Tomorrow is Oscar's evaluation by trainer!

[Kerie]

The trainer comes tomorrow for an initial evaluation. He'll propose a plan of training sessions, I assume. Some of you remember, Oscar often won't let anyone near his Kong and gets aggressive when we try. We did our best to pick a trainer that we would like to work with. I think that we have already made some progress on our own but I am too afraid to just let this go. Oscar does seem to try to please us, so I can't tell who he thinks is in charge.

Wish us luck for tomorrow--hoping we like the trainer and that he thinks that Oscar can become a good citizen!!!!

[Courtney]

Good luck! :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: Can't wait to hear how it goes.

[Nancy]

I'm sure the little man will do GREAT tomorrow!! Keep us posted!

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Here are some good luck rays :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: .

[Patt]

Good luck :rayz: :rayz: and :crossfin: :crossfin:

[areese]

Good Luck!!:crossfin:

[Bella's Mom]

Wishing you lots of luck! We will keep our fingers (and paws) crossed for you!

[Kerie]

Well, I'm not sure how it went. The trainer definitely seemed to be good. It was hard for us to tell how much he can do with Oscar, but we are going to try. He said that Oscar needs more structure, which I know. He was great at handling Oscar.

Later on in the session, he used the "fake hand" to test Oscar while he was playing with the Kong, to see how much Oscar guards his possessions. Well, Oscar certainly showed us that he does not want anyone to disrupt him when he is playing with Kong. Oscar growled and barked at the hand and eventually bit the hand (note to future dog trainers--use fake hand to protect your real hand!). I was glad that we all got to see an example of what Oscar does, but it also scared me!

The trainer really does not want us to use a harness b/c it's hard to correct with a harness. He said that the greyhound collar that we have is okay, or the Gentle Leader. He said that he does not suggest choke chains or prong collars. I'm still more comfortable using the harness, at least some of the time. I told him that I have already had a dachsie with back problems and I'm scared of that.

The reason that I am not sure how it went is that the trainer stressed that this type of thing never really goes away.

[Patt]

Keri, I’m happy to hear you took Oscar to a trainer and that the two of them got along! Now you can see the value of using a “fake hand.” Aggressive behavior is scary! From what you have said about him, your trainer appears to know his business. For the best results I recommend you follow his instructions as closely as possible, i.e. the collar. Training takes time and patience. After these sessions are completed, you may have to go back periodically for a refresher.

Aggression can be a continuing problem. Nearly all animals, pack animals in particular, routinely challenge their leaders. That’s why all older “alphas” are eventually replaced by younger aggressive ones. Once your position of leadership is established, it must be maintained! Oscar apparently is one of those dogs who will always be looking for a weakness to exploit.

Good luck and please keep us updated. :)

[Alex's Mom]

ITA 100% with what Patt said (I usually do...smart lady, Patt!)...as you know, Alex has aggression issues too, and even now at 13 I have to watch her with other people. I can take her food and toys away from her (and do, on a semi-regular basis, just to remind her of how the world works), because I'm alpha as far as she's concerned, but I sure wouldn't suggest anyone else try it!! :) It is a problem that never goes away, and it takes a lot of work AND patience (believe me, a LOT of patience, never my particular strong suit...:rotfl: ) but it can be done. Your best bet is to follow the trainer's advice to the letter, no matter how hard or odd it may be; he sounds like he knows what he's doing, so trust him. I've never been able to use a harness on Alex because I need to be able to correct her immediately if there's a problem. But for all that, once the point is made, you'll have a good, happy and well behaved dog. Part of the secret is a quick firm (but fair) reaction to a bad behaviour, and LOTS of positive reinforcement when he does something right. It WILL get better! Alex is living proof of that. Lots of training :rayz: :rayz: for you and let us know how it goes!

[Mama S.]

You are so wonderful in trying to get to the bottom of the problem ad try and fix it rather than so many just dumping the dog - what an :angel7: ! Here's hoping that the training goes smoothly and that you enjoy many wonderful years with him!
Sandi

[Jen]

Dealing with pack issues and aggression are a constant thing, he's right, it will be ongoing. But it sounds like it went well, the trainer has seen the problem firsthand, and now you can start a contistent program to help out Oscar.

Let us know how things progress!

[lotsadox]

I'm so glad that you consulted a trainer who sounds like he knows what he's doing. :banana: :banana: I would also suggest following his instructions. If you are worried about Oscar's back, use the gentle leader. It doesn't pull on their neck and keeps them from being able to bite anyone. You have immediate correction ability.