deer (for example). He's convinced he can hunt a full grown deer, but at his size, I would be afraid for him.

I think he'd enjoy being in class with other dogs, but then again, he may hate the fact that he won't be playing with the dogs.

Should I bother with the training class?

Yes, go to the training class, the classes are for the owner and the dog. The dog will be trained to "heel" so he doesn't pull at the leash. The owner will be trained how to work with their dog. You have to practice at home what you learned in the class. A responsible owner will not take their dog to a park (unless it's a fenced in dog park)and let him off leash. That said I would not take my dog to a dog park because of dogs not being trained or having up to date vaccines. The dogs, in any of the classes I've been in, are taught not to "play" while working in the class. The age of the dog does not matter. The age and mind set of the owner is another issue.

 

[CDRE]

By all means, take your dog to the classes. Stick with it and understand that reinforcement is lifetime and well worth the effort. I think training classes are about 80% for the owner, 19% for the dog, and 1% luck.


Training a dog to heal is actually quite easy, especially if the dog is motivated to go for a walk. Following a pack leader on migration routes is embedded in their genetic code. This (heal/follow) relates to all other aspects of the owner/dog relationship.

 

[Nemo2]

Training a dog to heal is actually quite easy

Dogs are going to medical school now?

 

[pacergal]

Yes, definitely take your dog, a benefit for both of you.
For some reason, our 10 year old dog has started barking at everything, so we are re-training him. The main thing is a consistent correction/reward system.
Yes, old dogs can learn new things, he is doing very well with his training.

 

[MRG]

Please do. I had the benefit of taking an adult dog to training and it benefited both of us.

Great dog you must have. Both breeds are very friendly and nice. We have a Maltese and a Shi Zu + Japanese Chin mix, both are small enough to pick up and carry. However a small dancing dog is a pain to deal with.

The only thing better than having a dog is having a trained dog.

 

[irishgal]

Yes, go to the training class, the classes are for the owner and the dog. The dog will be trained to "heel" so he doesn't pull at the leash. The owner will be trained how to work with their dog. You have to practice at home what you learned in the class. A responsible owner will not take their dog to a park (unless it's a fenced in dog park)and let him off leash. That said I would not take my dog to a dog park because of dogs not being trained or having up to date vaccines. The dogs, in any of the classes I've been in, are taught not to "play" while working in the class. The age of the dog does not matter. The age and mind set of the owner is another issue.

This! Dogs can learn at any age, plus it will be good for your dog to be around other dogs and to learn to be better behaved and less stressed around dogs.
It is never a good idea to take a dog to a park or any other place where other people are around with dogs, even if your dog has the best recall in the history of dog recall. You have no idea what others dogs are around, off leash, or what might trigger another dog who sees your dog off leash. Dogs are not computers and don't respond to each stimuli the same way each time, so off leash in public places..nope.

I can't even count the bite stats that happen in "dog parks", people show up with kids, food etc., and you are there with people who don't have a clue about K9 behavior.

There are also a lot of other things you can do with your dog, you can play brain games (Trixie games are pretty good and can be found online), you can get some small dog agility equipment and just do fun stuff like tunnel, short jumps, etc. Helps burn energy and they love it.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

For the pulling on the leash "Gentle Leader" head collar works really well. It fits around their nose and head and when they pull, they turn their head sideways. You can buy them on EBAY for around $10. My 2 German Shepherds were 100+ pounds each and impossible to walk, I'm pretty short. My sister bought the collars for me and I couldn't believe the difference. Once they figured out pulling wasn't going to get them anywhere, they didn't even try. They didn't care for the nose halter and rolled around trying to get if off for a few minutes when I first got them but the excitement over going for a walk always won out and they tolerated it.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Of all the Maltese we have had through the years only one could be trusted off leash. For years we had a great place to take them that very few people knew about and my 80lb dog was protective of the little one. Both have passed and now they are building houses on the land. None of my Maltese weighed more than 10lbs so pulling wasn’t a issue.

 

[Midpack]

Like others have said, please get your dog trained whether at paid classes or on your own. Either way you will have to work with the dog outside of class. It takes some reinforcement for the dog to catch on, but they’ll learn if you’re consistent - that’s key. Leash training is relatively easy, the essentials “come”, “stay” and “stop” usually take longer. But you and other people will be happier if your dog is well trained, well behaved - and it’s safer for your dog too. Dogs want to know what’s expected of them, most take well to training and will be happier if you do. The world of people doesn’t make sense to a dog if you don’t help them understand.

 

[Bestwifeever]

....
Anyhoo, the dog's owner was worried that this aggressive behavior might continue and result in the dog causing major harm and thus possibly being confiscated and put down.

She found a local dog training facility that has a very structured program to train dogs, reduce aggressive behaviors, etc. I don't remember any details, but, basically, she gave them the dog for 6 weeks. She couldn't visit nor stop by to observe the training. When she got the dog back, it was like a new dog...no issues with aggressing towards other dogs, etc. ...

DS's DW found an abandoned puppy being abused by teenagers in a parking lot a few years ago and she and DS did not hesitate to take it in. The puppy, Pepper, scared me as she seemed to be exhibiting aggressive behavior toward me when I visited a few weeks later. They ended up sending Pepper away to training for I think three months and as you said, she was a new dog when they got her, and seven years later, is still a sweetie pie. Pepper is a big dog and that level of training is probably more important considering the damage untrained big dogs can cause. I'm really afraid of big dogs but I would take Pepper in a heartbeat now.

OP should certainly start training the Maltese/Shihtzu now--that is still a young dog and the benefits will be amazing. Besides, it can be a fun activity for both owner and pet.

 

[Nemo2]

When I took my Border Collie pup, who was so young he slept through most of the sessions.....(the trainer only accepted him at that age because he was a Border), to training, I observed the behavioral transformation of a number of attendees.

For me....training, and ongoing post course reinforcement, is essential......a trained dog
makes everyone's life easier.

 

[ATX78701]

In 2009, I adopted a rescue dog with a age of 1.5 - 2 years old. Well trained and obedient. However, 2 years later he ran into traffic to greet me and ran in front of a car (luckily the car driven by a neighbor was able to avoid him). I immediately signed the pup and myself up for training after that because although i was telling the dog "stop" and "no" he didn't understand. I realized that if anything I, the human, needed the basics.

 

[Nemo2]

although i was telling the dog "stop" and "no" he didn't understand.

Basic hand signals, e.g. 'Lie Down', are invaluable from a distance.

 

[ATX78701]

Basic hand signals, e.g. 'Lie Down', are invaluable from a distance.

"Lie down" as a hand sign is an excellent example of something the pooch and I both learned. Also stop, sit, and shake all without words. The pup learned to come the FIRST time he's called not on the fifth, or sixth, or nth time which makes me so proud at the dog park when other owners are hollering repeatedly for their dogs.

The pup and I also have a word that is not his name that means "come to me now". It's not "treat" although that gets him running, too.

 

[Nemo2]

The pup learned to come the FIRST time he's called not on the fifth, or sixth, or nth time

Our trainer used to say "Don't repeat yourself...the dog's not deaf, he heard you the first time".

(There was a cartoon.....may have been the Far Side, I'm not sure, where the dog thinks the command is "Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit....ad infinitum", and he's counting off the numbers before reacting.)

 

[splitwdw]

For the pulling on the leash "Gentle Leader" head collar works really well. It fits around their nose and head and when they pull, they turn their head sideways. You can buy them on EBAY for around $10. My 2 German Shepherds were 100+ pounds each and impossible to walk, I'm pretty short. My sister bought the collars for me and I couldn't believe the difference. Once they figured out pulling wasn't going to get them anywhere, they didn't even try. They didn't care for the nose halter and rolled around trying to get if off for a few minutes when I first got them but the excitement over going for a walk always won out and they tolerated it.

This is one of the reasons that it's recommended you take a new puppy to puppy classes cause some of them are going to turn into BIG dogs. Doesn't matter what you weigh or your height the classes really work for any age dog as long as you stick with the training. One of my last classes had a 15 year old girl, talk about tiny. Her dog was a German short hair pointer. Talk about a high energy dog. He was bouncing off the walls in the first class but so much better by the end of the sessions. I think she worked harder than most of the adults in the class.

 

[Delaney]

Thank you for all the good advice. I am signing up for the dog training class now.

 

[irishgal]

Super happy to read you are going to do the training!
I will add, I got a 2 year old purebred dachshund about 7 years ago who was a mess. The people had never trained her, she could hardly walk on a leash. I took her to basic obedience and she really liked it, she went on to earn multiple AKC titles in tracking, barn hunt, earth dog and is in master level in AKC scent work. It all started with the simple class..

 

[Nemo2]

On our course, one night a week for about eight weeks, (plus homework), there were about twenty dogs of varying obedience - on the last day the trainer had everyone put their dogs in a 'Sit/Stay' and go and stand along the walls.

She then walked in and out of the lines, bouncing a ball.......not one dog broke.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

This is one of the reasons that it's recommended you take a new puppy to puppy classes cause some of them are going to turn into BIG dogs. Doesn't matter what you weigh or your height the classes really work for any age dog as long as you stick with the training. One of my last classes had a 15 year old girl, talk about tiny. Her dog was a German short hair pointer. Talk about a high energy dog. He was bouncing off the walls in the first class but so much better by the end of the sessions. I think she worked harder than most of the adults in the class.

I totally agree however my dogs were both from animal shelters and fully grown when I got them. I did take the younger one to classes which definitely helped in other ways. The clicker and treats are a magical combination.