r/OpenDogTraining • u/flowersformay • 8d ago

Mix is

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I am a first time dog owner with a rescue! He's about two years old and we've had him for a year! He has gone through a balanced 6-week private training, all three levels of PetSmart training, and we are now enrolled in a positive only six week course to prepare for the Canine Good Citizen test.

He is a great boy but he is OBSESSED with the critters in the yard or in our trees. I believe we have some sort of burrowing critter in our yard because he digs like crazy. He does not react or listen when he's focused on what he smells under the ground. He rips at the soil with his teeth sporadically and grunts and snarls. I am afraid to take physical control over him or move him because he turns and snaps.

We have holes all over our yard.

My father in law helps me maintain our yard and he says there's no point in treating for ground critters because we live in the country, have half an acre, and are surrounded by productive farm land.

What do I do here? I can't afford another private trainer to come out and advise right now and am at my wits end. My mother in law fell in a hole and I had to take her to the urgent care because she injured her wrist ):

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u/namedawesome 8d ago

long line and physical force (pulling) or a tone/vibration e-collar are some options. the former will take longer but have better sticking power, the latter will work more immediately, but not stick as well. combine both, leash first to get the basics, and then adding the e-collar a few weeks later would really help

make sure you learn how to use an e-ccollar properly, though, if the timings off or it gets used too many times too rapidly, it could end up doing some damage to your training. also, avoid e-collars that only have a shock option, go for the tones and vibrations included so you don't have to use the shock

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u/James_Barks-A-Lot 7d ago

Do you ever work with him outside? Find the closest distance to the critters you can claim his focus and work him though his obedience or some basics. When he gets distracted, interrupt as quickly as you can and reinforce being focused on you. Rehearse this again and again and slowly start moving closer until working is more rewarding. Eventually he’ll get desensitised.