A trainer came round to assess Murphy Yesterday ...........

A trainer from the ADPT came round yesterday afternoon to see Murphy to talk about 1:1 training sessions and to do an initial assessment as Murphy is 1 year old on the 18th of this month and has no basic training other than sit which I've taught him over the the last few weeks. We talked about what I want from Murphy ie recall, sit, walk to heel etc and then I let Jesse (GSD) and Murhpy (Rottie) in the front room to meet with Karen the trainer, Jesse went straight up to her and sniffed and wagged her tail and let Karen pet her and then Murhpy went up to her a bit more cautiously and snifffed her and then backed off and then went up to her and barked at her and then backed off again and then barked again at which point Karen asked me to take him by the collar and put them both in the kitchen

She said that as soon as she looked at Murphy he started to bark at her and she had to break eye contact with him, she also said she did not feel comfortable with him to the point that if she stood up she felt he might of gone for her and that what he needed was a behaviourial assessment and not a general training assessment. She said that she also felt that it should be her to do the assessment as Murphy has already shown a dislike to her

I know Murphy can be weary of people and we don't have many visitors to the house and this was mentioned when I originally contacted them and since Murphy's castration 4 weeks ago he has calmed down so much, the vet even took his stitches out without muzzling him. By the time she left yesterday I was in tears, she said he was unpredictable and that made him dangerous but he doesn't show any of this when hes at home with us, hes a big baby. He does get lungy and barky at other dogs when he's on a lead but he has come accross other dogs when off lead plenty of times with no troubles at all so its all very confusing.

Another thing Murhpy did today whilst out on a walk was grab at a passing jogger by their coat and then back off and then bark at them (its a good job they were understanding ) which he has never done, I didn't hear the jogger behind me and by then time I saw/heard him it was too late, I always put Murphy on a lead when we see joggers or cyclists as he does get a bit excited when he sees them.

So - it looks like I'm going to be contacting the behaviourist now

Can you give any advice on this for me ?


I really am confused now.....my son's friend Jade has just come round to see my son and have some dinner and I put the dogs in the garden on the other side of the patio (it has a small gate) and I took Jade and my daughter out there and Murphy was so excited to see Jade and she petted him and he didn't bark or anything, he even put his front two feet on the gate leant over to Jade and licked her

Could it be that Murphy just didn't like the trainer, she did say that she has her own dog and Murphy might of smelt it on her ?

Someone on another forum has just said that it seems that the trainer had a problem with Murphy and not the other way around !!

Sorry I can't help, but it sounds like it's the trainer who has a problem.

But I can't say as I have no idea about this.

Hope it'll get solved though

Steph, there's a dog in our training class and he was very weary of people, would bark and growl. He was always ina muzzle. After just 2 weeks of training class he's a completely different dog. He no longer wears a muzzle, will allow people to pet him and hold him.

I know it's not exactly the same problem but just thought I'd use it as an encouraging thought

Hope things get sorted soon!

sounds like murphys a good judge of character steph!! No seriously if you were nervous i wonder if he could pick up onit and was trying to protect you, after all she was a stranger in his house!!

Tried to reply earlier but the computer ate my post & refused to spit it back out

I don't know Murphy or his history so just a few general observations. It sounds as though the trainer was more wary of Murphy than Murphy was of the trainer. If Murphy was picking up signals of nervousness/discomfort from her then that could well account for the barking. Also, as mentioned by Candie, he may have been worried about having a stranger in the house, especially if you were feeling tense yourself.

I wonder why she even tried to make eye contact with an unknown and agitated dog? Surely all trainers should know that eye contact can be perceived as a challenge and should be avoided if unsure of the dog's reactions/temperament. How long did she spend observing Murphy? Was her evaluation based on her observations of the dog or on her conversation with you? Did she give you no advise at all?

It all seems a bit odd to me. I would be interested to hear the behaviourist's assessment. Although I am not convinced that a behaviourist would be any better than a really good obedience class, unless you are having extreme behavioural problems. Again, I don't know the details so can't really judge what is the most appropriate course of action.

Regarding the jogger. It is not unheard of for a dog to act first and ask questions later when startled. While Murphy's behaviour was not acceptable I would not read too much into it if this is the first time it has ever happened. However, you will have to be very alert as, should it happen again, you might not have such an understanding person and Murphy could get into deep trouble.

I hope things work out well for you. Keep us up to date.
Best wishes
SB

Mollie has a bit of collie in her which makes her nip at ankles of joggers a bit ( she's the biggest daftest gentlest girl really she just goes into round up mode when she see's some one running ) Afetr a couple of near difficult conversations we decided for her safety as much as anything to muzzle her any where we might see a jogger. Now she can poke people but not accidentally tear clothes and no one can object or accuse her of anything. It has the added bonus that she can't eat all and sundry when we are walking too.

Get another trainer - one used to big dogs ...PM me with your nearest big town and I will see if I know of anyone in your area.
Behavoirists ? Be careful....some have done a college course,trained a couple of border collies with a packet of Liver treats and a clicker and then set themselves up as "experts". (Perhaps someone on here can suggest how to find a decent behavoirist ?).
Personally,I would have more faith in someone used to your breeds - maybe in a rescue capacity as they are used to difficult dogs (ie going into kennels with GSDs/Rotties who are seriously tring to harm them) and won't be put off/scared by a bit of barking.

NB Apologies to any behavoirists who feel I have insulted them - I know there are some good ones out there too .

=========================================
Thanks for the advice, the behavourist I'm going to contact is Sarah Whitehead, shes written books etc and comes highly recommended and specialises in aggression, the trainer that came round is actually a colleague of hers but obviously not as experienced and she said I should speak to Sarah direct so that is what I will do.

hi stephanie

have read your thread
soz to hear it didn,t go well

i,ve not had any real problems with harley other than him hating dogs when we are out,and walking with me instead of dragging me down the road
but yesterday i think i sussed it

when we got harley i asked the previous owners what commands they used for him
they told us the usual ones,heel,stop etc
yesterday i took him with me to meet the kids from school
he was striding ahead as usual and dragging me down the road
i wasn,t feeling too good and was getting angry with him
so i told him to wait
and guess what
he slowed right down and walked by my side
i kept him in check with this all the way and we had a really pleasant walk for a change
so i,m guessing the other owners didn,t use the word the heel at all

i know it.s nothing to do with your problem but just wanted you to know you ain,t the only one with a problem rescue rottie

jackie
xx

Its a funny one with Murphy cause he loves other dogs when he's off lead but when hes on lead he jumps up on his back legs and lunges and barks like an idiot and I feel like a right prat telling the owner of the other dog 'don't worry about him he's alright really', they must thing 'yeah, right luv'.

I must admit though since putting Murphy in a Stop-pull harness he doesn't so much lunge and pull away now whichis good so maybe its a sign that were getting there.

Murphy really has no basic training at all apart from sit, so considering this he's not bad at all.

How does Harley get on with your other dogs Jackie ?

The other thing that Murphy has started to do recently is chase cyclists and joggers, he doesn't growl or bark at them, he just chases them !!