# I train dogs



## Kiron (Aug 23, 2017)

Aside from studying Aikido, I'm training dogs for behavior and security purposes. For me, learning martial arts is closely related to training dogs. You need to have more patient in order to learn and to teach.


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## Buka (Aug 24, 2017)

I train people. Have been most of my life. And I kind of like people. Kind of.

But I love dogs.


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## JR 137 (Aug 24, 2017)

Buka said:


> I train people. Have been most of my life. And I kind of like people. Kind of.
> 
> But I love dogs.


Depends on the dog.  And it depends on the person.


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## Kiron (Aug 24, 2017)

In case if anyone is wondering how do we train dogs? I just want to share that we have tools to train them. One example is a dog shock collar, A dog shock collar is the most common tool used when training dogs. Inexpensive, safe, and effective, this clever device is able to give guidance to what behaviors are right and wrong. It is a great training tool which anyone can easily use.


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## Buka (Aug 25, 2017)

I bite my tongue.


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## Bill Mattocks (Aug 25, 2017)

Kiron said:


> In case if anyone is wondering how do we train dogs? I just want to share that we have tools to train them. One example is a dog shock collar, A dog shock collar is the most common tool used when training dogs. Inexpensive, safe, and effective, this clever device is able to give guidance to what behaviors are right and wrong. It is a great training tool which anyone can easily use.



And there goes the conversation.  Yeah, OK, off wi' ye.


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## jks9199 (Aug 27, 2017)

Kiron said:


> In case if anyone is wondering how do we train dogs? I just want to share that we have tools to train them. One example is a dog shock collar, A dog shock collar is the most common tool used when training dogs. Inexpensive, safe, and effective, this clever device is able to give guidance to what behaviors are right and wrong. It is a great training tool which anyone can easily use.


Many might argue that there are more effective methods than shock collars.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## oftheherd1 (Aug 28, 2017)

jks9199 said:


> Many might argue that there are more effective methods than shock collars.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk



Kind of what I was thinking.  Positive training using rewards such as petting and encouragement seem to work well too.  Now I have seen times when punishment was needed, but I think if is rarely the first thing to try.


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## Gerry Seymour (Aug 28, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> Kind of what I was thinking.  Positive training using rewards such as petting and encouragement seem to work well too.  Now I have seen times when punishment was needed, but I think if is rarely the first thing to try.


Plenty of studies show that punishment is a pretty weak learning tool, and the learning is rarely as durable as when reinforcement is used.


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## ballen0351 (Sep 30, 2017)

I also train dogs and was a Police K9 handler for years.......Shock Collars have their place but that's def not the first tool I'd think of when speaking of tools lol.


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 30, 2017)

Now I have two new pups. Going through (expensive) training. Worth it. Learning positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and why each has it's place. Fascinating stuff.


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## FighterTwister (Sep 30, 2017)

I love dogs, the three main types I love are..............

1./ Blue Heeler










2./ German Sheppard 








3./ Labrador Retrievers


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## ballen0351 (Oct 1, 2017)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Now I have two new pups. Going through (expensive) training. Worth it. Learning positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and why each has it's place. Fascinating stuff.


Ive worked with some world renowned trainers its amazing watching them work and connect with dogs.  Lately Ive been working with one of the team members of the  Team USA IPO world competition team the stuff he can get a dog to do is just wild.


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## Encho (Oct 1, 2017)

I have a Rotterman which is a mix between a Rottweiler and Doberman mix. We call him F.U.U. Cause he will F.U.U. you meaing F-u up


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## Gerry Seymour (Oct 1, 2017)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Now I have two new pups. Going through (expensive) training. Worth it. Learning positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and why each has it's place. Fascinating stuff.


Every new dog I get, I think I should probably get some help training them. I don't have the patience for training dogs I had 25 years ago, so my dogs aren't as well trained as those were (I think I just always feel like there's stuff I need to get done).


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## Bill Mattocks (Oct 1, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> Every new dog I get, I think I should probably get some help training them. I don't have the patience for training dogs I had 25 years ago, so my dogs aren't as well trained as those were (I think I just always feel like there's stuff I need to get done).



We recently lost the two dogs we had adopted when we lived in NC; they were just mutts, found in a dumpster as pups, but we loved them and they were very good dogs.  However, due to lack of training on our part, they were not socialized and could not be allowed around other people or dogs.  This was a mistake we vowed to correct.

We recently got Thaddeus and Dinah from a woman who found after adopting them that she could not keep them; her autistic son could not handle them and she is a single mom with too much on her plate.  The shelters are all full from dogs relocated from Houston due to the recent hurricane, so she was desperate and we agreed to take them; they are 10 months old.  They are mutts, like the dogs we had before them.  We like mutts.

I don't know much about dog training, other than what one hears and sees and considers oneself an expert, so we are turning to real experts, and it's proving to be extremely valuable to us.  Our dogs will be well-adjusted, be able to deal well with people and other dogs, and will live happier, healthier, lives because of it; and we'll enjoy them more too.

This is Thaddeus:






This is Dinah:






They are brother and sister.

As we are going through the dog training program, we are learning about both positive and negative reinforcement, and things that are so 'common sense' but we would never have figured it out on our own, it's amazing.  We also are learning about the previously-mentioned shock collars, which do apparently have a legitimate use, but only for what is called 'boundary training' which we have no intention in taking part of.

We have no fenced back yard, so we can't just let the dogs out to romp and play; we have to take them out ourselves, and that means they need to be socialized and well-adjusted to dealing with crowds, distractions, and other animals.  We need this for ourselves, for our dogs, and for everyone around us.  No one likes a badly-behaved dog; and it's not their fault; it's the fault of their owners.

At my age, and given the average lifespan of a dog, I suspect that these are our last two dogs; I don't think it is a good idea to be adopting dogs that will definitely outlive you.  So we will do our best to make a good life for these two and then say goodbye to dog ownership.  If we do well by these two, we'll be content.


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## Gerry Seymour (Oct 1, 2017)

Bill Mattocks said:


> We recently lost the two dogs we had adopted when we lived in NC; they were just mutts, found in a dumpster as pups, but we loved them and they were very good dogs.  However, due to lack of training on our part, they were not socialized and could not be allowed around other people or dogs.  This was a mistake we vowed to correct.
> 
> We recently got Thaddeus and Dinah from a woman who found after adopting them that she could not keep them; her autistic son could not handle them and she is a single mom with too much on her plate.  The shelters are all full from dogs relocated from Houston due to the recent hurricane, so she was desperate and we agreed to take them; they are 10 months old.  They are mutts, like the dogs we had before them.  We like mutts.
> 
> ...


They've both beautiful;. Dinah has such a great almost-sad face in that picture - she's going to talk you out of treats, man. I like mutts, too. I've had a couple of dogs that might have been pure breeds, and one that I know is, but all were rescues.   

I really like the idea of better training. I did a better job early in my adulthood, though I never put enough time in on leash training. Our youngest is a good candidate for professional training (already good with others, but overly expressive and horrible on a leash), but money is the issue.


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## Bill Mattocks (Oct 1, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> They've both beautiful;. Dinah has such a great almost-sad face in that picture - she's going to talk you out of treats, man. I like mutts, too. I've had a couple of dogs that might have been pure breeds, and one that I know is, but all were rescues.
> 
> I really like the idea of better training. I did a better job early in my adulthood, though I never put enough time in on leash training. Our youngest is a good candidate for professional training (already good with others, but overly expressive and horrible on a leash), but money is the issue.



It is NOT cheap.  I had no idea until we started looking around.

However, I am taking this as a necessary expense.  We had issues with both of our previous dogs, one which ended up with the girl dog in surgery after aggressively attacking another dog, who tore her up, and one paying to have one of our cats stitched up after she attacked the cat (whom we had had for years without incident, then one day bam).  Add those two together - and considering the potential for both criminal and civil liability - and the fear of actually having the dogs taken away and destroyed by authorities; and the expense becomes much more reasonable-sounding.  At least to me.  I'm risk-averse.  By the way, the trainers consider that a form of negative reinforcement therapy.


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## jks9199 (Oct 1, 2017)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I don't know much about dog training, other than what one hears and sees and considers oneself an expert, so we are turning to real experts, and it's proving to be extremely valuable to us.  Our dogs will be well-adjusted, be able to deal well with people and other dogs, and will live happier, healthier, lives because of it; and we'll enjoy them more too.
> 
> ...
> As we are going through the dog training program, we are learning about both positive and negative reinforcement, and things that are so 'common sense' but we would never have figured it out on our own, it's amazing.  We also are learning about the previously-mentioned shock collars, which do apparently have a legitimate use, but only for what is called 'boundary training' which we have no intention in taking part of.
> ...


One note or comment...  

All the initial training in the world is worthless if you don't maintain the training and work with the dogs over time.  I've known of police K9s that were all but worthless because their trainer, after K9 Basic, they did the barest minimum and it showed in the dog's behavior.  On the other end of the spectrum, I've seen dogs -- working and other -- that were so well training you could walk them through a mall food court and butcher's shop without a leash or a problem.


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## Bill Mattocks (Oct 1, 2017)

jks9199 said:


> One note or comment...
> 
> All the initial training in the world is worthless if you don't maintain the training and work with the dogs over time.  I've known of police K9s that were all but worthless because their trainer, after K9 Basic, they did the barest minimum and it showed in the dog's behavior.  On the other end of the spectrum, I've seen dogs -- working and other -- that were so well training you could walk them through a mall food court and butcher's shop without a leash or a problem.



We do intend to keep it up, but that's an excellent bit of advice, thanks!


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## CB Jones (Oct 1, 2017)

Our dog just had puppies....we planning on keeping one...would be cool to train it to do this....






But will probably turn out more like this...


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## Martial D (Oct 1, 2017)

Kiron said:


> Aside from studying Aikido, I'm training dogs for behavior and security purposes. For me, learning martial arts is closely related to training dogs. You need to have more patient in order to learn and to teach.


Ya, but can you train a dog to do martial arts?


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## Bill Mattocks (Oct 1, 2017)

Martial D said:


> Ya, but can you train a dog to do martial arts?


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