Charlie needs an animal behavioral specialist

[Mr. Ed]

Since I brought Charlie in March, his behavior toward our other dogs has been confrontational. Charlie weighs 104 lbs. And because of his large statute, he feels entitled to do as he pleases. Recently, I stopped using a prong collar on him because I do not support causing harm even if a prong collar to me when Charle is on a leash. He was not leash trained when I got him and now three months later I struggle to control him on a leash.

Shyla is an 8 yr old Border Collie mix, the matriarch of the pack, while the other two dogs stay out of Charlie's way because of his strength and large size. It's an ordeal when all dogs are barking at the same time because yelling only adds to the noise, and it doesn't work, anyway..

I hope the animal behaviorist will help me establish boundaries in the pack, resolve reactionary behaviors in Charlie and Shyla, increase control and management of Charlie for public places that may include people and animals.

 

[Lilac]

I've used the collar you mentioned in dog training, but we call them it a pinch collar. They are not inhumane when they are used properly as a training aid. If your dog is 104-pounds & you can't control him, then you need to use one until Charlie learns his manners.

I've used them in training some of my German shepherds when it was needed. Each dog is an individual & not all will need it. One of my GSDs had it on twice & he learned very quickly not to pull me off the porch steps. I switched him back to a choker & I didn't need to use one again with him. Only one of my shepherds remained in one when we took walks. He was a gentleman with it & a knot head without it. I'm not about to get hurt because of a dog who won't listen on lead.

Since you are still struggling to control him, you need to use it until you get with a trainer that can help with Charlie. You don't want to get hurt because he has a mind of his own or allowing other people/pets to be hurt either. What if he gets away from you when he pulls & runs into traffic? No one wants Charlie to get hurt, but he needs to know your the boss.

 

[Wigglestein]

I met a woman at an outdoor concert yesterday who was training a young service dog. The dog had a "muzzle harness" she called it. It was a combination collar around the neck and a second collar around the muzzle. The leash attached under the chin\neck. She said the company she was working for required it. The dog pulled before she put it on and not after. She said once the dog is done training she will wear it full time. She said the company has had good luck using these harnesses and even the most rambunctious dogs are compliant. I see Amazon has dozens of them.

 

[jujube]

There's a training collar known as a "gentle leader". It has a muzzle attachment that pulls the dog's head down when it pulls on the leash. The dog does not like it but learns why not to pull.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Thank you all for your sound advice. The animal behaviorist does not condone pinch collars, which is why I stopped using one on Charlie. Unfortunately, he is not leash trained to do without one. My first zoom appointment with the dog behaviorist is 07/18/2023, I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say.

Since I stopped using the pinch collar on Charlie, he refuses to walk with me and does not come when I call him. I'll put the collar Charlie today to reinforce leadership and cooperation.

 

[Lilac]

I know everyone has their own ideas on dog training. I've been lucky getting to know people who were very much into dog obedience & after seeing how they trained & the results, I was a believer. The same idea, to an extent, is behind training horses. Due to horses size, you can't force them to do anything. First you "ask" them to do something & work with them until they understand. If it doesn't work the easy way, you move up one level at a time in reinforcement. When they do it right, the horses reward was praise & sometimes a small treat at the end of the session. Again food is a great motivator for some. Same way with a dog, one level at a time & lots of patience.

Some are very easy to train & others not so much. I found out my shepherds had high ball drive & used those as a reward for training. My schnauzers were food driven. Maybe you can find out which reward Charlie likes & integrate that into his training for when he does something right as a reward. If you know what Charlie is or has in him breed-wise, you may be able to figure out what trainers of those breeds use to get through to them.

I want my dogs to be good citizens around everyone & everywhere. I also expect them to do something when I ask them to do it. I've seen the benefit of pinch collars along with electronic collars (as in an invisible dog fence & as a training aid) when they are used properly. All training starts with the least amount of force or reinforcement (whatever you want to call it), lots of repetitions, lots of praise & goes up step by step as needed. I've seen some dogs that needed the e-collar for them to listen. Once the lesson was learned, it was not used again.

Nothing is more aggravating for me when someone has a dog without any manners. The majority are in the small yip dog category like my SILs chihuahuas. The excuses she has for no training is beyond belief. That's another story.

Like I said my other post, I only had one shepherd that I had to use a pinch for on walks. When it was on him, he was a gentleman & I didn't have to use it. He just knew it was there. I have no idea why, because otherwise he behaved & listened off leash. Go figure.

They can all get the proverbial "wind in their ears" & claim they couldn't hear you. That will be their story & they will stick too that . You just have to figure out how to not allow them to use that excuse.

 

[Lilac]

@Mr. Ed, how is training going with the new trainer? Haven't heard anything & was curious. Hope it's going well.

Edited to replace training with the new trainer