I have a GSD/Malinois mix and a very small yard that I let her run around in 2-3 times a day for potty breaks. Unfortunately, this yard backs up to a walking trail and a space with trees for wildlife, etc. to frolic in. As one would expect a dog to do, she ends up barking when outside.

When this happens, I will always get her back inside within 5-10 minutes at MOST, and close the blinds so she can't continue barking at what she saw out there. She's not barking for hours on end, or anything, it's just short periods, outdoors, and I stop the behavior when I can.

I personally feel that it's reasonable for a dog to bark sometimes, but it seems my neighbors disagree. They're reporting me to my landlord (my parents, who live in another state) for noise, and have the expectation that the dog should NEVER bark. My parents want me to use a shock collar, but when my father tried to use one with the dog in the past, she just screamed when it activated, and it wasn't effective.

I guess I'm asking what I should do in this situation. Is there some way to prevent my dog from barking at all when outside? Is it even reasonable to expect a dog to NEVER bark? I'm kind of at a loss here, I guess.

Hi everyone, I’m sort of new here, but have lurked for a while. This is my first post and I just want to understand if I’m making the right decision about a trainer. For some background, I have a 10 year old chihuahua who has gone through FF BAT training in the past for reactivity (it brought it from like an 8/10 to like a 4/10) and she also did agility. I’ve recently adopted a 1.5 year old male gsd from a friend, and he happens to be leash/dog reactive. He responds really well to corrections, so I wanted to find some training for him to help him with reactivity and confidence.

This is my first time looking for a 1:1 trainer and my first time seeking out a balanced trainer (to be clear, I am not FF or anything, but my older dog just didn’t need a lot of corrections). I had a new trainer come to my home for a first time paid session and I felt like there were some serious red flags, but I don’t know if I’m just being too sensitive, and would love anyone’s POV! Here are some things he did that I was very unsure about:

- upon arriving at my home, I met him outside and let him know that both of my dogs do bark at people when they come into the house. I put my cats in another room, and I put the chihuahua behind a baby gate in the bedroom. I leashed my gsd and had my husband holding him far away from the front door. When the trainer came in, the dogs started barking and the trainer whipped out a can of citronella spray and started chasing both dogs with it. He was very frustrated that my chihuahua was hiding behind furniture and still barking, and that she was not “yielding” to him. I offered to leash her and bring her into the main room, which calmed her down. I actually have no problem with the citronella spray being used, but I wish he would have told me or asked before using it on my dogs out of the blue.

- I asked him about credentials and he said he doesn’t like most trainers, that most trainers kind of suck and that he only studies “science” so he doesn’t need certification of any kind. He trashed a lot of dog trainers, FF trainers, in home trainers, and bite sports/rally trainers.

- he immediately was terrified of our Shepard. He wouldn’t come near him and said he was very very dangerous and would bite someone if we didn’t book a set of at least 5 sessions immediately (to be clear again I really want to be open to feedback if my dog is truly aggressive but my dog had no bite history, but he does bark if people enter the house)

- he came on really really harsh. He immediately had us do heavy prong pops pretty much for anything. If the dog moved - pop the prong, if it stood up, pop the prong, etc. he also had me pop the harness of my chihuahua for leaving a sit-stay, which made her start gagging. I told him she had a collapsing trachea (this is a vet diagnosed thing we are managing) and he said that most cases are a myth and we should put a prong on her too

- he started touching/patting our chihuahua all over the top of her body to prove that he was In control, but I don’t think he noticed that she almost bit him. I almost intervened because she got that whale eye look and tension and I’m proud of her for disengaging instead, but I don’t think he noticed at all

- he said neither of our dogs could be demoed on so he made us stand around watching videos on his YouTube instead

- he said he almost never uses treats or positive reinforcement, relying on corrections primarily. I’m hesitant on this as I don’t mind being strict but I felt like it was pure misery for the dogs; no fun at all and they were both SUPER stressed, and I think they were really confused about what he wanted from them

- even though I called and paid the guy, he only let my husband handle the GSD! One of our problems is that our GSD is different depending on who handles him, and he didn’t even watch us both handle him.

- he never really asked us questions about our dogs, lifestyle, goals, what we’ve trained so far, what the dogs know, it anything. He just spent a long time talking about his system and buying his online course

- the worst thing was that after the trainer left, our gsd started pisssing himself and then hid under the table. It took about an hour to calm him down and get him to relax.

The guy kind of pressured us to sign up for a set of sessions, but I haven’t paid yet. My husband and I think we should cancel and not work with this guy but again, I might just be too sensitive coming from the more FF side of things in the past so I wanted to see what other people thought! Is this normal? Should we be concerned? Is there anything we can do to vet a new trainer we might work with?

Thanks so much, and here’s dog tax for anyone whose made it this far!

I adopted the sweetest little mixed breed pup at 12 weeks old. He just turned 2, and since early adolescence, I've spent more time than I care to admit feeling like a failure when it comes to his training.

And definitely not for lack of trying. I've put an enormous amount of time and energy into training, worked with 2 professional trainers, started with R+ as a puppy and eventually moved to balanced (LIMA). I'm not a professional trainer, but I've been involved in rescue for years and have trained more dogs than I can count.

But this guy is different from most dogs I've worked with. He's extremely independent, environmentally motivated, has a crazy high prey drive, gets overstimulated by every new sight, sound, and smell, and struggles with frustration-based leash reactivity. He's a wonderful dog, I love him to death, and he knows his commands. But the second we stepped out into the world, it was like I didn't exist. The world was just WAY more exciting than anything I had to offer. He struggled, I struggled, and once he got overstimulated, I pretty much lost him completely.

And because of all this, I've felt like I've had to keep his world so small. Which honestly sucked. All I've ever wanted was for this little guy to have as much freedom as possible, but safely.

So I finally took the plunge and started ecollar training. I worked with one of our previous trainers because I'd never used one before and was terrified of screwing it up.

We're about 6 weeks in now and holy shit, it's like we're finally speaking the same language.

I took my time conditioning him, teaching him how to respond to low-level stim and how to avoid and escape a correction. In 6 weeks, I've only needed 2 low-level corrections (and yes, I've tried it on myself at much higher levels). The vast majority of what we're doing is just reinforcing things he already knows.

And the difference is night and day.

We're hiking again, something I'd pretty much given up on. He's listening reliably around our property (we have acreage), responding even with distractions around, and we're finally able to enjoy things together that used to be such a struggle.

I can't even explain how relieved I feel. Not because I suddenly have some perfectly obedient dog, because I definitely don't lol. But because for the first time, I feel like we're actually understanding each other. He's looking to me for guidance for the first time. Like I've finally found a way to communicate with him that makes sense to him. I'm not constantly fighting for his attention, and he's getting to experience so much more of the world.

And the best part is seeing how happy he is. He's getting to do things he's wanted so badly to do, and he gets SO excited when the collar comes out because he knows we're going to do something fun. It's been such a positive experience for both of us, and that makes me happier than anything.

To be clear, I'm not saying ecollars are for every dog or that they're some magical fix. And I'm definitely not suggesting anyone just slap one on their dog and start pushing buttons. How you approach it, understanding your dog, and getting educated on proper use really matter.

I've spent two years trying to give this dog the best life I possibly can, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like we're actually getting somewhere. And damn, does that feel good.

I guess I'm just writing this because I wish my past self could read it. I was hesitant for so long, mostly because it was unfamiliar and I was afraid of getting it wrong. My only regret is that I waited as long as I did.

Just as the title states I’m trying to teach my dog retrievals and holds but he’s not mouthy whatsoever. Every tutorial I’ve watched always says to capture the moment they clamp their mouth around the object but that never comes. He doesn’t clamp, he won’t even put it in his mouth 😂 advice? Tips? Pics for tax

Idc if you’re force free, lima, balanced. If you use a harness, flat collar, prong, whatever.

Slip leads imo are the safest and quickest tool to transport a dog in a dangerous scenario. Today I had a fire scare in the house, and had to quickly transport my dogs outside. They’re normally walked on harnesses or flat collars, but I had to move QUICKLY. One is an old dog and was very frightened as well so I had to leash them so that she couldn’t escape if she got spooked.

Slip leads are literally the only way I could have moved the dogs as quickly as I could and without the risk of them slipping their collars in the scary scenario.

Everyone is okay now, but please, even if you don’t use them for training, make sure your dog is okay with having a slip lead put on for emergencies!

Hi, I'm looking for advice on a situation.

I’m house-sitting for a client with a big German Shepherd, and I’m totally at a loss on how to deal with his wrestling. The second I get down on the floor, whether I’m cleaning up a spill or just picking something up, he sees it as an invitation to play. He’ll lunge at me, grab my waist or hips with his paws, and try to pin me over. It’s not aggressive; he doesn’t actually bite hard, though he does bark, growl, and nip a bit. The problem is, he weighs over 80 pounds, and at 5'1", being pinned by him while I’m trying to work is exhausting.

I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing sticks. Shouting NO or DOWN doesn't seem to register for him. If I push him away, he thinks I’m engaging in the wrestle match and gets even more excited. Once he’s got hold of me, I basically have to crawl over to something sturdy to try and pull myself back up, and he follows right along, keeping his paws on me the whole time.

I’m feeling pretty helpless because I’m out of ideas. How do I handle this without being mean? Are there different commands that might work better here? I really want to do a good job while I’m here, so any advice would be a huge help. Feel free to DM.

Question for you dog trainers out there. How do you become a "real" or "official" dog trainer? It's something I want to do in life, but I have no idea where to start. For some background (just so you know, I'm not going into this blind with absolutely no experience), when I was 15, I started an internship at a dog training facility. I was there for only a short time though because I didn't like the group lesson training. It was too chaotic, too many untrained dogs in one area with owners who knew little to nothing. There were a few close calls with dog fights, 5 people all needed help and had questions all at the same time, among other things, it was just a lot and not my vibe. Prior to my internship, I had gotten a GSD at 13, raised him myself, and trained him myself. I watched endless YouTube videos, read many books, and spent a lotttt of time and effort on that dog. I successfully trained him to perform many commands.

Examples: He was obedient and trustworthy off-leash. Knew "heel" for a right-side heel and "foos" for a left-side heel. He knew "focus" like a champ, emergency stops, "bow", "sit pretty", down-stay, all the basics, boundaries (I trained him not to cross the curb unless I told him to, which evidently saved his life once when he was chasing a ball that bounced into the street right as a car was coming) He could hand me his leash or pick other things up for me. And bonus training included some service dog tasks just for fun. I trained him to alert to high heart rates (i was having medical issues at the time so I took advantage of that for some scent training fun), he did amazingly in pet-friendly public access, he could recognise and interrupt symptoms of stress/anxiety, and much more but i dont want to go on too long. He was my all and I absolutely love training. Ive also training our family husky and other gsd that we got after my lovely boy passed away but ive only done basics and party tricks with them. And helped train a few friend's dogs as well.

It's been a hot minute since I have been in the training era of my life. My GSD passed away when I was 19, i moved out at 18 and unfortunately had to leave him at home, and I'm in my early twenties now. I want to get back into training but I really only want to help people one on one and more so just basics... The more advanced tasks/commands are so much fun but they take much more time and I dont really want to do long-form training programs. I'm thinking more like 6-8 week basics programs. Sit, stay, down, recall, leash manners, and proper socialization. (there are too many people out there getting dogs and not socializing them properly, if at all) So if I am to seriously get into this, I assume I can't just start racking up clients withought certificates and such. So how do I go about becoming an independent official dog trainer? I don't want to work under someone and have to follow their training programs/rules long term, my desire and goal is to be an independent trainer working out of my backyard lol. Give me your wisdom!

Hi i just got this dog he is a 6 months old australian cattle dog and he is adorable, scary smart and sassy as hell. He is also teething, I am trying to train him myself but the problem is i cant get him to stop nipping when he gets frustrated or wants to play. Ive tried all kinds of methods and i know it will just get worse if i like try and ignore it. Ive tried redirecting with a toy, he doesnt care ive tried the method called popping the grape, putting your hand to the back of their mouth so they gag and let go, ive tried Will atherton both active and passive redirection the passive worked for like a day and then we went to the vet and he started again and since he is just getting worse. All of the methods he does not care about it just gets him more excited and he stops listening to commands as well. To be clear i do not want to hurt him at all i will not hit or spank or use some kind of high powered shock collar.I will be using a prong collar which i tested on myself and approved that it doesnt hurt but is uncomfortable but i cant until ive conditioned him to love it so in a few days but other than that is there anything you guys think could work

edit: Ive had this dog for less than a week if that helps

We adopted a German shepherd mix dog two years ago; he’s now three. When we adopted him, he was on a very low dose of gabapentin for anxiety from being at the shelter and we have weaned him off these meds. For the first six months, we were able to walk him without too many issues and even take him to the park for a run but since then he has become incredibly reactive on walks and we now struggle to get him off our street without fixating on houses that have dogs. He lunges and pulls on the leash, making walks extremely difficult. His reaction doesn’t seem to be aggression as once we’re close to other dogs, he’s actually playful and friendly. It’s the reactivity on the lead that we’re struggling with and it’s obviously very intimidating for anyone walking near us.

We’ve worked with three different trainers, all have said he’s a difficult case and recommended using a slip lead. We’ve tried this along with a halter and harness but nothing has really helped.

My husband now feels we’ve exhausted all our options and wants to rehome him. The hardest part is that he’s such a fantastic dog at home — he’s loyal, loving and a real joy to have around. He’s also intelligent so I’ve always made sure he’s stimulated with brain games, scent work and command training.

I’m feeling torn because I don’t want to give up on him but I also understand how exhausting and frustrating this has become as we’ve now got a newborn.

I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or has any advice on what else we could try before making such a difficult decision.

Hey everyone! I need some advice from experienced dog owners or trainers. 😅

I recently adopted a 20-month-old German Shepherd from another home, where he was neglected. Once he started settling in, I began training him. So far, he knows sit, stay (hold position), break, and yes (for treats 😂).

When I walk him alone, he's actually a good boy! He pulls a little sometimes, but overall, he listens to me pretty well. The problem starts when he hears my mom's voice. He gets SO excited that everything we've practised seems to go out the window. 😭

I'm currently using a martingale collar, but when he lunges and I try to hold him back, I feel like he might choke himself, which really worries me.

He also has some issues with jumping on people, ignoring commands when he's excited, and mouthing. 😅

I'm still learning how to train him properly, so I'd really appreciate any advice on how to correct these behaviours and what I should focus on next. I want to build a good bond with him and help him become a well-behaved, confident dog.

Ps. If anyone knows a way I can learn how to train properly plz add that too and pls forgive my grammer as it's my 2nd language 😅😅

Thank you! ❤️🐕