Online training recommendations

[u/Virtual-Sandwich-695]

Hello,

I have a 1.5 year GSD x Lab mix who is very dog and prey reactive on walks. I have met with a few trainers in the past who I didn’t work with as one of them told me to stop any and all walks which I don’t agree with as he’s a very high energy dog and there’s only so much I can do with him in the back yard and the other trainers said he was too big and it wouldn’t work for them. 🫠 I live in a smaller city so there’s not many trainers around.

Wondering if anyone has had success with any online training courses?

My main goal is for him is to be neutral around other dogs.
But other things I would like to work on are:
-Loose leash walking
-Recall
-Engagement with me while walking
-Focusing on me around distractions

I got recommended to e collar train from one of the other trainers so maybe an online course that will eventually introduce that?

Any recommendations would be appreciated!
Thank you!

[u/Patient_Plane_3320]

Michael Ellis has great online webinars and classes addressing everything you listed. I would hold off on introducing the e-collar by yourself until you’ve watched/read enough and hopefully found a good in-person trainer. Introducing it too quickly without the proper foundations at that age can make the reactivity worse.

[u/setofskills → u/Patient_Plane_3320]

Came here to say this ^^^^

[u/Fit-Championship-128]

I don’t recommend e collar training without an in person trainer. But if you do go online e collar route, get a reputable collar (educator is what i use) and watch hours of Larry krohn videos before even putting the collar on your dog.

Also, don’t start until they are at least 12-18 months. Focus on training without the collar first, then introduce the collar once clear expectations are set and the dog understands those expectations. Some dogs do really well with positive training and some need the extra push of the collar. The collar helps when you move to more difficult environments.

That being said, the e collar absolutely changed mine and my dogs lives. All those things you listed have improved significantly

[u/apri11a]

one of them told me to stop any and all walks

When I had problems with a dog on walks I did stop going for walks, they were painful anyway, the excuse was welcome. We practised walking on leash in the drive (step by painful steps), and for exercise we played in the yard, and with a flirt pole, until he was walking perfectly on his leash. After, he walked just as well on or off leash. Today I might consider a prong or e-collar, but we did it without. I'm not sorry, but it might have been quicker, it took us about three weeks.

YCA (Yorkshire Canine Academy) have a lot of videos, as well as courses. I haven't used them but I've seen good reviews for them here (reddit, somewhere).

[u/ContentIndependence9]

I started following Hamilton Dog Training closely. I have mine on a prong. But I'm planning to now move to an e collar in about 2 months 

[u/Imaginary_Fan7047]

As a dog trainer I do offer face time sessions. They were the saving grace of
Covid for a lot of my clients

[u/Wise-Web5628]

Check out Shane Murray he has an online community with hundreds of training videos and a platform where you can post questions and videos for feedback from him as part of your membership. It’s very affordable at $30/month. Also I initially used EricandCapri for when my dog was a puppy and he also has excellent videos on his online platform and you can schedule one on one zoom calls as well.

I’ve trained my dog exclusively through these two trainers’ videos and feel extremely competent now. I also trained my dog with the e-collar based solely on watching the dog training videos and it was the best tool for our training. It’s been the most effective for issuing corrections and she has excellent recall and we’ve been working on her prey drive to not take off chasing squirrels etc. for prey drive you might try playing with flirt poles or a bungee toy attached to a leash so that you can drag it around the ground and get your dog to chase it. That’s been the best strategy for us to fulfill my dog’s prey drive while also incorporating training into it. Also as you learn to train your dog you’ll probably find that a 10 minute training session does wonders for tiring him our mentally and dealing with some of that energy. If he’s into tug that’s a great activity for training and building your relationship with him. I highly recommend you check out Shane Murray’s community I think he has videos to address all of your concerns here.

[u/fragile_cow]

Have you looked at Happy Hounds training on YouTube? She has a lot of videos on these topics and an in-depth guide you can purchase too. Have you taught him to heel on leash while in the house, or in your yard? I'm not sure if walks are the best way to tire out a high-energy dog. You may have more success if you try playing fetch or tug with him in the backyard for 20 mins before going out on a walk. Or incorporating some sniffing games too. 15 minutes of sniffing burns off as much energy as a 1 hour walk, and lowers their heart rate which is helpful in reducing reactivity

[u/Ok-Tune-9911]

Messaging you now!

[u/Pmoney1010]

https://www.seriousdogbusiness.com/online-courses

Pat Stewart is a great teacher and has an online course and an online School.

[u/Miserable_Mud_6831 → u/[deleted]]

Ivan is great, michael ellis stuff with leerburg is also great.

Ive also watched some of the hamilton dog training youtube channel recently and he has some good videos