Last resort training methods ...

What would be your last resort training methods??

I know its an open question .....

If a method is bad enough to be considered a last resort I would't use it anyway. This includes anything which cause a dog discomfort/fear or to lose trust in me.

I have twice used a spray collar (air option) Once with my dog in sheep chasing situation and once with dog/dog aggression (bad) with a collie in rescue. I taught her to ignore other dogs---then she had to be rehabbed to interact with them to go to her new multi dog home. She was also people aggressive but that was tackled differently.

She lived as oppose to being pts --which was an option. Given the same circumstances I'd do the same both times again I think.

rune

So noise aversion ?
The discs??
Tin cans?

I used discs years ago---till the cocker I was working with ran off with them That was one terrified dog --Not!

The discs can be substituted by tuning the dog in to the word 'off'---simply by not allowing access to a titbit. I think that was Ian Dunbars idea?

rune

I know of someone who had persistent difficulties with their dog taking off towards other dogs when off-lead, with the dog going into herding mode every time it spotted other dogs... sometimes nipping to get the other dogs to play.

Recall training was 100% without that distraction but soon as a dog appeared, it all went out of the window.

However, with most dogs it was a friendly encounter 9/10 and then the 10th would lead to a brief but bloodless scrap which upset the owners of the other dog. So while that didn't justify keeping the dog on the lead all the time it also didn't proof against the one in ten.

She bought a spray collar which had a beep function, didn't load it with any spray to start with, and found that the beep was enough to break the dog's fixation and head back to Mum for a treat - kind of like a clicker in reverse. The beep was paired strongly with a big liver cake bonanza, and that seems to be all the dog needed, a non aversive reminder on the few occasions when it went into overdrive.

I cannot comment as I have never been in the situation (luckily) where I have thought "This is the last resort".

I do not have an imaginary line over which I would never cross.

IME in other areas of life, those lines are a "moveable feast".

So I guess my answer would have to be a very unsatisfactory, "it depends", on the dog and the circumstances.

Vaccinations, microchipping are but two (of many) examples of things that cause "discomfort" to dogs, but most of us carry these out on our dogs.

Because we think they are necessary............... so until and unless faced with a particular situation I think the only pragmatic attitude is to say "never say never".

Hadn't thought about that---I suppose last resort for Fizz would be to raise my voice. So I am trying not to.

Last resorts are different places as well as different dogs.

I just read it as have you used aversives that would be considered by some as last resort solutions.

rune

Walloping a wall with a folded newspaper shouting Naughty Naughty Wall! As my very dim hunting dog stared carefully at the wall and decided to let me go first then because it was obviously a Very Dangerous Wall.

wot - like Eastbourne?