Chubs and the trainer

[sugar]

So the trainer came by yesterday and stayed for a few hours (from noon to about 6). First off, he does agree with certain Ceasar things (the biggest being the rule of exercise/discipline/affection). I was a little leery (no need to explain right?) because he said stuff like that. BUT, to my amazment, he didn't do any of the Ceasar techniques (those "touches", the kicks, the challenging behavior...etc). He was really cool. Showed me how to properly put on Chubby's Gentle Leader (which is a huge fan of). I mentioned my fear about the gentle leader breaking loose is Chubby wanted to go after something and he put an extra leash on Chub's martingale collar and had me attach it to my belt loop as an extra precaution (which my lovely boy didn't even need, he walked beautifully!)
We discussed things like preventing Chubby from getting mouthy (doing the loud "ouch!" and then ignoring him, so far it seems to be working). Chubby loved this guy too (spend most of his time cuddling up and being good to get lots of treats and cuddles).

This guy LOVES pits, its his favorite breed to work with. He was overall very positive in his training methods (more like Victoria Stillwell than CM thankfully). We all went on a long walk with the Gentle Leader, and although some people still practically ran away when they saw us coming, these two 80+ year old ladies commented that he was so handsome and then came right up to him and petted him (which he sat nicely, without asking, and took happily). Throughout the walk like 4 people petted Chubby and he was so mellow and happy (bully smiles, wagging tail, and if we stood in one place for too long talking to people he would flop down and then get more cuddles people people thought he was so cute!).

I was so darn proud of my boy!

On the flip side, Chubby "sharked" him when he was holding one of Chubby's toys (showing me how to teach "wait") but when he did his "ouch" noise, Chubby sat right down. Chubs is still toy obsessive, but it seems like over time it will lessen and become more and more manageble.

All in all, everyone (including Chubby it seems) had a good time yesterday (especially because all of the sunshine we finally got in NYC made the walk extra nice).

[zueszena]

Way to go chubs,,congrats guys,,sounds like things are working really well,,happy for ya

[sugar]

Also wanted to add: He doesn't promote choke collars, choking the dog, or doing anything physical to the dog other than "claiming space" if need be (like when Chubby sticks his snout in the fridge) or massages at the end of training sessions as a "thank you" to your dog (and more bonding time).
Chubby was very content with his "good boy" ear-nub rub,lol.

[RealPitBull]

Sounds positive! He spent 6 hours with you? Wow! Sounds like you got your money's worth. Who's the trainer, if you don't mind my asking?

[michele5611]

Sugar sounds like it went really well for you and Chubs!!! Way to go!

[AmyJo27]

Way to go Chubs!!!! Im glad you found a good trainer! Sounds like you are doing all the right things Sugar! Kudos to both of you! ;D

[sugar]

His name is Gregg Karl, and I think he's awesome. He does talk up Ceasar, but oddly enough he doesn't use any of his rougher methods. He talks more about "pack leader mentality", and making sure the dog knows you are in charge (so that dog doens't have to worry about that, or get too pushy). Chubby never once seems scared of this guy (always walking up to him and putting his head in Gregg's lap for a little cuddles). He def. promotes the whole "exercise, discipline and THEN affection" that CM talks about (which honestly was my biggest problem with the last dog...too much cuddle-time and not enough training-time). But again, as much as he talks about it, he never once used any rough touches on Chubby, never forced Chubby to do anything.

My biggest problem? When Gregg took out the big gun treats for Chubby. Hot dog bits. Chubby loved them! The farts Chubs had for the rest fo the night? I didn't love that at all, lol!!

I even mentioned the whole alpha roll (because when I had my rottie, our trainer said I had to do it all the time to "show the dog who's in charge!" and how I hated it). Gregg just said, "I have never once in all my years of training ever did that silly thing. All its going to do is freak out the dog and make him more fear-aggressive around you". I loved that answer!

So while I was so happy with Chubby's behavior, the toy thing is still an issue (although the trainer said since he wasn't being aggressive about it I shouldn't be freaking ot over it. Just slowly continue to do the treat trade and even get him an extra Kong or two just so Chubs starts to see that he will always have one and he doesn't have to worry about keeping track of it). I'm also getting a buster cube for Chubs (which the trainer loves for dogs to keep them out of trouble,lol).

[emilys]

lol... the guy sounds like he's talking up Cesar because his clients expect it but not really doing Cesar! I don't have any problem with Millan's basic message of "exercise disclipline affection" and I think most positive trainers agree that giving dogs what they want all the time is a formula for disaster. Requiring that the dog do something before it gets something (like "sit" before getting dinner, or waiting for permission before getting on the couch) is just a basic management/conditioning technique. Millan's show features a lot of spoiled untrained dogs who think the set the rules and can tell their owners what to do, so there's an exaggeration of the "no affection before disclipline" message. I wouldn't want to live in a world where we couldn't cuddle our dogs when we want to!