there has been some really great advice given here rob , and i'm stoked that you appear to be putting it into practice . . .

the things betty and mara said back on page two re marker training and the lines of communication that are opened up really struck a chord with me , as does tracys' " no BS " mantra .

with respect to the SO , the approach i take with the people who are in contact with my dog on a daily basis is this : " you can either be part of the problem , or part of the solution "

depending on their response , they will either be a training challenge that you have to work around , or an ally that you can actively use to help train your dog .

I pretty much agree, Ian, except that I don't demand active participation from someone who never pledged it (or even from someone who did but decided that he or she was wrong).

I'm the dog person ....

What if the person whose life revolves around mountain climbing (or what about SEWING!?) required equal enthusiasm from me?



Of course, I hope that it goes without saying that the person disinclined to participate doesn't sabotage my work!

 Quote: ian bunbury

there has been some really great advice given here rob , and i'm stoked that you appear to be putting it into practice . . .

the things betty and mara said back on page two re marker training and the lines of communication that are opened up really struck a chord with me , as does tracys' " no BS " mantra .

with respect to the SO , the approach i take with the people who are in contact with my dog on a daily basis is this : " you can either be part of the problem , or part of the solution "

depending on their response , they will either be a training challenge that you have to work around , or an ally that you can actively use to help train your dog .

Thanks Ian,

Right now the step is to continue what I'm doing, training with him daily when possible and in every different situation. What I have done however is changed my thought process to understand that Axle needs to be retrained in every new situation until he completely, and fully understands what I am having him do.

I am also going to be ordering the " The Power of Training with Markers" and begin training this way, however I do have an email in with the initial trainer to see if he did any verbal or clicker marking training.

As for the s/o issue, right now we're rolling with the punches... I know she loves the dog to death, but doesn't seem to be interested in any serious training the main thing she's happy about is that he's good on a leash..while on a prong collar. My goal with being on leash, is to not need the prong collar and him still listen. I have done some corrections with the flat nylon collar because he wasn't wearing his prong, not sure if this was right or wrong but it was a situational thing.

As for the nosework training I wanted to get involved in, I have two options in which I'm not sure which I will chose...

First option is private (one on one) 1/2 hour sessions for 6 weeks at a school that is about 30 minutes away, price is $135.00

Second option is to purchase Andrew Ramsey 1st & 2nd videos, and Leerburg Scent Kit and train myself at my own pace for much much cheaper... still weighing the options.

Do the Leerburg stuff at home and do the 6 wk school too if you can afford it. The school, or a PetCo class, is a place to practice with distractions, and more "sacking out" we used to call it in horses, getting him used to paying attention to you in public. He learns to tune out other dogs.



And you are embarassed if he isn't making progress so you practice.

Easier to put off training if you are doing it all alone. Plus, being around strangers will reveal to you some "holes" in his training that you may not know about, or might be surprised at.

My dog wanted to bite the trainer at puppy kindergarten. At basic obedience, in a session titled "how to approach strange dogs", my poor pup was singled out as a dog folks should not approach.

I really think most dog problems are that the dog is just bored out of his mind and full of
youth and vigor. If you can get them thinking most of it goes away. Dog school is great for that.

Working 16 long hours today...decided to dive in and purchased the video called "The Power of Training Dogs with Markers"... I am currently 40 minutes in...and I've already began learning so much. I cannot wait for tomorrow to start marker training - okay! Back to the video!

You will learn something new every time you view the DVD.

It's like reading a good book a second time. Things just fall into place so much easier.

Glad to hear that you took my suggestion to get the DVD & start all over. You won't regret it, I promise.

Happy training.

 Quote: Anne Jones

Glad to hear that you took my suggestion to get the DVD & start all over. You won't regret it, I promise.

Happy training.

Thanks Anne, the one question I have is this - since he knows sit, down and such commands like that do I have to retrain them using the marker training up to the point of adding the command or can I just jump into marking with "Yes" when he does those commands properly?

Obviously teaching new commands, and re-training certain things (heel, recall) with marker training will be done all over again.

I'd watch the whole DVD, first, and then charge the marker.

Until the dog knows that marker = reward coming, you're not "marker" training .... you're training with rewards, yes, but you lose the beauty of markers used to pinpoint precise actions.

So you want to be sure to charge the marker before you start training. (Any questions about loading/charging the marker, I know we can help!)


My vote is to start over with all commands. Known commands will move along quickly, and all marker training reinforces the marker and the dog's joy in learning and choosing the outcome. JMO! (I did this with my own and others' dogs when I learned marker training, years back.)

I also vote that you try to follow this video with http://leerburg.com/training-with-food.htm as your first Michael Ellis video. You'll be ready for it, after you finish this intro video.

Ditto with Connie!

Without the dog AND you both completely understanding markers the DVD wont make as much sense.

That was a part of my reason for saying "every time you view the DVD you will learn something new".

You may have already viewed something already but each time you go back over it everything makes a lot more sense.