# Questions About Training



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I'm starting a trend about finding good positive trainers and also questions anyone has about training their Havanese. We have several really good members who seem to be giving great advice on so many different subjects. I thought it would be nice and save them some time if other members could use this trend as a referral somehow for getting their answers. It may need more than one trend.
Like House Training or barking or walking on a leash. I have noticed lately that we can have three or four people all with the same question and the same people have to type answers several times. Maybe it would be hard to organize and it is faster to just ask and get an answer . Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a training section work with good references? I'm starting it off by posting a message Karen wrote in response to finding a good positive trainer.
Quote: For the trainer I work with, a private, one hour lesson is $60. If you have her come to you, I think it is $70. I'd never go over one hour, because I think it's too much all at once for the dog, and, honestly, it's too much for the human to process all at once too.

In my case, when picking trainers, I have asked for referrals from other people I know who have similar feelings to mine on the fact that positive training is the way to go. If that weren't an option, I'd go to some dog shows, and watch the obedience and rally classes. I'd look for dogs who are clearly enjoying working with their owner, and owners who never jerk leashes, speak harshly or get angry at their dogs. I'd ask these people where they train, and if they can suggest a good trainer to work with.

If you have training centers nearby, call and ask if you can go and watch a couple of lessons. Again, you want to see happy dogs, lots of praise, ignoring "wrong" performance from the dog, while working to figure out how best to get the behavior the person wants using positive methods.

What are positive methods? Anything that doesn't force, hurt, scare or intimidate the dog. If you're not sure, think about what they are doing, and ask if you'd like someone to do it to you.

For an example of something that SEEMS mild, but is a form of compulsion training, think about people who teach a dog to sit by applying upward pressure to the leash and downward pressure to the hind end to force the dog into a sitting position. This SEEMS pretty benign, and certainly on the scale of things compulsion trainers do to dogs, it's on the WAY mild end. But still. Would you like someone bigger than you to come up, put their hands on your shoulders and push down hard enough that you had no CHOICE but to sit in the chair behind you? That's what is happening to the dog. And it is SO easy to lure a puppy (or adult dog) into a sitting position with a cookie. Most dogs master the sit, without a single touch to their body, in a day or two. The really slow learners might take a week of practicing a few minutes a day.

Be wary of people who call themselves "balanced" trainers. These are people who use some positive methods, but also use some compulsion methods. IMO, there's nothing a compulsion trainer can teach a dog that a positive trainer can't, and without damaging the relationship between the dog and owner. So why treat dogs poorly?

* First question:* I know I'm lazy at training only because I get lost with the language and don't take the time to study simple words like recall. It means come right?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Suzi said:


> * First question:* I know I'm lazy at training only because I get lost with the language and don't take the time to study simple words like recall. It means come right?


In my opinion, a GOOD recall is a bit more. It means to come immediately, and briskly when called. I have two types of recalls with Kodi. Informal (for out in the woods or yard) which is just cued with "Kodi, here!" For this type of recall, I expect him to come back to me quickly, for a quick pat or maybe a cookie, but no formal end to it. It is simply meant to bring him back close to me.

For a formal, competition obedience "recall", you leave the dog in a sit/stay at one end of the ring, walk to the other end of the ring and turn to face the dog. The judge then tells you to call your dog, and you give your dog the cue of your choice. (ours is "Kodi, front!") the dog must go STRAIGHT back to you, briskly (at least trotting, if not at a full out run) and stop, sitting straight in front of you, as close as possible without actually touching you. The judge then tells you to "finish", and you cue your dog to return to heel position, at which point the exercise is finished.

I use the two different cues because I don't want Kodi to be sloppy in the ring, but I also don't want him to feel like he needs to be so formal when we're out and about just having a good time. The informal recall is what EVERY owner should try to put on EVERY dog. There are some breeds that are harder than others, and some individuals that are harder than others. (and a few that can probably NEVER be safely allowed off leash unless in a confined area) but, IMO, a good reliable, quick, informal recall is what every owner should strive for.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

BTW, Suzi, I think this thread is a great idea, and I hope lots of people will participate, both with questions AND with answers. If we get enough good questions and answers, maybe we can get the mods to make it a "sticky" in the "training" section of the forum.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

That is a great idea, Suzi!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Its a good idea but would be very hard to organize. We do get the same questions and it is easier for the person to keep track of their own trends. I should have bought a puppy book that was entitled "Puppy training for the dummy 101"
Some people can't afford to hire trainers and I was surprised that karen has found ones for a reasonable price.
*Aggressive: When is it normal behavior that a puppy goes through and when does it need a trainer? *


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

IMO, and from what I have learned from others, true aggression in puppies is vanishingly rare. In younger puppies, most of what is seen as aggression is mouthiness, chewing or teething behavior. In some cases, there is also a herding component. In all of these cases, the puppy needs to be redirected, and taught in a gentle way that teeth on people are not appropriate. 

Ocassionally, you run into circumstances where older puppies are biting, either out of fear or resource guarding. 

Unless the owner is very well versed in fearful dogs and resource guarders, owners of this type of dog should be seeking professional help. For the chewing and nipping that small puppies do, most owners can get their puppies through this annoying stage with patience and a little effort. But if you have a particularly nippy puppy for whom the normal methods are not doing the trick, or if you are at your wit's end, there is nothing wrong with turning to a trainer for help with this either.

If a puppy is TRULY unpredictable and aggressive, it may be that the puppy, genetically, is just not emotionally well balanced. In a case like that, it may not be possible even for a professional to solve the problem. In some cases it can be managed to some extent, but dogs like this are not suitable for the average pet household. But, as I said to start, this is a VERY rare situation.


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