Blue merle australian Shepherd

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
If the Zen approach does not work, what other option do I have?
I walk our dog by a baseball field that is frequently used by dog trainers. One such lady, seeing my completely unruly puppy, offered help - for a princely sum of $2k. Her herd of dogs did behave incredibly well - a whole bunch of all sorts of breeds including several pit bulls - but... She was definitely using shock collars.

I decided just to wait until the dog matures and calms down a bit. With our old Airedale it happened around the age of 5; this one's only 2.
 

Levi

Well-known member
Jul 27, 2004
559
26
Cheyenne, WY
I've had aussies growing up and currently have a 2yo. Really smart dogs but the one I have now is a handful. I agree it's a little early for training but something I started with my dogs at that age was ringing a bell on the door to go outside. Before I would take them out I would take them to the door, make them paw the bell, then let them out. Both dogs I've had since pups picked up on it after just a few days and I never have any accidents.
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
I followed Cesar Milans way of interacting with dogs. Worked perfectly. I cant say this enough. Pure breed dogs need to do what they were breed for. A husky is a beautiful dog, I had one growing up. It was a wild animal, but back then we didnt know shit about training a dog or the amount of exercise it really needed.

As mentioned he is still very young, but starting with good habits now will go a long way. They are smarter than we give them credit for. Their whole life is based upon watching you for direction.
When someone would tell my dog to do something, he would immediately look at me. As if to say, should I listen to them?
 

brian4d

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2007
6,499
67
High Point, NC
Breakthrough! I had a handful of treats and had both dogs stand side-by-side. As our older dog followed the command sit our puppy followed as well. After six times of the command 'sit' (individually one after the other) I took our older dog out of the picture and the puppy sat on command 6 more times in a row. I consider that a success. Enough for tonight. I'm elated.
 

bigred

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,457
1
East Coast
www.hillbillytrailcrew.com
Your guy is way too young to worry about it. He is going to be a raging pain in the ass for a while. You may want to give him away before he is 1. He is smarter than you. He needs something to do. He will find something if you don't give him something. When he is old enough, check out these guys: http://www.offleashk9training.com/contact/ My aussie went to train there and it was the best thing we ever did. Check out some of their youtube videos. The before / after is exactly how it went down with Monty. He's 4 now and more obedient than we'd ever hoped for.
 

bigred

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,457
1
East Coast
www.hillbillytrailcrew.com
I saw a video by offleashk9training of a Husky they trained. It was very impressive but I'm not a fan of shock collars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYjHgC013w

Yeah, we were very hesitant for the same reason. It's not a "shock" collar like they used to be. It's an electronic collar. It's different. The first lesson, before we put the collar on Monty, I tested it on me to see if it was horrible and if we shouldn't do it. The dial goes to 100. On me, I got it up to 85 before it was pretty uncomfortable. When working with Monty we are usually at about a 7. I literally can't feel it at that level. Also, it's not really a "hey dog, you fucked up, let me zap you" kind of thing. It's more of a way to tap them on the shoulder from across a field. That way they won't ignore you. My wife is super soft for our pets and after having gone through the process is a total believer and cool with it.
 

bigred

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
3,457
1
East Coast
www.hillbillytrailcrew.com
I saw a video by offleashk9training of a Husky they trained. It was very impressive but I'm not a fan of shock collars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYjHgC013w

I just watched that one. That is pretty much the way that all dogs roll out of there. I have friends that have used them with Bernese Mountain Dogs, Labs, and a Blood hound. All successful out of the gate. The Bernese hasn't been tuned up recently, and he's getting lazy, but that's not Off Leash K9's fault.
I know some guys that will beat on their dogs with rolled up newspaper or sticks if they misbehave. That's not my jam. I want my dog to understand the hierarchy in the house, be obedient the first time I ask him to do something, but still have his normal personality and not just obey because he's terrified of me. This was a great solution for us. Also, he only wears the e collar about once every two weeks or so, just when his "heel" gets a little sloppy and needs a refresher.
With a lot of dogs, you can probably get away with Cesar Milan or New Skete methods. Aussies are smart, hairy tornadoes. If they aren't well trained, they will make you miserable.
 

brian4d

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2007
6,499
67
High Point, NC
Your guy is way too young to worry about it. He is going to be a raging pain in the ass for a while. You may want to give him away before he is 1. He is smarter than you. He needs something to do. He will find something if you don't give him something. When he is old enough, check out these guys: http://www.offleashk9training.com/contact/ My aussie went to train there and it was the best thing we ever did. Check out some of their youtube videos. The before / after is exactly how it went down with Monty. He's 4 now and more obedient than we'd ever hoped for.

Should I get one of those bumper stickers, My Aussie is smarter than your first grader?

Thanks for the link to trainers, he is a raging pain in the ass but if I can't corral these dogs I will consider my time on this earth a total failure.
 

kk88rrc

Well-known member
Thanks for the link to trainers, he is a raging pain in the ass but if I can't corral these dogs I will consider my time on this earth a total failure.
The first two months were looooooooooong. Are you crate training?

Damn, did you see the part where he picks up the leaf blower starts it and blows around the dog? That's impressive right there.

During Vali's final exam at puppy class, the trainer grabbed a huge metal trash and chucked it into the middle of room. I was very happy when Vali barely flinched and then wanted to see what it was. The trainer was very impressed. :D Exposing your puppy to anything & everything now will pay off huge later.

If anyone in the DC / Baltimore area is looking for a trainer, check my friend out. She specializes in agility. http://dogstar-agility.com/dogstar/
 

brian4d

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2007
6,499
67
High Point, NC
The first two months were looooooooooong. Are you crate training?



During Vali's final exam at puppy class, the trainer grabbed a huge metal trash and chucked it into the middle of room. I was very happy when Vali barely flinched and then wanted to see what it was. The trainer was very impressed. :D Exposing your puppy to anything & everything now will pay off huge later.

If anyone in the DC / Baltimore area is looking for a trainer, check my friend out. She specializes in agility. http://dogstar-agility.com/dogstar/

Crate training now. He is mostly potty trained and now I need to work on the biting. He has 50 toys he can bite. Our fingers and ears are not included on that list.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
9 weeks is pretty early. A family friend is a Malamute breeder and has been teaching obedience classes for 30+ years, and she won't allow dogs under 6 months. Aussies and Poodles are both extremely intelligent dogs, and Aussies absolutely love to work and to please. Just give it a little time. With dogs like that, Border Collies, etc., the joke is that you just give them an obedience handbook and when you come back later they'll have it read and memorized. I don't have any experience with the reward system of training, her class is correction-based.

Breed is important though. I have seen plenty of pointers, shepards and others that never really respond to some commands unless you spend hours per day.

I actually disagree about border collies. In experienced hands they can be great dogs, but in general my experience with them has been crap at obedience, disruptive to class and owners that are not smart enough to exercise and train them. Also seen them get into trouble trying to heard and nip other dogs.

MANY herding dogs are not appropriate for people that do not wish to spend a few hours a day exercising and training their dog.

My retrievers come, sit, heal, down, down stay at 8-12 weeks.

My first Chessie did not need to be taught any of these. She knew all these at 6 weeks in the first few minutes of meeting her, its the standard test I use when selecting a dog. Also test for food aggression and timidness.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
Crate training now. He is mostly potty trained and now I need to work on the biting. He has 50 toys he can bite. Our fingers and ears are not included on that list.

Try 1 toy to bite. make it the same toy. If there are 50 and they are all different the pup could have a problem distguishing a chew toy from a shoe.

When we have pups, someone is with the pup and it is on lead or in the crate. Period. This goes on for about six months. Down stay by chair at dinner, no table scraps,etc. Until our pups are done teething and can down stay and know basic commands, they are on lead or in a crate.

Read the art of raising a puppy. It works.

THE BEST command to teach a dog and one of the hardest for some to learn is DROP.... at any time and any place.

We only had one dog that mastered it.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
I followed Cesar Milans way of interacting with dogs. Worked perfectly. I cant say this enough. Pure breed dogs need to do what they were breed for. A husky is a beautiful dog, I had one growing up. It was a wild animal, but back then we didnt know shit about training a dog or the amount of exercise it really needed.

As mentioned he is still very young, but starting with good habits now will go a long way. They are smarter than we give them credit for. Their whole life is based upon watching you for direction.
When someone would tell my dog to do something, he would immediately look at me. As if to say, should I listen to them?

Cesar Milan is a fucking idiot.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
That approach has not worked at all with our Airedale. Just not a single bit.
... And dogs know perfectly well what you want when you call them without a command to follow. Most importantly, they have to stop and look at you when called.

Have you tried "proper" use of a pinch collar? You have to use care not to hurt the dog, but my pointers who are notoriously horrific at being on lead reacted just fine to them. You have to be ready for a lurch so that you do not hurt the dog and you also cannot jerk the lead to strong or you really could hurt the dog.
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
Cesar Milan is a fucking idiot.

Are you going to elaborate or just make random comments? Ask anyone who met my dog.. He was as good as you could ever ask any dog to be... I trusted him any situation. Including meeting other aggressive dogs. I solely trained him based on Caesars technique and philosophy. Say what you will, but it worked VERY well for me and others.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
Are you going to elaborate or just make random comments? Ask anyone who met my dog.. He was as good as you could ever ask any dog to be... I trusted him any situation. Including meeting other aggressive dogs. I solely trained him based on Caesars technique and philosophy. Say what you will, but it worked VERY well for me and others.

If you have ever watched his show, spent time with dogs in training, hunting, obedience and agility you will quickly realize that he is merely a TV personality. He really has no special ability what soever. His technique and philosophy are a product of him being a celebrity.

Its all about money to him and his techniques are not unique to him or to understanding and training dogs. Some is common sense, some is knowledge, but this idiot does not understand the behavior of dogs better than most expereinced trainers.

Cesar is a "self-taught dog behaviorist", LOL. The dog whisperer is a complete joke.

I new KIDS when I was young that do what Cesar Milan does and I have personally dealt with a shit-ton of problem dogs myself. I own one now. Regretfully what they never show you are his failures, which I am 100% confident that he has had, likely many times.

His show is perhaps the most boring animal show I have seen. I think I lasted through about3 episodes... using fast forward.

The fact that he had 9 seasons of show and is broke, pretty much proves he is dumb.

I've seen a few things that he does that are just dumb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgAZdPRHAWk

Here is literally hangs a dog that has agression problems. I know that he is attempting to dominate the dog, but to do so, literally hanging the dog, first with aprong collar then with the lead through handle is a sure way to choke and torture the dog. A leather lead through its own handle is an inappropriate method to apply a choke collar as it will not release.... A violent reaction will ensue.

If he were to try that with my very defensive 100lb timid dog, he would have lost a hand, face or gut. That dog was a wimp and also slow by comparison to my problem child.

Here is another... idiotic way to deal with food agression. 1- dumb. 2- show for the audience. You could do this much more effectively with two people a lead and in stages. No need to make the dog bite you, hit the dog, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MWEythWtuE
 
Last edited:

brian4d

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2007
6,499
67
High Point, NC
Just found this thread and wanted to let everyone know Tucker (our Aussie Mix) has been absolutely crazy the past year but I wouldn't have changed it for anything. The dog has tested my patience to it's core but he's smart as a whip so now he'll stop when told, the first time. Here are some new photos.

<a href="https://imgur.com/v7cUjqD"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/v7cUjqD.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/si7xoNC"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/si7xoNC.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/DlCE53r"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DlCE53r.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

He's a bit bigger now and has put on about 5 more pounds.

On this last photo we've had him shaved down. His coat was out of control. Believe it or not shaved down looks great.