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I missed the vote here but I would have caste it for Victoria Stilwell. She was recently here in Santa Barbara and gave a talk that some of the people in agility attended (I had to work so missed it) They all said she was VERY nice and a very likeable person.
I like her because she leaves the dog in its home and works with it there, even the difficult ones. She makes the owners much more involved with the training from day one.
Cesar Millan often takes the difficult dogs to his place for several weeks so it is him and his staff working with them not the owners. The dog habituate to his Pack and his place, meaning they may behave like perfect angels there once they get use to it yet in the owners home may go back to the same behaviors yet if the owner complains and takes the dog back to his place and says " he still attacks other dogs" Or what ever he will take him into his pack and the dog will be fine . This can happen with Uncle Matty and any of the dog trainers that take your dog to their place for training.
Jazz who is a fear aggresive reactive dog can do fine in groups that she has been in and knows all the dogs but throw a new dog in the mix and she will react to it. Another example of habituation. This is why when you are training a dog you need to do the training in different spots and around different dogs. A dog may learn to sit and stay in your yard but that does not mean it will do the same at the beach or a park with lots of activity going on.
i prefer and have always subscribed to positive reinforcement training for bailey..... but this foster boy that has been in my house for 9 days now has become a bit of a challenge for me..... he is about 2 weeks short of 1 year old, and DEFINITELY has that teenaged boy attitude going.
he is a border collie mixed with lab (i think) and when he gets wound up during play time, runs circles around me and nips.... HARD..... i have bruises now..... turning my back on him to end play until he calms down doesn't work, because he just nips again and AGAIN..... i have had to resort to putting him into a "down" with a toy or treat offered as soon as he goes down and then a 2nd toy tossed for him to chase 2-3 seconds after that..... unfortunately, i have had to physically put him into the down position on more than one occasion when he continues to bark and nip at m e ........ i get the feeling that he is challenging me....... BUT i am starting to see progress at last....
he is also showing significant domination towards my 4-1/2 year old red heeler mix ..... who outweighs him by a good 15 lbs or better..... she is refusing to stand up to him and just goes submissive and gets distressed. i have been pulling him off of her and again putting him into the down position with a toy or treat offered immediately. bailey is my priority and if this foster boy does not continue to improve his behavior, he will have to go to another foster home..... .... something i would hate to do because i REALLY don't want him to turn into one of those dogs that just goes from home to home to home..... i plan to give him one more week using my techniques..... the rescue group has access to a behaviorist / trainer, so we may be going that route next if i can't get a handle on it by myself. i have the feeling that he will be a GREAT dog once we get past these issues and he grows out of adoloscence and into adulthood.... i already see a lot of great dog in him now......
we go to a park by my house EVERY evening for a good 3 mile walk (at least an hour to an hour and a half) and they are also walked in my neighborhood for 30 minutes in the morning before i go to work. he also gets play time with me that consists of throwing and fetching balls and toys..... so i would think that he is getting enough exercise......
fun for all at the dog park:
more intently focused on bailey ..... this is VERY common at home, along with laying across her back and nipping at her ears, neck and shoulders:
EXHAUSTED after 2-1/2 hours at the dog park:
I think alot of the behavior is typical of the herding breeds and don't count on him calming down anytime soon as often with border collies you think you have them trained well then they hit what is called the terrible twos just like a human child and they become a handful again. Jazz would get behind me when I ran and jump up and nip me in the butt.When my friend tried to take her jogging all it did was kick her herding instinct into high gear so he quickly turned around and brought her back to me.
If there are any border collie groups or groups that do actual herding lessons in your area you might want to contact them and see what they suggest.
When Jazz was young I had her at the off leash park working her and Dash on a few pieces of agility equipment. The park was empty then 2 buses of 5th and 6th grade kids showed up so I tied her up and worked with Dash. The kids all raced over to watch and one kid felt sorry for Jazz and unknown to me untied her. Zoom she went into action and herded all the kids into a tight circle. The ones that tried to get away she would run down and yes nip at them to get them back. She was so into it that she ignored me and kept out of my reach. The teachers all just stood watching which surprized me. She did not hurt anyone and most of the kids were laughing at the crazy dog. She sounded like she meant business and I have to admit it made me quite nervous. Then she upped the game and got her ball and would race in and drop it at a kids feet and if that kid did not pick it up and throw it she would run up and nip their shoe and bark at them therefore they all threw it for her. As she ran to get it she would keep her eye on the " herd " and if someone tried to escape race back and get that kid back into the herd. If it had been sheep she would have gotten an award but there is no contest for herding kids.
While It was a bit frightening for fear she would nip too hard it was also very fasinating to see how the herding can be such a strong instinct as No I had never trained her to herd but being a border collie cattle dog mix it just was a natural thing for her. I eventually did get ahold of her and let the "herd" go which she was not at all happy about. After that all she was allowed to herd was her other dog buddies.She and Dash would go to town herding the group. But unlike with her prize herd of kids she would listen when I called her off.
You don't suppose she thought we were going to take her "kid herd" home with us do you so she could have some kids of her own? For a dog that grew up in a home with out kids she has always loved kids and loved to be around them, she would play rough with kids that wanted to do so but she was in such control of her mouth that she never even left a tooth mark on any of them. Kids have always loved her too.
VIctoria. As for being hard on the owners - she's just trying to get thru their thick skulls and thin skin that the dog behavior problem is with them - not the dog. Plus she has to be snippy for the cameras.
There is no reason you can't be the pack leader and alpha in the pack using humane, positive reinforcement and a stern voice when necessary. Lots of us are very successful with positive reinforcement, consistency, and letting the dog know I'm in charge. No need to abuse the dog, ever.
if he is going to continue in this manner past two years of age, i think it might be better if he found a forever home with someone who is better equipped to deal with it...... i am most worried about bailey right now..... she wouldn't go out to the back yard this morning, even after i threw a few of her treats out there..... i work at keeping his antics toward her to a minimum while i am there, but can't imagine what she is enduring while i am at work...... ..... he seems to have claimed the backyard as his own...... if it was just directed at me, i could handle it .... i am seeing progress there.... but i have to put bailey's mental health first.....
my ex met him last night and FELL IN LOVE with him ..... think i will start working on him about he REALLY needs a dog companion........
I like Cesar better he's more laid back. Victoria is comes off as a snob to me, she treats the people on her show like sh*t.
Both in my opinion. Both have good training techniques. And Victoria is kind of bossy, but I think that's part of her appeal. Plus she always wears that ridiculous red belt!
To all those who hate on Cesar, he has saved more dogs then many people, thanks to his rehabilitation. Not to mention the many people he has helped keep their dogs that would other wise have been given up to shelters. Just by watching his show, my girlfriend and I were able to give our 11 year old 90 lb pitbull a shot in his stomach 2 x a day for 2 years using his methods.
If you naysayers take the time to watch the show he is very gentle with his corrections and NEVER hits or yells at the dogs.
Though both are intelligent, effective dog trainers(and TV celebrities) , I prefer Cesar because he trains with understanding a dog's need for acceptance. Victoria regularly uses treats as positive reinforcement. I prefer to train my own dog without reward treats to seal the emotional bond between human and animal by acceptance or rejection of behaviors. My dog will comply to please me and to maintain his good position with me rather than for kibble.
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.... something i would hate to do because i REALLY don't want him to turn into one of those dogs that just goes from home to home to home..... i plan to give him one more week using my techniques..... the rescue group has access to a behaviorist / trainer, so we may be going that route next if i can't get a handle on it by myself. i have the feeling that he will be a GREAT dog once we get past these issues and he grows out of adoloscence and into adulthood.... i already see a lot of great dog in him now......
You don't suppose she thought we were going to take her "kid herd" home with us do you so she could have some kids of her own?
For a dog that grew up in a home with out kids she has always loved kids and loved to be around them, she would play rough with kids that wanted to do so but she was in such control of her mouth that she never even left a tooth mark on any of them. Kids have always loved her too.
Cesar is VERY gentle
