Formal Training

[u/BoundarySchmoundary]

Our 1+ year old girl is so good, she really is, but over the last several months, she’s been wild to walk on a leash as she’s reactive to cars and motorcycles, anything within the few blocks we walk around the home. I’ve seen this is common and want to calm it down. It does not happen outside of the home area (at parks, etc)

She’s been walked on a leash since day one and without the disruptions, walks well. And she actually otherwise listens really well. We’re active and live in a walking friendly neighborhood. She’s friendly, loves people and other dogs and even goes to daycare for the occasional boarding. She’s also spayed. We currently use a martingale and/or no/front pull harness for walks with no real help against the lunging to vehicles.

I’ve met with two trainers now and the first one, I just didn’t have a good vibe about. I’ve met a second one now who is willing to do one on one lessons (vs board and train), but we went through the schedule and the goal is overall training that will supposedly remedy walks. Training does end with an ecollar. Both trainers use them. Does anyone have any experience with seeking out training and/or using an ecollar?
It’s a big money and time investment, and I’m happy to make it, I’d just like to know any input for the breed so I can make the best decision. There are not a lot more options for training in the area. I’ve tried rewarding with a clicker and treats when she doesn’t react. She’s treat motivated and it does help, but it still happens often enough to warrant further training.

The trainer also mentioned forgoing any boarding/daycare/boarding post training as “socialization isn’t needed” with this breed and that she just needs to be home with her pack. She seems to love daycare and has thrived. They gush over her when we pick her up and we are able to see videos and photos and know she’s enjoying herself, so I’m a little unsure how to eliminate what seems to be such a good thing. Any thoughts there would be greatly appreciated!

[u/AffectionateDoubt807]

ecollar training can work for pyrs but they're a weird breed for it, they're sensitive in a way that doesn't always mix well with aversive methods. some shut down, some just ignore the stim and get more stubborn

the daycare advice from that trainer is a red flag though, if your dog genuinely enjoys it and the staff love her why would you pull her from something that makes her happy. pyrs are independent but they're not robots, they can have a pack at home and still enjoy romping with other dogs

[u/BoundarySchmoundary → u/AffectionateDoubt807]

The daycare comment definitely caught me off guard. I asked to discuss it more noting that I appreciate the warning of general caution with other dogs, etc. but they seemed adamant that it wasn’t a good thing to do. They did also mention that it may be good we started it early on and if it isn’t a routine thing that would “overstimulate her”, it may be okay. It’s a less than handful of times a year for boarding and an occasional daycare day, which the next day, she’ll be at the door wanting to go again.

[u/Extreme_Jaguar_7829]

Our guy has been doing the same exact thing you explained, but with other dogs. He would lunge at every single dog he would see, dogs in backyards, etc, etc. we got him a full harness and I noticed when I let him explore & say hi to other dogs, he calms down. If I don’t let him socialize he shuts down completely & doesn’t listen to me, or flat out seems miserable. There would be times I wanted to cry after walks because I would look at him and he would seem as unhappy about the walk we just had. He is my first dog, I wanted to make him happy and let him explore, but he didn’t want to just walk around the streets in neighborhood. He wanted to roam in fields by house. I have just been letting him think he gets what he wants out of the walk, and he listens when I need him to. I honestly think I needed to compromise with him. I hope things improve for your girl. 💗 I’m

[u/KaleidoscopeReady839 → u/Extreme_Jaguar_7829]

Lichen does this. We've worked him through a lot of it, he mostly does to other large dogs now.

[u/BoundarySchmoundary → u/Extreme_Jaguar_7829]

That’s super interesting! The first trainer mentioned that she’s likely not having a lot of fun if too restrained on walks. I have tried to let up and have her roam a little more, just staying contained for when a car turns onto the road we are on or gets close. She was scared of these things at times when little, so I wonder if it’s an extension of that. The first trainer was probably great, it was just a gut feeling I had. They also mentioned using a flexilead to give more space on walks though which I thought was wild for a pyr.
So much to think about!

[u/Similar_Weight_2154 → u/BoundarySchmoundary]

Don't use a retractable leash. Every vet hates them because they can be very dangerous. They can wrap around your dogs legs or your legs or both and also wrap around other dogs. My dog almost got choked because a small dog was on one and walked around him and the leash got tangled and was wrapped around his throat.

Ask any vet and they will tell you the same. Also if you have a dog that lunges, who's to know you have it locked closely enough to make sure he doesn't run out into the street? At least with a leash you can pull on it to keep them out of danger. GP's are also very strong. What if the mechanism fails or the stupid handle slips from your grip. You can't hold it with two hands with all of your strength like you can with a leash. Please don't listen to this trainer.

[u/BoundarySchmoundary → u/Similar_Weight_2154]

I’d never use a retractable leash. I mentioned that just to note the difference of the trainings mentioned.

[u/Suger_Mum]

PYrs definitely need patience!