My Dog Needs Training

[myfisheatyours]

I have a minerature 4 year old american eskimo dog, who doesn't listen to me, i've been trying different things and it seems non are working, so gimme some tips i can use to get my dog to be a little more obedient

 

[Isis_Nebthet]

Will he work for food?

What do you want to teach him? How much time per day do you spend with him?

 

[splashluff]

Positive reinforcement Obedience classes work WONDERS! I think that every dog owner should be required to go through at least 8 weeks of training with their dogs, because there is nothing like having one-on-one direction from a trained behaviorist and also getting the distraction and socializiation of other dogs and people there.

Definitely look for a reputable trainer or Obedience club in your area, talk to the trainer about either taking group/private classes or seeing a behaviorist a few times to really get direct attention. Honestly, nothing we can tell you on a message board can help anywhere near as much as a well-educated dog trainer can! I do suggest NILIF (google Nothing In Life Is Free dog training)... your dog needs to work for EVERYTHING s/he gets ~ he has to sit or down before he gets fed, sit or down before he gets a treat, sit or down before he walks through a doorway, sit or down before he gets pet/attention, etc. You need to be the dog's leader, NILIF will help teach them to respect you much more, if you're religious with it and apply NILIF to every situation with your pup!

 

[JackDemp528]

Yeah go get some obedience classes. They'll be great for you both. And American Eskimos can be a hard breed to work with. Atleast that's what I've noticed from the ones we've gotten in at the shelter. But good luck!

 

[myfisheatyours]

o....maybe should egt classes, but my schedule is so packed thats the thing, my dog will work for food, but it depends, it it's dog food..no, something like a bone or a small peice of bacon..yes, but she only know show to sit...haha I try to spend a lot fo time with her but i can;t seem to, I wake up put her outside to do her business, come her, take her outside while i go inside to work on my homeowork, make sure she;s got enough food and water, and my parents can;t do it ebcause they're both working hard to support the family

 

[SRC]

o....maybe should get classes, but my schedule is so packed...

but she only knows how to sit...haha

I try to spend a lots of time with her but I can't seem to...

I wake up and put her outside to do her business, come get her, then take her outside while I go inside to work on my homework, make sure she's got enough food and water, and my parents can't do it

I see exactly what your dogs problem is. You have one of those breeds that take alot of time, enegery, and effort to keep. That is not the type breed that will "entertain" itself quietly (not that many will, but Eskimo Spitz are ranked high on the list of HIGH energy dogs). You can't just throw it outside for a few minutes a day and expect that to be enough. Those dogs need exercise, and lots of it..to work off all the extra rambunciousness they have. They need ATLEAST 2 30 min walks a day..3 being preferred if they are indoor dogs who don't get to stay outside and play all day.

To get your dog to do anything you will have to take the time to train it. I'm not doubting your "time frame" but here's how I see it. You're gonna have to make time for the dog or the dog is just going to get worse and worse. You chose to get the dog you have got to take care of it now that you have it.

This is exactly why people should research breeds before buying/obtaining them just all willy nilly.

 

[JackDemp528]

Well said SRC. You see this a lot with those breeds, especially border collies, and the northern breeds are said to need someone special who can take a lot of time to care for them.

 

[SRC]

Lemme tell you..I found that out all to well from personal experience about these particular dogs.

When I was 13 I got a collie...I always wanted a collie...so my parents finally bought me one. Well about a year and a half later she got away from me when we went outside for a walk, end of long story she got ran over and I was devestated.

My parents feeling bad for me decided to go out and buy me another dog. They couldn't find any collie pups so, for whatever reasoning, they found a eskimo spitz breeder and bought me a pup.
Cute as she was (her name was Bubbles) she was a menace! That dog was wild beyond words. I honestly don't see how anyone could enjoy that breed lol..they are so hyper and willful and wooo they bark at everything, all the time. Long story short..I had to rehome her after only 2 years (turned her over to a breed rescue)...I just couldn't handle the dog's behavioral issues (and my parents have no clue about dogs, not even the slightest) and she was driving us, and my neighbors (mainly them), crazy barking when we put her outside (because she was destroying everything in the house).

My parents didn't research the breed at all, just went out and bought a puppy based on something someone told them and the *cuteness* factor of the pups (which they are adorable, don't get me wrong).

Not researching before buying can be deterimental .
I'm just glad there was a breed rescue available close to my area (I think we drove her to TN, could have been on the outer edge of MS though..been a long time)...a dog like that wouldn't have ever found a home in the pound...she would have acted like a psycho locked up in a kennel run without proper exercise (and by proper I mean 3-4 45 min. walks a day to burn off energy) .

 

[JackDemp528]

We see that at the shelter all the time. People bringing in dogs like those for biting, or too much energy. Well if people would just read up on their breeds. It drives me insane. It's just like reading up on a fish, and seeing how big a tank has to be, and what their requirements are. If people would just read up on things before they get these animals there wouldn't be so many terribly devastated and sad animals stuck in shelters!! Sorry I can't control myself on this topic...

And you know what, we end up with the heartache, we end up with the sorrow, when these people who don't read up get these dogs and turn them in, because the dog is the one that's terrified, and then the one that bites, and the one that ends up at the shelter for years. What a waste...