Hello

[Sacchan]

Hello everyone.

I'm Sacchan, and I'm 14. I don't have a dog yet, but my parents have said I might be allowed to get one for maybe my 15th birthday (almost a year away) but I have to research how to look after them and train them properly before they'll consider saying yes.

I watched Cesar Millan's show and didn't really like how he hits the dogs and forces them down, they always look scared. I found the It's Me Or The Dog show online and I really like how Victoria handles the dogs. I'd like to learn how to do that. I'm hoping I can volunteer at some local rescues or boarding kennels to be around dogs more, and I'm also going to see if I can go to a local dog training class to see if they'll let me watch how the training is done.

I don't know what kind of dog I'd like yet. Nothing too big or too small. I love rottweilers, but I know that I probably wouldn't be able to handle one and if I had a small dog like a yorkshire terrier I think I'd probably be too tempted to baby it.

Anyway I don't know what else to write now!

Sacchan

[Erica]

Hello Sacchan, and welcome! You've found a great place to learn about dogs. Volunteering in shelters will be a great way to learn about lots of different kinds of dogs, which will help you make your final decision. Maybe you'll meet your future dog while you're working there!

If you're doing research into behavior, several great trainers have written wonderful books that would be good to check out. Your library might have some. Dr Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor, Dr Ian Dunbar, and Jean Donaldson are all good places to start. "Don't Shoot The Dog," "The Other End of the Leash," and "Reaching the Animal Mind" are some of my favorites.

[Sacchan]

Thank you very much for the reply Erica =D I'll look in my library to see if they have those books, if not Amazon should have them.

I've been watching videos on YouTube of dogs being clicker trained too, it looks like you can teach some really cool things with it! I'm interested in doing the agility and freestyle too, but I know that would be a long way off, it looks really fun though and the dogs look so happy when they do it.

[Erica]

If you haven't already found them, Kikopup and ZakGeorge are great YouTube clicker trainers.

[Sacchan]

Ooh, I hadn't seen those. Thank you for the links!

[gwd]

I don't know what kind of dog I'd like yet. Nothing too big or too small. I love rottweilers, but I know that I probably wouldn't be able to handle one and if I had a small dog like a yorkshire terrier I think I'd probably be too tempted to baby it.

welcome!

it's tough picking a breed........and yes, an attraction to a certain appearance does factor in! the best way to get a good match is to figure out what kind of time you have to devote to training, walking, grooming, etc.......and think about what your ideal dog relationship looks like...........then figure out which breed would match best. ........we're happy to help with that if you'd like.

[WufWuf]

if I had a small dog like a yorkshire terrier I think I'd probably be too tempted to baby it.

There's nothing wrong with "babying" a dog once you do it in the right way . We do not have to be tough task masters to have well mannered happy dogs.

Well done for seeing the error in CM's ways My best advice to you would be to stick around this forum and read as much as you can manage on here. The Dog Training Articles section has some great stuff in it and even just reading the Dog Training Advice section will help you understand the different problems you may have to deal with. The General Chat section also often has some very interesting discussions about some current ideas/topics in the world of dogs