Dog Anxiety After Boarding And Training

[panda]

Since my dog, Panda came back from one month of boarding and training,he has not been able to settle down at all. Since Thursday evening, 19th Jan, Panda has walked up the down the house and has been in a constant state of anxiety. All day long, he is running from one end of the house to the other, and is on a state of alert all the time. Every little noise makes him nervous. Last night, I heard him walking and running around the house throughout the night. He jumps to every sound that is made in the house no matter how quiet the noise is. During the day, he hasn't had a rest at all.This is something he has never done before. Another type of strange behaviour is every time we try to stroke him, he walks off. When he first sees us, he jumps up all over us, but doesn't want us to stroke him. He now gulps down his food as fast as possible. Even when he eats he is nervous and runs back and forth eating his food. He simply can't relax at any time, no matter what he is doing. On Friday evening, we took him for a walk, and we passed a home that had a dog and it began to bark. As soon as Panda heard this, he tried to bolt away from the residence as quickly as possible. He has been pulling on the lead harder than before. Training should have eradicated this kind of behaviour. The dog that came back to us is totally different from the one we said goodby to in December. he is not as playful or affectionate as he was. Does anyone have any idea what might have caused such as difference in his behaviour or do you of a professional in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney that maybe able to help our dog get over this problem? We will not send him away again. It is so upsetting to see him like this.

Thank you for your help.

from nervous dog and stressed owner

Edited January 20, 2006 by panda

[Miranda]

I would never send a dog away to be boarded and trained, it's something that I feel very strongly about. IMO it's a ridiculous idea as the owner needs to be trained in addition to the dog. Do you have any idea of the methods that these people used or what was done to the dog whilst it was undergoing training?

(He has been pulling on the lead harder than before. Training should have eradicated this kind of behaviour.)

Unfortunately training a dog just isn't this easy, training is an ongoing thing and expecting a perfectly behaved dog after one month seems pretty unrealistic to me. I'm not a trainer so I can't help you other than to say that it appears that your dog may well have been traumatised and very stressed whilst he was away from you. I'll be interested to hear the opinions of the dog trainers on this forum.

I am very glad that you will not consider sending your dog away a second time.

[kelpiecuddles]

I would be finding out what sort of methods they use at this 'boot camp' and contacting a behavioralist ASAP.

I would also be asking for your money back as it is clear that they have created more problems than they intended to fix...

[Kelpie-i]

Sounds as thought he went to a "dud" school, however having said that, boarding and training should only be used to teach the dog basic obedience skills, nothing more -nothing less!

It should not be used to try to eradicate the usual behavioural problems that the dogs exhibit at home, this unfortunately needs to be worked on by YOU with the guidance of a qualified behaviourist.

Many people think that by sending their dog away for training that all the hard work will be done for them...this just isn't the case as while the dog may behave perfectly for the confident trainer training the dog, it will be exactly the same way he initially was with his owners after being sent home and sometimes with more issues to boot!.

This is not to say that boarding and training isn't a good thing...there have been many dogs that have had a good head start with it, but keep in mind that you cannot possibly know the types of methods used and that as owners, you don't have the same authority that the trainers do- so the dog reverts back to being the way it was before the training. In your case, it sounds as thought the dog may have been spooked by things that went on at the kennels ie. dogs barking, noises etc. The best advise I can give at the moment is to ignore your dog when it is showing these behaviours and praise for behaviours you want and get the help of a behaviourist - pronto!

There is no such thing as an easy way out when it comes to dogs and dog training - it's 100% hard work and determination on your part.

Sorry if this isn't the answer you were after but it's the most truthful.

[Dogsfevr]

I totally agree with Miranda.

Did you visit the facilities & totally go over there training methods & watch them,did they allow you to come & visit the dog & show you its progress???

Did they then teach you how to control the dog after training or just send you home with the dog?

So many of these scenarios end up with the dog worse than before which is a real shame

[Erny]

IMO it's a ridiculous idea as the owner needs to be trained in addition to the dog.

Unlike Miranda, I don't think sending a dog to boarding and training is a "ridiculous" idea. Perhaps you don't realise, Miranda, that there are kennels who do provide the information and lesson to demonstrate and coach the owners to at least start them off in the right direction with their new trained dogs. The owners are also always told to call if there are any questions along the way.

There are many people who simply can't handle their boistrous and sometimes over exciteable dogs sufficiently to get a handle on the beginnings of training.

Many's a time that I have trained dogs at the kennels - where people are at their wits end, even to the point of suggesting this is their last hope - if they can't get things under control after the training they are seriously considering (or have decided to) put their dog to sleep, or surrender it. Or where people otherwise don't bother to take their dogs out, simply because they can't deal with the pulling.

At the kennels where I train, we always conduct a "handover" - where we demonstrate what the dog is capable of, and then spend a private lesson with the owner on how to's and what to do's.

The 3 and 5 week boarding and training packages includes membership to Australian Dog Training, so the owners can continue with the dog's training (moreover, receive more coaching for themselves, as the dogs end up going home knowing more than they).

Panda - if anything, we find that the dogs, once returned from home, are a bit quiet compared to what the owners report as their usual selves. This often occurs whether the dogs are at kennels for boarding and training, or just boarding. This quietness generally lasts for only 24 - 48 hours ... I'm not sure why. We can only guess it is because of all the excitement at the kennels and then the sharp contrast of the quiet at home.

I don't think I've heard of one that has exhibited anxiety as yours seems to be. Have you spoken to the trainer? Did the trainer demonstrate your dog's new found skills to you (while you were hiding away, unseen by the dog, somewhere)? What was the dog like with the trainer - was it confident and happy? What was the dog like within the kennels? - scared .. traumatised? - the kennel staff should be able to tell you this, if not also the trainer.

[Erny]

Did you visit the facilities & totally go over there training methods & watch them,did they allow you to come & visit the dog & show you its progress???

Although the kennels I train at have done this at the insistance of the dog's owners, we don't usually recommend it. It is more often very unsettling for the dog to have its owner visit part way through, only to leave, once again.

Showdog:  So many of these scenarios end up with the dog worse than before ...........

Although it might sound like it, I'm not jumping to the defence of the kennels I work with - I don't need to. We have nothing to hide. We love the dogs and are proud of the very high results we achieve. I'm just a bit concerned that some of the statements being made here are being read by people otherwise not familiar with professional and reputable boarding and training kennels. I query your statement, Showdog - is it really "so many" ? (Not that I suggest only a couple is ok .... but how many is "so many"?)

Edited January 21, 2006 by Erny

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[Erny]

I feel exactly the same way as Miranda. I would prefer a private trainer to come in and train us rather than send a dog away.

I know, Anne - that's great. And it's also living in an ideal world to think that everyone wants or can go down that path. At least boarding and training offers an option when no other option is attractive or available to some dog owners.

We have owners crying tears of joy (literally) when they see what their dogs are capable of. It tends to inspire them to pick up and carry on with the dog's training, where normally they wouldn't have.

Anne:  I know private training is expensive but I gather it is far less expensive than the boarding/training option.

Not necessarily - I guess that depends on the quality of the private trainer. It takes much longer to teach a person to train their dog than it does for a trainer to train it him/herself. So, if you're working on a price according to time factor, it can work out cheaper to board and train them, and then go to training classes.

But then, if you know or can engage a really cheap trainer ????

[kelpiecuddles]

having a dog sent away for boarding and training is very common I believe in greyhund circles. There are some things which for whatever reasona person may be unable to train at home. Personally I wouldn't go down that route but I can understand how it would be necessary in some cases.

[cavNrott]

.

Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[Staff'n'Toller]

A month sounds like a long time away for Boarding and Training.

I know that down here in Vic most training schools are 7-10 and 14 days at the most.

Mel.

[kelpiecuddles]

I know that my friends racing greyhound (house dog, it's just a hobby) went to training for 10 WEEKS! Came back happy and well trained, I'm sure that it depends on the trainer and the facility more than the length of time and cost.

[Erny]

Anne:  I guess we can see that not all tears are those of joy Erny.  I'm quite sure Panda is not crying tears of joy at the state her poor dog came back from one of these establishments.

And you will have seen by my post that I've suggested I haven't known her experience to be the 'norm'. I am merely endeavouring to make it a bit clearer that one boarding & training kennel should not be the basis of all judgement and that, although you're in a different position and mind, there is a place for boarding and training for some people and their dogs.

Anne:  The object of the whole exercise Erny is to engage a really good trainer not a really cheap one.  The good ones are few and far between in my experience.

Thanks - this is something I already and clearly recognise. My post was only in response to your suggestion that you thought it would be cheaper to engage a private trainer than to place a dog in boarding & training.

Also in my experience some expensive trainers are not good trainers either.

If you've been reading my posts in recent threads regarding some trainers, you'd see I agree with you here.

Anne:  I do point out that I am not a trainer so I don't have a vested interest in the area of dog training.

And I guess I post because I am a trainer - both private and one engaged to train boarding dogs, and therefore feel I have the experience to recognise the pro's and cons of both sides - simply something I tried to balance out for the readers here.

Edited January 21, 2006 by Erny

[snobbybobby]

If I needed to have somebody train my dog, I would certainly want to be there during the process.

I want to maintain a relationship with my dogs purely and simply.

From reading the original post on this thread, my first question was - what methods did the so-called trainers use and, did they explain to the owners just what they'd done?

The dog sounds particularly traumatized by the experience. I would be going back to the establishment with a list of questions - then to the authorities.

[Erny]

A month sounds like a long time away for Boarding and Training.

I know that down here in Vic most training schools are 7-10 and 14 days at the most.

It depends on the level of training required (obviously, the higher the level, the longer is required).

It also makes a big difference if the dog has no behaviour issues. For example, if the dog's timid, we have to work on raising it's confidence - lack of confidence inhibits training and skill performance, which means the training process is slower (and more laborious).

Some dogs simply seem to take a bit longer than others. If the training kennels I work for aren't satisfied with the level of training achieved by the end of the prescribed training period, they will, with the owners' consent of course, keep the dog in a while longer - provided this is in the dog's best interest. This is done at the kennel's expense - not the owners'.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Sure Erny I understand, was just something that popped into my head whilst reading.

I was just thinking that a month is a long time for a dog- as in it would be half settling into it's new environment- so more's the battle with re-introducing it back into it's home.

Mel.

[Erny]

If I needed to have somebody train my dog, I would certainly want to be there during the process.

I want to maintain a relationship with my dogs purely and simply.

Henrynchlo - I expect this is not the case with you, however, sometimes obedience issues are a result of the owners NOT having the best relationship. So, in their case, the dogs are best not having them around. When the handover is conducted, apart from going through the private training lesson, we also discuss leadership at home and where necessary, give guidance as to what they need to do to establish it.

Where a leadership imbalance has been a good part the cause of the issues for which these people have sought help, it often makes their transition from "not a leader" to "a leader" easier, if there's been a bit of a gap between the dog and owner. A little like wiping the slate clean - although it's never truley wiped totally clean , but it is a chance for the owners to start off the right way from the day they return home with their dogs.

The dogs also have the obedience skills they didn't have before, which makes it a bit easier for the owners to work towards 'pushing the right buttons' - which also helps them in their quest for re-establishment of a more healthy heirarchy status.

It is also terribly difficult to train a dog in the presence of the owner because the dog is often distracted by the owner's presence and the 'bond' they share. If the owner wants to be present, it would be better, IMO, to simply provide a private lesson, getting the owner to do the work under the trainer's instruction.

H:  The dog sounds particularly traumatized by the experience.   I would be going back to the establishment with a list of questions ....

So would I.

Edited January 21, 2006 by Erny

[sas]

I'd be interested to know where you boarded.

My directors (in Sydney) put their dogs in boarding and training at Christmas too and the dogs came back very happy and very well trained and the owners recieved training lessons as well and will get ongoing training assistance for that dog.

Boarding & Training combined is not for everyone however it was the right choice for my directors, we forget on this forum that we are more knowledgable here due to what we learn here, your typical dog owner isn't generably as knowledgeable and woldn't know a good training method from a bad one.

Maybe this dog just didn't handle boarding very well, many dogs don't board well and many do board well.

If you're not happy ring them and discuss.

Edited January 21, 2006 by sas

[Erny]

Sure Erny I understand, was just something that popped into my head whilst reading.

I was just thinking that a month is a long time for a dog- as in it would be half settling into it's new environment- so more's the battle with re-introducing it back into it's home.

Hi Mel. From what I have read, dogs don't have the same concept of 'time' as we do. They certainly do not forget their owners and when they return home, they're going back to an environment to which they are familiar - so it doesn't take the same 'settling in' time as it does when they come to the kennels say, for the first time.