<p>JazzDrumMum: you’re in the Bay Area. One of the best dog trainers (Jean Donaldson) out there runs the program at the SF SPCA: [Classes</a> | SF/SPCA](<a href=“http://www.sfspca.org/programs-services/dog-training/classes/classes]Classes”>http://www.sfspca.org/programs-services/dog-training/classes/classes)</p>
<p>(I pay the trainer I work with $65/hour. But she’s a national-level agility trainer and worth every cent. A good group class would run you about $15-20 per class.)</p>
<p>Oh wow, Jean Donaldson! She’s one of the best trainers around. I didn’t even know she trained publicly (as opposed to being hired privately by one family at a time.) What a great opportunity.</p>
<p>dmd77, I like the idea about doling out the kibble as treats for puppies . . . I might have to try that when I get a dog.</p>
<p>I did a little more checking. ANOTHER top dog trainer–Ian Dunbar–is ALSO located in the Bay Area. Now I’m jealous. [Sirius</a> Dog Training](<a href=“http://www.siriuspup.com/]Sirius”>http://www.siriuspup.com/)</p>
<p>And if you want free advice on a variety of topics: [Sirius</a> Dog Training](<a href=“http://www.siriuspup.com/behavior_problems.html#]Sirius”>http://www.siriuspup.com/behavior_problems.html#)</p>
<p>dmd - it is not nice of you to imply that people who teach dogs not to jump on visitors by bending the knee abuse their children 
Let’s not equate dog training and child rearing. I feel that sometimes people go overboard humanizing their beloved pooch. I love my dog dearly (wanna know how much money and time I spent on brining this old guy back to life?), but he is an animal, and will never be equated with a human in my house. FYI, the knee trick is VERY effective and doesn’t hurt the dog more than any other object the dog might run ito. Neither does a rolled up newspaper :)</p>
<p>The problem with all obedience classes is that people do not stick with them. My next door neighbor has brought in a fancy dog trainer in a shiny van to teach his new pitbull mix puppy some manners. Long story short, the sessions were expensive, the kids got involved in sports, and no one had the time to deal with the dog. It now sits in the yard howling all day (and sometimes night) long. So no matter what dog training classes you choose, please stick with the training program.</p>
<p>Thats what I used to do with our doggie- She is a big ( used to be bigger) solid lab and while I did attempt to train her- with so many different family members walking her ( and using the neighbor boys to keep her exercised too), we weren;t consistent.</p>
<p>But now at 15 & 1/2 yrs old- she doesn’t jump on people anymore.
;)</p>
<p>BB: you take your road, I’ll take mine. I’m not equating spanking to hitting your dog; I’m saying I don’t want to do either of them, and yet lots of people find both things acceptable. I think reward-based methods work better and leave me able to sleep nights.</p>
<p>dmd, no ill feelings here, I’m glad we are both on the same page. What I’d love to see is some studies in peer-reviewed journals that show effectiveness of these newer techniques in training of police dogs, then I’m going to be fully on board.</p>
<p>BB: there’s almost no peer-reviewed research on dog training. However, Steve White has done all-positive training in police dogs for the Seattle police department for many years now. Since I’ve had the pleasure of training with Steve and his wife Jen, I know how strictly they adhere to their policies on training. (Handlers who punish their dogs are not allowed to use their facility.) If you google Steve’s name, you’ll find numerous articles on their techniques.</p>
<p>I’ve apparently trained my cocker spaniel to piddle every time I approach him, talk to him, or look at him. If I ever figure out how I did it, I’ll publish a book, because it was obviously the most effective training method imaginable.</p>
<p>Mantori: Piddling on approach is a submissive behavior. I’d lay bets that you are looking straight at your dog as you walk straight up to him, and that you’re talking in a loud and assertive voice. You’ve probably scolded him for piddling.</p>
<p>Try walking in a semi-circle toward him while you avoid looking at his eyes, talking in a soft whispery voice. As you get closer, if you see him looking anxious at all, walk away BEFORE he piddles. If that works, repeat that careful approach and sit down at the “safe” distance, with a really luscious treat in your hand. Don’t look at him, face your side toward the dog, and put the treat down next to you. Stay very still. Don’t move or look at him while he takes it, just VERY softly say “good dog.” Then get up and walk away. </p>
<p>Over a few WEEKS (the slower the better), without ever violating his SAFE distance or looking straight at him, get closer and closer, and keep rewarding when HE approaches you. If he piddles, you rushed it.</p>
<p>In the meantime, when you do have to approach directly–to put on his leash, for example–be very quietly direct about it. Just do it, without making a fuss. Tell him “I’m going to put your leash on” and do it. Don’t look him in the eye. DO NOT SCOLD THE DOG IF HE PIDDLES. He’s desperately trying to appease you.</p>
<p>I’ve apparently trained my cocker spaniel to piddle every time I approach him, talk to him, or look at him. If I ever figure out how I did it, I’ll publish a book, because it was obviously the most effective training method imaginable. </p>
<p>I have never known a cocker spaniel that didn’t piddle at every meeting with all people…they are just piddly dogs.</p>
<p>I am finding this thread useful because we are considering adding a dog to our household…in between adopting an adult or puppy and the breed is Pembroke Welsh Corgi…we need a little boost in our household</p>
<p>lje: I know a woman with 7 cocker spaniels… and not one of them piddles when approached.</p>
<p>I think corgis are great dogs.</p>
<p>I’ve heard it’s common behavior for cocker spaniels.</p>
<p>dmd77, thanks for the tips. I’ll try to muster enough patience to try them. I might decide it’s less trouble just to dab up a few dribbles every day. :)</p>
<p>thanks dmd… I have been doing a lot of research and been in touch with breeders
( no rescues anywhere in the NE or mid- atlantic ) Also a few corgi owners have just about pounced on me with advice and info.
Also, my notoriously crazy neighbor across the street from us ( the one who threw poop on my husband’s truck ) have two cockers, instead of kids. she screams at them enough to make us all sort of piddle a little And I can’t help but notice the Rug Dr in their driveway several time a year</p>
<p>lje, be careful with purebred Corgis - chances are very high that you might go through some very heartbreaking medical decisions later. The breed is very prone to degenerative myelopathy and IVDD (some reports I’ve seen say chances of a Corgi developing IVDD are close to 30-40%). The first condition is fatal, the latter can be dealt with with very expensive surgery and rehabilitation that takes weeks. Google both and think whether you have the finances and courage to deal with either of these conditions. Don’t get me wrong - I <em>heart</em> Corgis and I think they are wonderful.</p>
<p>BB, the people I have been in touch with are hands down some of the finset breeders and put their breeding dogs thru very rigorous testing for all of the degenerative diseases common with corgis…having gone thru the mistakes of our purchase of our golden retriever , whose breeder was recommended to us by our vet ( yet upon further investigation that was unfortunately too late for us ) found to have cut corners with medical testing for her breeders…although we love our old girl, she was diagnosed with hip displasia very young…could have been avoided if the breeder hadn’t cut corners and tried to profit. This experience made us become a lot more cautious and educated this time around</p>
<p>Joining the discussion late, but the piddling discussion of cocker spaniels got my attention.</p>
<p>I have a rescue dog, a cocker spaniel mix, about 8 years old. He piddles when he gets excited by favorite people coming in the house (not family members, but people who do not live here who he doesn’t see much). I thought this was quite common with cocker spaniels and something that we just had to live with. I know that if the favorite person ignores him he does not piddle, but that just seems mean because he is so happy to see them. The higher the voice the person talks in, the more he also seems to piddle. We just take him outside and then do a little dance with our feet to avoid being piddled on as he prances around the person. I think it’s called excitement wetting.</p>
<p>Anything that can be done for this short of putting him in doggie diapers?</p>
<p>Congrats on the new puppy. My d’s dog , Isabel, has given us …Bubba. Benjamin Buford Blue, but folks call him Bubba - just like one of those redneck boys. 
Bubba is 6 1/2 months old … weighs 75-80 lbs. and has feet the size of swim flippers. When he barks his mane fans out and the hair all down his back stands up like a mohawk. Dear Lord, don’t let him eat me. Amen.</p>
<p>I also have a puppy in my house for`the first time in years… so I’ll weigh in with a few comments. First – I lost my old dog at the end of September – she was a 65-lb Australian Shepherd mix that we got from the local pound at about a year old… there never was a sweeter, more well-behaved and respectful dog on the planet. But unfortunately, as she neared the end of her life, she was totally blind, mostly-deaf, and had a tough time lifting her rear end off the floor and moving about (unless it was to jump up into her favorite chair, which long since had been abandoned to her exclusive use). </p>
<p>Being a total empty nester, I couldn’t stand the empty house … so I went over to the pound just to look, and came home with a 6-month-old puppy, a 12 lb. Bichon/terrier mix. I had decided I wanted a much smaller dog, because I felt that I hadn’t been able to take as good care of my Aussie during her last years as I would have liked because I couldn’t lift her. Before the Aussie I had a Rottweiler-- I’ve never really had a small dog before.</p>
<p>Which brings me to my comment on the whole pack/dominance/punishment/rewards discussion. Different breeds (or mixes) have VERY different personalities. (I found this with my children, too, actually – way back in the day my son would push back and force me to come on a lot stronger with him, my daughter would crumble at the first sign that I might be getting angry).</p>
<p>DMD77 mentioned that she is working with poodles. I’ve never owned one, but Poodles are reputed to be one of the smartest and most easily trained breeds. I do know my Aussie mix was incredibly easy to train - my kids taught her all sorts of tricks, we each had our own different signals and words for desired behavior and the Aussie simply read our minds and did whatever she thought we wanted (and she was always right). So it would certainly have been inconceivable to punish that dog. </p>
<p>I won’t get into the whole Rottweiler thing. I loved my Rottie, to this day it is my favorite breed, and I will never own another one. Big, strong, stubborn dogs – very smart, and definitely trainable — but I’ll bet DMD doesn’t see too many of them with agility work.</p>
<p>Now… I’ve owned terriers before and always had trouble with them, and I swore I wouldn’t get another… but I feel in love with my new pup at the pound… and the Bichon mix does seem to take some of the edge off of the terrier part. But terriers are hunters and diggers, very active, full of mischief, high energy. They are slower to learn commands like sit & stay, tougher to housebreak. I’m trying to stick with reward-based training, but this little one has already tried my patience past the breaking point a couple of times, and I’m not perfect. Sometimes I have to be stern just to get the message across – and corrections tend to be accompanied by my physically grabbing her or picking her up simply because she is so small. </p>
<p>So I am actually surprised that no one has pointed out some of the breed differences in giving training advice – because while I don’t have the experience with dogs that DMD has… I have enough experience to know that the same techniques won’t work with all dogs. I think rather than focus on ideas such as whether there is pack behavior, it makes more sense to look at the dog’s personality and breed-specific behaviors.</p>
<p>Now I’ll say what has been working so far with my puppy.</p>
<p>Housebreaking: this was a problem for a couple of weeks- I tried the bells, but she thought that was a game and wanted to ring the bells constantly. Then once she got the idea that I was going to take her out every time she rang a bell… she quit using them.</p>
<p>What did work, beautifully, was simply to install a pet door. I have a sliding glass door to the back yard, and I bought one of those glass panels to insert with the pet-door in it – it was super easy to install and the dog loves it. </p>
<p>Mouthing. This was a problem and then I read somewhere that I should just say “ow” if she bit me or chewed too hard. I was surprised, but that worked immediately. I don’t even have to be loud – as soon as I say “ow” she lets up. </p>
<p>The biggest problem I’m having is that my dog is not well-socialized in the rules of doggie etiquette. She loves other dogs but rushes at them whenever she can, immediately jumping up to try to lick their faces or wrestle. This invariably results in a dog fight - she thinks she’s playing, but the other dogs generally are not amused. She’s doesn’t care how big the other dog is, either. I’ve arranged a doggie-play group and we’ll see if that helps.</p>