Training a dog??? And some general questions

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Zack1978

Zack1978

Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Threads
473
Messages
3,099
Hey everyone,
After many recent posts about dogs and x-mas cards, I have started to think about getting a dog once again. The picture that swayed me was Concrete's yellow Lab.
I have only owned one other dog, a Cocker Spaniel that was in the family since I was about 4 or 5, he died in 1998. So needless to say I have been without a dog for a long time now. Also the Cocker Spaniel was not trained well at all. He had a weak bladder so letting him roam the house was out of the question because no matter how much you walked him, he still had accidents on the floor. If he was let off his leash outside, more than likely he would run away, and not listen to calls to get him back. So at times it was a huge hassle having a basically untrained dog, but I still miss Kermit R.I.P.
So what I would like to know is where do I turn for skills on training a dog, as I am clueless in that field. I have no clue what even the first thing to do with respect to training a dog would be. I know for a fact that if I do get another dog I want to be sure that it is well trained so that I never have the hassles like I did with the Cocker Spaniel.
Also, what are the pos and neg of yellow Labs? Are there any other breeds that fellow mudders like? What about a Cocker Spaniel again?


Thanks,
Zack
 
I've seen some pretty hyper Yellows. Most I've known are too high energy for my lifestyle. I prefer the bigger, more sedentary dogs. Personality-wise they are great dogs.

We have had pretty good luck with the PetSmart training classes. It's a group class, so it's inexpensive and the dog gets socialized. As important as training the dog, the class has helped train us how to train the dog. Consistancy and perserverence are keys.

I've also been amazed at the crate training. Our Dane is a cave dog. He likes to sleep in confined places. It works really well for him. Our border/newf mix does not like it at all. I think it's the border part that needs a lot of space. The Dane puppy goes right in there when we leave and at night. It's helped with housebreaking too as they won't go where they sleep. As soon as we let him out of the cage, he goes right outside. It seems to be easier than catching him in the act and then correcting him.

Cocker Spaniels are among my least favorite dogs.
 
Gumby said:
Cocker Spaniels are among my least favorite dogs.
Click to expand...


Agreed. Don't get another cocker. No guy in his right mind should own one.
 
TIME


That is the most important training aid in the world. I have 2 labs. My 13 year old female I took everywhere with me for her first 5 years of her life. I would also train her for at least 2 hours everyday. This made her a great dog that could go anywhere and do anything. My 8 year old male I got because I was too busy to spend much time with my older dog and I wanted her to have some company.....He is a pain in the ass.
 
PHBeerman said:
TIME

My 8 year old male I got because I was too busy to spend much time with my older dog and I wanted her to have some company.....He is a pain in the ass.
Click to expand...


That's what I got my female lab for. My Rott needed a companion so, we got Mattie for him. Now that he is gone (going on month two now :frown: ), she is lost.
 
wob said:
That's what I got my female lab for. My Rott needed a companion so, we got Mattie for him. Now that he is gone (going on month two now :frown: ), she is lost.
Click to expand...


My older lab is on her last lap. I don't know how the younger will do once she is gone. However, I am not in a position right now to train a new dog. Thus, he will have to learn to be an only dog.
 
So any feedback on a list of "good" breeds of dogs?

Zack
 
What do you plan to do with the dog?

Hunt?
kick back?
toss frisbee?
Ect.....?
 
Zack1978 said:
So any feedback on a list of "good" breeds of dogs?

Zack
Click to expand...


Depends on what your definition of good is. If you live on a 100 acre farm or a small apartment, good can mean different things.
 
I agree.. Time is the key but you can still properly train a dog with less time and you can even send it out for training if so inclinded. I dunno if I agree with taking the dog everywhere unless your life will continue taking the dog everywhere. I've seen quite a few dogs with seperation anxiety which is sad. Look at your lifestyle, compare that to a breed and choose the best suited. I'm sure you know but a puppy is a MAJOR time investment. I didn't realize how much til I got one and it was at least double the time I thought it would take up, but I wanted to invest more time now raising a quality dog. Say goodbye to lunch outings and happy hours for a while, etc. It's hard to believe my little greta will soon be 2 in few mos...
 
After puppy training school, we're at sit, down, stay (until you're around the corner, not much more than that yet) leave it, take it, drop it, and out (the last he's not too good at)

We've started heel, but the other dog pretty much screws that one up.

Working group dogs that are bred for intelligence are pretty much all I would look at. After that it depends on what you want it for.


I haven't had a lunch period since we got the dog. Every day my lunch is drive home, let the dog out. Eat lunch, put the dog away, go back to work. Wife gets up early to walk the dogs. Daughter comes home early. It's a lot of effort to get a puppy, but you know how it's trained.

I also have invested in 4 collars, dozens of toys,(he likes the stick from the yard the best) 60 lbs of Eukanuba large breed puppy food, boxes of training treats, and a Bissell steam cleaner in the past two months.
 
Last edited:
First, buy and read "THe RIght Dog for You"..... helps weed through all of the BS look cool oh I want want of those, and gets down to what type of breed can live with you, and you with it. Includes your time contraints.....

Second the petsmart call Gumby mentioned, no better bang for the buck, do you homework, put in the time.

Make sure you are ready. Not swayed by pics. Food, VET BILLS, and just picking up poo are often underestimated.
 
Gumby said:
dozens of toys,(he likes the stick from the yard the best) 60 lbs of Eukanuba large breed puppy food, boxes of training treats, and a Bissell steam cleaner in the past two months.
Click to expand...

It amazes me to hear somone talk about their puppy and how they hate it and it's chewing up the couch and all their furniture. Then you look around the the dog doesn't have 1 toy... :frown: Both our dogs have tons of toys and never had a problem tearing things up unless I leave them at home for too long and they rip out the stuffing of a pillow saying BAD owner...

Toys are key, esp with the chewing monster of a lab...
 
wesintl said:
It amazes me to hear somone talk about their puppy and how they hate it and it's chewing up the couch and all their furniture. Then you look around the the dog doesn't have 1 toy... :frown: Both our dogs have tons of toys and never had a problem tearing things up unless I leave them at home for too long and they rip out the stuffing of a pillow saying BAD owner...

Toys are key, esp with the chewing monster of a lab...
Click to expand...


Yep. I learned early on that toys distract pups from the furniture. Invest in a couple of Kongs. They are the best chew toy on the market.
 
Zack1978 said:
Hey everyone,

Also, what are the pos and neg of yellow Labs? Are there any other breeds that fellow mudders like? What about a Cocker Spaniel again?
Click to expand...


I had a cocker too, when I was a kid. Weakest bladder ever.

Yellow labs, choco and black labs are all the same. They now have bred the line to include red labs and grey labs. Labs are good. They can have lots of energy, as all hunting dogs do, but they calm down and are over all really mellow dogs.

Labs, like most retrievers, have webbed feet and have fur that keeps them warm in the water.

Black labs suck to find in the dark.

Another nice thing about labs is that they come in all sizes. My boy is 90 pounds, his mom was about 50.

Labs are awesome with kids.

With training, I have 2 suggestions.

Whenever the puppy is eating, yank on their tail, pull on their whiskers, stir their food around--this helps them with kids down the road.
and

teach your pups hand signals with the commands they learn. Our dogs know hand signals for sit, come, left and right, lay, wait, fetch. Comes in very handy, and when they are old and deaf we will still be able to talk to them.

Another cool breed is Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/ The ones that I have known are friggin smart. give them thumbs and they could fly the space shuttle

Here's some pics of our 2 labs. Awesome dogs. [the blonde one isn't a lab.]
Image-9AA29610D44C11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.webp
Image-9AA270B6D44C11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.webp
 
The key to dog training is this.
Patience
Setting up a positive environment
Consistency
And Practice.

I teach allot of people how to handle their dogs, and Most of read them have read the Monks book or some form of dog training book and there dogs are still out of control.

What ever method of training you do, Practice the 4 things I listed above and you will be fine.

The general rule of thumb for labs is this,

Chocolate, Hyper, happy, vocal
Black, Intense drive, stubborn, active
Yellow, Happy to sit around, Happy lay around..

Cockers have a bad rap, Most people think cockers and they see the american version. Look beyond that and you will find an english cockers, These guys are true hunters of the two, and very sound dogs too.


Steve
www.dogsnsuds.com
 
I have a 13year old Czech Rottweiler. I took him home 8 hours after he was born, the mom died, and he was bottle fed, and was backpacked everywhere the first 3 months of his life. He has turned out to be the best dog I've ever owned. I had no issues with housetraining, he responds well, never chewed anything that wasn't given to him and will be nearly impossible to replace. He is entirely devoted to me & listens well. I think the key isn't what school you take him to, but how much time you spend with him. As long as you show him what is right, are quick to praise and don't do alot of meaningless yelling, and establish yourself as his alpha you will get along just fine. I have had great success with training young pups, when they are older its just too hard to undo what someone else has taught.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

nor_cal_cyclist
Dakota G3 dog crate?
Replies
4
Views
731
nor_cal_cyclist
nor_cal_cyclist
Spook50
I'm not really a "cat person"....
Replies
2
Views
308
Sinister
Sinister

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom