posted 11-26-2003 02:31 PM         

So anyway. The trainer was wonderful! First off, she told me to use a prong collar and showed me how and which one to buy and how many links to use. She told me the praise I am giving is too exciting for Nala and I need to tone it down. I told her some of the things we have been doing and she said it sounded like our previous trainer was an obedience trainer. I said, "Uhhh, yeah." (Nala's puppy class teacher has titled obedience dogs.)

So she said get rid of the treats except for teaching tricks. She said there is nothing wrong with the obedience techniques, but they don't necessarily get you a well-mannered dog.

I am to leave the prong collar and leash on Nala all the time. I am to put her in a down-stay wherever I am. When I go to a new room, I bring her with me and down-stay her there. Pick a place in each room so it is "her" place. She is to stay while I am there. If she gets up, pop the leash while saying "NO" and put her right back where she was.

As she was talking to me, she had me put Nala in a down-stay in the middle of her agility arena. She had a child who was waiting for a lesson run back and forth in front of Nala. She had the child bring her dog in. She tried to go get a cat, but her cat was AWOL. We stood there and talked for quite a while. Every time Nala started to get up, it would be POP, NO, down-stay. After a few times, Nala would get up and I would say "NO" and before I could pop she would hit the ground. I was not popping her that hard.

She stayed down for a good long time while we talked. It was pretty impressive. Granted, it was her sleepy time, but she was fairly alert because of the new location.

So I still feel bad about putting her in doggy prison, but the trainer assured me that once she is obeying consistently and no longer needs the pops, we can slowly wean her off the collar and leash. When she is totally off-leash (or at least this is my understanding) we can allow her to "just be a dog" but she will have self-control and if she starts getting into something all I will have to do is tell her "NO" and she will stop. (Of course, if not we backtrack and repeat steps.)

She doesn't seem like she thinks it will be necessary to board Nala with her. I told her where I was originally going to board her for the holidays and she had some concerns. So she is going to e-mail me the name of a friend of hers that boards dogs in her home. She says she is excellent with them and supervises them very well and doesn't let them get away with bad behaviors.

I will see how Nala responds over the next few days and then make a decision. So far, she seems to be responding VERY well. I guess it is the collar. I have looked at them in the store, but I never was certain what size to buy and how to use it.

Thanks everyone for all the advice! I know what the trainer told me was very similar to a lot of your suggestions. I just needed to see it in action, I guess. And I'm sure I'll hit a snag any time now. I have already mailed her with questions I thought of on the drive home.

Speaking of the drive, Nala was excellent! I tried out one of those seat belt harness things, because her crate is so hard to get in and out of my car. She sat there like a queen and eventually found a way to curl up on the seat. What an angel!

Nala looks totally pathetic and depressed just lying there. But the trainer assured me she is fine and is actually using up more energy "staying" than she would running around in the yard. I'm not sure that applies when she falls asleep, though...

Now if only I can get my husband to get in the game. And teach the kids.

posted 11-26-2003 04:11 PM         

She said to say "NO" while popping her. Then you tell her "down" and "stay" again.

At this point, when she starts to get up I make the "uh uh" noise that moms do so well and she hunkers back down on the ground. I still feel like an ogre.

And my husband is grilling me on why we can't just let her "be a dog" when she is behaving and only put her on the lead and make her down-stay when she is not behaving. I told him I think it is to not give her the opportunity to misbehave and at the same time, imprint her with automatically obeying our commands. And give her self-control, so that she knows it is possible to lie still with a cat walking by. If anyone can tell me a better way to explain it, be sure to let me know!

posted 11-26-2003 06:37 PM         

That sort of stuff. It really is cute to watch her play with her toys. She has a lot of personality, and he is worried about us breaking her spirit or "training" the personality right out of her. He doesn't want a dog that lies in the corner and does nothing.

The trainer mailed me back and essentially said she needs to work on not playing in the house and respecting me at this point. She will earn back her freedom and her "good" toys.

Hopefully she will be a fast learner.

posted 11-27-2003 06:33 AM         

Maybe I can find a friend to take her. I just want to be sure she isn't going to come home with even more bad habits.