Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?)

• 03-29-2008 1:18 PM

  Sowilu Joined on 01-14-2007 Eastern,NC Posts 670 Points 235

  Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact I was wonderring if its possible to train Shailer to bark at people on command unwanted ppl that is. I had a person not with the greatest intentions approach to me the other day. I had my sister and her friend and Shailer in the park and this guy approached us. He just asked me if Shailer bite and I said no thinking he was just walking by but he approached me and started asking me questions. I left the park immediatly and started to wonder if I could possible train Shailer to bark at strangers on command. Is it even possible? Is he too old, he turns 7yrs in May? He is extremely ppl friendly. I was wonderring if a professional dog trainer would do the trick so if thats the case than I must save up my money lol.

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• 03-30-2008 11:44 PM

  In reply to Sowilu

  Bonita of Bwana Joined on 09-14-2007 Foley , Alabama Posts 1,674 Points 4,655

  Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact I have always felt the only time a dog is too old to be trained into a wanted behavior is if they are part of a large pack. Then it is considerably more difficult to implement the training you would need. You could try a simple game at home to see if he will respond.  Does he ever bark??? If he does is it at something specific like the door bell etc?? By having someone repeatedly ring the bell during training sessions , you could praise him and give him a command each and every time.  It does not have to be "speak"  you could use something as benign as "Sound Off"   or if you wanted to make it seem ominnus you might try " Shailer Hold HIM"  The undesirable would think it a prelim to an attack and you would know it is simply barking on command.  Keep in ming shouting , barking , blowing a horn, whistles etc are all effective deterants when out in public as they draw attention Keep all of us posted please this could be very fun !! Bonita of Bwana Bonita of Bwana AKC Rhodesian Ridgebacks Champions, Therapy Dogs and Awesome Companions

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• 03-31-2008 4:09 PM

  In reply to Bonita of Bwana

  Sowilu Joined on 01-14-2007 Eastern,NC Posts 670 Points 235

  Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact The only time Shailer barks is when he is in his pen and sees me and is excited, or at night/sometimes day when a stranger is walking by his pen other than that he he a really quite dog. He knows how to bark in command I say "speak" and he barks but its not treathening its an excited bark. How can I teach him to bark his warning bark (thats what I call his deep bark)?

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• 04-01-2008 10:46 AM

  In reply to Sowilu

  FourIsCompany Joined on 07-30-2007 Posts 4,738 Points 1,135

  Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact I've absolutely seen it done. If he barks already under any circumstances reliably, you can use that and add a cue. I would advise a hand signal as well as a cue word. I would make sure to teach the opposite behavior as well (quiet or hush) in case he takes to barking more than you'd like. But you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.  With the right motivation and patience, I'm sure you can do it yourself. You can google - teaching a dog to bark - to get some ideas of specifics. There are probably several methods.   LSTM (Laughing Silently to Myself) Click Daily to Give Free Food and Care to Animals: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

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• 04-08-2008 8:26 PM

  In reply to FourIsCompany

  Sowilu Joined on 01-14-2007 Eastern,NC Posts 670 Points 235	Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact I have been trying to teach him to smile. We don't have anything going on so far but we are working on it. About the bark I don't know how to get his bark more aggressive. I wish he would growl once in a while but in 7yrs I haven't heard a growl from him (only at a dog that was stealing his food long time ago).
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• 05-31-2008 11:26 PM

  In reply to Sowilu

  brookcove Joined on 09-10-2007 Semora, North Carolina, USA Posts 4,366 Points 335

  Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact  I would discourage you from teaching your dog protective behavior.  Dogs are "transparent" meaning they don't distinguish between their external actions and their internal motivations.  If you reward your dog for a mean growl, he can't tell the difference between your reinforcement of his action, and what he was thinking at the time. Breeders of dogs who participate in protection sports understand this thoroughly - these dogs have to be dogs that have excellent balance between aggressive behaviors, and the personality traits that allow them to be controlled. Just yesterday I was talking to a kid in the grocery store who found out I was a dog trainer.  He wanted me to train his pit bull to be "mean."  I informed him that I was sorry, that pits were absolutely the worst possible dog to try to teach human aggressive behavior, even if I wanted to, or could.  If I could break through the pit bull's "bombproof" breeding, then he'd be a liability.  The first person the dog bites, guess whose house gets taken away, dog killed, and guess who insurance companies won't touch for the rest of his life? The guy said, "Oh, I have a Beware of Dog sign."  Nope, that just tells the law you knew ahead of time your dog was aggressive and you'll be even more liable. Securty systems are good at home.  Fences are good too.  While walking the neighborhoods, I hear mace and those noisemaker things are good.      Becca Shouse: Irena Farm, Semora, NC Cord, Ted, Gus, Zhi, Maggie, Lynn, Lu, Min and Tully Waiting: Bubo & Ben "We didn't have a phone, and we couldn't call you!" Helen, AIDS orphan. Don't let them die of ignorance - WorldHelp.net "I-Dog Biggest Loser" Official Cheerleader/Mascot Start 09/15/08: 186.4 lbs Current 185.5 lbs

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• 06-01-2008 12:03 PM

  In reply to Sowilu

  BCMixs Joined on 01-10-2008 Virginia Posts 1,437 Points 25

  Re: Is it possible to teach? (Is he too old and too friendly?) Reply Contact The best tool to use for self defense is located just behind your eyes.     You did the right thing, you felt strange, and left.  Being aware of your surroundings, staying away from areas you know are not a good idea and trusting 100% WITHOUT QUESTION that little voice that told you to leave is the best way to stay alive and safe.  As women, we are trained early to "be polite" and we end up speaking to people we shouldn't, staying in areas we feel unsafe, etc. all because we don't want to be "rude".  I just don't let single men or men in groups approach me when I'm out alone (like the local park where I walk the dogs alot).  A few months back I was walking Woobie in the woods (at the park) and a very disturbed creepy guy gave us the strange eye and muttered "That dog doesn't look very friendly".  I responded, "Nope, he's not." Loudly.  He kept moving and so did I, in opposite directions.  It's very important for women to have self-defense skills and not depend on dogs, or mace or things like that.  Those things are unpredictable and can be taken from you and used against you.  A good self-defense class will start by teaching you how to use your brain not to end up in the situations and then how to use your brain to get out of situations that find you.  Your own body and mind is your best defense.  If you feel the need to have a dog that's protective, that's a sign that you need to find a class and learn to protect yourself.  You won't always have your dog with you and it can save your life. ETA: The best answer when a stranger asks "Does your dog bite?" is "Depends."  30 lbs. by Christmas, down 4 lbs., 26 to go!!!

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