Nailed the trainer - Page 2

Hi

Have to agree with Lady Frost. It sounds that your dog was not confortable in this situation.

Don't make the mistake of becoming a nervous dog owner as a result of this incident. Surround yourself with confident dog owners, get them too pat your dog, continue to socialise, train and  remain confident. Correct  behaviour that is unacceptable to you and move on. As soon as you lose the confidence (especially in certain situations), your dog will know and your dog will feed off your negative energy. It sounds as though the trainer was not concerned so why are you? Good luck with the training! 

We went back last night for our training and it went well, the trainer was very pleased with my dog's desire to try new things like tunnels, tire jump, etc. We are starting back at the basics for obedience because he believes in examining the foundation, but thankfully I did well, lol, of course Oliver did better than me. He gave Oliver his space and gradually closed the distance but did not make physical contact because of the previous confrontation. At the end of our long session he reviews our class, goes over our goals and makes notes on both the person and their dog. He said we'll fly through obedience but we still need to do it with strict rules, my GSD has a stronger desire to please me than toys or treats, we have a superior (yep, his word :D) bond, Mom has to remain emotionally neutral, and work on rebuilding Oliver's confidence and sense of security. He also stated the situation was even better than he thought and our situation would be more about getting back on track and working through our bump in the road. I was very pleased and felt better about things, and as usual, I'm pretty sure I have more work than Oliver. Thank you all for your help, Jen

good to hear Jen..Great job Oli....and glad you got a good trainer...those are hard to come by....

    WAy to go...: )

Clee, your title is very misleading! This is very hard to comment on. Without being there, you're only guessing. You were there and you didn't know what truly took place. Just like with Lawyers, Doctors, Mechanics, etc, we place our trust in their past training and knowledge. If your not getting better, you seek another doctor. If your car keeps breaking down, you get a new mechanic. As long as your dog is progressing, you are on the right track.

Yes, I see your point, I hadn't thought of it that way. If the trainer had not said differently, I would have sworn he bit him. I have continued taking him out on most all my errands and our daily walks and it's been business as usual, no weird behavior like that, I guess I was just shocked. I appreciate the input, Jen

Okay, for anyone who thought me obnoxious for bragging about the trainer writing in his notes that Oliver and I have a superior bond, rest assured I have been tormented mercelessly over this. My daughter came home from college this past week and I have not had a day go by since, that she hasn't bagged on me about it. :) Gotta love that child, she keeps me laughing

The dog's probably just mad because you named him Oliver.

Smiling sweetly... you can kiss my butt and call it a love story sir Duderino... :)

LOL@ clee27  

Clee, I've noticed the name Oliver has become more popular in recent years. I think it is a fine name for a dog. A superior dog, even.