About Cathy Johnson Expertise Questions relating to dog behavior, training and care. I've worked with most all breeds. I can provide solutions to destructive, aggressive and unwanted behavior, housebreaking issues, socialization problems, issues with kids, other dogs etc. When asking questions, please include as much information as possible about your dog (breed,age,how long you have had,when problem began,what you have tried - etc). It will assist me in giving you an answer that will help you best.
Experience Many years working with problem and rescue dogs with all sorts of behaviorial issues. I take on the most difficult dogs that need the most rehabilitation. I am a firm believer that there is a solution for EVERY problem and with a little bit of patience and persistance, the problem can be corrected.
Question My mother has a really bad back and had to have surgery. About one month after the surgery she bought me a puppy, to be exact a pure breed chocolate lab. Now after about 9 months my mother is determined this dog will always be a huge problem when she walks him because he pulls her back really hard when he walks, even if there is nobody around. He has been to puppy school but it really did not help to much. How do I teach him to stop pulling.
Also another big issue is that he is getting into the garbage and when we are not looking he will pull stuff out and shread it on the carpet. He does not chew the furniture or anything else except our shoes and our garbage! We are on a low budget and I am running out of time! I have thought about sugesting to buy a trash can that has a lid and I might have suggested it but I am still not sure if this would help at all. Can you help me?
Answer Hi Katelyn,
For leash pulling, you need to work with your dog some more. Try using a choke (or training) collar and that will decrease the amount that he pulls. When he pulls too hard, it tightens on him. It is not cruel or inhumane to use one of these when used properly.
Here are some comments on a training collar:
* Training collars. These include metal chain collars, choker collars, braided or rolled nylon slip collars, and cloth slip collars. A key benefit of this type of collar is that it self-adjusts, when used with a leash, around the dog's neck, giving the handler control and preventing the dog from slipping out of the collar.
However, training collars are among the most incorrectly use tools ever invented. So it's worth taking obedience classes to learn how to use them correctly. Hint: if your dog continually pulls when you're walking her with a training collar, you're not using it properly. Don't feel bad; you have plenty of company. Other signs of misuse: the dog is choking, gagging or wheezing during walks.
Common training collar mistakes include:
1. Using too long a collar. When the collar is placed on the dog, the part of the collar extending beyond the loop should be only 3 inches long. That comes to 3 inches longer than the dog's neck measurement.
2. Too tight a collar. You should be able to fit two fingers between the neck and the collar.
3. Putting the collar on wrong or "backwards". If put on the wrong way, the collar will not release naturally after you make a leash/collar correction (which is counterproductive for training, not to mention uncomfortable and unkind to your dog). Have a canine professional show you how to put on a training collar and use it properly. Since the standard walking position for the dog is by your left-hand side, you would take the chain collar, slip one end through the other to form a loop, then when you face the dog, the collar should look like a "P" (instead of a "q") as you slip it over the dog's head.
4. The handler constantly or frequently pulling on the leash. If the dog is pulling, or the handler feels he/she has to pull back, the handler is in need of training, so that he/she can, in turn, properly educate the dog.
5. Leaving a training collar on a dog. Important: training collars should be used only during training exercises and walking. For safety reasons, they should not be left on the dog. For example, the chain collars easily get caught on things, leading to choking and strangulation. Thus, you do not want to attach the dog's tags to training collars.
The training collar should hang loose when you're walking the dog. The only time it should be pulled tight is when a "collar correction" (also called leash correction) is needed, if you're using that type of training instead of a more purely positive reinforcement (or "reward-based") teaching method. Such a correction resembles a quickly yank followed by immediate release. A correction should be given only if a verbal command or hand signal signifying "heel" or "sit" is ignored by the dog. (Of course, you cannot expect the dog to understand a command unless you have carefully taught him the command and how he is expected to respond. Lassie was trained, not born obedient.)
Trainers who use training collars advise handlers to make the leash/collar correction a quick motion that sharply tightens the training collar about the dog's neck. Then the handler should immediately release pressure; if the collar was put on correctly, the links should immediately loosen up in response. Otherwise, if the training collar remains tight, the dog won't be able to distinguish between an intentional correction and the handler simply pulling on the dog's neck for no reason. The dog will quickly get accustomed to being uncomfortable, rendering the training collar useless (and possibly leading to a hurt neck or throat).
As far as the chewing - you could try spraying some bitter apple on the objects that he is not suppose to chew. I would just move the trash can to a closet or a room where he can't get to it. He'll most likely remove the lid if you try that. When you catch him going into the trash tell him NO in a firm voice and try to distract him with something fun to do.
