Zoe is a puller & jumper!

[Zoe's Family]

What in the world can stop this behavior?? She really does have the potential to be a very good pet for our family, but she had to stop these 2 things NOW!
Zoe will pull on her leash or collar until I think she's going to gag or choke herself out! We have put on, at the suggestion of a local trainer, a choker. She doesn't even act like it's on her, she will still dig in her claws to get ahead of you. The Vet suggested today that I get her a small spike collar. I'm not so sure about that, I had hard enough time thinking of her well-being with just this choker on.
She also jumps on EVERYBODY! She jumps on my 2 year old son less than the 2 older girls, but still jumps on him.
I cannot stand that kind of behavior. I've tried to love on her like crazy when she behaves well (& this has worked for a handful of commands we wanted her to learn), but then what do you do for negative behavior? Boxers are so social that you cannot just stick them away when they've been bad, but what do you do? I cannot continue to let her jump the kids, me & others. She is getting too big & will hurt someone.
I REALLY want to get her to the point where she can stay inside, around all family members & guests without trouble. Is this possible at this age? Or will she have to "grow out of it", as I've heard from so many??
I am getting ready to call around to local grooming shops. I heard there was a new trainer in town, the only other one that comes recommended charges around $700 for his program. Can't afford that.

 

[apollosdad]

We have put on, at the suggestion of a local trainer, a choker. She doesn't even act like it's on her, she will still dig in her claws to get ahead of you. The Vet suggested today that I get her a small spike collar. I'm not so sure about that, I had hard enough time thinking of her well-being with just this choker on.
I heard there was a new trainer in town, the only other one that comes recommended charges around $700 for his program. Can't afford that.

first off, let me caution you that the discussion of inappropriate devices such as choke collars and spike collars is not permitted on this site. be sure to read through the rules again.

in respone to your questions:
- i would recommend that you enroll your dog in some obedience classes. $700 is far too much for a trainer. if you have a local petsmart nearby, i would recommend enrolling them in some of their classes. their classes are all $99 and 8-weeks in duration, except for the advanced class which is 6-weeks long. they address jumping up and pulling issues.
- another step you can take is to purchase a gentle leader, which petsmart also recommends and utilizes in their classes, for your dog. this is a far more humane method for teaching your dog to walk nicely on a leash. it is not harmful to them as some other collars can be.
- when you anticipate your dog jumping up on someone, step on the leash, which will limit their ability to jump at all. one of two things will happen:
1) your dog will stop attempting to jump on someone, when it sees that it is not able to do so.
2) your dog will stop trying to jump up on someone as a result of tiring itself out.
either way, the desireable behavior will be achieved. another option is to simply turn away from your dog so that they are no longer receiving attention. attention is what they are wanting, and by depriving them of their desired need, you are essentially re-directing them into displaying a desired behavior. this is part of the basics involved in dog training.
- as for any form of training, there must be patience, consistency, and praise in order to achieve the results that you want. there will not be any overnight miracle cures. be patient and your results will come. the help of a knowledgeable trainer will go a long way.
i would definitely recommend staying away from any trainer that recommends such needless items such as choke and/or prong collars. this would lead me to think that their training methods are also outdated and unnecessary. in that case, i would recommend you find another trainer.

 

[Mya's_Mom]

As Apollosdad suggested, a Gentle Leader collar is great for pulling. We used one on Mya and she learned how to walk nicely on a leash. It also helps in keeping her down on all 4 legs when guests come over. As for jumping, we still have issues with that but are getting better. A suggestion from a trainer at her school said we should train her to jump on command. Now she jumps straight in the air but not on people. She can still get her excitment out but not be a bother.

 

[Anna Begins]

As you are finding out- choke chains and other painful devices don't train a dog. There is no reason to believe that a prong collar would train either. These devices make your dog associate pain with training and any trainer who sugests them is antiquated.
Gental leaders and normal nylon harnesses can help, but nothing is better than a good trainer or class. Find one that uses positive training methods. They should be able to help you with both problems.
I myself am working on the jumping issue too. I won't pet Luka until he sits. I have so many scratches on my legs from wearing skirts to work and coming home. I have only been seriously working on his jumping for two days and yesterday when I came home, he sat!! appicon I was shocked- granted, he only sat for 3 seconds or so, but it was progress!

 

[Zoe's Family]

Sorry for the collar post!

I was aware of the suggestion to USE the collars to inflict pain on the animal being prohibited on the forums, but guess I didn't see the harm in saying that's what I was told to do & then asking for alternatives. Sorry :(
I can see why the spike ones are bad, it even sounds awful...I almost cried when they suggested that I use one to get her to stop pulling.
I am doing a search for a reputable trainer that costs less than $700! I'm not having too much luck, there are only 4 listings in our yellow pages besides the local PetSmart. I was told that Boxers probably won't respond much to the PetSmart classes, seing how they are really intelligent & all.
But, it's worth a try I guess.
It would also be nice to have her stop pulling & jumping because the kids would enjoy her more & could actually be the ones walking her instead of just me and my DH.

 

[GeebMan]

I've taken Brutus to PetSmart for classes and he's done very well with them. The classes are more for training you how to work with your dog. One hour a week at PetSmart is not going to solve the problems but it shows you the correct way to work with your dog to eliminate the bad behavior.

 

[apollosdad]

I was told that Boxers probably won't respond much to the PetSmart classes, seing how they are really intelligent & all.

that's a rather 'silly', for lack of a better word, assumption to make.
i'm wondering if the same trainer that suggested the use of inhumane devices was the person that made that comment to you?
boxers ARE very intelligent as well as independent thinkers. however, they are no less difficult to train than any other dog. they are very eager to please their owners, which make them an ideal breed to train. i might be a bit biased being that i am a boxer owner, but i have trained various breeds and found that any breed will do well once you find their 'motivational factor.'

geebman is correct in saying that dog training courses are meant for BOTH the pet and the owner. they are essentially teaching you how to train your dog. the bond with your dog will also increase and reach a new level as you both work with each other towards your goals. good luck in finding a trainer.
petsmart is a good place to start, especially if selection is limited, and their prices are very reasonable.

 

[Boo's dad]

I just wanted to add that you may wish to go to Petsmart alone and observe the class and trainer before signing up for class, also go more than once if possible.

My wife signed "us" up for classes at the local PS and the class was useless. The "trainer" was actually with us for 1 session after that cashiers filled in. The manager filled in for one session. The class iirc was to be 6 weeks; we were "graduated" early. I believe the cost was around $80 but imo it was a waste. I found a "Dog training for dummies" book that was I believe around $15, which was a great help with house training etc. Of course use of the search feature here, or googling boxerworld with queries answered most of my questions better.

For pulling I've found that a really short leash minimizes this behavior a lot. 12" to 24" max on the leash and also try to adjust the collar so that it rides high on the neck helps as well. It will take time but your dog will adjust to walking beside you.

For jumping, I was just stern with the sit command until bandit sits down. Now he never jumps on me but launches himself at the wife because she isn't consistent with his greetings. Consistency is the key.

Lastly, let me leave you with a parting thought; Prong collars are a lazy and incompetent way to train that will at best get inconsistent results. It also trains your dog to respond to negative stimuli which imo is undesirable in a house "friend". Think Pavlovian.

Hope this has been some help.

 

[courtney323]

Lastly, let me leave you with a parting thought; Prong collars are a lazy and incompetent way to train that will at best get inconsistent results. It also trains your dog to respond to negative stimuli which imo is undesirable in a house "friend". Think Pavlovian.

Well said, Boo's dad

 

[mmichaelson]

My easywalk harness will be here tomorrow!!!