a suggestion of help needed

[Guardian Angel's White lightning]

I have been working with titan and a trainer for his little resource aggression issue.  BUT...the cost of the class was $1000 for three private sessions and 6 months of classes.  BUT...the trainer has not even touched on his issue that we came for, and titan did the worst of the worst and bit my husband...(thinking it was another dog coming from behind which i told my hub. many times not to do!! maybe he will listen this time!) BUT..i have only been to class 2 times and done all the personal classes.  We have learned nothing in class as titan always listened to what we said the first time SO>..my question is...is is wrong to ask for my money back since she is not working with the problem that was asked about?

[lookingfornewf]

I doubt you'll get your money back. I would talk to the trainer again about why you came to class and the expectation that this will be addressed for the amount of money you already paid. Maybe she will give you more private time to work on the problem.

[jesday]

Have you spoken with the trainer about this? In a class-type setting they usually have a course lined out and have one lesson on addressing this issue. If you've told the trainer, "Hey the reason we signed up was for ... and we have done nothing in that regard," and he/she doesn't give you a satisfactory answer, then I would definitely ask for my money back.

Good luck.

[Guardian Angel's White lightning]

We have unfortunately gone to e-collar trainging which has been great, but the collar is not the proper strength for him.  I have asked her numerous times about helping me more with the problem. (as i see her every saturday) and she says to callher. SO i call her and no responce.  I am tired of her pushing me off till later.  I am ready to kill titan because it has gone way too far.  I have talked to many trainers and they keep pushing the issue away. One told me to ignore it and it will go away, another said to cover his crate like a bird...and this one says keep stimulating him with the collar...which to him is like a bug landing on him.  he is on the lowest of low and i need more.i could go and purchase a colalr, but i think that it is her responsibility to set her client up with a collar that works for that dog.  The collar titan has she uses with puppies and chi's.  am i wrong? We had to buy the collar from her, and she set it all up, so why should i have to pay for another one if she is wrong?...or am i wrong?

[AudgePadge]

I used to work for Dogtra, which is the e-collar most hunters use for their retrievers and the police K-9 units.  I used the smaller collar on Monty to no avail, but the larger, more high powered one worked better.  I would NEVER do anything to hurt my boys, and since I worked for Dogtra, I was able to test all the collars- on myself.  I've actually put the collar up to my neck and stimulated myself... What I described the stimulation to my customers was- It's like wearing socks, rubbing your feet on the carpet and then touching the door knob. It scares you initially, but it's not torturing painful. It's probably the most annoying thing ever...however, there are people who just turn it up to the highest level and just...SHOCK.. .which is TOTALLY abusive.  I think it has to be a very aware person to be using this sort of training.  Be careful.

I believe that if your trainer is not giving the dog the appropriate collar, and not giving you proper instructions-you should definitely talk to her and just let her know how you feel.  See how she handles it-if she gets defensive...we ll that's really not a person you want e-collar training your dog.

Good luck hun!  You're not wrong, you're concerned, and you know Titan better than anyone, if your intuition says something, listen.

[People Whisperer]

Lauren, Titan's agression issues most probably coming from having Lymes Disease for a long time. If it is the case, you need to learn how to control it and be ready for outbreaks. Maybe you should look into researching neurological consequences of Lymes? I am sorry you have to deal with all these

[TINKSMOM]

Tink and I go to an advanced obedience class twice a week. Some dogs are on pinch collars, some on chain collars, e-collare, etc. We spend a few minutes each class refreshing our basic obedience(to get the dogs in the mood) and then move on to whatever it is he is teaching that day. He introduces new things/distractions (skate boards, wheel chairs, drops a folding chair, etc) to get your dog to obey amid distractions. Sometimes we even switch dogs so that they don't just learn to obey their master.

If you are having a particular issue, he will work with you before or after class and give you ideas to try at home. If it is an agression issue, he may recommend seeing the dog outside of class, but has been able to help me with Tink's "mouthing".

If your trainer is not willing or able to adjust his/your training methods to your dog's personality then he/she is not much of a trainer. My trainer will let you "borrow" different collars and training equipment to see which works best for you before buying. All dogs have a unique personality and what may work for one may not work for the other. He/she needs to be able to cater to your dog's needs even in a group class.

Basic obedience for me was $80 for 6 weeks (one day per week). If you pass his basic obedience class you can take advance classes for $35.00 month unlimited. The price you are paying, he/she should accomodate you. I would definately approach he/she and let them know you expect more for your money and want to exchange the collar.

[VdogLover]

Personally as a trainer, who will use varied collars, I have to say an E-collar for a resource guarding issues on top of a possible medical history of reasoned aggression is not what I would be doing or ever suggesting.

To me proof is in the pudding, he went to training has had an e-collar used on him and now he has bittten. To me that is a red flag that this is not the route to be going.

Have you read this book?
http://www.kateconnick.com/library/donaldsonmine.html

[Guardian Angel's White lightning]

Yes i have...see the issue has gotten worse. I contacted people and tryed working with him when he was a wee one...ask anyone.  And everyone said...he will grow out of it...i knew in my heart that he wouldn't i knew this behavior would not extingish on its own, i knew this because of his reasctions getting worse everyday.  No one believed me, because he always acts like an angel outside of the house. BECAUSE...outs ide the house there are no food bowls, no food sound.....i was told to get rid of his crate because it was makeing the situation a lot worse...so i did...so now it is fire. I need to get a crate...a HUGE one as he has grown out of the 54inch crate.  The trainer emailed me back and said that it is my fault for not calling her when she was in the office. MY FAULT? hmm.....