My hubby, dog trainer??? WTF!

Ok I officially don't get it, this is a bunch of crap, IMO...:rofl1:

I finally, after having dogs for 2 years and being married almost 3, got my hubby to take the dogs for a walk with me and the kids today for the very first time.
So we take a dirt road that's out behind the house (it's a service road to the railroad tracks) - and I am just amazed now.
Smokey has always been bad for pulling, we have a prong collar but I was working to wean him off of it. My hubby pulls the macho man "I don't need that, his regular collar is fine" - as I'm thinking "yeah ok, let's see this" because Smokey really pulls me bad usually...but NOOOO not today. He was perfect on the leash and I took Lily because she has no manners...so I'm correcting her and working with her and he's being the gentleman. Great ok, I'm happy there's progress.
So Lily is being, uhm, dumb puppy and pretending she's never had a leash on before and giving me problems with pulling and acting the fool. So hubby offers to switch dogs. Ok sure why not.
Not even 10 minutes later she's walking quite nice for him (he corrected her twice) and was good for the rest of the walk...

WTF! I'm the person that does all the reading and tries to learn and he comes in like a pro and puts me to shame! Not that I really mind because the end result is that they were walking good and not dragging either of us...but WHY? I feed the dogs, take them to the vet, walk them, all of it...and they obey him like he's God and try to walk all over me...I find it rather amusing but also confusing.

So I shall bow down to my all mighty hubby, the dog trainer, lol. :hail:

My mom lives with the dogs and they behave for me but not for her, it's quite odd. Maybe it's because I'm the only one who gives them attention.... hm.

Some people just have the perfect energy for it! LOL.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think some people just give off the "alpha vibe" or something.

I was working with a lady and her dog. This dog also pulled on the leash with her. So I came over and worked with him for a few minutes and he was walking fine with me.

But yeah, WTG your Hubby :lol-sign:

Yeah I give him some mad kudos for that...it just amazed me, and kind of ticked me off since I put in the effort and he can rarely be bothered to even feed them...lol

So. not. fair!

I think it's a conspiracy and it was all planned against me...lmao.

I am the same lol, the dogs listen to me and ignore my mom..but thats because she babies them and they know shes the weak one of the pack..and I don't baby them, and I don't give them table scraps or praise Charlotte when she growls at the others.

I know how you feel... it must be an attitude men have. I do all feeding, vet visits, all the training etc. Hubby sometimes gives her the "Parent look" and she behaves.

I think it worked with the kids also, lol. He didn't have to say a word, just gave them a look.

I don't think it has anything to do with who feeds them etc. Its timing, its a feel for the leash or shank (horses) that either takes years to learn or you just have it. It is a complete and total awareness of the leash and it is a second nature.
I also don't belive it is an 'alpha' thing, because I have seen many many people who believe in that, that still have the dogs pull on them. While others who don't, have every dog that they get there hands on within moments on a loose leash walking beautifully.
I also don't believe it is a male or female thing.........

He's been working them in secret.

I agree. That's definitely part of the conspiracy.

We're not getting into the kid situation but yeah, that pretty much applies at my house also...kids are horrible little monsters until dad gets home from work, then the halos pop out and they are good as gold...

Well.. I will hazard a guess.. Sometimes the one that doesn't provide for the dogs, the dogs are not really sure what that person will do- verses- knowing you really well and " predicatable".. Same reason why I as a trainer can take a dog from someone, do the same thing they were trying, and yet the dog will listen to me. ( ie the dog doesn't know what I will do if compliance is not met..)

My dogs listen to me much better than the rest of my family, probably because I actually spend time training them. What a concept!

Not to take anything away from hubby but I see this 'phenomenun' all the time. I call it the unknown factor, meaning that simply being unsure of the situation or the person now in charge, can cause a dog to comply.

It happens to me all the time both in class and in private training sessions....and I'm very quick to point out that my "amazing abilities" have more to do with my being a stranger than anything else...though I know other trainers who will chalk it up to skill.

I've handled dogs who are owned by fantastic trainers who have performed better for me....and my own dog has embarassed me in exactly the same way..

This accounts for so much of the miraculous successes that you see on those infamous dog training reality tv shows.

There are lots of little pieces involved. Feeding, training, attitude etc. I do believe in an "alpha" thing. I've seen it too many times the exact scenerio you are describing. A dog acts one way with their normal handler and totally different with another. I do think there is an energy that is different. I do NOT think it is all that is involved however and much more goes into it than that.

You said he corrected her twice. I'd bet unknowingly to him because you said he doesn't train the dogs (or maybe in secret ) he gave a pretty good one. Maybe completely by accident. A lot of times you see people that believe in "alpha" type dominance stuff, but they don't have a clue what it entails other than they think they need to physically address every issue that comes along. To add insult to injury, they don't even know the appropriate levels at which to "administer" their physical nature either.

I know a lot on here don't believe in anything physical, and that's fine, but I do. I rarely correct physically, but when I do, it means something. It has to mean something. But I lay a very good foundation in communication as well showing what is expected before anything physical ever enters the equation. So many times people are yanking and yelling and yanking and over time those yanks and yells become less and less important to the dog and they lose their effectiveness because it's always happening.

If you're going to use a correction (physical) you have to know when, where and how much or the dogs just become immune to it and negative fallout usually follows. So it isn't really the theory behind being alpha, but the application where people usually make mistakes. I'd bet his were enough that your dog realized, "hey, this doesn't fly with daddy walking me" and therefore didn't pull on the leash.

Or maybe cause it was new to them they were a little nervous and didn't want to try any of their regular tricks. There's a million variables in dog training, finding out which ones are shaping the behavior makes it interesting, and keeps everything open for debate.

Yeah his corrections were a leash snap when she tried to run on the leash and "easy"...just a quick snap and she looked at him like "OMG, I don't believe you did it" - after that he would tell her "easy" if she started to pull and she backed right off...

Now to get hubby with his "expertise" (yeah he's still rubbing it in lol) to get her to stop jumping all over people when they come over!