Maybe I read it wrong, but on the main page he says thatwhen he trains dogs, he takes on a "dominant" role, but then on the About Us page, he says its all about "balance", not dominance... I'm getting whiplash from the inconsistency. But like I said, I could have read that wrong.

I think doing some protection sports would be ideal in the long run, although from what I have found the only Schutzhund club that is around is about 2 hours away and is the Willamette Valley Schutzhund Club, which I have heard good things about. How often do you usually go to clubs and stuff, is it a weekly thing or a monthly thing. If it is monthly I could probably swing it.

Also what does compulsion training mean?

I do agree with you Jessica that the website is laid out pretty badly and confusing in terms of how/what he does/teaches.

 Quote: Dale Stoneburg

... Also what does compulsion training mean?

Punishment-based training.



(Compulsion-based training is different from correcting a dog who is blowing off a command that he has learned with positive/motivational methods.)

What should I look for when I go observe his classes? I do have the Dvd's and have been practicing marker training and its going pretty well. Its at a stand-still currently because I am not currently giving treats to her because of her digestive issues. I have two other dogs who I would like to start in some more formal training, they are both small dogs, two years old and know all the commands from marker training but need to be worked with as they only listen 80% of the time.

There is also this club locally that I just found, while their website is pretty basic and doesn't have a whole lot of information, it seems fallow AKC mostly. How do you guys feel about this establishment? Worth a shot?


http://www.emeralddogobedience.com/course_descriptions.htm

Not to derail from my other question, but Aly has been having a hard time in her crate. Her crate is in my office at home and she spends plenty of time out, and gets plenty of exercise. The problem is, and has been since I got her is she cries for about 10-15 minutes after being put in the crate. Not only does she cry, she also bashes around inside the crate and seems extremely hyper. I have read that the most common solution would be the Tri-tronics bark collar. I have tried using marker training to keep her quiet. This works for the first time, she gets calm and quiet, I reward and then she goes crazy again. She is currently 13 weeks old, do you think I should employ the bark collar? Also will this bark collar fit her now, as well as when she grows up? I currently wear noise canceling headphones when working the office because she is so loud. I also leave the tv on for her. Also as you would imagine she was having digestive issues which more or less forced her to go potty in her crate, so when she gets so wild in there she inadvertently goes pees, even if she went out potty five minutes prior.

13 weeks is way too young for a bark collar.

When I crate train my philosophy is pretty simple, let em scream, cry, and howl. Eventually just like a baby they will learn to self soothe, relax, and we can carry on. To help them along with this I'll use a crate cover, give them a chewy thing like a bully stick or kong stuffie, play a radio softly, and if need be I have a nice room in my basement that's nearly soundproof. I set a timer, when the timer goes off in a reasonable amount of time I get up and let puppy out to potty, eat, play, walk etc. Then back into the crate.

The hard part for people is letting them scream without acknowledging them. This includes eye contact and speaking to them. Over enthusiastic greeting is super common in puppies. I just open the crate door and start walking and normally my puppy forgets the greeting and we can go to our potty place to say hello. I don't usually ask for a calm crate exit until my pup knows sit and down.

I'm with melissa, no way would i put a bark collar on a 13 week old puppy. Each of my dogs were different on how long it took them to quit fighting it, like melissa said let scream, I got ear plugs for at nite,they work. Now all my dogs love their crates. I also rewarded them with a treat when they did settle down. I was told by a trainer to put a pair of my underwear in the crate with them. Its soothing to them and it helps them bond to you

Mellisa and Debbie thanks for the responses, I have been a bit worried about leaving anything in the crate with her for fear of destruction and choking. I am a huge fan of bully stix an usually reward her with some while she is out of the crate and supervised. She doesn't care at all for the everlasting treat ball or kongs. I currently have been leaving a Holee roller in there for her to chew on, why she does chew on it a little it doesn't help much. I would love to leave a bully stix in there and feel it would help her release some of her energy ( Not that she is under-exercised ) but have that nagging fear of her choking on it? I would also like to do a crate cover but she is an aggressive chewer and would chew/eat anything she can get her hands on, including a sheet over the crate or underwear/shirts/

What do you guys think?

Use what you are comfortable with. If your pup is a gulper you can get a really big bully stick, puppies do normally take some time to consume them. Personally I'll use just about anything if it occupies their attention including rec bones, hooves, snouts, tails, moozles, and ears from various livestock.