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Obedience training online?

OTRCorso

New Member
In a few weeks, I'll get my Cane Corso puppy. I want to have a very well trained dog with plans of competition. Obedience, tracking and search and rescue later. Typically from what I've read online, most people without experience here, take courses with their dogs with trainers. That's not an option for me as I drive a truck over the road. I have googled and binged my way all over the Internet trying to find a complete online course with an actual plan, with zero luck. There are countless YouTube videos, but they are just thrown around with no actual plan. I looked at the leerburg videos, but don't like their automatic use of prong collars. I've found courses on how to become a dog trainer, but a good portion of those are on the business aspect. I don't want to train other dogs, just mine.

So, I'm hoping someone here knows of something I've missed, or even a good book to read. I'd like to be as prepared as possible when I pick him up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

sjdavenport

Well-Known Member
I highly recommend the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. It's all online training classes. I've taken Cooperative Care, Performance Fundamentals, Real Life Skills, and I'm currently in their TEAM Sports Foundation: Level 1 and 2. They offer three different levels of each class: Gold - where you post three 2 minute videos per week and get feedback from the instructor and you can ask questions at any time, Silver - you can't post videos, but you can ask questions about the lecture material and other students' videos, and Bronze - where you can't ask questions of the instructor, but have access to all the lecture and video material and the Gold students' training threads. I always take Gold because I don't keep up with the material if I don't. It's expensive, but I've found it to be worth it. It's geared more towards those with performance dogs, but regular old pets (like Rhaegar and me!) are of course welcome. I've learned so much. I can think of a few classes that sound like they would be suitable for you and your corso pup. One is Performance Fundamentals, which I highly recommend, but it's not offered again until December 1st. I took it with my boy when he was about a year old. Here's a compilation of pretty much everything we covered in the class in case that helps.
[video=youtube;1E6wOEUN5qQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E6wOEUN5qQ[/video]

They do have a retired course that you could buy and be working through in the meantime: Raising a Performance Puppy: Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE110: Raising a Performance Puppy

Since it's retired and they don't do it anymore, you could buy it at any point and have access to the lecture and video material. Let me know if you have any questions! I've really had a good experience with them and have learned a lot.
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
I also take Fenzi classes, in addition to taking in person classes. I really like the variety of classes they have and their training philosophy.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Focus on basics. Start with basics. Don't think too far ahead. Your dog might not have the qualities for the sports you have in mind. Look up Stonnie Dennis on youtube and watch all his puppy videos.
 

irina

Well-Known Member
I agree with hector. I thought I was going to do schutzhund with my dog, but as it turns out he is not cut out for it. If you are on the road all the time, how are you planning to train for the sports you want to compete in? I think you would have to take some professional in person classes at some point.
 

Tundra4X4

New Member
In a few weeks, I'll get my Cane Corso puppy. I want to have a very well trained dog with plans of competition. Obedience, tracking and search and rescue later. Typically from what I've read online, most people without experience here, take courses with their dogs with trainers. That's not an option for me as I drive a truck over the road. I have googled and binged my way all over the Internet trying to find a complete online course with an actual plan, with zero luck. There are countless YouTube videos, but they are just thrown around with no actual plan. I looked at the leerburg videos, but don't like their automatic use of prong collars. I've found courses on how to become a dog trainer, but a good portion of those are on the business aspect. I don't want to train other dogs, just mine.

So, I'm hoping someone here knows of something I've missed, or even a good book to read. I'd like to be as prepared as possible when I pick him up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When I got my Boxer, I used the Leerburg and did my own training. Best manner companion ever. Prong is only needed for adult dog that you have lost control over.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Other than socialization with other puppies, which I do think is important... classes with trainers are to train the HUMAN more than the dog.

I'd suggest you read through all sorts of books with lots of different philosophies and pick the ones that speak to you - and that you can also make work with your schedule, and that the puppy responds well to.
Training should be fun and rewarding for both you and the puppy.

And... training should start on day one, as soon as the puppy arrives. The puppy is watching you and looking to you for guidance on EVERYTHING. If you smile, giggle, give a pat on the head - the puppy will do more of that. If you frown, grunt, or walk away... the puppy will do less of that.

We started teaching vocabulary to Denna as a puppy just as she did things.... she'd sit down to look at something, and we'd say "Good Sit!!"... she'd walk towards us, and we'd say "COME! Good Come!"... you can teach all sorts of words that way ("go potty" is one often taught by catching behavior in action). We also used "Wait" for everything.... and to this day, 4.5 years later... "Wait" is still one of her best commands, it's ingrained into her psyche to give a pause in any action if she hears "wait".

For training a puppy, I'd also stick with a flat collar. Only increase the "volume" of the tool (flat->martingale->slip->prong) if you find your puppy has selective hearing issues. :) But... in many cases, that's a human failure to motivate more than a puppy ignoring the question. (just my opinion, of course)
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
I agree with Hector as well. Stick with the basics. The most important preteething skills to teach are 1) meaningful socialization (goal should be expose to new things, but paying attention to me is more fun). That dovetails into 2) Engagement. All training is predicated on an engaged dog. Most puppy training courses focus on skills way too early. Once you have an engaged pup all additional learning is a breeze. 3) Routine. Dogs thrive when the day to day schedule is predictable. This is how potty training is taught, how sleeping through the night is taught, and how food drive is manipulated to facilitate #2 among other things.

I have a 6 month old Boerboel who is training in Schutzhund. About 90% of our training is still focused on engagement. The 10% that isn't engagement is very specific bite work and tracking skills that can only be taught as a pup. All of her basic obedience skills she has learned are simply offshoots of engagement activities but she doesn't really "know" anything yet.


I have a bunch of Leerburg training DVDs (I like Michael Ellis and Forest Micke). None of them advocate the use of a dominant dog collar (prong) in a puppy and I would definitely not agree with your assessment that they automatically use a prong. All of them recommend the use of a harness for puppy training. Leash pressure is used to sharpen some higher end skills later in life (such as the focused heel) so you don't want to desensitize the dogs neck as a pup. I would never use a prong on a pup.
 

Tundra4X4

New Member
In a few weeks, I'll get my Cane Corso puppy. I want to have a very well trained dog with plans of competition. Obedience, tracking and search and rescue later. Typically from what I've read online, most people without experience here, take courses with their dogs with trainers. That's not an option for me as I drive a truck over the road. I have googled and binged my way all over the Internet trying to find a complete online course with an actual plan, with zero luck. There are countless YouTube videos, but they are just thrown around with no actual plan. I looked at the leerburg videos, but don't like their automatic use of prong collars. I've found courses on how to become a dog trainer, but a good portion of those are on the business aspect. I don't want to train other dogs, just mine.

So, I'm hoping someone here knows of something I've missed, or even a good book to read. I'd like to be as prepared as possible when I pick him up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just put a deposit on a black male Cane Corso. Have to wait till December 29 to pick it up. Just remember that you have stick with structure and consistence. If you can correct or reward any dog within 2-7 second. One you bond with your puppy, correction can be just a disappointing look or sound. You can teach them to do anything. For those that don't believe in being a Pack Leader, try sharing your bed with this breed of dog. I definitely don't want to wait till he is 100 plus lb. to tell him that you now decide to be a Pack Leader.
 

KMD

Well-Known Member
I train mainly through Fenzi Dog Sport Academy. They are fantastic. I've done the retired course Raising a Performance Puppy with my Black Russian, and several of the IPO basics and tracking courses with my DDB. They are clear, well structured and self-paced (although if you sign up at Gold level then you do tend to work a bit faster to make the most of the instructor feedback). They start right at the very basics like Focus and Engagement and build on those.

Registration is opening up tomorrow until the second week of December, so it's a good time to sign up if you are wanting to do online courses. I can't recommend them highly enough.
 

KCDogs

New Member
There are online dog obedience training programs that could help. One of them is brain training for dogs.
 

MarkTrehll

New Member
In a few weeks, I'll get my Cane Corso puppy. I want to have a very well trained dog with plans of competition. Obedience, tracking and search and rescue later. Typically from what I've read online, most people without experience here, take courses with their dogs with trainers. That's not an option for me as I drive a truck over the road. I have googled and binged my way all over the Internet trying to find a complete online course with an actual plan, with zero luck. There are countless YouTube videos, but they are just thrown around with no actual plan. I looked at the leerburg videos, but don't like their automatic use of prong collars. I've found courses on how to become a dog trainer, but a good portion of those are on the business aspect. I don't want to train other dogs, just mine.

So, I'm hoping someone here knows of something I've missed, or even a good book to read. I'd like to be as prepared as possible when I pick him up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I totally recommend Wolf Methodology, my brother in law bought their online courses and he is very content, and as you, he is alwaysss on the road with the dog