Ideas on where to begin?

[akhitt]

Anyone have suggestions on how to start basic training on a 4 year old, unsocialized doggie? She's a real sweetie, but needs manners. I need to be able to get her into the vet for a spay and HWT and her vaccs so that we can start obedience class. Unfortunately, she's never been on a leash, ridden in a car, had her toenails trimmed...nothing. Because her vet is my former employer (whom I 'd like to stay on good terms with!), who isn't fond of rotts anyway, and because she's starting to come into heat, I set up her surgey for June, to give us time to work on basic manners and some socialization, and give her time to finish her heat. I bought her a Halti to begin with. I thought a prong was a bit harsh since she's so new at all this and hasn't given me reason to think she needs that much force. She let me put it on and when I attached the leash, she rolled onto her back and wiggled for mercy. We walked (sort of) back and forth on a short sidewalk for about 10 minutes. That's about it. We need to get out and meet people and see some new places, but until I can get her to walk on the leash, we're pretty limited. Any ideas for that or any other simple, basic training for a four year old with the social IQ of a puppy? Thanks, Amanda

[ShelbyVonRhodes]

Without a leash can you do the heal with her! Just walk around the living room and try it if not put the leash on in the house and try the heal, How about sit and stay does she know these?

Get her to the vet ASAP and start her training. You will be surprized how fast she can learn!

Best of luck!

[TrinityRun]

Hi ak,

You should begin her training just as you would any beginner. I would begin on working attention, several times a day. Basic handling of her during regular grooming session should also be considered training sessions. The halti is a good idea for short walks to keep her under control without the more formal obedience required for true heeling.

If you just got this dog, much of her first month or so should be witout any training - just bonding with her, getting to know one another. First you must have the bond. Much easier to work a dog who has a desire to please you than one who is doing it only to comply because it has to.

If this is kind of vague because you indicated you were enrolling her in a class so I understood this to just be for the interim.

[ April 20, 2001: Message edited by: Lauren Fitzgerald ]

[Leader]

ahkitt,
I wouldn't take any rott that you can't control and don't know well out in public with a collar and leash. You can very quickly teach her the collar, a 'choker'which is no such thing by the way IMO!
after she's worn that a day or two in the house, put on the leash and let her get used to it. Then you can take her out. You shouldn't have any problems in any good obedience school. They'll know how to help both you and her over the hurdles and how to make her more sociable, no problemo!

Good luck, keep your chin up and love, love love, ;)

[Leader]

OOPS!I forgot the most important. Keep telling her how wonderful she is each time she does something right. Accept the collar the leash walk without pulling....treats and lots of praise! :o

[TrinityRun]

:D

One more thing.....the prong is NOT about force. Quite the opposite.

You'd do well to read up on the facts of this tool vs a regular choker.

[Leader]

OOPS!OOPS I meant I wouldn't take out a rott WITHOUT a leash and collar or halti.
Sorry

[akhitt]

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies. We are working on "sit", but I've always had a hard time with "stay", so I'm hoping to catch that in class. She sort of "heel"s herself. She seems to watch me very closely and if I don't move ahead, she doesn't either. All we really need to do is put the name to it and make the connection.

Lauren, I guess "force" is not the word I should have chosen. I'm aware of the differences between the two collars. I've just always thought of the pronged as more of a collar for a dog who's attention you really need to get. A sort of "Helloo? I'm at the end of this leash and you *will* listen!" kind of thing. At the clinic I worked at, we always sent the 10 month old Labs home with them after watching them drag their people in and out the door. It's amazing the difference it can make. But I have her attention, and she's willing to listen. I just need a little control and piece of mind that if she catches sight of something/one she finds interesting, I don't need to try to match her strength to keep at my side. We've been visitng and bonding for a few weeks now. Our situation is complicated by the fact that she's living at my parent's house, mostly outdoors, until we move into our house. I wanted to make sure she was trained and good with my son before we took her, but didn't want to wait to start her training. She knows what time I arrive there everyday and my mother says she stands on top of her house and looks over the fence about that time everyday. How could I not love that?!

And , thanks, Beaderbaby, for clarifying that...I was wondering how I was going to take her out in public, if not an a collar and leash :)

So I guess I'll just pretend she's a giant puppy and take it from there. Sit, stay, and leash walking...maybe down, since it seems to come naturally for her ;) Thanks so much! Amanda

[TrinityRun]

Originally posted by akhitt:
<STRONG>Wow, thanks for all the quick replies. We are working on "sit", but I've always had a hard time with "stay", so I'm hoping to catch that in class. </STRONG>

Sit, to me, is just that - sit. Don't do anything else until I tell you otherwise. It needs no additional "stay" command. Others train differently and that's fine but I prefer less commands, less talk and just Sit, Platz, etc.


[/QB][/quote]She sort of "heel"s herself. She seems to watch me very closely and if I don't move ahead, she doesn't either. All we really need to do is put the name to it and make the connection. [/QB][/quote]

Sort of anything isn't understanding. Heeling takes a while to teach a dog. Starting with a few steps and release to full blown figure eight patterns. During the process dogs need to learn correct position, to drop their rears and be aware of their butt's position etc. This takes a lot of time and a lot of training for a dog to understand "heel" as a position no matter the circumstances. It's like being sorta pregnant or sorta married. Either you are or you aren't. Either the dog knows it or he doesn't.

[/QB][/quote]Lauren, I guess "force" is not the word I should have chosen. I'm aware of the differences between the two collars. I've just always thought of the pronged as more of a collar for a dog who's attention you really need to get. A sort of "Helloo? I'm at the end of this leash and you *will* listen!" kind of thing. [/QB][/quote]

I understand what you are saying and the collar tends to have that affect on dogs who are used to pulling and getting away with it. But the collar isn't about power and force. It's about spontaneous correction in a tool that distributes that same correction all the way around the neck in a "Surprise" pinch. It's often misunderstood, thus misused. (Generally speaking)

[/QB][/quote]She knows what time I arrive there everyday and my mother says she stands on top of her house and looks over the fence about that time everyday. How could I not love that?![/QB][/quote]
So I guess I'll just pretend she's a giant puppy and take it from there. Sit, stay, and leash walking...maybe down, since it seems to come naturally for her ;) Thanks so much! Amanda[/QB][/quote]

Boy! That sure sound like a dog who is bonding to you! She sounds like a sweetie! Good luck with the training and the moving. Wish you much success in both.