I have elderly next door neighbors. They have been our neighbors for 5 years and have always been very pleasant, until today.

I was outside with my 5 month old male GSD doing some training. My female neighbor, I'll call her Maude, comes over and starts gushing over my dog. I ask her to ignore him at first, since he gets excited, but this request is ignored, so my dog jumps all over her as she continues to get him more and more excited. Then she starts pushing on his rear telling him to sit. I ask her nicely to stop that, because I have never once had to push him into the sit position, but she tells me that is the correct way to get them to sit. He resists so I tell her to stop.

As I am speaking with her about the training methods I am using, I tell her I am crate training and she tells me that that is a stupid and barbaric thing to do. She says all I need to do is let the dog run around and if it pees or poops in the house to rub it's nose in it and tell it no. I told her that was old school methods to which she replied her dog, that passed away 20 years ago, was trained that way and was very good. She also said if the dog chews something it shouldn't, to hit the dog on he nose with a rolled up newspaper.

As we're having this wonderful discussion, my dog starts to chew on a twig, so I tell him to drop it, which he does, then I tell him to leave it, which he does So I mark his listening with a yes, and give him a treat. She tells me that telling him to drop it and leave it was dumb, because I said it too quickly and he has no idea what it means. She also says that giving him a treat teaches him it's okay to chew on a twig.

I try to explain to her that he does know what drop it and leave it mean, pointing out that he did both, and I try to explain what markers are. She tells me I have no idea what I'm doing, that she feels sorry for my dog, and wishes me good luck because I'm "going to need it".

I kid you not. I was livid. My methods are barbaric? Positive reinforcement is barbaric?

I would just give a little laugh and keep my dog moved away from her reach, then change the subject. Its not worth arguing sometimes.

Start training bite work immediately

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I would just give a little laugh and keep my dog moved away from her reach, then change the subject. Its not worth arguing sometimes

Yup^^ You'll never change her mind so just try to talk about something else. It's a bit irritating, but not worth stressing over.

Yea,
Start bite work immediately.

And if she dare try to train your dog for you again, shake the clatter stick at her while doing a dance to cast a bad mojo spell on her.
If she won't listen to plain language, make it blunter.

it may help to dress the part ie training vest for you and the dog, treat bag, clicker etc. I've never really had anybody tell I was doing it wrong out in public, at the club however....

Yeah! And get Maude a sleeve while your at it! No need in running off good help.:wink:

 Quote: michael_wise

Yeah! And get Maude a sleeve while your at it! No need in running off good help.:wink:

Make it a pink sleeve with "BITE ME" written on it.

If I didn't love my pup so much, I'd feed him some chili and have him wash it down with some ice cream. Then I'd have him leave a "deposit" on her porch.

They have been decent neighbors for five years. Now you know she doesn't know squat about dog training, but try not to let that cloud your entire opinion of them. Keep your dog away from her (your job). If you see their house on fire, call 911, etc... You don't have to love everything about them to get along.