Well another one of my dog's littermates is being returned . My friend, who bred once, did not do a good job of screening his buyers. I had to foster a female that was returned last Sept because she was too high energy for the owners & their apt. This poor boy has the exact same story. It took me 2 mos to find the other one a good home, so I don't know how long this one's gona take. They are dropping him off to me after work today.

I've met him before. He is a friendly boy, but I don't know his house manners. I pretty much have my game plan ready. It will be fun to have him with us and he can help with Brandi's distraction training. I think my wife is going to fall in love with him though. I wasn't planning on getting another dog until my dog was well trained. We start rally classes this week. We'll see what happens .

what kind of dog is it? how old?

Well..it's a Boxer, from the same litter as my dog. I hope he's not used to lifting his leg and marking everywhere. Most likely un-altered & no training. I have to put raw on hold *again* because I don't want to feed them both raw, then send him off and have him switched back to kibble. I'm also going to Alaska for memorial day wknd, so now I have to find a sitter for 2 dogs vs. 1

Ok, everyone so I received the dog yesterday afternoon. He is pretty skinny and really needs a nail trim, but other than that is ok. His owner said, he gave him up because they just didn't have time for him. I can tell because he has sores on his legs from laying in a crate all day.

Anyways, he needs some help. He is a weak nerved dog. Very skittish & jumpy. When you walk near him he jumps and at times, cowers. When you call him, he walks zig zag all the way to you, unsure if he should come to you or not. I took him for long walk when they dropped him off. He is a leash puller, and as I popped his leash a few times, I thought, "should I be doing this to him? Should I be correcting him already with no bond of any sort?" I know he is scared of me, and is probably now scared 24/7 (at new home). I want to be able to build his temperament a bit & teach hm manners so whoever adopts him, will have less problems. I kept him separate from my dog all night, and made him sit (what he could) for his meal, then put him in his crate (he cried til 3 am). Any tips? I'm planning on taking him for a long walk when I get home. There wouldn't be corrections for any other teaching, but clicking and treating only works for so long on a walk. Thanks.

Follow the instructions in the adult dog ground work article - it can really help!

http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm

Also, http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=141168#Post141168

 Quote: alex corral

.... He is a weak nerved dog. Very skittish & jumpy. When you walk near him he jumps and at times, cowers. ... He is a leash puller, and as I popped his leash a few times, I thought, "should I be doing this to him? Should I be correcting him already with no bond of any sort?"

That's not simple to answer (for me, anway).

How did the correction go yesterday?

I'm thinking I might just pick up my own pace on walks for now and start motivational heel training at home, with food, when he's hungry.

That involves "get close" with marker and reward, then one step with marker and reward, then two steps, and so on.

I am sure that others here will have good suggestions, too.

Hi Alex,
I think at this time, it would only be fair to let this dog kinda settle into a new routine. I would definitely set boundaries for him..........not getting on furniture, any other obvious rude manners. Until he bonds with you, I would focus on rewarding the behaviors you want. This will help build his confidence and look to you for guidance. I would go easy on harsh corrections at this point.
Let us know how it goes.

I'm sure you will get some sound advice from this board!

Linda

Thanks for the advice guys, I really love this board. I had read all of Ed's e-books a while ago and re-read the groundwork book. To be honest, I don't want to isolate him in his crate because that's the reason he was given up. He is by no means an aggressive or dominant dog so I think he will gain more by me bonding with him & teaching him how to act around new people. I did find this: "When I walk a new dog it is usually wearing a dominant dog collar with or with out a prong collar. These collars will self correct a dog when it pulls into the leash.

A dog that always pulls on the leash does not respect his owner as a pack leader, so I put a stop to it with a prong collar."

So I guess what I did yesterday was right. In response to you Connie, he did jump a little bit on the corrections, but I always said "no" before I popped the leash. Towards the end of the walk, when I said "no", he would slow down (sometimes). They were very mild corrections but I think he learned a little bit. I don't want to take a chance of over correcting right now & he is very submissive so I think a prong is overkill at this point. I had him on a long line and we took a break at a park. That's the 1st time I saw him running around like crazy, being really happy.

I don't know how long I will have him as I plan to tell the Boxer club about him this weekend. Since I won't keep him, I'm assuming the sooner the better?

As far as the dominant dog collar or prong collar, you have to take into consideration the dog himself and his background. Not everything is for every dog. The way you described him, I agree a prong is overkill. Try a flat collar, using the gentle correction you gave him (the "no" or "slow"). He has much to learn and since he's been neglected, you have to start at square one. With patience, going slowly. I'd keep the walk short, just to the park and back.

He needs a foundation of training, love and kind treatment before starting on the corrections. Corrections only come when the dog knows the command. If this dog knows some commands, they may have been taught through force. I would start definitely at square one as if he knows nothing, training motivationaly with treats and much calm praise. Leave corrections for much later.

I hope the Boxer club has someone knowledgable enough to give this dog the square one, kind treatment he's so in need of. The same thing with the sitter you get...be real careful with both. He doesn't need any more of the treatment he was exposed to before.

I gotta find a way to keep my heart from ripping everytime I hear of neglected and/or abused dogs who cower because of the crap treatment they get. I've never seen a dog who is born cowering. It's how they're treated.

So good to hear he was happy at the park.