dog training

has ne1 tryed it ?? we got a 2-3 year old american bulldog from a rescue center about 4 months ago. He just loves attention so will push against your legs try and get on your knee ( HE IS 7 STONE ) and is as stuburn as a mule though soft as grease tho he was badly treated before so we dont wanna shout n smack him

Training is an amazin idea. My mum's old dog was from a broken home and had "issues", she still has some issues but you now feel 100% safe that she's not gonna do anything too stupid, she's still an animal so there's always a chance but we're all alot more confident with her tempermant.

She's got a little more narky as she's getting older but I think that's just cuz she hasn't had me living there for a while so she's probably not used to people being as boisterous anymore!

Anyway, a trainer will give you all the tools you need to adjust your/her behaviour so you can all get the best outta the dog and vice-versa!

As your dog may have been ill-treated before your best bet is to go down the reward when thing is done right and ignore when thing is done wrong-patience and time,lots of time.

American Bulldog? Are they not on the naughty dog list? Or is that just American Pit Bulls?

Sorry to deflect from the point.

Argh! Dogs!

Matt

I am no expert but we are going through a similar process with our pup. He likes to jump up on the kids so we are trying to get them to be consistant in telling him off. He's pretty good with adults but the kids dont see the big picture so is a little harder to be consistant. Maybe an "AH-AH'" or "OFF" in your angry voice. But you also need to use the "good boy" in the high pitch happy voice when he does what you want - and rewards work well in conjunction.

If you dont like to raise your voice try a used drink can with stones in it as most dogs hate the sound. Give it a shake when he's misbehaving.

Originally Posted by Pedrosa

American Bulldog? Are they not on the naughty dog list? Or is that just American Pit Bulls?

Nope, the ones you can't have in the UK are:

• the Pit Bull Terrier
• the Japanese tosa
• the Dogo Argentino
• the Fila Brasileiro

We've got 3 Staffordshire Bull Terriers at the moment (fostering one) and its amazing how many people are apprehensive of them because they (wrongly) think they're dangerous.

Theres no such thing as a bad dog either - just a bad owner.

Anyway - Leemole - good luck. Whatever you do don't encourage or reward his pushiness. If you do he'll do it for life. Praise him when he's not begging for attention instead. He'll soon realise his efforts are pointless.

This post reminds me of this programme on MTV (i think its on MTV anyway...) called "The Dog Whisperer". Its amazing! He sorts out naughty dogs (not saying that your dog is naught leemole) and corrects thier behaviour. One thing he does is say "SHHHHHHHHHHH" and pokes the dog with his finger/hand whenever it does something he doesnt like.

Have you thought about taking your dog to an actual training school? Its probably quite expensive but it might be worth it in the long run?

Maria

There should be a local training school that is either free or require you to make a donation to some charity, that's where my mum took her dog. They're done in groups rather than 1-2-1 and take a little longer but they're much more cost effective.