Training suggestion: horrified

[Bluegirly01]

Hello,

I am having a few issues with my puppy at the moment. The main issues I have are him ragging on my slippers every time I walk around the house and chewing small holes in the carpet where it joins onto a step. It's a pain and I would very much welcome some advice on how I can eliminate these issues.

I was given a training suggestion by my sister and her other half the other day. They have told me to invest in a shock collar to use on Mac (7 months). Apparently he's too naughty and it needs nipping in the bud. I was horrified!

They are in my opinion a cruel and unnecessary device. Now my sister and OH think that I am being too soft when I say I will never ever use a shock collar on Mac. Surely I am not the only one that thinks it is not a training technique but rather a way of inflicting pain upon a puppy that relies on me to be the one who feeds, waters, loves and protects him.

Many thanks in advance.

Hayely x

P.S. I wonder how my sister and her OH would cope with shock collars around their necks.

[Ari_RR]

Try this thread... viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13133

[Erica]

You are quite right - your puppy isn't being purposefully naughty, there's no intent to anger anyone there. He's just being a dog! Shock collars are incredibly inhumane. I vividly remember one episode of IMOTD where Victoria was helping a bulldog who's owner had gone to a trainer that put a shock collar on the puppy...the poor dog had scars from it! Completely and utterly unnecessary and cruel. If you'd like, you could post in the "training advice" section of the forum with a few of the things you have problems with. We'd be happy to help you, and you can be sure we won't suggest anything that will hurt your puppy!

[Sarah83]

I'm pretty disgusted at the sheer number of people who will suggest shock collars or beatings for perfectly normal dog behaviours that are usually easily resolved with a little management and training. Your puppy is a puppy doing perfectly normal puppy things, he doesn't deserve to be hurt for that. I posted on your thread in the training section by the way.

[bendog]

I was recomended to use a citronella collar for our dogs barking. Not as inhumane as shock collars, but it emits a spray of citronella at the dog whenever it barks. I was told that "this is the only way you'll stop it".

Other ways people have tried to stop her barking have included yelling at her, smacking her, or pretending to smack her. And even giving her a soft kick. I haven't found a way to solve the issue myself yet, but I am adamant that I will do it without resorting to these methods.

Sash did actually nip me once (she was in a lot of pain from her ear infection at the time) and the response from most people was "I hope you bit her back!"

It is awful how many people are completely ignorant about dogs, and how to train them. My Dad honestly believed that to house train a dog you should rub it's nose in it's poo. He is an intelligient man, and totally against animal cruelty (in fact he's vegetarian) but thats just what he genuinely believed to be the "right" way to train a dog.

Good for you for sticking to your guns and seeking help about a more positive way to train your pup.

[Nettle]

Citronella collar is actually even nastier than the shock collar, because it goes on and on punishing, for around half an hour.

Think of something that sprayed sewage smell up your nose for half an hour to get the feel of how bad it is for the dog - dogs hate citronella.

Punishment has NO place in training. Aside from being inhumane, it teaches the dog nothing about what you want it to do - it only hurts, frightens and bewilders.

[jacksdad]

I'm pretty disgusted at the sheer number of people who will suggest shock collars or beatings for perfectly normal dog behaviours that are usually easily resolved with a little management and training. Your puppy is a puppy doing perfectly normal puppy things, he doesn't deserve to be hurt for that. I posted on your thread in the training section by the way.

it's because by and far the dogs let us get away this this kind of thing because of their breeding. be a lot more dead dog owners if the dogs were more like wolves and you tried to use a shock collar on them.