Shock collars

[JenBKR]

Rule of thumb should be if you won't use it on a 2 year old child you don't use it on your dog plain and simple.
Training usingf positve reinforcement may take longer but works better.

So, how then should I have gotten my 93 lb. german shepherd to walk by my side and not run away without coming home, nor pulling my arm out of it's socket? I would not use a prong on a 2 year old, but I did on my dog, under my trainer's supervision, and it worked extremely well. Perhaps positive reinforcement would have worked eventually, I suppose in the meantime I would just not give him walks and exercise. Then I would have been a bad doggie parent for not giving him exercise. Um, ok......

[flip195]

So, how then should I have gotten my 93 lb. german shepherd to walk by my side and not run away without coming home, nor pulling my arm out of it's socket? I would not use a prong on a 2 year old, but I did on my dog, under my trainer's supervision, and it worked extremely well. Perhaps positive reinforcement would have worked eventually, I suppose in the meantime I would just not give him walks and exercise. Then I would have been a bad doggie parent for not giving him exercise. Um, ok......

15 mins a day sit heel work, in an enclosed area,

until he got it right,
make the dog sit when he does praise reward,
Take one step with the heel command and sit again & reward.
Gradually increase the steps taking always start and finish with sit.
start and end training with a game... make it fun... never work more than 15 mins at a time.

German shepherd should pick it up in about a week of 15 min sessions max.

[JenBKR]

15 mins a day sit heel work, in an enclosed area,

until he got it right,
make the dog sit when he does praise reward,
Take one step with the heel command and sit again & reward.
Gradually increase the steps taking always start and finish with sit.
start and end training with a game... make it fun... never work more than 15 mins at a time.

German shepherd should pick it up in about a week of 15 min sessions max.

Tried that, all last summer. Pretty much exactly as you put it (I did a lot of reseach). He was already 4 when we got him, and not at all well behaved. I worked with him a ton in the back yard. I even used treats (or tried, he has absolutely no interest in the treats when we are outside). Tons of praise, about 15-20 mins per day for 3-4 months. It did nothing. At the end of summer, I had to take him the the vet. I opened my car door, holding onto his leash. He jumped out of my door and took off - with me in tow. I ripped my jeans, scraped my face. At least I held on to him, because he has taken off before and he can be difficult to track down. I went in to the vet's office and asked for a recommendation for a trainer. Roscoe went through 8 weeks of training with a prong and graduated first in his class.

I know I went off of the topic of shock collars, but I think that the 'don't use something you wouldn't use on a two year old child' was not good advice (what 2-year old weighs 93 lbs? ). And you cannot generalize the breed, especially considering he's a mix. So what would you have done? Work with him another 3 months and hope for the best? Or take him back to the shelter? Sorry, but neither was an option.

EDIT: I should also mention that distractions made it extremely difficult to do the work you mentioned. He always wanted to chase the birds and bunnies, bark at cars, etc. Perhaps anything more about this should be said through PM, as I do not wish to further hijack this thread.

[JenBKR]

OK, just one more thing.....I personally would not put a collar and leash on a two year old either, so should we not even use those?

[flip195]

OK, just one more thing.....I personally would not put a collar and leash on a two year old either, so should we not even use those?

So is he toy driven rather than food driven ?


no , but i personally have never strapped a dog into a buggy either
and folks have been know to use harnesses and wrist straps on kids soooooo lol

[JenBKR]

So is he toy driven rather than food driven ?


no , but i personally have never strapped a dog into a buggy either
and folks have been know to use harnesses and wrist straps on kids soooooo lol

I have no idea what you mean by toy driven rather than food driven

And sorry, but your strapping a dog into a buggy analogy only furthers my point that you should not compare a two-year-old to a dog

And yes, people do use harnesses and straps on children, but I have yet to see one used around a child's neck

EDIT: As I said before, please direct all other comments to me via PM, as we have done enough hijacking of this thread. I apologize to the poster who began this thread, I promise not to post here again unless it is about shock collars! I just get so upset when people refuse to believe that their way may not be right for everyone.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I have no idea what you mean by toy driven rather than food driven

I just get so upset when people refuse to believe that their way may not be right for everyone.

Just to clarify for anyone else who may be confused about what toy driven means.... Instead of working for food as an incentive to do what you want it to do, you use a favorite toy that is irresitable to the dog. Not all dogs have a favorite toy that they would rather have than food.

My Dusty loves frisbee so I use that as his reward when he does what I ask him. I use his frisbee as reward for shaping wanted behaviors and for reinforcing behaviors he already knows. Before I go into a show ring (obedience) I pump him up with his frisbee and always have it waiting close by for when we exit the ring! Works better for him than food! My Dixie on the other hand will do anything for food and could care less about a toy! I hate to see a dog that acts like obedience training is the worst thing in the world. It shows me the owner doesn't know their dog well enough to figure out how to make obedience training fun!