Dutch Shepherd Forum

ICE wrote: ↑Mon Feb 24, 2020 2:42 pm Took me awhile to decide if I was even going to chime in here......... spend some time teaching your dog and building a relationship without physically controlling him.....

I think you nailed it ICE.
Rocket bites, speaks his mind and still does not like the leash.
This morning Rocket brought me the hamburger I didn't finish yesterday to ask my permission if he could have it.
Can you believe it? A beef hamburger pattie.
Freaked me out.
But what do I know.
I love my dog.

"Rocket bites speak his mind and still does not like the leash."

When you say Rocket bites- does he bite you and your family and/ or strangers?

Don3211 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2020 2:31 am When you say Rocket bites- does he bite you and your family and/ or strangers?

I'm sure he would bite an intruder especially if they take a swing at him. When he was about 2-1/2 months we had our first real fight over his food. And again at about 4 months over meat in his dish. Got me a good one and he got a good head slapping. We sat across the room staring at each other, me bleeding and him kinda bewildered for about 10 min. Then I gave him a goodie. He had accepted me.

Nowdays I doubt I could win without a tool and he still has attitude and we play fairly rough. I feel sorry for anyone that ever tries to take a swing at us. The teeth come out if he thinks his people are threatened.
So I believe there is a place and time for bonking but is not appropriate for or to induce fear.
I must have a weirdo because he wants to conquer anything that intimidates him. Only time Rocket gets bonked is when he gets hit in the back of the head with a tennis ball. But he's having fun because he gets to bite it.


Addit: Can you believe the sheriff's dept passed him over?

Is there any update? Have you found a good trainer?

Get a stronger trainer. The dog needs a pincher collar and a strong owner. Correction is natural in the dog world. If you cannot spend the time to understand this dogs soul and allow the dog to understand your soul than why do you have this breed? What is the dogs purpose in life for you? A golden retriever might be better.

The trainer should be working at Petsmart sweeping the floors not working as a working dog trainer. Get another trainer, not some asshat whose trying to break the dog into compliance making it handler aggressive. I used treats with my dogs until they could do all the commands then only use a correction collar once they understand all the commands. People who use correction collars or prong collars during the initial training phase when the dog doesn't know anything are trying to speed up the training "process" but in doing so end up ruining the dog.

DS are working dogs and as such are always very borderline. Teaching a puppy the Down by pulling him to the ground only creates a trauma on that command and brings him into a state of self-defense. From everything you tell the dog expresses only a defensive bite. First of all, start by inserting the puppy in your pack .... following the rules of the pack where you are the leader. No noisy or jerking bottles needed. Another tip is to take the puppy to crowded places, and read its behavior. Is it quiet? Agitated? Scary? If you try to move the bowl, what reaction does it have? Sheepdogs love to collaborate with humans, not to be subjected to them by force. For the Down it's simple, have him train with his back to the wall so that he has to move his front legs. The dog will become aggressive if you continue on this path and these methods. He's only 5 months old, look for a good trainer.

Hi,

I understand that trainers may suggest returning a dog to the breeder in some situations, but it's important to consider all options before making a decision. Returning a dog to the breeder should not be taken lightly, as it can be a traumatic experience for the dog and may not guarantee a better outcome.

Before considering returning a dog, it's important to identify the root of the problem and explore different training methods to address it. Trainers should work with the owner to find a solution that suits both the dog and the owner's needs, rather than jumping to the conclusion of returning the dog.

Our pup was nervous aggressive at first. It just needed a lot of socialisation in the right way. Now he loves people (too much for some) and will play happily with other dogs. When he was nervous of people we asked them to just ignore him. We had friends with very tolerant, to a point, adult dogs. He would start nervous, become confident and try dominance, they would put him back in his place. He's not submissive though and will respond to a challenge from another dog but in the right way avoiding real bites. Similar with people, he will first avoid if he distrusts, if he can't he will signal displeasure clearly and growls gently, rarely snapping but when he has, not in contact. Which is not unreasonable and this is now very rare. Sometimes the dogs are correct.

If a trainer is going to hurt or even scare the dog, it has to be very clear why and how the dog can avoid or the dog will just be confused, nervous and then defensively aggressive. Why not use rewards more for good behaviour.