a-bull wrote:So a five month old puppy wants to sniff something rather than "go pee" on command, so he gets a command and a collar pop for that, ignores you further, so he gets a collar pop for ignoring you, gives you what you perceive to be a "nasty look", gets another pop for that and you evoke a growl.
A) How on earth do you expect him to know what you want from him, and;
B) Shouldn't the first growl have been an indication that what you're doing isn't working?
Hanging him, euthanizing him . . . my gawd . . . what the heck ever happened to training??! This is a five month old puppy!
Nobody on here even knows if this person is accuarately reading this situation, and in my opinion, basic puppy training probably would have worked out alot better for you than collar popping a five month old puppy for not going pee on command.
Ya know, there are alot of young people that frequent these boards for dog training info. and advice, and even adults unsure of how to teach basic training. Tossing out suggestions of euthaninzation, hanging dogs, etc. just is not appropriate. In this case we're talking about a five month old puppy, a rescue puppy---which means it may not even be a pitbull mix for all she knows, and an interpretation of a situation presented on a forum that may be accurate or not.
In my first post, I mentioned that Doodle knows his command. I never said that I never let him sniff around. I give him a chance to go, and he has plenty of time to play during the day. And I don't collar pop him on the very first command. He only gets that when he's not doing what he's supposed to be doing. He knows exactly what I want from him because he knows his command. I am not going to punish a dog for not knowing what I want from them. And I do not put the prong collar on when I take him out to do his business. I only put it on for walks and when he is chasing the cats in the house. I do not agree with the hanging method, which is why I haven't done it...cruel techniques provide bad behavior. I am not giving up on him...euthanizing him is a VERY LAST resort. Just thinking about it tears me up. I just had to put down a dog in April because of cancer. Do you think I want to go through that again??? And don't judge me because of my age. Just because I'm 24 doesn't mean that I can't accurately read a dog. I've been around dogs my entire life, not to mention that I've worked at animal hospitals for five years. I know what I'm doing when it comes to caring for my animals. I know the difference between play biting and outright aggression. I know the difference between a dog wanting to be a jackass and a frustrated dog. By no means am I trying to be rude to anyone, but I really don't appreciate anyone attacking my approach to things, either. I am a responsible adult and pet owner.
Anyway...that said, I have an update on Doodle. I talked with his vet, and she said it's definitely a good idea to get him neutered as soon as possible; I have had an appt. to get him neutered for a week...he goes on Monday. She suggested trying a Halti/Gentle Leader and also giving him some Clomicalm, which she says has helped a great many dogs she's seen that show aggression. It's not a permanent thing, but hopefully it will help. She did mention that there is a possibility that I may have to euthanize him, but not to consider it until she's had a look at him. One of her majors in college was canine behavior, so she is my vet/animal behaviorist.
Again, I love this dog dearly. I don't want to put him down. I've already lost a dog this year, and I never want to go through that again. I'm sorry if I have come across as rude, but it is just my reaction when I feel someone is making presumptions about me. I have to have a chance to stand up for myself. Anyone who knows me will tell you how passionate I am about my animals. I did not post my message to be downsized. I posted it because I honestly need help with this situation.
Thank you, and I will step down from my soap box now.
Jen