# Dog freaks out - Dog Training might help?



## Linda.W (May 18, 2017)

Hello everyone.

In my last thread I already wrote about my new dog Duke. He is a male Labrador and about 3.5 to 4 years old. I don't know exactly, because I got him off an animal shelter.









Still I can't really let him inside of the house. That's why I bought him a new dog shelter off a for sales website a few weeks ago. But sometimes he just seems to go mad. He starts barking for no obvious reason and also starts to go after some things and tears them apart. That is actually the main reason why I can't keep him in the house for a log time. But I would like to.

So I was thinking about some basic dog training. I already had a look a a few books on some well know and trusted shopping sites. And there are plenty of books on dog training available. I simply don't know which one to pick.

Another thing is, I really don't know what happened before I got him. Maybe he was mistreated or something. I really don't know what to do or how to deal with it. So hopefully someone can give me an advice. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I'm getting really desperate right now. But I really want to keep him. I think deep down inside he is a good boy.

Linda.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Adopting shelter dogs is a great thing, but no, you don't always know the situation they came from. It sounds like this one is going to take some time and patience. Training is going to be a definite, and it may be that you will need to hire a professional trainer for a little bit, to help you get things going on the right track.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

IMO, the number 1 rule in owning a dog is "A tired dog is a good dog." This won't solve all problems and obedience training is a must, especially with a "big" dog, but most wild/crazy acts can be (at least a little) controlled by being tired. The problem is getting them tired. With my Iggies, that's easy. A long walk, quick "zoomies", a short game of tug or wrestle and they're done for the day. A 2 hr. trip to the dog park gets me at least 2 days, more often almost a week. The little terror..... Oops, I mean terrier is a job and a half. When she's not tired we get: barking, digging, sock stealing, tearing up papers, chewing on pine cones, running around and around and around the house jumping on and off things, pulling at clothes/slippers....I'm sure you get the idea, she becomes a menace. For her a long walk equals (maybe) a 2hr nap, zoomies can last 15 or more minutes, playing fetch=30 minutes (max), 2hrs at the dog park= (maybe) an afternoon. Training can actually tire her out a lot. We have a kitten now, who loves playing with her (chase, tag, pounce and wrestle). Things have been a lot better, she's not as much work to calm down. 
Positive reinforcement trainings are, generally, the best methods. If you've never trained a dog, then joining a group might make things easier (if it's the right, for you, group). Some books I found that we're, imo, easy to follow were the _____ For Dummies, and The Complete Idiots Guide to _____. Sorry for the babble.


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## Linda.W (May 18, 2017)

Thanks for the advice. I'll try the workout thing. Hopefully it will work out. But I'm quite concerned, because it doesn't change the actual behavior. In my opinion you are just treading the symptoms. I'll have a look at the mentioned books as well as take a look around for some dog training (facilities).


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## Linda.W (May 18, 2017)

Linda.W said:


> Hello everyone.
> 
> In my last thread I already wrote about my new dog Duke. He is a male Labrador and about 3.5 to 4 years old. I don't know exactly, because I got him off an animal shelter.
> 
> ...


I finally found a personal dog trainer and I will start to take lessons from next week. He also recommended a few books on dog training. I will have a look at them.

I'm quite excited about the training and I will post my progress here.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

That's great! Yes, do let us know how it goes...


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