bradpattison.com

Hi Everyone,

I am a new member and am desperate for training advice - the focus of my attention is a 10 month old Yellow Lab (male and fixed) who is now entering that phase where he challenges my authority and my girlfriend's authority. We have had so much dog training advice (and to date have gone through 3 levels of training), that we do not know what to believe anymore. The training seems to work great in the classroom and is suspect in the real world. We need help!!!

Our dog started out as a good "off leash" dog and over the last 3 wks that has deteriorated to the point where we can no longer trust him off leash - even in an enclosed area. He disobeys commands and basically marches to the beat of his own drum now...and we want to nip this in the butt ASAP. He is very active and has been a daycare dog for a minimum 3 days a week since he has had all of his shots/vaccinations...I am wondering if this has contributed to some of his learned bad behaviour or not (we like the people running the daycare, but there are lots of dogs to pick up bad habits from).

Most of the training we have taken with him is rewards-based training...only problem is that it only works when our dog is hungry. In hindsight, I feel like we have not trained him but only bribed him to date.

I'm just curious to hear some advice from some of the seasoned dog owners out there. I am the first to admit we have lots to learn...problem is you get so much conflicting advice that it becomes confusing. I enjoy Brad's show though and thought that this would be a great place to start our rebirth.

Thanks!

Aaaah, a fellow labradorian.
Well, i will try to keep this short, i know i've said this before on this forum.
But, we have a 3 yr old lab, we did puppy class, then tried obedience school at 6 mos... didn't go well, he had NO attention span. We tried every kind of collar and leash available.
Nixon went through the same thing your dog is going through about 8-10 months old, he made me sooooo mad, and i felt out of control on every walk, it wasn't fun anymore.
I bought Brad's e-book about a year ago, but we've been busy, and then couldn't get into his classes until now.
So, my advice to you, is buy the ebook, get a martingale collar, and tie that labby around your waste... we did it just around the house for a while, because i was afraid to take him outside, for fear of my life (AKA pulling)... but once we started, i couldn't believe we hadn't tried this before... Then, try to get into his street safety classes if you live somewhere where they are available.
Nixon used to be good off leash too, and now he's not as good.. but he's getting to be really good ON leash, and we'll work up to being off leash again, when he can be trusted a bit more.
Get your lab to pay attention to you, by doing some umbilical training, in and out of the house... and see if that makes a difference.
Our biggest issue is coming when WATER is in the picture... another hugely frustrating issue. : ) Maybe by the time he's an old man, he'll have calmed down and obey me.
Good luck!!!!
Oh, i forgot... one thing that made a big difference too, is not talking to the dog for a couple weeks.. its really hard, we still gave him affection, but no talking. he'll pay more attention to you when you do start saying things like sit, stay, come.. .the important stuff.
And, don't let him beat you through the door, or up and down the stairs.. you win.... feed him on your time, not his... (we were bad for that, he'd come at 4pm and lick his lips at us, and we fed him... now we wait till he stops, and forgets about it, and then we go over and get his food).

Hello Amos and welcome!

I think everyone here will agree that the first thing you should do is get Brad's e-book "Synergy" from this site. It's an e-book so you'll get it right away on your computer and you could start reading right away. There is soooo much information in the book and it covers everything you need to know to start over. You will also need to get a Martingale collar and a six foot leash. Before learning about Brad and his method I tried a plain 'ole regular collar, a halter, and a gentle leader and none of them worked. You'll see in the book that this is a major part of your training. Also, stop using treats. Brad's book talks about umbilical exercises and not talking to your dog. You will definitely see progress starting with these exercises. Also, you'll have to be patient. Each dog has a different history and personality. Some people see results right away and others take a bit longer. I hope you see results soon though!
Good luck Amos, you've already given yourself a "tip" by deciding to use Brad's method!

Hi Amos,

I am a newcomer to the site, but I will tell you this. The point of Brads training and some of the other "guys" out there is, that you have to start taking leadership in everything you do with your dog. That means walking, talking, petting, toys, playtime....etc. This is not just training but more of a "way of life" with your dog. It is a change in your perception of the interaction between man/woman and dog. Just to let you in, I have 2 labs and both are 3 years old, if I didn't run things then they would be. They test me all the time, and what I did find was that if they have a sense of purpose, like a job(put on a backpack and let them carry some of the groceries homefor you)they respond a lot better. Basically put, start controlling the dogs actions when he is with you, disagree with his actions, excersise your dog(1.5hours min.) each day, and play with your dog. It all starts inside the house, then work your way outside, and don't expect too much too soon.