Send the dog to a trainer?

[KFhunter]

Wondering some ins and outs with this, going on a family vacation and dog will have to stay behind for a few weeks anyways.
Perfect oppertunity to get some professional training?

How does inside the house dogs do when sent to a trainer for a month?
Seperation anxiety worries me that the trainer won't be able to do much with her. I've left her at my inlaws before, they have a dog as well and my dog is very used to them and their place, gets along with their dog great, but when I leave out the driveway she's in the window whining.
They take her for a walk and she's not listening too well.

How to trainers deal with that? Would a few days or a week be lost due to the dog freaking out?
Just curious if I should try to utilize a trainer in conjuction with needed her boarded anyways, or if it would be $ wasted.

[Neil]

Most trainers will not even take a dog for less than 60 days (though many will send one home after 30 if they don't think the dog is worth the expense of training), as it takes that long for the dog to learn the very basics. Part is getting over, as you call it, the freaking out, but mostly it is how dogs learn.

I would plan to send the dog to a good trainer for 90 days, one close enough for you to learn what he does,

Neil

[phermes1]

I agree with Neil. I can't see much getting accomplished in a month or less.

[bwjohn]

the dog will have a rough day or two and then settle into the kennel life. My dog is a little more picky than most and he will not eat for 2 or 3 days then he starts to eat and everything is normal.

As far as the training goes, I think it depends on a couple of things. One were are you at in your training, if you just want some basic stuff, like here or come, that can get done in a short time. The second is, has the dog ever been to this trainer before and is some ground work already been laid down? If so, then it could just be part of the process.

I say if you are going to use this trainer more than this time, for advice or regular training help, then take the dog. If it is really just a one time and done type of boarding it doesn't really matter if you take it to a trainer or to a run of the mill boarding facility.

brandon

[KFhunter]

thanks for the advice

The dog is about half way thru FF, doing it myself. I got a table set up and she's responding very well, I got hold almost down pat wheither it be a paint roller, bumper or big wooden hammer. Still getting resistance on some heavy akward items though.

She's fetching from the floor off the table to a tossed item, but only really out to about 10 feet then she'll lay down and give resistance. Working on that. She'll hold and release on command from a sit to my hand, I usually just gently hold whatever item she has and say "drop" she'll spit it out to my hand.

for field work whoa needs firmed up, she'll creep a bit or slow to stop at distance, still a tad confused from "come here" and "whoa". I want her tossing dirt from a full run to get stopped and freeze.

she's doing good on heal, again needs some firming up and she doesn't always heal on my left side. Sit/stay is pretty solid.

I guess I'd just want the basics firmed up, and bird launcher work.
Hard to get birds, she really needs in field bird work. I don't have access to birds or launchers.

she's been retreiving birds, but is almost wanting to play some keep away so not bringing them straight to me, she really wants have some "alone time" with the birds


Hopefully I'll be out of town soon, and able to keep a few birds.

[penrod]

I had some of the same concerns with my Vizsla before I sent her off for a month of puppy training. I think Vizsla's and Brittney's have pretty similar temperaments. Prior to going to camp my dog had slept in our bed every night too. My dog did fine, and she ate well the whole time she was there. When we got her back we did not notice any major changes in her attitude. She was a little more independent and she didn't whine as much. Which was great for me.

[phermes1]

If this were my dog, I wouldn't have someone else take over the training halfway through unless I had simply hit a wall that I couldn't get through that I needed help with. Dogs prefer consistency. Switching trainers temporarily simply because you're going to be out of town and need someone to board it anyway isn't advisable, IMHO.

[Vman]

Seperation anxiety worries me that the trainer won't be able to do much with her.

Actually this is a perfect reason to take the dog to the trainer. The dog needs to learn to live without you and that you will not be there for its every beck and call. The trainer will treat the dog like a dog and the pup will learn to act like a dog. The pup will get much needed confidence and learn to become a member of the strange pack. Within two days the pup will be part of the new pack and the trainer will be the new Alpha. Coddling the dog and treating them like a child is the biggest reason for seperation anxiety. Sending this pup to the trainer will be a very good thing for the dog and probably you also.
Just have the trainer polish the Whoa and expose the pup to birds. You can also have the trainer work on SIT so that you can get rid of stay. Let me ask you a question. If your dog is commanded sit-stay and you turn around and walk twenty yards and you turn around and the dog is 5 ft. away from you did the dog disobey Sit or Stay????????
I wouldn`t have the trainer mess with your FF. You started it, you finish it. Don`t start it and then temporarily end it and then have a trainer start it and not being able to finish again will only set your dog back. You will not screw the dog up by stopping your training for a little while. Just back up a few steps when you go to start it again. Pup will fall right back into place.
Just living with a good trainer will elevate your dogs confidence and obedience. Nothing to be afraid of providing you have a good trainer.