Hi everyone! I've just registered here and have read through quite a few of the posts and topics.

I wasn't sure where to put this post, so I'm putting it here in hopes that some one can help. I have shared this with 4 dog trainers, and none of them have been able to advise me on these issues. I'm currently in dog trainer school, but am not that far into it, only in the beginning phases.

Here are the issues we are dealing with:

Okay, first Mocha's background:
>He was bought as a pup by a lady who took him to basic and advanced obedience. She gave him away because she said she was moving. (Found out later she never moved, but that's beside the point.)
>
>When I got him, I asked if he was crate trained, she said that he freaks out in crates, but he is completely housebroken. We have been very happy with him loose in the house. (We got him when he was 3.5 years old and he is now 5 years old.)
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>She also told me that she didn't keep up with the commands from obedience class, and that he was alone, inside the house, 18 hours a day.
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>When I got him home, he was great! He doesn't jump on people (never has!) and knew sit, down, and stay, although he wouldn't stay for any long period of time. I have been working on that and he has gotten better.
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>She told me he can not be walked without a choke collar, and to tell you the truth, you couldn't walk him with a choke collar! After a lot of daily work, I have been able to get him to walk on a regular buckle collar. I occasionally had to "check him" gently, but that usually does the trick and there is no pulling. Now, however, he has started lunging and growling at every dog/cat/critter that we pass, and tries to chase anyone who is jogging or riding a bike. Mocha has to sit and stay or do a down stay before we cross any roads. I have also been working with him to get him to sit stay or down stay while a runner/jogger/cyclist/animal goes by.
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>She felt the only way to let him go potty, was to open the front door and let him run the neighborhood: not a good thing.
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>Trash: He used to get in it when we left the house. Now he gets in it while we are home.
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>Counters/tables: Used to only "surf" when we were gone, now it's any time.
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>Furniture: Never used to get on it. Now, we have to make him get off the couches, recliner, papason chair, wherever he decides to plop his rear (right in front of you even when you tell him "No!")
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>Outside: He used to go out back easily with no problem. Little by little, it became harder and harder. First, he would go outside, potty, and come back with no problem. Then, he would go outside, and you would have to stand with him and he would go potty. Then, you would have to stand outside, and tell him to go potty. Now, you have to fight to get him out the door, stand there, tell him to potty, and finally yell at him to go potty.
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>Some days, (when I'm going somewhere) he refuses to potty outside at all costs, and them when I get home from my appt, he has peed the floor.
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>We take him walking almost daily. And once every weekend we go hiking and he comes along. He is happy as anything to get out the front door for these walks and hikes.
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>He has jumped through the front window 2x.
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>He plows through my baby gates that I put up to corral my children (ages 2.5 years and 11 months) while I get housework done.
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>He got hold of my son's arm and you could see the scratch from where his tooth dragged down his arm as my son tried to pull his arm out. His arm was very red and sore for hours.
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>He has become increasingly hard to walk past other dogs. Dogs he has not had issues with in the past, have gradually become more and more "victim" to his growls, lunges, and barks. Before, he would only wine as we walked past these dogs.
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>None of this has been sudden. He has just gradually gotten worse and worse with these issues, despite my best attempts at modifying his behavior. He no longer heeds the "leave it" command.
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>As far as crates are concered, he bent the steel crate at the Petsmart grooming facility into a new and unusual shape, and according to the employees, he was loud, obnoxious, and flat out pissed off about being in it.
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>When he jumped out the window the other day, my husband was able to grab him by the collar while Mocha was doing his business in another yard. He was walking back with him and all was going well until he got to our yard, at which point Mocha started rearing up, twisting his head, and going backward, pretty much fighting without biting.
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>He is neutered. Has been since he was a pup. First he had aggression issues toward dogs that were intact, now it doesn't matter. He was young when his previous owner had a baby, so he has grown up with kids.
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>His previous owner also had a boston terrier, who wound up having puppies. (Probably due to the irresponsible behavior of letting them run out the front door.)
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>So...that's it in a novel!
>
Thank you for any advice/help you can offer. I know that there are probably many things I need to do, and am open to everyone's comments and opinions on these issues. As a whole, or individual issues.

Monique

First of all, get a prong collar. Fit him with it snugly behind the ears and under his jaw. You should be able to rest one set of prongs on your index and middle finger between the neck and prongs. Then get a tab leash or traffic leash and put it on him for about ten minutes a day in the house. When he gets up on the furniture, say "NO!", give a good tug in the direction youwant the dog to go in (usually elicits a yelp)and when the dog gets off the couch say "GOOD DOG!!"

Every day work with the dog in obedience at least ten minutes twice a day with the prong collar and 6' leather leash. After the sessions, take the prong off, it will lose effectiveness and can bedangerous if left on all the time ie catching on something such as a fence or a dew claw.

At all times make the dog work for everything. Food-make him sit or lay down or turn around or some trick he knows, then lay it down and say "ok" and give it to him. Going through the door, make him sit. Putting his collar on to go potty-make him sit or "speak" or some little trick.

You own everything in the house, toys, food, water, bones, whatever....he has to work for it all.

Doing the basic Obedience every day helps tremendously.

Please anyone elaborate if they can on the correct way to hold the leash and give a correction as I am rather chatty at times and can get people lost in the translation.


Hope this helps

None of this has been sudden. He has just gradually gotten worse and worse with these issues, despite my best attempts at modifying his behavior. This is not a dog problem, but a HANDLER PROBLEM.
You have allowed him to get worse and worse. I don't know where to start, except you should crate train this dog, and actually by having the dog in a crate in the house, and a kennel in the back yard will probably solve 99% of your problems. He will not be able to get in the garbage, or table surf, and he will not pee in the house.

Since you go for walks with your dog, that's how he will get his exercise. You should also get a prong collar (get rid of the choke chain), and obedience train this dog, he needs to learn that you are his PACK LEADER.

Because of his aversion to crates, I'm unsure how to begin crate training him at this point. How should I go about this? I don't know what led to his distaste of the crates.

I absolutely agree this is a handler problem. That is why I came here hoping to get some help on correcting the issues.

Also, as far as putting him in a pen area in the back yard, he cries and yelps the whole time he is left outside. Will this gradually diminish after a few days? I do not want to drive my neighbors crazy with his whining.

As is, he does have to do something to go outside/come back in, eat, etc. So that is one thing I have been good at keeping up with.

He has never been "allowed" on the furniture, and if he does get up on it and does not get off when told, I do get up and take his collar and lead him off the couch.

I appreciate your replies. I do have a short leash and will be investing in a prong collar. I have always been against prong collars, but have been looking into them more and more, and see that my opinions on them have been based out of ignorance.

If either of you have advice on how to crate train him at this point, and what type of crate you recommend (wire or otherwise), please let me know. I have thought about getting one of the wire collapsible ones.

Monique

You might start out by confining him in a larger area, such as an extra room or dog-proofed utility room, bathroom, etc. Keep the crate in the room with the door open and a nice comfy pad inside (in fact, you could probably start out just removing the door so that if he accidentally bumps it while investigating, he will not be spooked when it hits him in the butt).

What ever crate you choose make sure it's tough. Dogs that have a strong avertion to the create can be distructive to it. Also the prong speaks dog language, When a pup misbehaves momma bites them on the neck, so does the prong. This dog needs to be placed in the crate and ignored regardless of noise. But if your concerned about nieghbors get a bark coller. It will teach him that noise in the crate is unacceptable. Also what breed is your dog. You might have said so but i missed it. Teeth on your child is unacceptable give that dog a level 10 correction if caught doing it again. just make sure the child is clear before the correction..

My dog is a 5 year old chocolate lab.

How long is he to be in the crate for? What exactly am I aiming for with the crate training?

He seems to pee the house only when he realizes I'm leaving and he refuses to go outside. When I get home, he'll have peed the floor. He has done this 3x only. However, if he does pee before I leave, I am able to leave him loose in the house for 8 hours with no accidents.

Where can I get information on the different levels of correction?

Monique

Did you read the groundwork and dominant dog articles on this site? They will probably help you with some of your questions.
http://leerburg.com/groundwork.htm
http://leerburg.com/dominac2.htm

The dog obviously cannot be trusted in the house. But if you must crate the dog in the house. Keeps the noise down for the neighbors. Try the puppy tricks for training the dog for the crate like feed him only in the crate not by locking him in but leave it open the dog will have no choice but to accept it eventually. Hunger will prevail. 8 hours in the crate isn't unacceptable when training leave him in until he shuts up when he's finally quiet then give him a break. But don't give in to the emotional blackmail of whining.Or else dog 1 owner 0.

Get a good strong metal crate with a metal-not plastic pan in the bottom, put it in the busiest place in the house...the kitchen or whatever. After you have got home from work or errands, take him out on the lead to go potty, give him a few treats if his behaviour is acceptable, then put him in the crate. Throw hot dog pieces in there or whatever to get him in there, then tell him "GOOD BOY!!!" close the crate up and leave him in there while you are fixing dinner or whatever. Leaving him in the crate for long periods of time is not cruel as long as you let him out to play, potty and to do OB......besides, that's what you want him to do in the house, just lay still and chill out, not be a wrecking ball. This will also help establish you as the pack leader. You control what he gets to do. If he is Captain A$$, then he gets put in the crate. If he whines about it, well ignore him. When Xena would whine, which was not often as she was crate trained before I got her at 3 1/2 months, I would smack the front of the cage with my hand and tell her "NO! OUT!!" and it would shut her up, but who knows what will get your boys attention. Then when he is quiet, open the door, make him sit, tell him "GOOD BOY!!!" and let him out. He starts acting up, tel him "NO!" and redirect him back in. This helps of course when you have a collar and tab leash on him.

I CANNOT stress the IMPORTANCE of praise praise praise when a dog does good. Otherwise I think it really stresses them when you ignore the good and rant on the bad.

Please get a crate, it will help tremendously and you will have peace of mind.