What I'm saying, is what I said. If you feel the need to yell at your dog, I'd encourage you to try not to; sometimes this isn't so easy. A pup's cage/kennel should not be used for punishment. A dog should view his kennel as "his" space. Dogs like a cozy, "safe" place such as a cage/kennel for a place to relax and sleep. My dog's 4 foot kennel is in my bedroom. It's one of his sleeping places. He alternates during the night from kennel to carpet. He's known it as a place of refuge/relaxation since he was a pup. Remember, there's no bad dogs; only bad dog owners. (Don't get excited---I'm not saying you are a bad dog owner.) Beautiful pup, btw. Take good care of him. As I'm sure you know, he'll make a great companion to you and your family.
i dont think you should ever strike your dog with your hand. it will associate you with pain. i have trained many dogs of my own and i speak from experience. you have a breed of dog that loves to dig holes everywhere and will chew up anything while it is a pup. it will be very hard to stop that behavior. bsam doesn't know what he is talking about. a training shock collar is the best investment you can make. it does not hurt the dog it only surprises them and if you use it with a verbal command at the instant they do the bad behavior they catch on fast. you have to train them to respond instantly to verbal commands. you have to get them to associate the the bad behavior signal with the exact timing of the bad behavior. it does no good to punish them in any way after the fact because they will not understand what they are being punished for. if they dig a hole in the yard and you drag them over later and say bad dog they will not understand. with a shock collar you are able to watch them and the instant they dig you can discipline them. it only takes a few times and they will catch on.
Vhehn.....You ever had a shocking device used on you? I have. (Was part of my training.) Believe me, it doesn't merely "surprise" you. If it only brought on a "surprise", then any fun-loving Golden would be happy to be surprised all day long! 'Sides, dogs are supposed to dig. They do this in order to be cooler. Shocking devices are used to enforce behavior. There's just better ways to treat/train a Golden Retriever.
sure. i was shocked by this collar.it did not hurt bad. this is the same collar used for the invisible fence. are you trying to say using an invisible fence is cruel? sure there are other ways to train dogs but it will be a frustrating experience for the first two years. goldens are nice but they are digging chewing demons when they are pups. here is some info. http://petsafe-warehouse.com/repeated_images/Truth about static shock.pdf What Electronic Training Devices Are and Are Not What makes todayâs electronic training devices more humane than their predecessors? Nearly all products from all manufacturers emit only a very mild electrical stimulation. These devices draw their current from batteries and are thus very limited. The energy level is similar to what one gets when touching a metal object after walking across carpet. It is uncomfortable, surprising, and one quickly draws away; but it is not harmful and is more startling than painful.
Best investment? I say a waste of money. 1. It is true they need something in their mouths at all times but not a single golden retriever I have had (now 4) has ever dug a hole. 2. If they ever did dig a hole, I would see them digging it. Everytime i take the dog for a walk, or let him outside, I go outside too and walk with him. I have never just opened the door and let the dog go wander where he pleases. Sometimes, I'll let him out while i stand inside door an extra 10 seconds to put a jacket on and he'll wait right outside the front porch for me to come too. Therefore when there is bad behavior (such as eating shit or maybe digging holes) I see it and I say something the instant he does it. Maybe my family is weird but to just let the dog out and let him come back when he's done is simply irresponsible. After walking the dog for few weeks/months, he will know where he can and can't go so there is no need for an electric fence either. Like I said earlier, I think that stuff is for the lazy. 3. I thought what BSAM was saying was negative reinforcement was bad. Positive reinforcement is the best. I agree with him. But vhehn, what do you think shock collars are? Everytime your dog does something bad, you say, "Stop!" and "surprise" him. Keep doing that and eventually everytime you say "stop" whether to the dog or not, the dog will think he'll get "surprised." I'd rather have my dog think, "wait, if i pick this stick up, I will not get a treat when we go back inside" rather than, "wait, if i pick this stick up, this damn thing on my neck will surprise me." So when your puppy is eating shit, or a dead bird or mouse or something (like every puppy is bound to do at least once) how do you get him to spit that shit out? Keep "surprising" him?
some good points by vhehn.......the electronic collar does serve it`s purpose.....it is used to create a reflex within the dog on an off lead command when you can`t physically be next to the dog to administer the correction......to create a verbal reflex within the dog can save his life....eg.a dog ready to retrieve a ball in the middle of a busy street........a simple "down stay"will save him. the key is there has to be a consequence if the dog chooses not to obey the command to create the reflex........some breeds require very little compulsion such as a loud,stern voice or a tug on a pinch collar........then there are dogs with such intense drives & high pain tolerance that even electric won`t work.......such was the example of an import from Holland we had trained up to a police service dog certification but we could`nt get him to "out" the bite even with 3 electric collars.....1 around his neck (traditionally placed) & 2 around his waste.......(this was the last resort in the proofing stage of his training) to assure the department was`nt going to face litigation as well as preserving the purpose of a reliable K9....the dog knew what he had to do but his desire to stay on the bite over rode the consequence. basically what i`m saying is that electric has it`s purposes but most dogs don`t require it & if it is used........it`s used so the dog is proofed & does`nt require that level of compulsion in the future.with that being said,we all love our dogs & we will only do what we think is in our & the dogs best interests. ambush,good for you.....world needs more like you.
yes my neighbor had a beagle. a collar would not work with that dog. when it was on a trail nothing would stop it. it eventually got run over.