1 visit dog training

There is a lady that has 25 yrs exp in my town that trains dogs. Its a 1 time visit for 3 hours. No hitting, yelling or anything bad. Supposeably you go home w/ your dog and work 15 mins 2 x's a day for 1 week and the dog will not jump on people, chew furniture, pee in the hosue- will learn to bark to go out...and A LOT MORE! Its very expensive though $485. However, she thinks that my dog peeing in the house is all connected to the rest of the "bad: behavior.
So- in your opinion, do you really think this lady can fix my dog in 3 hours?? Is that possible?? (She said if we have to come back again for more training- its free--and that if the dog doesn't listen to us when we;re there- we don't pay!)
Thanks for your opinions.....

 

I have heard of these services before. If she's good at what she does, then yes I think it can help. Really it's YOU she has to train, and not the dog. 15 minutes a day twice a day can do wonders for a dog. Do take advantage of all the other "training moments" throughout the day. Every time the dog wants something from you is an opportunity to train.

 

I'm going to disagree on this one. I've been seeing alot of these sorts of deals lately and I personally think for MOST people it would be tossing away money.

For starters, most dog trainers are really people trainers. Anyone who promises to "fix" your dog in three hours is gambling on the person who will be handling the dog. Secondly it's my experience that three hours is WAY too long to ask a dog to work..not to mention most people. If it sounds too good to be true..it likely is. Working with your dog is hard work, it takes patience and commitment and an understanding of how your dog learns...I don't see that happening in 3 hours.


I think you'd be better off going to classes once a week and getting information and skills to work on in small increments. JMO

 

I totally agree with what Maisey said.

there was a 'trainer' working in S.Cal (probably still is) that was charging $80 for an hours lesson to train your dog not to jump up.....I wont tell you what he did as it was at least uncomfortable and possible painful for the dog and then it didnt work anyway (it wasnt a shock collar or anything). This person made a small fortune from his 'quick fixes'.

The only 'quick fixes' I know of involve pain, it takes time and patience to teach a dog what you'd like it do or wouldnt like it to do.

Obviously I have no idea who this trainer is....maybe she does have some kind of amazing technique that Ive never heard of seen before but for that amount of money (and I would check the small print if theres a contract) I would rather buy a good training video or then join a class with a reputable trainer.

As for the urinating so much, I dont know if youve had the pup checked by a vet for this yet....if it is a medical problem the vet can fix it for you and then you can probaly fix the housetraining problem yourself.....for free.

 

I personally learned most of what I know from books. Having a trainer come to the house was helpful, but what was even more helpful was finding the style of training that works for me. Our puppy class trainer was a show dog person and she was all focused on always having a leash on, etc. Well that's just not practical for me. She also did leash pops and things like that. I prefer positive techniques - lures and clickers.

There is a volunteer at one of the local shelters that does a lot of training. He teaches the rest of us what he knows, and it has been INVALUABLE to me! He is amazing. It's all in the timing. He can get a row of about 5 shelter dogs sitting quietly in their kennels with their doors wide open, waiting to be released. And he does it in about 10 minutes! As I said - it's all in the timing. He turns away when they are not doing what he wants and he praises or treats them when they are, and they typically learn very quickly! I can't do it like he can - not yet - but someday with practice I will be able to!

Having a guy like that come to your home for an hour or so would be worth an awful lot.

 

an after thought comment or example....

Dooley, my four year old Aussie/lab X is extremely intelligent. The easiest dog to train. He loves to learn new things! However...he has a limit to the AMOUNT OF TIME he can spend working on things before his brain starts to burn. Pushing him too much ends in a bitter session and not much fun for him. He is an incredibly willing dog and is sooo happy to please, but he would not do well with a three hour session. I don't think most people would hold onto or digest three hours worth of lessons either.
What about the person with a puppy? Their attention span just isn't there yet. What about the person whose dog has serious issues like fear aggression or dog dog aggression.....I guarantee you these issues are NOT solved in three hours or even a week of 15 minute sessions!

 

The '3 hours' is a really long time, Ive never worked that long with one dog at one time....not even splitting part of the time with the owner and part with the dog and then part with both.

Just my opinion but I think, as Jamiya said twice a day for 15-20 minutes can have a great effect on a dog. Ive gone 45 minutes in a session just with a dog unless of course its been street/shops/desensitzation and theres been a bit of a walk or car ride to get to places in which case you are still working the dog but part of it would be a basic 'heel' or keeping control in the car, but that doesnt happen until about 2 or 3 weeks into lessons. I just cant imagine that length of time being beneficial, especially not with a puppy. There is such a thing as over-doing it.

Like I said though, just my opinion.

 

I too agree with Maisey and Delauk. I am a dog trainer. From personal experience, I can tell you that I can start lessons with people and their dogs on the exact same date.
I give basically the same lesson (modified of course depending on the dog) and by the next week three clients are doing great with their dogs. The fourth and fith clients are doing poorly.
Why? Same trainer? Positive method of training.
Well the answer is the dog's owner.
Either not doing what you told them, or not putting in enough time with the dog, or having a problem and not e-mailing/calling me to get the answer. Training is all about training people.
3 hours in my opinion is WAY TO LONG for a dog to remain focused.
Just my 2 cents.
Sue

 

I agree with Maisey. Dukes high end training academy would only work with him for 15 - 20 minutes a session with maybe two sessions a day. $485.00 seems very steep for a single session when your dog will lose interest in 20 minutes.
The 15 minutes twice a day reinforcement training is what all the the trainers I have worked with require for the training to be effective however you should do it for two months, not one week.
If you have a local PetsMart check their training classes. Freckles did great and the trainers do go through some sort of certification process.

 

Wow Guys! :y_the_best:
Thanks a lot for all your pros & cons. It defnitly gave me a lot to think about. My dog doesn't do well after about 30 mins of training what was I thinking with 3 hours!! And it probably does have a lot to do with "training the owner" rather then the dog.
Any ideas on how I can get my dog to learn to scratch the door to go out or bark or judt DO SOMETHING so we know she has to go out!!?? That's the biggest thing...we don't know when she has to go.She sleeps with us for a good 8-10 hours sometimes at night...and she can hold it. So- hopefully its nothing bad/infection wise. I am still trying to get a sample of pee from her. That trainer lady told me to put aluminum foil under her as she is peeing- and collect a few tablespoons even.
Any other ideas???
Thanks!!

 

Here is one page I found by Googling "teach dog to ring bell to go outside." There are many more pages that come up if you try it.

http://www.uvhs.org/behavioral_docs/ringing_a_bell_to_go_outside.pdf

You could also just not wait for her to tell you and let her out frequently.

 

Ive never thought of using foil, it might drip off. Usually I use a small margarine tub (or similar), obviously make sure you wash it out and rinse it and dry it very well before using it as you dont want any residue from whatever was in there, including the soap interferring in the sample....then just as your pup is urinating hold it under her, sometimes dogs gets a little 'spooked' by having something put under them though and will stop urinating....be patient.

 

we went here...worked miracles....along with the Gentle Leader. (its sort of a leash...but more......and has a calming affect.) anyway trainer:

www.unclematty.com

training with love and praise

 

The Gentle Leader is a nice tool to use, but with proper training you shouldn't need it anymore. It's sort of like a step toward the right behavior. And the "calming effect" that it has is sometimes actually more of a "depressing effect" meaning the dog is depressed when forced to wear it. That being said, I do use them for my dogs in some situations.

The Gentle Leader harness (or other similar front-attaching harnesses) are good solutions for dogs who can't be taught to accept the Gentle Leader head halter or for dogs that are too depressed when it is on. They don't seem to have any problems accepting the harness. I use that on foster dogs now.

With positive training, the dog should be having fun and wanting to learn. It should be like playing a game. If the dog is dejected and depressed, it is no longer positive.