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Thank you but I think I'll just observe from a far for now.
I use a martingale collar on her and she has a second leather collar for extra reinforcement. It's the only way I can control her.Cat chasing is the hardest to fix because it is self rewarding behavior. Dogs love to chase things that move. All of my cats have trained the dogs on their own by turning around and smacking them. Not an ideal solution though and relies on cats standing up for themselves. The only way I know is to keep them on a leash around the cats so you can correct them when they lunge after them. Works best with a prong collar so they just correct themselves.
Everywhere I look online tells me that it is inhumane and dangerous so I don't know. I've already been scrutinized for purchasing a puppy instead of adopting one so that added onto it, I'm afraid of what people will think/say.Hopefully she'll grow out of that behavior. Otherwise that's going to be a scary one when she's older.
A martingale is okay, but a prong gives a stronger correction. That's kind of an up to you thing though. My current dog did okay with one, but some dogs are too sensitive to them and some owners don't like them. So that's all well and good.
That is an excellent article. At my work we use prong collars when a person is not able to control a dog due to size or strength or a unique level of stubborn. My dog no longer uses one since in the end it didn't work for him. The fur around his neck is so thick that he will continue to pull against it since it is "worth it" to him. He now uses a head halter which deters him from pulling far more. A good trainer can recommend a good tool to help, depending on the person and the dog. There will be some trial and error.A lot of members on the dog breed forum I belong to have attended workshops by this internationally known trainer and author - here is her take on the use of a prong collar: Training with the Prong Collar - Suzanne Clothier/Carpe Canem Inc.
I definitely know that feeling. I got really nasty looks when I used mine and in the end it didn't really work. I hate that people are judgy about buying a dog and not getting one from a shelter. In general breeders produce dogs in the goal to create better and healthier animals. Dogs from the shelter are a gamble of genetics produced by irresponsible people not fixing dogs. Most breeders will take back any of their dogs for any reason at any time. They aren't contributing to dogs in shelters and no one should feel guilty about looking elsewhere for a dog that is a better fit for them and their life and their family.Everywhere I look online tells me that it is inhumane and dangerous so I don't know. I've already been scrutinized for purchasing a puppy instead of adopting one so that added onto it, I'm afraid of what people will think/say.
I just read over the contract and the breeder has mentioned a temperament warranty because she doesn't breed her dogs to be aggressive or "hard to handle". I'm going to find a training class and sign her up.
Not really. At least around here, there aren't a lot of accidental dog litters anymore, since leash laws are pretty well enforced. There are very few puppies in the local shelters. I think many if not most dogs in shelters came from planned litters, but then didn't work out with their families for whatever reason. I have a Rough Collie, a Chihuahua, and a Coonhound/herder mix, all second-hand (or third- or fourth- or fifth-hand, darned if I know)(though only the mix was actually at a shelter, the other 2 would soon have been if I didn't take them) and I'm pretty sure they were all from planned litters. Not that a planned litter is necessarily responsibly bred.Dogs from the shelter are a gamble of genetics produced by irresponsible people not fixing dogs.