Hiya, two nervous dogs, and training...?

Question

hiya, I have two really nervous dogs, very badly treated in their past lives, I've had them for nearly two years and its only in the last few months that they've handled going 'out of our home'. this is abit of a daft question - when I am lead training for walks out, am I okay training them both on the same side at the same time or one side each? pls dont say one at a time as I dont have time for 4 walks a day. they're scared of everything, one sticks to me an 1 trys to scarper at the first sighting of just about anything. yea a daft question, just wonderin if anyone has had the same type of exerience, oh and I prefer them both on one side, samelead then, cheers all, *

Answer 1

Really sorry to say this but, if you don't have time to train each dog individually then you really shouldn't have got 2 dogs, they have quite obviously got real problems and you will be doing them a great disservice if you do not train them one at a time, they have got different problems so need to be approached very differently, I agree with fenlandfowl, I think you need to re-home one of them.

Answer 2

I felt like this the first time I was handed a bunch of keys for the classroom to teach a class of year 9 kids but you will be fine remember those people are there to learn from your experience the head trainer thinks you are up to the job and if she is confident then you should be too, just relax and try to enjoy the experience sharing your knowledge is good and once you have done it a couple of times it will become more natural do not worry about it just focus on what you are doing, relax and observe your students, when you see them doing something not quite right you will forget your own nerves and the need to show how to do it correctly will kick in you will be so busy helping those new owners that your nerves will be overcome, and remember we all make mistakes from time to time and the learning process is never complete you can learn forever, by teaching someone else a skill you have learnt you develop a deeper understanding yourself so you will be learning together have fun and no body gets it right 100% and you can ask for help when you need it that's what the head trainers for

Answer 3

This is not a daft question at all.

It really doesn't matter if both dogs are on the same side or not (unless you are dealing with nervous aggression).

Do what is easiest and most comfortable for you.

To make your dogs feel more at ease throughout the walk, be sure that you are calm and confident and not holding the leash with tension. Any tension you project will travel through the leash, you want both dogs to feel secure under your leadership.

Equally important, keep the dogs beside or slightly behind you. If they are out in front, they will feel it is their job to protect you from everyone and everything including other dogs. This responsibility will only add to their anxiety.

If your dogs hesitate at any time during the walk, do not stop for them. Keep on walking so they understand that you are in control.

Structuring your walks will help as well, as they will begin to learn what to expect. I recommend that before commencing the walk, you take them to a familiar place where they can get their "business" out of the way. This way, when you are walking you can keep a steady pace. As with humans, exercise reduces anxiety. If your dogs are constantly sniffing, they will not get any exercise. Provide time for sniffing and marking before and after the walk.

If your dogs nervousness turns to aggression, you might consider walking them separately - for safety reasons until you have resolved these issues.

Answer 4

Sorry, but I don't think that you're going to have much success at training while you've got them both out. If they both suffer from fear issues, it's much fairer to them and easier on you to walk them one at a time and train them when you can devote 100% attention to each one, individually. This is not a forever thing, but it's vital when you're establishing a relationship with them.
Then as far as the content of the training - keeping it positive and reinforcing for the dogs is also important. There's a ton of info available on the web about operant conditioning, clicker training, and especially working with timid or shy dogs. Here are some links:
http://www.clickertraining.com/

http://www.clickandtreat.com/

This one has a video clip:
http://www.clickertraining.tv/product.html?item=KPDLVD110R-07

Answer 5

I had the same issue with my dogs. I have two large breed dogs, so walking was difficult just with their size. I did train them both on the same side (they seemed to be a little more relaxed next to each other) and I also used a short lead for a while since I had more control that way.

Answer 6

I don't believe there is any problem with having them both on the same side on the same lead, as long as they like each other.

To start combating the fear, I would try to introduce them to other people and their pets. Friends, or later on a dog park or day care situation. If you have a friend that has a dog, I would see if you could get them all together in a park or someplace open. They will want to be as close to you as possible. Don't try to force contact with the other pet, but just allow it to be in your space. Eventually they should recognize the other dog as a non-threat.

Its not impossible to eventually socialize them. It just takes time, patience and a lot of love.

Answer 7

so sorry you asked a question but don't want people to tell you something you don't want to hear. Did you actually want proper advice or just asked a question to hear nice things?
You CANNOT train 2 problem dogs at the same time. You MUST do one at a time. If you dopn't have time for 2 dogs, perhaps you should rehome one? Doing the right thing for them both by rehoming one, surely has to be better for them but having them together in a permanant state of fear and being unable to train either of them properly.

Answer 8

We tend to think of dog training as a series of steps for teaching particular behaviors. To teach a dog to stay in a particular position, you reward her as she remains in place for gradually longer times, at gradually greater distances, with gradually increasing degrees of distraction. Read more https://tr.im/liHoN

Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 9

Take them to dog training classes you will all benifit from this as they will help you understand why your doghs are behaving like they are you have had them a while now and they should have bcome more social by this time. Its time to get expert help you will not solve this on your own

Answer 10

Sorry but I think it would be easier to take them seperately until they are more confident as the nervs from one is transferreing to the other. Lots of praise and talking to them will help. They say a nervous dog is one that may not know who the pack leader is so if you are disciplined with them and they know you as their leader then they will gain confidence from you.