I think I ruined my dog!

lalaland

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#1
I have a 2 yr old white shepherd/pointer mix that I adopted 6 mos ago. We have been to dog training class in which he passed with flying colors. I have read all sorts of books from the Dog Whisperer to Don't shoot the Dog. I must have failed somewhere along the line. I can not seem to manage to get him under control in my own fenced in backyard. We go to the unleashed dog park & he listens to me 95% of the time. My neighbors have started to mention things to me about getting him under control, so, I go out with him every time on a 50' leash & when he starts to not listen I reel him in. Last Thursday being the final straw when he backed out of his collar started barking nonstop running around like a maniac at 1am (I bartend) & a neighbor came out to complain. I of course explained what had happened & was able to finally coax him in with a bunch of treats. My sister offered to loan me her shock collar to see if that would help. Last night I zapped him when he wouldn't listen & he hasn't been the same since. I have been crying all day! We got outside & all he does it sit there & shake. This dog is a play o maniac, he fell off a 12' cliff chasing a ball that a little boy had kicked, & I can't even get him to chase a ball! I am afraid he is ruined for life. He isn't eating any treats I give him, paces not stop inside the house pausing once in awhile to stare out the back window. I absolutely love his playful personality & love him even more. What do I do? I am trying to reinsure him with good boy when he goes out, giving him a gazillion kisses & hugs & doing a lot of praising. Will he ever recover from this? Please help!
 

lalaland

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#2
Scratch it! Apparently 24 hrs is the cure! Just got back from being out & he's 100% back to his ol' self! Thanks any way.
 
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#3
Whew! Glad to hear he's back to normal. Now all you have to do is solve the original problem.

You may have to stop letting him out in the backyard late at night; maybe walk him on the leash in the front for a few minutes.
 
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#4
Glad to hear he has returned to being his normal, happy self. While shock collars do work for some dogs there are other dogs that they are definitely not necessary for and as you saw can sometimes cause more of a problem. I agree with the prior post - late at nite walk on a leash & leave the romping & playing for daylight hours when the neighbors are awake. :) It sounds as tho he just needs some additional one-on-one leash training refreshers. When he is reliable on a regular lead in the yard then switch over to the long line for some training sessions and as he progresses with that then you can start working on off-lead. Off-lead consistency takes alot of time - just take it slowly - if you try to rush it you'll only end up back at square one. He will get it in time.
 

Lucas

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#5
Yikes, almost wanted to cry when reading that buddy :(.

Sounds like a nice dog you have, i'd suggest never using a shock collar, barking is a dogs natural habit, and those things should never be used. But you can train a dog when its ok to bark and when not, it just takes time and patience, you will figure out what works for your dog, keep trying different techniques ( physical correction methods of training, making a dog do things physically to get results arn't used as much anymore). I'll agree with the rest on not letting him out at night by himself, one on one training is the right method, and you should be in control of the situation at all times until its corrected.
 

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