The K9 Guy - Dog Trainer Blog - Latest comments

Gregory Despain [Visitor] in response to: Raw Meat Diet / BARF vs. Commercial Dog Foods

Gregory Despain [Visitor] — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:13:17 +0000

I came across your site while searching for more cat and dog information. I have both a dog and cat and they truly a part of our family. Keep up the good work. I'm going to bookmark the site and look forward to reading more articles.

Brett Crawford [Visitor] in response to: Tri Tronics vs Dogtra Review / Comparison

Brett Crawford [Visitor] — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:05:52 +0000

Thanks for the info I have decided to get the Dogtra 2300, based on most reviews like yours. Tri-tronics was my other choice, as Dogtra is not easily available here...I had to order online from Ontario. Please let me share my first experience with an e-collar.
I bought a Sportdog 400s from Cabellas/SIR in Winnipeg, MB and it almost resulted in a dead dog. the unit seemed to work well and my Brittany Spaniel, Casca, responded well to very low levels of stimulation and to tone. However, I had bought the unit when he was a pup but didn't use it until his basic training was done, so when I had problems the store said I had to return to manufacturer and many reviews I had since read said that Sportdog would not fix it prperly and shipping would end up costing a lot for no results. Shortly after training with the Sportdog unit it became intermittent. Though I had trained Casca to stay away from roads except at heel he strayed towards the highway one time and did not repond to my whistle and probably couldn't hear my verbal command to come. So, I used the E-collar, but to no effect. I kept turning up the stim and even tried 'constant' stimulation but Casca carried on and was almost hit by a highway speed car. Since then the collar is very intermittent, and I have since read many reviews/complaints from people that have had similar experiences. I really hope that Dogtra will be better, as we are about to go out for Cascas first bird season and I expect high excitement from him which will necessitate firm control

DP - San Diego [Visitor] in response to: Training Approaches and Being Politically Correct

DP - San Diego [Visitor] — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:53:13 +0000

IMO, BT is actually the more humane method. Our current rescue was on his way to becoming a basket case when I ignored him for bad behavior. His psychology requires me to engage him. Tell him when he is good and when he is bad and encourage him when he is unsure. It also requires me to touch him a lot, including, during the bad times, holding him down in such a way that neither of us get hurt. He is steadily improving and requires less correction everyday. Most of the touching now consists of tongue-out, tail-wagging hugs.

He was a challenge for me, outside the bounds of what I had previously experienced. I quickly expanded my knowledge of training techniques. It turned out I just needed more time for BT to work, more time for our dog to accept me as a trusted and loving leader.

Maybe BT isn't the right solution for all dogs and people, but IMO it was the only humane solution for our dog.

anthony holcomb [Visitor] in response to: Pit Bull Aggression Towards Other Dogs

anthony holcomb [Visitor] — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:56:09 +0000

Very true Mr. k9 guy!! All dogs should be evaluated on an individual basis. There are so many factors when dealing with a dog that is aggressive. As I like to say breed should never be to blame when dealing with a behavior. :)

Sarah [Visitor] in response to: Dog Training - Is Your Dog Learning What You Think?

Sarah [Visitor] — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:10:24 +0000

Very nice illustrative story. It's amazing once you start training your own dog what nuances you see in the way others handle their dogs and also dog behavior in general.

Anton [Visitor] in response to: Ohio Revised Code and Pit Bulls - Breed Specific Legislation

Anton [Visitor] — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:53:49 +0000

To my mind it is a great article.