Would you or Could you.

[DOHMAN]

My baby allie is right at 4.5 months old and I am seriously thinking about sending her to a trainer. Before you all start to tell me to do it myself, I do not have the time to dedicate to it no do I have the skills needed to teach her what I want done.

I have been calling around Dallas since I I picked my angel up when she was 8 weeks old and have been on different community message boards. Everyone recommended me to a company called K9 Boot camp. When I called them up they really recommended a 2 weeks training program which would involve me LEAVING my baby with them. They said this is how they get the best results. I Am very terrified of leaving her with someone else for that long. I know people that have sent their dog their and with GREAT results but its just the fact that I am leaving her with someone else.

Will she think I just left her? At this young age how good is her memory?

This is something I really need to have done. I have a special situation in my home because I run a High End AV company and customers come over for Demo's. I cannot have Allie Barking when I put her outside when they are trying to listen to a 10k dollar pair of speakers or trying to jump on them when they walk in the door. There have also been issues with her growling at new people when she sees them. I have tried to keep her social but it just started happening out of the blue.

Is this something you could do if you were in my situation? I feel so awful doing it but if It will help my angel in the long run I can bite my lip and go see her in the evenings. I have a trip coming up here at the end of next week so it would be perfect to drop her off so it would only be like one week without her.

[Coco Chow]

I understand your concern with your business but to answer your question, I would not do it.
1) I would miss Coco too much, two weeks it's too long
2) I think it might work with other breeds but chows are too attached to their owners. I think separation could stress them too much to be able to learn something right.
3) Chows are not like your everyday dog and if they mess up with her during those 2 weeks, you're in for big trouble when you get her back.

If I were in your position, with training needs, money to spend and no time to do it myself, I would hire a good reliable positive trainer to come to my place everyday to teach my chow, while I sell those expensive speakers! The trainer will be able to see the situation your chow is in during the day with you, it will be easier to correct the unwanted behavior too.

[DOHMAN]

Another one of her playing with her friends.

[Layla]

Can somebody come to your house to train her daily? That's a service that is offered in a few places I've seen. I have no issues with that. What type of training does this company offer? I'd want to know all about thieir training methods before leaving my chow. What people get away with doing to other breeds can set you up for a whole world of trouble with a chow, JMHO though.

[chowpups]

I'd be leary boot camp training for a chow.. they are different and respond different to training.. One trainer I had tried to put the german prong choker on Nikki and she flipped out.. and that was the end of that collar.. we tried it several times and the same situation happened.. The trainer was only trying to help cause Nikki was pulling and I had a bad shoulder at the time .. but Nikki did fine with just a martingale collar.. so what worked on the labs, g.shepherds and rotty's didn't respond well for Nikki..The trainer did admit she was different. I got an inhome trainer also and did much better with seeing the situation and responding.. Hope you can find someone on that level before sending your babe to a boot camp.. And yes I do know of a lab that made out in one of those camps but they also sent home a video for the couple to watch and continue training with so it wasn't just 2 wks. not sure what you're looking at but you might want to ask.. to answer your question would I ? NO
Could I ? NO

[bama]

First of all, I want to commend you for being a responsible pet owner, I'm impressed with you!
Kudos to you for taking steps to help your baby!

My 2 cents...
Chows think differently than other dogs, it's a part of their genetic makeup to bond so deeply with their human.
Personally, the name of the place, "Boot Camp" indicates to me that their philosophy is to seize and conquer?
Seize and conquer does not work well with chows. I would look for someone who trained with a whisper, rather
than conquering. Does this make sense?
As Cocoa Cocoa Chow mentioned, separation anxiety is a real concern and may prevent your chowkid from being able to focus and learn.
The, "out of the blue" protectiveness isn't sudden or even unexpected with a chow, in fact it is right on cue with her age.
Allie is doing what Allie was bred to do, however she does need guidance to learn her boundaries.
I agree, now is the time to train her, however I believe it would behoove you to find someone who can first cultivate a relationship
with Allie, gaining her respect prior to teaching her anything. And yes, it is best to train her within her own environment...where you are,
because Allie will not be the only one learning lessons, you too, need to observe the teachings, so that you may carry them out,
lest all that time, money, and effort be wasted.
I hope this helps.
Good luck to you and keep us posted.

[Rogansmommy]

My .02 for what it's worth.

Having trained several dogs to titles in obedience, one of which was a chow, I can say this. Dogs learn from their handler as much as the handler learns from the dogs. Training a dog is more like becoming a symbiotic partnering. You each learn to read the other's reactions. All of my dogs and all of my friends dogs (all different breeds) learn best from their partner. It's a bonding process; one that you need to make time for and cannot afford to miss.

Speaking exclusively to Rogan's training -- Rogan always, only worked for me. He was my guy, plain and simple. I never used compulsion (which, if I'm not mistaken, is what K9 boot camp uses), but instead built a relationship of trust and genuine respect. He never worked for me because he had to or because he was expecting a punishment if he failed to (those methods, btw, with a chow will only eventually get you bitten and the dog put down because they are viewed as 'dangerous' ). he and I worked together because it was our version of play time and it was fun. He LIVED for his obedience classes because it was our special time. And conveniently, it transferred into our day to day lives. Every once in a while, if my husband told him to sit, he might, if the mood struck him. (My mom was a completely different story though - he would listen to her as much as he would listen to me. Must have been the meatballs! )

IMO - you need to FIND the time to work your own dog. Chows DO NOT require immense amounts of training, contrary to popular belief. They get bored easily with repetitive behaviors, so if you have 5 minutes a day to work your dog (which could be something as easy as making her sit for 20 seconds before her meal or walking in a circle around the back yard after potty time) then you can do it yourself.

[chow fancier]

No, I couldn't and wouldn't send my chow to boot camp. I am leary that a boot camp environment would not use only positive reinforcement and forcing a chow to do something only causes a build up of resentment. Also, training is as much about training the handler as it is training the chow. You have to be aware of your behavior and what cues you are providing.

If you have the financial resources for boot camp, I expect you have the financial resources for home training. Take care to select a trainer who uses only positive reinforcement as it will be much more effective in the long run. And take the time to be trained with your chow. As others have said it need not be long sessions and shorter sessions are often more effective.

Chows are not hard to train, you just have to make it worth their while. Cinder loved going to obedience classes and practicing because she got more treats, she got to go with when I left the house, and for the time of the session I was entirely focused on her and praising her for what she learned. She has her CGC (Canine Good Citizen).

For any training to be effective you must be consistent. Let up even once and the chow knows you don't need to be taken seriously. (Teddy never comes when DH calls unless food is involved because DH will let him get away with not coming).

[Auddymay]

I would take the money you would spend on a bootcamp, and hire a private trainer. One who can assess the behavior as it occurs, and teaches you both at the same time. Sure, time is short, but are you saying you don't have a half an hour a day to work on these behaviors? Even if the bootcamp were perfect, you still need to be able to get Allie to listen to you. Once you learn how to work with her, it will be a matter of short reinforcements until the behavior is ingrained. Do it yourself does not have to mean do it alone.

[kingalls]

Some of the previous posts already touched on this - part of training is training you. You and your Chow need to be partners in training.
A private trainer coming to your home can do this for both of you.

[Mochi_Yoshi]

Just a thought...

maybe it's just growing pains right now, it might just be the phase that she is in. My pups are the same age and they are doing the same, extremely alert and figuring out their 'place'. They do not jump on people and do tolerate strangers over (we recently had a birthday party). I just let people know to ignore them until they come up to you, Chows just need alittle more time to warm up, which seems to work. Perhaps ur baby is just concerned for you around these strangers?

[JasonandNat]

Try exercising your dog before you have people over, easier to train. Start teaching the simple rules of not barking or getting excited around people, it's strictly lack of socialization with people/animals. Yes it's work, you are the alpha start setting the example and being in control. When someone knocks or rings the doorbell, ours due what they should bark and head to the door. Then my wife or I arrive and they sit and shutup as they have been instructed. It took 3 months of attention to get this down pat. Even the Fedex guy is impressed that they won't go outside with the door wide open, they won't even stand up. I'm telling them by my actions it's safe, ok, be calm, I'm in charge. I work at home as well. Many people in and out, I have Shen Lung who is the ultimate guard dog especially for my wife and Feng Huang who is the ultimate ambassador of universal peace and love, however that doesn't mean I want either one being aggressive or affectionate to anyone without consent from my wife or myself. It is work. It is all about you. Sending your dog away is giving up and if you can't make the change, no matter how good they get when at 'boot camp' they are never going to show you the same respect.

I've read quite a few posts about people not daring to let their Chow off leash as an example. We do all the time, they know who to watch and listen to, we don't beat them, tease them with treats or yell. We just don't let them get away with anything, exercise patience, and absolutely do not ever waver or deviate from the command to expected response - ever. In return they have learnt they can have freedom and respect. 'Hey', mens pay attention (stop doing what your doing and listen), 'Shen Lung/Feng Huang' means come here your a good doggie, 'Sit', self explanatory, 'WooHoo' or 'Walk', means it's time to hit the trails. That's pretty much all you need to focus on. More can follow when you get that down solid, oh yeah, use your dogs name not mine.

Nat is only 45lbs more than Shen Lung, if he didn't respect her completely, I can't see any way she could physically control him. And believe me it was hard some days, really really hard. But so worth it in the end. He'd walk through fire for her, he runs at her side through trails, stops with her and simply adores her. She is his alpha and he knows his place.

I hope some of this helps, those training courses are a waste of time unless you want to change the dynamic. And if you do decide to change the dynamic, then you don't need the courses. Funny the way that works.

I'd even be willing to chat on the phone if you need greater detail on anything.

[Victory]

The others have said it all. Most important is to remember that any negative training methods do not work well with chows. Posistive training works best. And as you admit yourself you don't know how to train her, so learning yourself is very much required because a chow will stay trained only as long as you get her too. In other words if you ship her off to some K-9 boot camp where they may even use the correct training methods for her, and she learns everything. Then she comes home and you don 't know how to get her to do what you want her to, she'll just start doing what she wants again anyway. Chows are "thinking" dogs, and extremely independent, that means, like others have said, they need a reason to do what you want. Most of the time that reason should be because they have deeply bonded with you and trust that your actions and commands are in their best interest. This bond can not be established if she is sent away to learn. Nope, the best is for you to make the time like 20-30 minutes a day to work with a trainer that comes to your house and learn how to get her to do what you want and not do what you don't want.

Also, make sure she's getting enough exercise, a lot of mis-behavior comes from lack of the correct amount of exercise. Even running around in most back yards isn't enough for most dogs and chows are no exception. A good 2-4 mile walk twice a day is what they actually require.

[Sirchow]

There is not much to add to what others have said except a little example of how the owner needs to be involved in the learning and to see what has gone into getting the end result or you end up with a situation like my in-laws who sent their chocolate lab to boot camp. He came back the best behaved dog in the world but F-in-law had not put the work in and had no idea how much work had gone into this obedient version of his dog, the dog still had no respect and in three days they were back to where they started except a bit poorer. I am not saying that that is what would happen but having a trainer in the house would include you in the process and then you would have more pride in the end result, more invested in keeping her that way and Allie would have more respect for you.

Good luck with the training and please pass on any tips you learn in the process.

[Zhuyos mom]

Allie is much too young to be sent off to boot camp. It's like sending a 9 year old child off to boarding/reformatory school. Also, along with the positive training methods, if you look for a trainer, you should (1) make sure they are chow savvy and (2) is an animal behaviorist to boot (no pun intended). There are many threads on this site about the bad experiences and the damage it has done to their chows by trainers that are neither chow savvy or are too old school. Training a chow is not so much a crash course of the standards in obedience, but taking the genius in the chow and modifiying and integrating it to work in your household with consistancy. It is not unlike how gifted biped children are taught in encouraging regular schools, where otherwise they would be bored to death and reject the learning offered.

If you would like to consult with a trainer online or via the telephone, let me recommend a member of this site: http://www.specialpawstraining.com -or- search for a trainer in your area who was taught directly by either Dr. Ian Dunbar and/or Dr. Jean Donaldson.

[IliamnasQuest]

I'm just going to back up what's already been said. I'm a long-time owner of chows (going on 18 years with the breed now) and have been training for obedience for 20 years. I've titled three chows in obedience, rally, agility and have worked extensively with training behaviors to dogs with independent minds (chows, akitas, shibas, etc.).

I have a bad feeling about any place that calls itself a "boot camp". The connotation there is that it's based on force training - corrective collars, corrections, pushing the dog into behaviors, etc. While that may not be true, I would highly recommend that you really look into the type of training (regardless of who you go with) and find someone who is willing to work with your little girl in a very positive way (leaving corrections, other than maybe a verbal "no" or "eht", for later IF needed). Chows tend to respond well to training that allows them some self-expression and is based on reward and not force.

If you provide a good leadership (set rules, abide by them, teach her some basic obedience like sit/down/stay/shake paws/speak/roll over/etc., socialize her and develop a good trusting relationship, you should have a chow that is responsive and well-behaved in the home. If you send her away for training, you will still have to put in the same time with her. I've taken dogs in for training and if the owners don't continue to work with the dog, all that training they paid for goes away. You're far better off having a trainer come and work with you both, and let your pup's training become a daily part of your lives together. You'll both benefit from it.

Allie's only 4 1/2 months old - she's a BABY. Sending her away during this formative time could really affect your relationship. You need to MAKE time to work with her, bond with her, love her and cherish her as a companion that will be with you for more than a decade. Sending her away to a trainer where you will NOT be able to be there for her and protect her (in case they decide on a harsh correction, like stringing her up and choking her .. a common correction with many trainers when a dog grumbles or "misbehaves") will be a huge mistake, in my opinion.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

[summer_rose03]

I do not recommend sending your dog away to a doggy "boot camp". I believe you need to bond with your dog during training. Sending your dog away for someone else to train does not allow you that bonding experience. Your dog does not learn that you are their leader, but that someone else is. I have been taking training classes with Carter and he has bonded with me quite well. I have only had him 6 months, but he knows I AM his mom and he listens primarily to me. Had my fiance participated more in the classes, Carter would probably listen to him better also. It just goes to show you that you need that bonding that training time gives you. Your puppy is young now, and this is the best time for YOU to bond with and work with them.

There is a client that comes into the salon (I am a groomer) and they sent their crazy labradoodle puppy to live with our trainer for a few months and when she came back, she was still a crazy labradoodle. They can not control her in the slightest. The dog got used to the trainer, her commands, and her routine. It was like she went to a new home and bonded with a new owner. The actual owners were not able to get that bond with the dog. The uprooting again, back to the owners home mixed the dog all up. This was almost 3 yrs ago and the dog is still a freak and doesn't listen to anything!

So, to sum it up, you need to take training classes WITH your dog to bond with them, not have someone else do it. Training classes are supposed to train you how to train your dog. Boot camp defeats the purpose.

Edit: Oh, and has far as personal trainer opposed to class with other pets, I believe one on one is good for some things, but a class with other dogs will help in socialization and training the dog with distractions. You maybe able to get the dog to listen just fine in your quiet little home, but it may not be that way with company over or out in public.

Coud I do it? NO
Would I do it? NO

[chowpups]

I agree with above poster on training outside the home with you included with a trainer, so you get distractions that a normal daily day has. I did puppy socialization classes from 10wks to 14wks, which was mostly playing and bonding, touching and socializing with the trainer and other members in the class, then the next was alittle learning , then it was mostly obedience and yes I had to learn how to be the leader, and then we did inhouse training for doorbell and house guests. But yes you probably should mix it up alittle but you must be included with training.. I was with her all the time for each step .. and it was usually one hr of classes weekly for obedience and work at home .. (yes, homework).. the time was well spent. We have a very well trained dog that everyone loves not just my husband and I.. And Iam proud of her that WE did it together.
Iam sure most people don't need to do as much as we did but we are empty nesters with not much activity going on during the week so socializing was important to do outside the home.. Please take the time and enjoy training with your pup its so worth it for a couple of weeks to bond with your pup.. and then its just reinforcement.

[salty dog]

please do not send your chow away for training. it would be best to have a trainer come to your home and work with your dog and you. most home trained dogs do a little better because they can see you as leader. i have a trainer that comes to my home and works with me and joey. he takes and walks joey 3 times aweek and trains as well. on sat we work together. if ever stops rainning here we will start working 3 days aweek together after work.

[chowpups]

Oh no please let me explain my last message. I would not send my dog to boot camp I meant get a trainer and go with your dog for some classes.. That message was inresponse to the last one I read ..I am sorry for confusion let me edit it if I can.. But I didn't mean send your dog to boot camp.. so sorry for my mislead statement.. I just meant to take the time and do it yourself for training.. my bad..

[DOHMAN]

Update......

Well today I went to the trainers house with my g/f and she was just as skeptical as everyone on here.

She really took the to trainer and their daughters. They have 5 girls that range in age that absolutely loved her. This was one of my main things is social skills, she has been very timid with people and children which has really scared me. I am leaving on a trip Thursday for a week and I am really leaning towards signing up for the program. I would have to board her somewhere for a week regardless and it does include 5 at home visits in the cost after the 2 weeks are completed.

They have worked with chows in the past and were willing to give me the names and numbers to see how their training went. They had pictures of all the dogs which they have trained which is over 500 in the past couple years. It was nice to see them working with chows and the chows responding. It will also allow her to be around other dogs for social time which I also wanted.

I am still very scared about leaving my baby but for some reason have a feeling this is for the best and I am usually not wrong. I will update everyone with progress Pray my angel does well