I am looking for help in getting a soft dog interested in training.

I have Logan, a 4 1/2 year old trailhound, male neutered, that I have owned for just under a year. He was rehomed at a year old, apparently from an abusive situation. I rehomed him when he was 3 1/2 from his second owners who were worried they didnt have enough time for him and don't appear to have given him much correction - he nipped their 3 year old when they were both unattended.

When I first got him he would stop my other dog from coming to me but the first time I corrected him with a 'no' and a tap at the neck, he went and hid for half an hour! However he has not exhibited such 'kill me' reaction from a correction since. Having had problems with consistency in (particularily) his recall and general sit/down/stay commands I am trying to go back to basics with his training, and have recently started studying Ed Frawleys DVDs. He is a very soft dog, but he is also dominant (he dominants my 3 year old intact hamiltonstovare). My problem is when I try to start training with him he seems to get really tense, moves very slowly, tail between his legs. This has only started fairly recently and I can't think of anything that has changed Regarding his temperament, he follows me around the house quite a lot and if not kept behind me when passing other dogs can have a tendency to panic, start barking and lunging at them. If he is behind me will stay calm.

I would really like some advice on how I can get him interested/motivated in the training. Any advice greatly appreciated

Joanne

Retrain with different words staying away from the highly charged words he knows. Such as use nay instead of no. The same with the recall, or heel. Try using different or uncommon command words.

Sometimes that works wonders.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Try marker training. It's fun, clear, and a huge confidence builder. Dogs love training when they are trained this way.

You can learn more about it here