How well trained are your dogs?

Train your dog, take some classes.

I got a dog 3 months ago, first dog ever. I read about it, spent time with her and started taking her to classes.

It takes time but it's worth it. She is 4 months old right now and she is well underway on being an awesome dog.

It's great to see all the work paying off when I notice little things like how she now sits by the door when she wants to go out but won't go out until I say it's OK for her to do so.

How I can use the heel command when there is a kid running by us so she can stay close.

Like anything in life it takes time. Even older dogs can get trained. Take some classes with them and spend 30 minutes a day training in 10 minute increments.

I walk her twice a day so I train her while we walk. I will do recalls, sit, sit - wait, sit - stay, heel, easy (as in don't pull motherfucker but you can roam around a little bit).

Right now I am training her on looking for cars when we are about to cross the road.

Dogs are awesome, but I can tell you that from what I have seen around the neighborhood I am one of two people that walk their dogs out of probably 15 people I have seen with dogs. I think there is only one dog that is better trained than mine and mine is a puppy. This is not a testament on how awesome I am, but how crappy other people are with their dogs.

Spend the time and reap the rewards.
 


Fatbat said:
IIRC you let your dogs roam the neighborhood.
Click to expand...

Nah, that was the old house. We didn't really have a yard (just a small patio), and there were tons of people coming and going at all hours, so keeping them inside was simply impossible. Nowadays, it's just me, and we have a large gated yard for them, which is more than big enough for them to run at full speed and play fight like crazy. That's actually the whole reason I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere -- it's so they can have a yard.

This whole implying that I'm a bad dog owner is total horse shit though, but I don't particularly care, as it's not like I'm here to justify myself. My guys are some of the most loved, well taken care of dogs you'll ever meet. Ok, they're not conventionally trained... if they got tested at a dog school, they'd fail miserably. But fuck it, I know all of their nuances and quirks, so as long as I'm around to take care of them, it's fine.

I have them on a great schedule, which they know and abide by. They're allowed out in the yard from 8am - 4pm, then I pull them in while all the neighbors are getting home and having dinner, and then allowed out again at 10pm for a quick 30 mins to goto the bathroom. And honestly, they are well trained... just not very conventionally. You know, if they ever get riled up a little too much because of another dog or someone on the street, and start barking too much, it's easy... I simply go out front, and pick up one of my sandals. Don't even have to throw it, just have to pick it up, and they magically disappear to the back yard to play.

Nowadays, they always come in at night after 30 mins, but if the off chance they decide to be shit heads and not come in, it's easy... I simply close the door, open it again 5 mins later, and they trot their asses inside right away, because the thought of being left outside scares them too much. It's happened a couple times -- they don't like it. They know if they absolutely need to goto the bathroom in the middle of the night, to actually go in the bathroom, and not try to hide it in the storage room, which is what they used to do.

Yes, my dogs can be fairly intimidating. If you're a stranger and you come close to my gate, then yes, you're going to get barked at. Honestly though, I enjoy that. I sleep very well at night knowing they're downstairs. I don't even ever lock up. The only lock I use is on the front gate, and that's to keep the dogs inside. They keep everyone else out, so no need to lock the front door. :) If you're a friend though, they will remmeber you, and will never bark at you. They'll just sit there with a big smile on their face, hoping you come play with them.

I just can't bring myself to train them with conventional commands though. You should see their eyes when I try it. I've taken care of these guys since they were born, and I've never once looked down on them like that. So when I dangle a treat in front of their face in exchange for obeying a command, you can see in their eyes it just absolutely tears them up inside. They don't understand why I'm treating them like that. They just get sad, and they walk away, and go lay down.

So fuck it, I'm just not doing it. They're great boys, and as long as I'm the one taking care of them, I know all of their little quirks, and they're totally fine. Right now, they love me to no end. Now if I ever want them to stop respecting me, and stop listening to me, then trying to make them obey stupid little commands in exchange for a treat is a sure fire way to go about that, so I'm just not doing it.
 
I have pug dogs and am amazed they are still alive. Maybe the dumbest dogs of all time but so nice.

One can sit and rollover, the other doesn't know her name and she is two....

For me as long as they don't chew anything ( biting other people and dogs included) and go to the bathroom outside that is amazing. Everything else is gravy.
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
You know, I'll try to teach them a command in exchange for a treat, and they just won't have it. They just give me the evil eye as if to say, "fuck you, you patronizing cunt, you can keep your god damn treat, I'm going to go lay down", and they walk away from me. Honestly though, I find that pretty cool, and kudos to my dogs for doing it. I would react the same way if someone tried treating me like that.
Click to expand...

Are you honestly comparing yourself to your dogs? If you don't have full control over your dogs, who will?

I can't believe you're content with the fact that your dogs don't take orders from you.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but I think there be stricter regulations for owning dogs. In fact I think there should be a license required, renewable yearly, and to get this license you need to show that your dog is well behaved, as well as provide some positive references from people in your neighborhood.

I've seen too many misbehaved dogs doing stupid shit like this and their "master" having zero control over them:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKxZkVNLqZU"]PITBULL DOG ATTACKS LIVE!! HD 2014 - YouTube[/ame]

In fact I *almost* got attacked by 2 dogs while walking on the street late at night a few years ago. Thank god I got into my car across the street quick enough. They were running at me showing teeth and barking aggressively, their master was calling them but they wouldn't listen... I'm assuming they thought I was a threat cuz I was too close to their yard? Who the fuck knows, but I wasn't pissed at the dogs as much as I was pissed at their owner.
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
Nah, that was the old house. We didn't really have a yard (just a small patio), and there were tons of people coming and going at all hours, so keeping them inside was simply impossible. Nowadays, it's just me, and we have a large gated yard for them, which is more than big enough for them to run at full speed and play fight like crazy. That's actually the whole reason I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere -- it's so they can have a yard.
Click to expand...

That's good. It sounds like your situation has changed for the better.

Have you looked into the rules governing dog importations where you're going? You don't want any nasty surprises when they get there.
 
What I learned in this thread is that Kiopa_Matt is just as negligent with his dogs as he was with his xMarkPro business. I think I see a pattern.....

To Kiopa_Matt: When are you going to stop the half baked bullshit and actually take some responsibility?
 
I love dogs, but don't have time or space for them, that's why I dont have any, but some great feedback here by actual dog owners.
 
Dogs aren't humans and the whole reason we bred them was to be our obedient servants. Your dogs should listen and respect you, they should look at you as their leader. The other options are equal or lesser, now ask yourself why you'd want to be your dogs equal or lesser? Part of having a dog is understanding that you're going to have to be the boss of it, keep on top of it and teach it a lot of commands and tricks so that you can have control of it.

I also think that that's most of the fun in having a dog. You get to work with it and make it into a well behaved friend that guests don't feel uncomfortable around, neighbours don't mind walking by, and you don't feel stressed out with. An undisciplined dog is stressful, you never know what it's going to do, you feel out of control, and at that point you're not even the 'master'. Also consider the fact that dogs are happier having a well defined social structure in their life. They're happier when you treat them like obedient servents because to them, it beats laying around all day sleeping in their bed, dogs want to work.

I'd just take all this into mind next time you decide to get a dog. Like Fatbat said, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. You kind of blew it when you didn't teach them everything when they were young and keep it fresh in their mind throughout their life. But hey, I'd still say it's worth it to work with them everyday, you might as well.
 
Phear said:
Dogs aren't humans and the whole reason we bred them was to be our obedient servants. Your dogs should listen and respect you, they should look at you as their leader. The other options are equal or lesser, now ask yourself why you'd want to be your dogs equal or lesser? Part of having a dog is understanding that you're going to have to be the boss of it, keep on top of it and teach it a lot of commands and tricks so that you can have control of it.

I also think that that's most of the fun in having a dog. You get to work with it and make it into a well behaved friend that guests don't feel uncomfortable around, neighbours don't mind walking by, and you don't feel stressed out with. An undisciplined dog is stressful, you never know what it's going to do, you feel out of control, and at that point you're not even the 'master'. Also consider the fact that dogs are happier having a well defined social structure in their life. They're happier when you treat them like obedient servents because to them, it beats laying around all day sleeping in their bed, dogs want to work.

I'd just take all this into mind next time you decide to get a dog. Like Fatbat said, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. You kind of blew it when you didn't teach them everything when they were young and keep it fresh in their mind throughout their life. But hey, I'd still say it's worth it to work with them everyday, you might as well.
Click to expand...

You're making Kiopa_Matt look like a complete idiot.

Kiopa_Matt is the Beta in the relationship with his dogs.
 
bluechinagroup said:
You're making Kiopa_Matt look like a complete idiot.

Kiopa_Matt is the Beta in the relationship with his dogs.
Click to expand...

Huh? Really? Gotta admit, I can't really comprehend that comment.

My relationship with my dogs isn't a competition to see who's the "alpha male", you dumb fuck.
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
My relationship with my dogs isn't a competition to see who's the "alpha male", you dumb fuck.
Click to expand...

It may not be to you, but it absolutely is to your dogs. That's just how they think. Without that clear hierarchy, they wind up more confused than kids in a hippie commune.
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
My relationship with my dogs isn't a competition to see who's the "alpha male", you dumb fuck.
Click to expand...

You don't even understand the very basics yet you're calling me a dumb fuck. Maybe read up on how to be a responsible dog owner instead of getting mad.

It was pretty classy of you to release XMarkPro for free though.

In fact nobody was even talking about XMarkPro here until you mentioned it which essentially proves you've been feeling pretty guilty about it. I'm sure you must feel less guilty now. ;)

Anyway, all I am saying is get your shit together and quit being a fuck up.
 
My dogs are very well trained but it does take a lot of patience. I think I read somewhere it takes ~100 repetitions of a command for a dog to learn the command so aim for that number whenever training them to do something new. Puppies won't have the attention span to do all 100 in 1 go so be patient with them!
 
Fatbat said:
and we always have poop bags to pick up the shit.
Click to expand...

As a homeowner, thank you.

A well-trained dog is not only a better companion, but is less likely to suffer injury. Dogs are naturally impulsive, just like 5-year-olds. But we've trained our dog to put every impulse on hold when he hears our voices. I have no fear of him bolting into the street, chasing kids on skateboards, or investigating a confrontational dog.

A simple "Stay" or "Come" trumps every other intention.

Dog are like children. They want their pack leaders to set boundaries and expectations. Lacking them, they surrender to their impulses. Ever seen grade-school kids play during recess? They scream, run around, and (when no one's looking) push and shove each other. They have to be trained to control those impulses - as much for their own good as the good of others.

Same with dogs.
 
I have a very well behaved GSD.

I divorced a chick, mainly because it was important to me that dogs could behave, or should behave.

Her chow-mix bit my little girl in the face 8 months later.

It was very predictable.
 
User9364 said:
I have a very well behaved GSD.

I divorced a chick, mainly because it was important to me that dogs could behave, or should behave.

Her chow-mix bit my little girl in the face 8 months later.

It was very predictable.
Click to expand...

You got divorced because it was important that dogs should behave?

perspectives3.jpg
 
User9364 said:
I divorced a chick, mainly because it was important to me that dogs could behave, or should behave.
Click to expand...

User9364: "Samantha, train your fucking dog."
Samantha: "I cant."
User9364: "Are you fucking serious? Just train him."
Samantha: "I just can't bring myself to train him with conventional commands. You should see his eyes when I try it."
User9364: "Really? Just do it. It's not that hard."
Samantha: "I've taken care of this guy since he was born, and I've never once looked down on him like that. So when I dangle a treat in front of his face in exchange for obeying a command, you can see in his eyes it just absolutely tears him up inside."
User9364: "Alright bitch, we're fucking done."
Samantha: "What do you mean?"
User9364: "Divorce cunt. I'm taking all my internet monies and moving to Thailand."
Samantha: [Crying]
User9364: "Oh, and my lawyer called. Turns out Facebook infringed on my name. I'm gonna be a billionaire bitch. Should've thought of that before giving me all your shit."
Samantha: [Still crying]
User9364: [Bitch slaps Samantha and then exits. /End Scene]
 
  • Like
Reactions: intent
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom