# Could I send my dog away to be trained?



## aiwnjoo

I have a staff x collie called Harley, he is 2 years old and generally potty trained unless left too long and well behaved when its just me and him. If I have friends round he is absolutely crazy and protective of me.

He does pull slightly on a lead and would run into a car happily and goes nuts when he sees other dogs/people as he just wants to sniff/lick them.

I attempted training before but I work a lot and did not have the time to continue training him so it wore off.

*I would like to know if there are any services where you can actually send your dog off on "holiday" for a month or so and be fully trained in every area then he would come back to me as a well trained dog for me to enjoy?*

I know some of you will comment that I should train him myself ideally and I know that but if you could answer the question I would be grateful.

Many thanks,


----------



## hazel pritchard

Hi it really would be no good to send your dog away "to be trained" as in dog training its the owner and dog that need to work together,,, If you cant get to a dog training club together could you get a trainer to come to your home to work with you and your dog? maybe someone on here can recommend a good trainer in your area
good luck


----------



## Spellweaver

Agree with the above. Training is as much about you being trained as your dog.

And also, have you thought about this? Training, as you yourself have noted, "wears off".

If you do not have time to continue to reinforce any training your dog receives - whether by yourself or the best trainer in the country - he will end up pleasing himself anyway.


----------



## smokeybear

aiwnjoo said:


> I have a staff x collie called Harley, he is 2 years old and generally potty trained unless left too long and well behaved when its just me and him.
> 
> *I would hope he is potty trained by this age.*
> 
> If I have friends round he is absolutely crazy and protective of me.
> 
> *What do you mean by crazy and protective?*
> 
> He does pull slightly on a lead and would run into a car happily and goes nuts when he sees other dogs/people as he just wants to sniff/lick them.
> 
> *And what do you do when this happens?*
> 
> I attempted training before but I work a lot and did not have the time to continue training him so it wore off.
> 
> *What is "a lot"? How many hours a day do you work? If you do not have the time for a dog, why have one? I work full time and train my dogs before and after work.*
> 
> *I would like to know if there are any services where you can actually send your dog off on "holiday" for a month or so and be fully trained in every area then he would come back to me as a well trained dog for me to enjoy?*
> 
> I know some of you will comment that I should train him myself ideally and I know that but if you could answer the question I would be grateful.
> 
> Many thanks,


I expect many of us could have your dog and train it perfectly well, but dogs learn what they live, so when the dog came back to you it would behave differenty for YOU than it would somebody else.


----------



## Milliepoochie

aiwnjoo said:


> I have a staff x collie called Harley, he is 2 years old and generally potty trained unless left too long and well behaved when its just me and him. If I have friends round he is absolutely crazy and protective of me.
> 
> He does pull slightly on a lead and would run into a car happily and goes nuts when he sees other dogs/people as he just wants to sniff/lick them.
> 
> I attempted training before but I work a lot and did not have the time to continue training him so it wore off.
> 
> *I would like to know if there are any services where you can actually send your dog off on "holiday" for a month or so and be fully trained in every area then he would come back to me as a well trained dog for me to enjoy?*
> 
> I know some of you will comment that I should train him myself ideally and I know that but if you could answer the question I would be grateful.
> 
> Many thanks,


There is no such thing as a magic training wand.:frown2:

The only thing which will help your dog is you working with him and being consistent in *YOUR* approach to training.

If you cant be bothered to train your dog yourself then any 'training' instilled by other people will wear thin very quickly. I use the term cant be bothered as my husband and I work full time and we still have time for 2 X 1 hour walks and training / games each day with our dog as do hundreds of people on this forum. So however busy it is possible if you want it to be.

Its hard work - There is no quick fix! If you dont have the time for your dog / cant be bothered to put time / effort into its continous training then getting someone to do the initial hard work isnt really going to help either of you.


----------



## FrankieT

Find a good dog training club and do it yourself. I've been taking my dog for 2years now. It's great fun and we both enjoy it. As others have said, it's not about training the dog, more like training the handler.


----------



## Set_Nights

Did this thread not answer your questions for you?

If you are working 10 hours a day it is no wonder the dog has accidents, he simply just can't hold it that long. Being a collie x it is also not surprising that he goes "nuts" when he sees other people and dogs as he is sitting bored at home and alone for 10 hours a day... collies are a very active breed and need mental stimulation. I imagine a lot of your problems would go away if you simply brought in a dog walker...


----------



## Canine Culture

Hi,

I may be able to help you.

My Mobile is 07824479364 if you would like to call/text me

Hope to hear from you soon!

Laura


----------



## Guest

aiwnjoo said:


> I have a staff x collie called Harley, he is 2 years old and generally potty trained unless left too long and well behaved when its just me and him. If I have friends round he is absolutely crazy and protective of me.
> 
> He does pull slightly on a lead and would run into a car happily and goes nuts when he sees other dogs/people as he just wants to sniff/lick them.
> 
> I attempted training before but I work a lot and did not have the time to continue training him so it wore off.
> 
> *I would like to know if there are any services where you can actually send your dog off on "holiday" for a month or so and be fully trained in every area then he would come back to me as a well trained dog for me to enjoy?*
> 
> I know some of you will comment that I should train him myself ideally and I know that but if you could answer the question I would be grateful.
> 
> Many thanks,


Yes, you can send your dog off to be trained, but it will probably cost you a pretty penny and you will most likely be disappointed with the results, if not immediately, then a few months out.

As others have already said, training a dog is both a mutual thing and a continuous thing. You don't just train the dog once and be done with it, its something you continue to work at for the life of the dog. Both you learning the dog and the dog learning you.

Given that the issue is him being protective around you, having someone else train him is really not going to work unless that person is going to move in to the house with you and train the dog around you and your friends. Do you see what I mean?

I don't mean for it to sound daunting at all, its really not. Think of it as a child learning to talk. At first its simple one word communications, but eventually you start having conversations with your child. Its not "work" teaching a child to talk, but you do have to hang out with the kiddo and interact with them.

Same with training a dog. No need to carve out specific time during the day, (though I am a huge proponent of working with a trainer, group classes can be really fun). Simply practice a little here and there throughout the day. Waiting for the water to boil? Do a few sits and downs using leftovers as rewards. Doing laundry? Practice a down stay. Before you know it you will have a few solid commands that you can use in many situations.

For your specific problem, for now I would simply crate the dog while you have guests over. If they are willing, have them periodically drop treats in to the crate without saying a word to the dog or making eye contact. Ignore ignore ignore while periodically making treats rain from the sky. What this will do is create for your dog a different association with guests. Instead of viewing guests as something bad to be scared off, he will begin to see them as something good. He will also see that when he is calm and quiet, this good thing gets even better. 
Do you have a crate for this dog? If not, baby gating him in a room where he can see the guests but not interact with them is a good alternative.

For leash pulling, try a front clip harness (just make sure you also put a martingale collar on as back-up as some dogs figure out how to back out of a harness). This will make pulling not rewarding for the dog, and then you will reward every time he stops pulling and focuses his attention on you. (The extra attention at home and practicing basic commands will also make him more likely to turn to you for guidance.) Very soon he will learn that pulling is no fun and staying by you is.

HTH


----------



## newfiesmum

Haven't I read this before? Why post the exact same question as has already been answered? Do you expect to get a different answer? As said in your earlier thread, you do not need a trainer, you need a dog walker or some sort of doggy daycare.

Your dog is over excited to see others because he is bored stiff. He is over protective of you because he does not see enough of you or other people.

It is really very simple.

You are talking about spending hundreds of pounds, perhaps even more, for someone else to train your dog in your absence which won't last, when you could be spending that money on a reliable dog walker and making the dog's life happier.

Not much of a choice really, is it?


----------



## swarthy

My dogs are well trained - but they get excited when people come round - it's part of living in a doggy household - yes - with time and effort, with a single dog, you can train it to behave when visitors come - we tend to 'cheat' by giving them a treat then they come and say hellow when they have calmed down - but we have got 6 Labs. 

How long is he being left that he is still messing in the house at 2 years old? 

It's YOUR time and effort that need to be put in to get this dog to do what you want him to - if you haven't got the time for him, then that's not being fair, and no amount of 'away' training however much it costs is going to solve the problem.


----------



## Malmum

My daughter wanted to send Marty away on a ten day course for £400 to be trained but as he walks well on the lead for me it shows it's her that needs training and not the dog. You also don't really know what methods are used so I wouldn't be happy to not be there in person. 

Try using the Nothing In Life Is Free training method - google it as i'm using my phone so can't put up a link. Make your dog work for anything he gets, it's not difficult and easy to implement.
If you can't be bothered though niether will your dog!


----------



## claire & the gang

Dogs don`t miraculously become trained when left for hours alone. Its a partnership & effort needs to come from both sides. Most dogs want to please their owners & therefore need time, consistency to learn to react to what their owner wants them to do.

Due to this special relationship as many others have said sending him away for someone else to train simply won`t work as he will learn to do what pleases the trainer...not you. Apart from which I could simply not be separated from any of mine for the duration of a training course as I would worry what methods where being used in my absence as well as missing them like crazy.

The best advice you have been given is to get a dog walker so that he is less bored, more stimulated and happier. Even an inhouse trainer wouldn`t work unless your prepared to put the effort in too


----------



## newfiesmum

I think there has been a misunderstanding here.

This thread was posted on the same date as the other one, identical, that we all answered and in which the OP ended up giving out loads of red dots to people who disagreed with her.

Sounds like a duplicate posting someone has picked up and resurrected.

I would like to know how she is getting on though, since she said she was going to get a one to one trainer in.

I do wonder, though, why anyone would think they could send a dog away to be fixed like a defective motor car, and it would come home all mended. It might work with the very basics, I suppose, but not with a particular problem that is almost certainly an attachment to the owner.

My cleaner has once again left the bathroom door open and I have once more come home to toilet roll torn up everywhere. Do you think sending Diva away to be trained would fix this problem? Of course not. Leave her a note in big red letters on the bathroom door next week!!


----------

