Dog advice please!

[portlock seagull]

There's me, Mrs Portlock and our cocker spaniel and I'm not even Vice President in my household! In terms of pack role, our dog sees me as Head of Entertainment and I love her to bits, we often go off walking for hours in the countryside together and I love it. Couldn't live without a dog now, just lucky to have one even if she is a bit naughty ie it's HER house, sits on sofa, guests heads, sleeps on our bed, snores like a trooper, demands food at 6.30am without fail every day by tapping her paw on your shoulder, takes her favourite toy for a walk round the house every night etc. Dogs are just great aren't they? Most of all she does something daft every day that just makes me smile and laugh

 

[portlock seagull]

All of this. In short treat your dog like a dog. However much a part of the family it becomes it is still an animal.

Ours is not allowed any other food than it's breakfast and dinner. It is not allowed on the furniture. It is not picked up (although as a black lab that's hard anyway). It know it's place in the world. She is nearly 11 now, but the hard training that we did when she is younger makes her a dream to have, a really lovely dog. We can walk her on the street off the lead without any concerns.

Being tough on dogs when they are young is key, much like women.

I didn't do any of that tough love stuff with ours and she's still a dream to live with and take to other people's, pubs etc. I'm not saying you are but some dog owners are so mental about being seen as dominant pack leader they forget they're human and I wonder why they bother getting a dog because they're always shouty at it etc. We've all seen these types down the park, but like competitive dad on the sidelines of Sunday league eh?! Ours is a bit more 'cheeky' but very endearing that's her character. I think some people practically train the natural character out of pets. Again not saying you're one but we know these types!

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Border Terriers are fantastic dogs, we have one. However:

They have small man syndrome and will strike at other dogs first and ask questions later (DM me I have a way around this)
They react to one master and need to be kept in their place.
Mine has taken 3 years to get to this spot but now listens and will resist a squirrel with a severe chnage of voice tone (nearly all of the time)

Great dogs

 

[Return of the Rev]

Border Terriers are fantastic dogs, we have one. However:

They have small man syndrome and will strike at other dogs first and ask questions later (DM me I have a way around this)
They react to one master and need to be kept in their place.
Mine has taken 3 years to get to this spot but now listens and will resist a squirrel with a severe chnage of voice tone (nearly all of the time)

Great dogs

Q When a small dog strikes first and gets torn apart by the bigger dog who's at fault?

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Q When a small dog strikes first and gets torn apart by the bigger dog who's at fault?

The government ....

... Oops, the owner of the small dog in my opinion

 

[SeagullinExile]

Another working dog trainer here. None of our spaniels have ever seen us eat, they are not allowed in a room if we are eating and they are fed and kennelled outside.

Basically the opposite of your advice but I guess both ways work in the right hands.

Absolutely. Our dogs rarely came in the house to be fair. I'm assuming the OP's hound is a house pet, so would be around when meals are taken

You'll agree that training dogs to the gun is a different kettle of fish altogether though - Elite training if you like! With as you say, multiple training styles.

However you train them, the feeling of having your dog as basically an extension of yourself when working them is amazing, for me anyway!

 

[Stat Brother]

I think some people practically train the natural character out of pets

That's a very good point.

We've always wanted the 'basics' so park, pub, village etc all come naturally.
When those are in place that, for me, is where training ends.

Sit - wait - come (snigger) - no.

Our Labrador RETRIEVER couldn't get his head round 'fetch'.
He was 100% committed to 'you threw it, you get it'.