dog training

littlemis

my friend wants me to ask for your advise as her computer has picked up a virus.. I dont know how to help her.........she has 4 terriers that she has inherited they were living outdoors and have had no training anyway, due to the owner discovering and since dying of cancer....Anyway she is determined to keep her dogs she thinks they are jack rusells or a mix.and she thinks they are 10 months.they are boys ,mother died. She wants to keep them as indoor dogs.she wants to know if there is any good books or tips on how to train them.also should she do it one at a time or all together.......anyone able to help.

Galway K9

*** watches for the regulars lurking ***
Id train them sepeartley to build a 1-1 bond, once you can work work with 1 at a time, 4 of them will naturally listen to the leader that they know. Also dont worry bout indoor/outdoor...its what she wants and cares that matters.


Tell her best of luck and she wll love it!:)

littlemis

Galway K9 wrote: »

*** watches for the regulars lurking ***
Id train them sepeartley to build a 1-1 bond, once you can work work with 1 at a time, 4 of them will naturally listen to the leader that they know. Also dont worry bout indoor/outdoor...its what she wants and cares that matters.


Tell her best of luck and she wll love it!:)

I dont know what your first line means,but i will pass on your reply and thanks for reply,I know she is very anxious about them....these are the only dogs she has ever owned.

Galway K9

littlemis wrote: »

I dont know what your first line means,but i will pass on your reply and thanks for reply,I know she is very anxious about them....these are the only dogs she has ever owned.

Its a very common and natural worry just like having a child but she'll do great.....:)

Cherry Blossom

littlemis wrote: »

....these are the only dogs she has ever owned.

I think she should seriously think about what is feasible in this case, one pup is a struggle for anyone who has never had a dog before and it sounds like these are all littermates which adds extra complications. I seriously think she should consider re-homing at least 2 of these dogs, this really would give the best outcome for all the dogs, with more individual attention and space to develop properly, it isn't normal for dogs to stay with their littermates so long and it would have an impact on their mental development. If she is adamant that she wants to keep them all at least get her to consider re-homing 2 of them on a temporary basis to see how she gets on with the other 2, it really will become obvious to her that they will be much better off than all of them making each other (and her) mentally claustraphobic in the same house.

littlemis

Thanks for your reply but she wont give any of them up.....Unless you have tips on training or can recommend books then please don't reply,as she is not interested in any negative opinions or comments at the moment, even though it may be well intended, due to her own personal loss.......Please stick to the QUERY.....

ISDW

littlemis wrote: »

Thanks for your reply but she wont give any of them up.....Unless you have tips on training or can recommend books then please don't reply,as she is not interested in any negative opinions or comments at the moment, even though it may be well intended, due to her own personal loss.......Please stick to the QUERY.....

I really don't think theres any need for rudeness, I can't see where AJ was negative. Very good information in her post, which will probably be replicated in any books you do manage to find.

I don't think I'll offer any advice regarding the QUERY in case its perceived as negative. Best of luck to your friend, I hope it all works out for her.

Shanao

Even with the fear of coming across as 'rude?' I'm still going to go with it. Please tell your friend to research Litter Mate syndrome and see does she still want to definitely keep all four. Dogs, especially males, from the same litter that have been raised together can have serious issues with each other as they age because they cant figure out just which one of them is the boss without fighting it out. LitterMate syndrome can begin as simply growling at each other, but it can escalate into fights resulting in injuries and she will have to seperate the four dogs to ensure none of them hurt each other again. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but she needs to know about this syndrome as few people do when they get siblings. Not to mention that mentally, these four dogs are all teenagers right now and may start getting on each other's nerves. I was recently called out to help a woman who has a pair of setters who are brothers and has had to seperate them due to them fighting. They are just twelve months old now, and one ended up at the vet with a huge gash under his eye. So please understand that I am speaking from experience; it is horrible seeing brothers or sisters suddenly turn on each other like that.

Even though she is determined to keep the four of them, she really needs to think about what's best for both her and the dogs, its not fair to keep the four of them if they are going to have problems.

As Galway k9 said, one on one training is best, though that's going to be difficult with four of them. I have two pups myself at the moment and believe me, it is tough training when you have more than one. They can and will give each other bad habits.

littlemis

Now I was not being rude to anyone, and if someone thought i was then it was through their own misinterpretation ., by thanking them for their replies, and making mention that this woman is not interested in any comments at the moment that has anything to do with giving them up as she sees this as being a negative response to her question. I was only trying to save you all time as she has already been made aware of all the reasons why she should not keep them all...I am as I said from the off only doing a friend a favour and I don't want to disagree with anyone and I only asked to offer opinion on query as it is not ment to be a long thread,in fairness i think Galway k9 has answered the query,I am not the one who needs the advise, so don't shoot the messenger.Aj did not infact answer the question that galway k9 replied to,aj took it upon theirself to pass comment on a off the query remark I passed to Galway k9's reply...
So in short you may want to re-read the entire thread,before jumping on the band wagon...

toadfly

Good luck to you OP but I dont think you are going to get much help with that attitude.

barbiegirl

Have to say OP I was going to offer advise, to question the wisdom of 4 puppies from one litter at the same time, to advice as to how clever terriers are, and to use reward based training, contact a local trainer for help and she might eventually get there, but I not so sure now. When you ask for advise you will get advise that might differ to what you want to hear.
The other posters here are very well experienced (some run animal welfare and rescue shelters) and offer what they genuinely see as the best advice for the owner and the dog. I understand that the owner sees these dogs as helping with the grieving process, however I doubt it was the original owners intention to keep all the dogs, cancer unfortunately just got in the way.

Cherry Blossom

Sorry I have offended you OP by not directly addressing the issues in your opening post.

littlemis wrote: »

my friend wants me to ask for your advise as her computer has picked up a virus.. I dont know how to help her

Maybe ask for advice on this in the Computers and Technology forum.

littlemis wrote: »

she has 4 terriers that she has inherited they were living outdoors and have had no training anyway, due to the owner discovering and since dying of cancer....Anyway she is determined to keep her dogs she thinks they are jack rusells or a mix.and she thinks they are 10 months.they are boys ,mother died. She wants to keep them as indoor dogs.she wants to know if there is any good books or tips on how to train them.also should she do it one at a time or all together.......anyone able to help.

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I think she should seriously think about what is feasible in this case .... it sounds like these are all littermates which adds extra complications. I seriously think she should consider re-homing at least 2 of these dogs, this really would give the best outcome for all the dogs, with more individual attention and space to develop properly, it isn't normal for dogs to stay with their littermates so long and it would have an impact on their mental development. If she is adamant that she wants to keep them all at least get her to consider re-homing 2 of them on a temporary basis to see how she gets on with the other 2, it really will become obvious to her that they will be much better off than all of them making each other (and her) mentally claustraphobic in the same house.

littlemis wrote: »

these are the only dogs she has ever owned.

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

One pup is a struggle for anyone who has never had a dog before ...

... never mind four.

Happy to offer help, perhaps it would have been clearer if you had stated replies be in a specific format.

littlemis

Apology noted.The "issues" were answered to the great delight be Galway k9,who's reply my friend has decided to go with..

cjf

I have heard loads of great reviews about a dog training book called 'The Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson. Its supposed to be a great 'go to' book for all dog training and gives a good insight into how dogs think etc. I have just ordered it online myself. When deciding on methods of training there is just so much out there some of it contradictory. This book was recommended to me by a successful dog trainer so I am going to try this method out think consistency is the best method for training any dog so just want to pick one style and stick to it so as not to confuse the doggies!

Best of luck she is very good for taking them in and making the effort to train them to be house dogs! Someone else may have justy shipped them off to the pound or just let them live their lives in the yard. Its a big deal not many people would take on one untrained dog never mind 4!!

LucyBliss

Like a lot of things, if you keep your wits about you, hold onto your sense of humour, know what you want and are consistent, you can train four dogs. I took on three dogs at once and it was hard going but it was a lot of fun too. It's not everybody's way of doing things but that's fine too. We don't all see things the same way.

I would definitely suggest that if the friend of the OP has someone else at home, to get them involved in the training. It's nice to have someone to back you up and give a bit of morale support, or even someone who can take over and watch them if you need to take a breather from creatures who seem cheerfully determined to drive you crazy every now and then!

Good luck with the training. I'd also suggest investing in a couple of crates. If she has four dogs at home who are getting used to being indoor dogs, it might be what saves the house from needing to be refurnished after a few months!

Galway K9

LucyBliss wrote: »

Like a lot of things, if you keep your wits about you, hold onto your sense of humour, know what you want and are consistent, you can train four dogs. I took on three dogs at once and it was hard going but it was a lot of fun too. It's not everybody's way of doing things but that's fine too. We don't all see things the same way.

I would definitely suggest that if the friend of the OP has someone else at home, to get them involved in the training. It's nice to have someone to back you up and give a bit of morale support, or even someone who can take over and watch them if you need to take a breather from creatures who seem cheerfully determined to drive you crazy every now and then!

Good luck with the training. I'd also suggest investing in a couple of crates. If she has four dogs at home who are getting used to being indoor dogs, it might be what saves the house from needing to be refurnished after a few months!

Best Advice!:D