Re: Training at Home

I whole-heartedly recommend working at home with a good trainer! I had a few sessions with a great trainer back when I had a very active and intelligent Border Collie who simply would NOT walk at heel on his leash; in all other areas, he was extremely well trained and well-behaved, but for the life of me I just could NOT get him to stop pulling (HARD!) at his leash. After a few MINUTES with the trainer, using a PROPERLY fitted pinch collar (as taught by said trainer) my Border Collie was walking at heel as if he'd been doing it all his life!

After my Border Collie was taken by disease, my ex-fiancee brought home a new puppy; raising and training this pup (His Royal NIbness, a.k.a. Taz "Chuffer" McGeek) was literally "a piece of cake," thanks to all the lessons I learned in just a few sessions with a great trainer. Taz house-trained faster and easier than any other dog I've ever had OR known; I took him out like clockwork every two hours for the first few weeks, and kept him in an enclosed play area under very close supervision, and the instant he started trying to piddle I'd just pick him up and carry him outside, then put him down in the back yard and say, "Taz do your business OUTSIDE," very firmly. After only two tries at piddling inside, he learned how to ask to go outside, and to always hold off on doing his business UNTIL he was outside. What's more, he never once tried to poo inside. I also taught him to wake me if he had a "night-time emergency," but by the time he was three months old he could easily hold on overnight.

Thanks to the things I had learned working with the trainer, training Taz and his brother Dash (who lives nearby, with a friend of my ex-fiancee's) went very quickly indeed, and they had both mastered basic obedience (come, sit, down, stay, give a paw, et cetera) by the time they were three months old. Teaching them to walk at heel took a little bit longer, unfortunately, even with properly-fitted pinch collars; they have strong "bull-necks" and really love to pull, and they quickly learned how to slip their collars down towards the base of their necks so they could pull some more, but they eventually learned to stop pulling and to walk very well at heel.

They've grown up to be extremely well-behaved and well-socialised young adults, a constant source of pride and joy to myself and Dash's owner, Erin. A very great deal of that has to do with the very important lessons I learned in just a few sessions with that trainer, several years ago. This is why I would not hesitate to recommend hiring a good trainer for a few at-home sessions to anyone who wants to raise and train a well-behaved dog, since it worked out so very well for me. Working with a trainer not only helped me to train the dog I had then, but it also gave me skills which will stand me in good stead for the rest of my life, and which allow me to train very well-behaved dogs, both for myself and others.

So my advice to any new and/or inexperienced dog owners is this; By all means, DO hire a trainer for some at-home sessions! It will be MORE than worthwhile, and especially so in the long run. You'll have a much better-behaved and better-trained dog, but you'll also have a great deal more knowledge and VASTLY improved skills in handling, communicating and interacting with/training your dog, as well as with any future dogs as well. The whole point to hiring a trainer is to train BOTH the dog AND the master, so by all means DO get to it and you'll soon learn to work (and work WITH) your dog better than you ever dreamed possible! It will be MORE than worth the small added cost, take it from me ;-)

Re: Training at Home

I took my dog to classes at Pet smart, he did very well, they helped out so much. I do recommend having a person to talk to and watch how they do things, rather the just having a book. I agree with MahonMacRi, the master needs to be trained also and it will help with future dogs. Good luck!!

Re: Training at Home

Takes time...but you have to work with your pet everyday. My little Westie understands everything I say...but sometimes she is just "stubborn"....but thoroughly understands "Walkie"...."Bye-Bye" and "Bone"...definitely understands the word "Bath" and takes off running.

Sometimes my husband and I have to spell words so she won't know what we are talking about! Figure that one out??

Re: Training at Home

We didn't go to "puppy school," and I regret it. (This is my first pet.) I believe that the professional training would be more for ME than for Bridget, if that makes any sense. Since I didn't know how to teach her properly, she never learned things like "Stay!" or to come (reliably) when called, which are both things she needs to know for safety reasons, just like a human child that might run out into the street after a ball or something. I bought plenty of books, but they didn't help much in my case.

By the way, RachelandKaty, we spell a lot, too, because my baby is SMART! I thought I was going to have to change her name to "Cookie" because that was the only word she would respond to every single time! (lol)

Re: Training at Home

We went to puppy school. They graduated but I failed. After that, I worked with a trainer one on one and that has proved successful.