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DenyMcKusker

Well-Known Member
This is absolutely true. My husband is twice my size but the dogs are more obedient with me. When he finally got back here to live permanently with us after the move the dogs weren't obeying a thing he said and I would do the hand gestures behind his back to get them to do it. He caught me and made me stop so he could get them used to obeying him also again. He was definitely in the right on that since they need to listen to him also and not just me. But I am with them 24/7 so I definitely have the advantage with them. He was telling me when I go run errands or go to the gym and leave him alone and get back that it is like a magic switch and suddenly the are behaving themselves whereas it was chaos prior to my return.
You are absolutely right!!! I will tell you if a fight breaks out I might as well just do a belly flop and roll with them. They don't hear a word I say once it gets ugly. You are right though, I do need to work on my confidence, I am hiring a pro to help me with that. I have been breaking up Pitty fights for years. Max takes it to the next level, and then the next level .........
I am attaching a pic of the 2 laying together at the interior fencing. They look like friends. If I took the fence away they would go at it. Weird. The other pic is Max and his best friend Scooter. Scoot is a special needs (paralyzed from the waste down) Chi-weenie. He gets around just fine. Just very differently. Max LOVES, LOVES him. I think Scooter wished he didn't quite that much :)
 

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Nik

Well-Known Member
You are absolutely right!!! I will tell you if a fight breaks out I might as well just do a belly flop and roll with them. They don't hear a word I say once it gets ugly. You are right though, I do need to work on my confidence, I am hiring a pro to help me with that. I have been breaking up Pitty fights for years. Max takes it to the next level, and then the next level .........
I am attaching a pic of the 2 laying together at the interior fencing. They look like friends. If I took the fence away they would go at it. Weird. The other pic is Max and his best friend Scooter. Scoot is a special needs (paralyzed from the waste down) Chi-weenie. He gets around just fine. Just very differently. Max LOVES, LOVES him. I think Scooter wished he didn't quite that much :)

Oh my goodness Max has such a kissable face. <3
I know what you mean about hearing nothing. When Kahlua sees the neighbor dogs through t he fence she goes insane. She doesn't hear anything. I can get Diesel to break away and he's fine. But Kahlua looses mind and acts like a rabid beast even foaming at the mouth and slamming herself against the chainlink.
 

April Nicole

Well-Known Member
They are both beautiful dogs. I hope the trainer can help you to find solutions. Dog fights can be very dangerous. For the dogs, and for whoever gets involved. Be careful. And I hope all goes well with the consultation.
 

DenyMcKusker

Well-Known Member
I did a search of several databases and I don't see that Tara has any credentials that certify her as a behaviorist. Just putting that out there. It does take years of specialty work to get certified and while I like to see people working with someone with credentials, experience counts for a lot as well. And perhaps I missed her credentials. With that being said, I did do some snooping around her website. I think everyone here knows what kind of trainer I am, and the word dominance doesn't enter into my training philosophy. I was gratified to read this from her blog.

https://www.k9workingmind.net/single-post/2014/12/19/Dominance-theory-training-No-thanks

I also read quite a few other blog posts and I liked what I saw. I did see that she doesn't seem to be a fan of muzzles. Personally, I think all dogs should be muzzle trained but that's just my opinion and everyone has one of those, lol. I was hoping that you weren't going with the Sit Means Sit trainers as I've seen bad fallout from that with friends dogs. Please let us know how the consultation goes and also keep us updated on progress.
Hey Boxergirl. I was wondering if I could tap into your Mastiff nerd self? Just whenever you are free. I am back searching for the best Trainer. K9 Mastery, Austin Texas is the new one. Thanks!!!!! Deny & Max
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
My opinion only. I think that "balanced" is a buzzword for training now and the problem is that there is no set definition. It means something different to everyone. Before I took my dog to a trainer that refused to use treats at all and required a prong and a choke up front, I'd want to watch them in action. In your case, with a dog with similar issues as you are having. More than this I can't say without seeing the trainer in action or talking to them.
 

DenyMcKusker

Well-Known Member
My opinion only. I think that "balanced" is a buzzword for training now and the problem is that there is no set definition. It means something different to everyone. Before I took my dog to a trainer that refused to use treats at all and required a prong and a choke up front, I'd want to watch them in action. In your case, with a dog with similar issues as you are having. More than this I can't say without seeing the trainer in action or talking to them.
The way I found K9 Mastery is 1 of the reviews on Tara that had nothing but bad things to say about Tara and they went to Christine and had great results. That is a great idea to go see them in action before making a commitment. Tara also. Some of her reviews are really bad. Thank you for checking it out I will let you know what I learn!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
The way I found K9 Mastery is 1 of the reviews on Tara that had nothing but bad things to say about Tara and they went to Christine and had great results. That is a great idea to go see them in action before making a commitment. Tara also. Some of her reviews are really bad. Thank you for checking it out I will let you know what I learn!

Are you basing your decision on that one review only? I saw 60 reviews on yelp and only a few of them were bad, one mentioning K9 Mastery. I thought 4.5 stars was a good rating. Of course this is entirely your choice and I wish you the best of luck. I am not personally comfortable with everything I read on the K9 Mastery website, but that's me. I hope that it works for you and your dogs. There is no one size fits all approach. Please continue to update.
 

DenyMcKusker

Well-Known Member
Are you basing your decision on that one review only? I saw 60 reviews on yelp and only a few of them were bad, one mentioning K9 Mastery. I thought 4.5 stars was a good rating. Of course this is entirely your choice and I wish you the best of luck. I am not personally comfortable with everything I read on the K9 Mastery website, but that's me. I hope that it works for you and your dogs. There is no one size fits all approach. Please continue to update.
I really wasn't sure what i was basing it all on but your advice to see them in action makes the most sense. I really hadn't thought about observing other dogs. I have a request in for both Trainers to allow me to observe a session with a dog that has similar issues. Guess I'll see. Thanks a bunch!!!
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I really wasn't sure what i was basing it all on but your advice to see them in action makes the most sense. I really hadn't thought about observing other dogs. I have a request in for both Trainers to allow me to observe a session with a dog that has similar issues. Guess I'll see. Thanks a bunch!!!

Wishing you the best of luck. I hope one of the trainers is a good fit for you.