what's your training style? - Page 1

hi, i'm just curious as to what methods other people here use for training their dogs basic obedience, etc. i spend $20 a month on dog treats and i swear the results are amazing compared with trying to train without them. i see ads in dog fancy for kennels that train their dogs without treats. i would love to know how that works, my dogs are very affectionate but i have never had dogs that just learned cuz they loved me so much. i have friends who rely on the dogtra e-collars for off-leash training. i posted a question about if using those was a good idea on a different messageboard, and got a negative response. i would say 5% of the time my girls fail to obey and i think about getting a dogtra, but then people around where i live, might accuse me of animal cruelty, considering the awful response i had to training my dogs with a halti-collar.

so what's your style? treats, e-collar, love and praise, or a little of all? just curious. thanks.

People are too funny with their opinions aren't they!

Obedience from the get go is done in drive for a toy or food.  I use food mainly for position or for teaching the position, ie: sit or down, etc. etc.  Correction isn't done until way later, and the correction itself, I'm hoping will make the dog be in drive more, vs. killing the drive.  Funny, I've found with all my GSD's,  3 of them, I had done food for down stays, but there reached a point where I had to add a real correction in and with all of them, it was really only one session of that, then they knew what I was asking.  That's when you now that it's an effective correction and not just nagging the dog. 

So overall training is in drive as I try to keep a happy dog, but I'm still a work in progress, as I can get boring!

Treats for baby puppies here, but not past 4 months in obedience. Of course I use food for tracking, and I am using food atm to work my 5 year old in agility. I use a good old fashoined balance of love and discipline, with a lot of toy reward for motivation.

BTW- I used an e-collar on my first GSD, learned from the mistakes that led me to need it, and have not used one on my own dogs since, nor do I plan to.

I could never get DaKota to treat train. I could give her a T bone staek & she would not take it. I've tried all kinds of treats.

I would say she loves praise & a good brushing after a training session. :)

I start mine with treats and then move on to a toy which gets the speed up.  Have never used electric and haven't needed to use much correction.  If you have a look at www.k9ulf.com my Angus (the Goose) is shown in the obedience video doing some heelwork and there are some other videos showing dogs working with Ulfs motivational methods including the out in protection.

Margaret N-J

Ack!   You guys are making me want another pup.  I miss the smelly hands and the bleeding fingers from treat rewarding.

Bleeding fingers! Yikes! Rule #1 at my house is you don't get the cookie if you're touching skin.

I use food, toys and voice to train.

My boy Trigger has never been big on treats, so I use a lot of love and praise. Probably too much praise. When I'm trying to teach something new Trigger will start whining when he"gets it" as he knows his reward will be 10-15 minutes of ball chasing followed by a belly rub if I have the time.  I try to make training sessions short and fun. After having my arm pulled out of the socket a few times walking him to the car, I taught Trigger this weekend he has to sit in front of the open car door and wait unti I say it's okay before jumping in the car. He gets so excited I can see him shake, but I guess the reward of a ride is worth it :)