I am seriously considering...

[lulu]

  okay, well, ive written previously about the problems i am having with my puppers. me and hubby tried to take all 3 dogs on a walk last night and it was a disaster. it reminded me why we dont take them on walks more often. they are h*ll on leashes. even cooper with his no-pull harness manages to drag my butt down the block.
  has anyone ever sent their dog off to a trainer for a couple weeks to be trained??? we have this place here in town that offers all kinds of training options and one of them is "in-house" training where you send your dog there for 2-3 weeks. here is the link to their website

http://www.chisholmcreekkennels.com/obedience_training.html

it is a very well known place here, and is very highly recommened by vets, by the woman who owns the petshop where i buy dog food, and by multiple strangers i have met while walking my unruly pups. i am starting to SERIOUSLY consider it for sophie and dasher. cooper has had 2 levels of obedience at petsmart, and though he is far from where i want him to be, i dont believe that he needs something quite so intensive. the same place offers regular group obedience classes, which is all i think cooper needs.
 the "in- house" training  is pretty expensive but in the long run i think it would be well worth it. sophie is a stray that i found about 6 or so months ago and has no training and is probably a couple years old and she has NO manners whatsoever. i think i know why she was on the street!
  so...what do you guys think?
 Leah

[schelmischekitty]

personally, while the in home training DOES work, i do have to say i wouldn't do it because my dogs would learn to listen to someone else then when they got home, it'd be the same problem.  BUT, my dogs are very pig headed though and typically pick one person they listen to "perfectly" then everyone else is on their terms.  another option you may consider (if you have a petsmart) is sometimes petsmart trainers do training where you pay them and they take your dog for whatever day or days you agree and train them for the whole day one on one.  this way the dogs get the training during the day but at night you'd get to work with them, also.  good luck with whatever you decide!

[lulu]

 thanks for the input. i agree that it is important for dog owners to be involved in the training of their dogs. i was hoping that this "in-house" training would speed up their training, and the when they got home, i would enroll them in more advanced group training.
 we got cooper off to a good start with training, and then sophie unexpectedly came along, and you know how it goes, we were busy working and going to school, and training just kinda got put on the back burner. and then dasher came along...and now its just craziness in the house, lol. im not looking at the in-house training bcos i dont want to be involved or put the effort in to train the dogs, its just that at this point they are so out of control (my fault,i know, for lack of training)
 but anyway...we'll see. thanks for the reply

[schelmischekitty]

im not looking at the in-house training bcos i dont want to be involved or put the effort in to train the dogs, its just that at this point they are so out of control (my fault,i know, for lack of training)

by not getting involved or wanting to be involved you're setting yourself AND your dogs up for failure.  they need your leadership, guidance, and reassurance.  without that, you can have someone else train them all year long, but the second they come back to you and you don't step up to the plate they're going to run all over you.

[lulu]

 i think maybe you misread my statement --i DO want to be involved in their training. but they are so out of control right now that i need something to be done NOW. and from the group obedience classes ive seen and been in, it is not enough. and it takes longer than i think hubby is willing to wait. if i send them to the in-house training,they will come back knowing the commands and i will work them all daily on the commands. i would not just expect them to come home fully trained and not need to ever work with them on obedience. i work with them now on obeience, but it is just not enough

[dohertyswissy]

Leah - Hmmmm...I am sorry that your pack has gotten a little out of control and I am sure that is super frustrating.  You may have already addressed this in another post, but are any of your guys aggressive towards one another or you or hubbie?  If not, I really think that in-home training may be the solution. 

As others have mentioned here, one of the main purposes of training, besides having an in-control pup, is establishing pack order.  Often times, a pup will flourish in an "off-site" training facility b/c it is in a foreign enviornment that they do not recognize as "their territory" and are dealing with a person who has let them know right off the bat that they are the pack leader around this joint!

While I only have one dog at this time, I thought of something.  As many folks have said around here, it is often a good thing to work on training after some exercise with your dog.  Now, I know from what you said, walking all of them at the same time isn't working.  So, I would suggest walking and having individualized training sessions with them everyday (if possible).  I know it will take more time than just trying to get it all done at once, but that just isn't working.

I'd start with the one who needs the most work.  Sounds like Ms. Sophie is full of herself.  So, start with a nice long walk/run to get rid of some of that excess energy.  Then, do a one-on-one session with her.  Put the rest of the crew outside, or just the two of you hang outside.  Then, repeat with the rest of the crew. 

Most of all though, you and hubby have to be a TEAM to pull these guys together.  If you are frustrated with them, they will automatically sense it and cause them to get frustrated and lash out. 

Make a pact with hubby.  Give it a good 6 weeks, which is the minimum of most obedience classes, then reassess.

Good Luck!

[schelmischekitty]

sorry i misunderstood you.  nothing you do will work instantly.  although doing the out of home training will get them out of your hair, i agree with dohertyswissy.  it sounds like a lot of the problem is that no sort of structure is going on.  how old are your dogs again?  (sorry without the pawprints i'm lost!)  walking one on one will be a lot easier for you.  if the harness isn't working, you may want to try to get a choker and put it right behind the ears and keep the leash tight (but not choke them) and straight up and keep them beside you.  this way you have optimal control over them.  also, like dohertyswissy said, it sounds like they're full of themselves.  maybe rearranging your house could put them a little off just enough to help you get a step in the door before they hit that "i'm boss and i KNOW it" stage.

[Binky]

I don't think it's a bad idea at all.  Of course, a lot of training will have to continue at home when they return, but I think that dogs can be trained by one person still behave for another.  My husband's family sent their lab for training, I think it was a three week course, and she came back beautifully behaved.  It gave the family a base to work from.  If there was a reliable place near me, I would definitely consider it.  Lately, whenever we take the dogs somewhere, it's been a disaster and I get so upset- I feel your pain!  Good luck with whatever you decide.

[schelmischekitty]

not to mention that one dog that come home and died a few days later of brain damage.  that was in the news not long ago, about how the trainer that took them into their home caused brain damage by hitting the back of its head which made the dog "calm" but actually killed it just a few days later.  if you do it, like stella said, do your research and be careful.

[lulu]

thanks guys for all your input. it is REALLY appreciated. i think i have gotten WAAAAY too frustrated with the dogs lately. hubby considers the dogs to be mine and doesnt want to bother much with them, except to love on them when hes in the mood to. so, that leaves everything to me and i will be the first to say that i am in over my head. way over. i think for now, i am going to make a trip, one by one, with all the dogs to petsmart and get some good walking collars, whether that be choke or prong, i dont know. i will start walking them one by one and working with them on training, one by one. also, i think i will go ahead and sign dasher and sophie up for some group classes. i love all my dogs dearly and i want whats best for them. and i want to be happy with them, and not just exhausted and frustrated with them all the time! i will sit down with hubby tonight and get him to agree to go to the classes with me so that we can take sophie and dasher together. i never thought i'd have so many ill-behaved dogs! BUT...not for much longer though, I HOPE!!!
 someone asked if my dogs have any aggression issues...nope. im lucky in that. they get along great with each other. and are not aggressive with any people. the biggest issues are jumping on people, chasing cats, not coming when called, and walking nice on a leash. cooper knows 'sit' and 'down' and 'shake' and he knows 'stay' but wont do it with other dogs or big distratctions around. sophie knows 'sit' and 'down' but wont do it with distractions. none of them will 'come' unless they feel like it. dasher is still young, hes only 5 months but hes learning the others (mostly sophies) bad habits.
 but anyway, sorry for the long winded posts. its nice to be able to talk to people who understand and empathize though...
 thanks.
 Leah

[dohertyswissy]

I'm with Stella!  Great plan of action Leah!  Fingers and paws crossed for you and your crew.  Please keep us updated!  We are all here to support you and have great hopes for your pack!

[Anakalia]

Frustrating times with our pets is never a fun thing!  Sounds like you're on the right track and I wish you the best of luck for you and your crew!  Keep us updated.