Just wondering.....

[Luanda]

Rebecca is my rescue Rott that I've been fostering since August. Since I started working again in Sept. (I work @ a school) I feel like I haven't had the time to spend with her or my resident mutt like I did in the summer. Well, I would let them out in the back yard to play and do their business then let them back in. I did the basic obedience like sit, down and stay with both of them to keep them sharp.
This is my problem... On Thursday both of them escaped from what I swore was my secure back yard. I found them in the projects behind my house raiding the garbage. They smelled like diaper crap and scared the people there (because they were loose not because of aggression).
Needless to say I felt like the most irresponsible person alive!!! I decided that now that they have escaped once they might do it again so I have to find another way of letting them do their business and playing but I didn't just want to hang out in the yard and do nothing so I decided to take them on long walks. It has been going resonably well but anytime I pass someone or they pass me Rebecca feels it's her business to rush up and sniff these people. Even when I put her in a sit-stay!!!!!
How can I make her obey me without using force? Unfortunately this is the way I was raised to deal with dogs and it has been very difficult for me to learn and stick with gentler methods but I'm not giving up!!
Any suggestions???

[brunie's mom]

What organization are you rescuing for?
They should be able to help you with any training problems you are having... if not they should pay for obedience training classes for you and your foster. The whole idea of foster is to get them ready for adoption:)
If you are having dificulties please ask the rescue for help.

Gina

[Judi W]

And what is wrong with giving her a leash correction when she blows you off? Does the fact that she is a rescue leave you to believe that she can run roughshod over your instructions with no consequences?

[Luanda]

I don't work for any rescue organization. I do this on my own one dog at a time.
As far as corrections are concerned I've been reading up on alot of gentle methods of training and in some of what I've read they insist that leash corrections are a no-no. The basic motto is you reward good behaviour and ignore the bad (within reason).
What are your opinions on leash corrections and how would I go about administering one without being too harsh or too soft.
My dad thinks I should just smack her (old school speaking here) but he doesn't call the shots with my dogs!!!
This is the second Rottie I've fostered and I must say she is the hard-headed of the two!!! She is starting to display some protective tendencies when we go for our walks, like rushing up to sniff someone (quite intense) when walking by them which I promptly pull her back and make her sit by staring her down and standing directly in front of her and growling "SIT!"

[Judi W]

Any correction should be appropriate for the individual dog's character and temperament and for the offense. I believe that by ignoring bad behavior you are in essence lying to the dog and telling it that it can do whatever it pleases without consequences. Not a particularly good idea with a breed as strong-minded and just plain strong as the Rottweiler. Corrections should never be gratituous, but it is much kinder to correct than allow the poor dogs to misbehave to a point where it truly becomes a more serious issue and sometimes even their lives are at risk. By then the corrections need to be considerably harsher than would ever have been necessary had some decent leadership be supplied in the first place.

[brunie's mom]

If you hope to get your rescue adopted I think you should both enroll in obedience classes. They will show you how to do the proper correction and what is aproptiate behaviour. Sometimes when you have someone else see what you are doing , it is so much easier to see the problems.:)
Good-luck!

Gina