Which training have you found most difficult?

Kathleen, that’s really going to help me- thank you!  The other training issue I have with my dog is that she goes crazy when she sees another dog (starts whimpering and making noise). 

And if she sees a person approaching her- forget about it!  She just doesn’t like strangers- she barks at them and everything.  Has anyone had this problem?  If so, what did you do to combat it?

I’m going to have to get one or the other.  Right now (and I’m not sure if this is a good thing) I’m using my emery board to file the little one’s nails.  She’s always scratching her eyes, and if I don’t keep her nails short, I’m worried about any real damage that she might do. I’m happy that she lets me file them…do you think it’s okay for me to use the emery board (I keep special ones for the girls and a separate set for myself) or do you think I should really invest in something for them?

I think if what you’re doing works, why change? An emery board has to be better than a clipper. You can make sure the edges are smooth and there is no worry of cutting too deep.

The Peticure is faster but is more expensive than emery boards. Of course, it will last longer too. It is a little noisy though. So you’d have to gradually get your dog used to it.

I know professional breeders and people who show dogs and they often use a Dremmel, which is essentially the same thing. The dogs get used to it fast and it just becomes a part of their grooming routine. The only drawback (to me anyhow) is that the Dremmel doesn’t have that cover on the end. That means you have dust flying when you do their nails. The Peticure has a cover (with the holes in it for the different size nails) so it catches all the dust. Much cleaner.

I think it’s a matter of personal preference.

Regarding your dog’s stranger anxiety, this takes a lot of work. I had a Boarder Collie mix who was the sweetest dog but he only liked the family. He would try to bite people who didn’t live in our house. All it is is anxiety, I’m sure.

You’ll have to really create a training program to teach your dog that visitors are not bad. Then recruit friends to help with the training.

The key is to watch carefully for signs of anxiety and immediately distract him from it. If he starts getting tense or barks or whatever the FIRST sign is that he will react negatively, make a sound or a gentle poke or something to interrupt the behavior—every time. After a while he will see that it isn’t acceptable behavior.

It isn’t easy to do and may take a while, but once you see results it is worth it. You do the same thing with other dogs. Don’t allow him to look at other dogs. As soon as he looks at them, interrupt the behavior. Eventually he will learn to ignore.

Hope all that made sense. lol

Kathleen, my husband also used to use a Dremmel at the grooming shop. Aside from the ground nail powder, there’s a risk of catching longer dog hair in that wheel. We were so glad to see someone modify a motorized grinder design to include a safety cover. I’ve never used any type of nail grinder myself, but I’d feel way more comfotable trying one with a cover around the wheel.

Oh I never even thought about the dogs hair getting caught in it. I guess because my dogs all have short hair, it never occurred to me.

It seems like on the Peticure website, they say something about getting just the cover for the Dremmel. I remember reading it but now I can’t find it. Maybe I was halucinating. I would think that would sell well too. People could just modify their Dremmel to make it safer to use on their dogs.

I do watch for her “signals” that she’s about to get agitated, but she doesn’t listen!  And she’s the same way your Border Collie was- she does not like anyone but her family.  Whenever other family members come to visit, she doesn’t bark (because we tell her that’s unacceptable), but she “talks” to them under her breath to let them know her displeasure (we’ve told her to stop that too, but she keeps on talking!). 

As for other dogs, we’ve tried everything.  A gentle poke, a firm word, we’ve walked the other way- everything!  The one thing that has helped a lot is making sure that she gets enough exercise; the more tired she is, the better behaved.  I tried taking her for a very long walk before family arrives, but it didn’t help very much.

Well that’s a really good point too. Exercise is a huge key in training. How long have you been working on this behavior with your dog? Which dog is this? Huskies do tend to be “vocal” so I don’t think I would worry about the grumbling (if that’s the dog you are talking about). It may just take more time. Of course, it’s hard to say without actually seeing the behavior.

I think our problem with Pepper (our Border Collie) was that he wasn’t socialized well enough. When we got him, we lived out in the boonies so he didn’t see many people other than those he lived with. Once we moved into town, it was a little traumatic for him. That and the fact that the kids next door would torment him every chance they got. (Rotten brats!)

You may find that you need to consult a trainer about this behavior.

It’s actually the little one (the Lancashire Heeler mix).  The husky is perfect and the funny thing is that the little one started out in the city, but she just never liked other people. Even as a pup she would bark if the neighbors came over to chat!  She’s the one that tends to grumble (the Husky just lets out a howl!), but she has gotten better with age.  Thank God she’s small- I can’t imagine what a problem it would have been if she had been bigger :-)

Hii, i guess i have to agree with the house training too ) in my dogs case..as a 3 month old pup, she wld do her business in just one particular place. even if she has been taken out. But after sometimes, she went to live with a friend and their apartment was very small and outside was the huge garden. So my dog was able to just go our with her other doggy friends and do wutever she wanted. so once she got home i noticed she didnt wanna do anything at home!! we were practically shocked to see how much she had changed. Ever since she has been really good and saving our balcony and keeping it nice and clean :D (ha ha)
Ikinda figured dogs too need to adjust to some sorta system in their lives just like kids. :D
But my olnly prob so far is that i cannot find any way of training her to walk with me or not leave me and run off to the road without her leash!! this i fail miserably. Once she almost got knocked over by a taxi. After that I never let her off the leash.
But i notice so many other dogs can just walk /run without actually stepping on to the main road!
Any idea how i can train my doggy to obey my voice n not get excited and run off to the road like mad? :D

Hi Tanisha, That’s a great question! First, take a look at the laws at where you live at since some require that your dog must be on a leash at all times. If this is the case where you are, then you’ll have no choice but to keep her on the leash (anyway, this might be very good since she tends to get excited and runs around).

Second, some dogs tend to become “unfocused” and not listen, while others pay attention more- it may just have something to do with personality. For example, my big one always listens, but my little one, even though she’s 4 now, still has issues.

The best advice I can give you is to start with her listening in the house. So give her commands in the house.  With my dogs I would make it a game and I would tell them to stay and then I would walk away (start out with a very short amount of time-basically, the younger the dog, the shorter the time), and then I’d tell them to come here (in a very excited tone).  From there, work on their other commands (in the house- but start to modulate your tone). Once they’ve got that down, go outside the house (not far, like just in front of it) and do the same commands.  Slowly, but surely, they start to understand that no matter where they are, they must listen.  That worked for me, but of course, it’s always a work in process. My older one (she’s 8 now) totally gets it, but the little one still takes work.

Please keep me posted, I’d love to know how it goes with you and your dog!

Hey, Thanx for that Jackie! I will start doing that from tomo morning. ( its midnight right now he he) Yes, u are right. I too think flufy isnt is that focused when she goes out & especially when she sees other dogs! Its like she forgets everything! She even tries so hard to pull me across the road just to go and see the dog that lives on that side! She isnt even afraid of vehicles! Id really love to let her play wihtout her leash…i feel sorry coz she cant get fun wiht me holding onto her.
But i wll do as u told me to. I will keep you posted

Cheers.

No problem, and yes Tanishia, please keep me posted, and that is such a super cute picture of your dog- she’s adorable! I can’t believe that she’s only three months- so cute!