Is hitting your dog acceptable?

[Nicola]

[Nicola]

[Cassandra]

I would really love to see you with a bull breed and see you sucessfully use the same techniques as you do on a westie.

The dogs were bred for an entirely different purpose and ignoring their breed qualities is just....well...in this instance I am stunned by the sheer ignorance of it for someone who claims to know so much about dogs.

To refer to the puppy classes I have been attending...and our tutor Eleanor, she has made a point of mentioning breed characteristics at both lessons we have attended and when allowing the puppies off leash in class has taken the breed dynamics into account.

[Isabel]

I think you definitely have to take the breed into account when training as they do have naturally different traits, some types are naturally more sensitive than others and need to be handled differently. If you read about the different breeds it tells you this. Their natural traits means that different breeds need to be treated diff. sometimes. An extreme example of this is huskies, they have such a strong desire to run that they should not be walked off lead whereas many other breeds are fine off lead. Within breeds you get very different personalities as well so one type of training may not be suitable across the board. I think the training has to be suited to the dogs personality.

[Enid]

You are both right.

The breed type must provide the starting point for any training. As the training progresses an intuitive trainer will soon assess the individual nature of the dog, and adapt the techniques accordingly.
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"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet" - Edith Wharton

[marcella]

I think it is fair to say that training techniques with dogs vary depending on, BREED, CHARACTER, PERSONALITY AND TRAINER/HANDLER.
They ALL come into play.
I firmly believe that you CANNOT apply the exact same rules to different dogs. We have 2 of the same breed - 2 VERY different dogs by personality. Both know their place. But as younger dogs learning the ropes, they responded very differently to different training techniques.
Whilst walking them and teaching them not to pull, Murphy would respond by us simply stopping walking and he KNEW he had to step back and into line. Diesel however would pull like a train. A half check made no difference, turning and walking the opposite way made no difference, he SNAPPED a halti. So we got pinch collars. He pulled once and decided he didn't like it.................. he walks beautifully at our side now, no pulling whatsoever.

I would love to be in the position where voice commands worked 100% of the time. But have two large dogs of a breed that by many are still seen as a 'dangerous dog breed' I simply refuse to allow them to be in a situation where someone can complain or feel threatened.

At the end of the day, training a dog should be for the benefit of the dogs health and happiness and for the safety of others. That is the priority. Training them in a kind but firm manner without excessive or unnecessary force.
There is no specific RIGHT OR WRONG way to train a dog and we can only voice our opinions.

[Cassandra]

[Sam]

I ticked Yes , though i read it wrong ..lol..should have been no, i dont think its cruel.

I think it is safe to say that as dog lovers and owners we can draw the line between abuse, and giving a dog that is pushing its luck and behaving like a little b*gger a hot backside for its efforts.

I dont believe all this New age tut that if your dog is behaving like a complete an utter b*gger once in a while, that its all your fault for not being a good owner
I think that's rubbish... dogs will do what gains them the most, its as simple as that, and its quite stunning how many variations they can come up with.

Some things are acceptable and some things are not... if you have a house dog you will come across numerous things that are not acceptable . Unless you are super fantastic and can think ahead of every situation for every breed , you are going to come across things one at a time and according to the age of the dog and its breeding , they will be different things . Dogs are not machines and they all differ.

Marcella i agree..you summed it up very well. Breeds differ

Its all very well for them with their potnoodles to be saying " this is how things should be done" but that neither here nore there if you own a mastiff for example .

Nicola...did you not have a run in with someone called Ron recently?,,or is that another Nicola?

Sam

Ps....I am assuming multi-pedigree is another name for mongrel? . If we talking dogs then i dont think . Its right to be all high and mighty about breeding in one post, and then lump them all in together in another. Yes they are all dogs, but they are very different depending on breeding. I dont think that alpha roll thing is suitable for anything bigger than a pup.


Sam
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Damn dags.

[Magz]

I think this debate has come up with some interesting view points. You all have a great passion for dogs that is clear, I personally stick to certain breed types as I feel I have more of an affinity with them, but have had my eyes opened well and truly, in my own head lol breed types is just a skill or natural instinct the dogs have that can be built upon to do jobs or for training purposes, but I think when it comes to life it all depends on the upbringing and socialization that the dog encounters over the years, If you can direct those attributes in a positive way you can have a happy balanced dog. I think when It comes to children and animals and the debates about whether it is ok to use forms of physical punishment ( such as tapping or retraining a dog in a non violent way)all depends on the persons personal beliefs and general understanding, the very fact that folks here joined the forum shows you have a real love and passion for your dogs and a real understanding that violent behavior towards dogs is not an option. We are all dog lovers for the same reasons.

[marcella]

[Magz]

[marcella]

hopefully see you there Margaret .............. I'll be the fat chump walking about with a bald bloke and 2 GSDs ........... and perhaps Emily who hasn't decided if she's coming yet!

[Magz]

we plan to be there around 11 ish to make sure we know when things are on. so if we need to take dogs back to car for food n rest we can

[Cassandra]

I am very much with margaret here. I tend to stick to BC's despite having experience with GSD's, boxers(albeit limited) and labs. Drew has some experience with bull breeds, we have a number of friends who have some stunning staffies, and merican bulldogs, I'm just not confident enough with them and know this would be a very bad 'pushing' point.

As Sam has said there is a line (albeit a fine one) between violence towards a dog and correcting it. To bring kids into it again I am not going to stand there and watch my 10mth old son reach for a fire...I would much prefer him to be hurt by a slap on the hand than a trip to A&E.

The same applies to the dog. Some situations a dog will push on require his good behaviour because otherwise he could endanger his life. I won't take that chance with him...and if the 'speaking very sternly' doesn't work then I will physically correct him and make him understand that his behaviour isn't on...before he learns that its dangerous

[Deborah Hamilton]