What is the best thing to do to train my parents to train our new dog?
Asked by
jcs007 (
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May 14th, 2008
My family got a new puppy, 2 months old. It’s a Chow Chow / Shih Tzu mix. The dog is really for them, not me. So, I wanted them to do the training so that the dog would get attached to them. I’ve heard horror stories of people bringing their dogs to training schools, paying oodles of money, and getting little to no results.
Soooo, what can I do to teach my parents how to teach our new dog? Factors that have complicated this for me: they aren’t tech friendly (so the internet is ruled out), they probably won’t read a book, they’re reluctant to spend money for a personal trainer, and a DVD is almost out of the question since they don’t even have a DVD player in the living room.
Now that I think about it, a DVD may be the best route. I’d just have to buy a really cheap DVD player. Does anyone have any recommended training DVDs? Any Flutherites have any other suggestions?
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10 Answers
Get them gift certificates for dog training through a big pet store like Petsmart. The group classes are excellent to socialize the dog with other dogs and the instructor will keep the trainers on the right path.
Do you know how to train a dog? What if you demonstrated the techniques to them for simple but vital commands like Sit, Lie Down, Stay, Come, Off, Leash walking. If you don’t, you could do the book or DVD or whatever and them show them.
Also, if the dog responds to food (should not be an issue with a Chow mix), I really think treat-based training is helpful. Others swear by clicker training. The most important thing is to use loving training rather than cruel techniques.
I have also become a big fan of using pack leader method and discipline a la BarkBusters. We had to have that for our rescue greyhound when he had issues (eating small animals-type issues). They do correction with a low-voiced Bahhhhhh sound. It is designed to mimic the growl the pack leader corrects with. They praise immediately after the dog responds in a high voice good dog. They say do not use the dog’s name for correction (negative association). The whole program is obviously too complex to summarize here. They have a Web site. It may not be an option for you because of the price issue, but they do come to your home and do the training, and they are all about training the humans. I really became a fan of it not only because it was incredibly effective incredibly quickly for Kobe, my greyhound, our other dog, who had been trained by a completely different method and did not go through Barkbusters also would respond to the Bahhhh sound and the high-pitched good dog. It seemed clear that it was almost instinctual.
Best of luck with the new pup!
Turn them onto the “Dog Whisperer” and see if that gets them excited about training. I really do think wonders can be done in about 4–5 lessons. But, it really is about training the owners & then they have to be willing to practice & stay consistent. I love doing obedience training with my dog, & better yet I love having a well behaved dog that can go places with me. My husband isn’t nearly as consistent and as a result our dog listens to me way more. I still don’t trust my dog off leah yet, but I’m hopeful one day I will.
Take your parents and their new dog to puppy classes. Professional dog trainers will be the best resource for all of you. Check with the local kennel club. I don’t recommend PetSmart type classes – their staff usually has minimal training and the stores are reservoirs for parvovirus.
Have a family training workshop night and watch the Dog Whisperer if they have cable (it’s on the National Geographic channel). Otherwise, they sell his DVD sets at W*l-mart.
Have them watch Dissing Your Dogs with Will Ferrell.
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