Dog Trainer

Luckylow10

We have a 13 mnth old female neutered mini schnauzer since she was 10 weeks.

I’m always at home with her, my two kids 13&10 play with her all the time and She gets walked 2 or 3 times a day for up to half hour each time. She has been well socialised with small kids and other puppies and dogs since we got her both in our estate, and in dog parks.

There are 2 issues that are starting to really bother us now. When we bring her out, she barks at other dogs, out of excitement and attention (never aggression). She also pulls the lead full on sometimes I think she wilL pass out. Maybe she will grow out of this? (We brought her on a holiday with us to a hotel and she was barking at other dogs in the hotel and it was very embarrassing.) she barks at dogs through their windows she barks at dogs on the TV.

A few months ago, We have hired a dog trainer who came to our house and trained me and my family about the barking issues and lead pulling. Rewards based as expected. We were told to just keeping saying her name and giving her treats when walking so she keeps attention on us. (This didn’t work).

The problem with that dog trainer in hindsight is she didn’t even look at our dog, she just recited everything that can be easily found in Google. Both myself and my husband have done lots of research, watched many video tutorials, and followed the dog trainers instructions as best we can etc also but actually putting the training into practice is a whole other story.

Im looking for a dog trainer that will take our dog out into parks or fun busy places so they can demonstrate how to train her. Can anyone recommend a dog trainer that does this sort of training rather than just coming to our home and sending us videos to watch?

Thanks in advance

DBB

Whereabouts are you based?

Luckylow10

Dublin south, but willing to travel Dublin/ Kildare

DBB

Give Emmaline at Citizen Canine Ireland a shout, she's really excellent. I think she still covers South Dublin.

Eamon Dempsey from Best Dog Training is based in Bray, and Stephen O'Keeffe from Dogs Life Training is in Dun Laoghaire. Both excellent alternatives if Emmaline not available. All ethical, certified trainers too.

Luckylow10

thanks, much appreciated 🙏🏼

Luckylow10

Ill make a few calls and update the thread soon👍🏼

hamburgham

As you discovered, many ‘behaviourists’ are total chancers.

Funnily enough, two schnauzers near me also bark at passing dogs. Is it a breed thing?

Luckylow10

I’m beginning to think there are a lot of “behaviourists” who are probably somewhat experienced with dogs (and training) but are looking for the quick easy buck. I’m sure there are some good trainers out there though I just have to find them..

DBB

There's no doubt, it's an unregulated industry and there are a lot of chancers out there!

There is one industry certifying body in Ireland, that's the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Ireland (APDT Ireland) that Trainers have to pass a rigorous written and practical assessment process before they can become members. They are then bound to a code of conduct, which includes adherence to a research-led approach to training and behaviour. By extension, that means an ethical and effective approach. They're also bound to keeping their own education and training up to date via CPD. Many of them have some level of good, industry recognised qualifications too.

It's a bit more complicated for behaviourists, because it's widely recognised in the industry that if you're dealing with more complex behaviour issues, you should have fairly meaty relevant academic qualifications as well as professional certification, which can only be got in the UK or US. This all requires a lot of investment of money and time, and certified behaviourists are quite thin on the ground in Ireland.

That said, a good certified trainer can usually deal with a lot of behavioural issues, and that's probably what most owners in Ireland have to opt for. I'd far rather deal with a good certified trainer, than a completely unqualified and self-titled behaviourist!

anewme

Based in Kildare, thedogtraenor.ie is excellent and APDT accredited.

hamburgham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121399714#Comment_121399714

Yes, their ‘advice’ is often to stick them in a cage.

A dog is an intelligent, active living creature not a stuffed toy with a heartbeat. Many people seem to expect their dog to lie around all day, confined to one room or worse, a cage, doing nothing. Far too many see dogs as an accessory, to complete the happy family look and have very little concern about the dog’s actual quality of life.

hamburgham

Thanks to the puppy farms, there is a huge amount of inbreeding. I think this is contributing to highly strung dogs.

The dog is still really a pup for the first couple of years though even though they may no longer look like a pup, they’re still high energy and mad. This is pretty normal. Love it myself.

Luckylow10

I think she still has the puppy energy for sure and I need to stop comparing her to older dogs that I see out and about with their owners 😬. She is spoilt for mental stimulation, play and exercise, we couldn’t do much more on that.

I’ll sit down over the next few weeks and make some calls. It’s not urgent, and probably bad time of the year to do the training we need but I’m adamant to get her at least reduce the barking at other doggies.

twiddleypop

If you live in Dublin presume you meet a lot of dogs so stop letting her say hello to every dog she meets particularly if she's excited/barking. When you say she was well socialised, it's possible she was over socialised and feels very reinforced when she gets to greet other dogs.

Schnauzers are a barky breed though so have reasonable expectations; you will see a reduction but not total elimination.

There are definitely some chancers of trainers out there but also, some people expect miracles. Training is only one part, breed and personality count for a lot.

LAT training is one protocol that worked really well for my dog, but it took a long time for it to be bulletproof.

Pawfessional is based in Rathfarnam and is IMDT certified. She also does scent work and trick training which the kids might enjoy.

Luckylow10

thanks for the advice, definitely a possibility of over socialisation if that can be a thing, .

I made a couple of enquiries, one I haven’t heard back from, but I realised this is such a bad time of year to be doing this kind of training. The weather is really bad (she won’t go outside when it’s raining) and then it gets dark v early on so parks are shut and my husband can’t come during the day as he is working , I’ll have to wait now 🤦🏻‍♀️😩

tk123

I wouldn’t wait and get stuck in. Practicing in the park would (imo) come last - you want to practice in a quieter place first. Eg I’m currently working on my pup’s walking and practice on short walks - there’s just too much going on in the park.