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Doggy bootcamp

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Hi, I was wondering whether anyone here has experience of a 'doggy bootcamp’, or opinions on the below please.

Basically my staffy x is dog aggressive, various training classes haven't worked, and he is kept on lead and muzzled at all times when we are out. I would love for him to become less reactive around other dogs, I feel it would be a huge boost to his quality of life.

I was googling about reactive dog classes in essex and came across a guy who does general dog walking/sitting/training. He has a facebook page with a lot of positive feedback (I know this can be controlled) and I noticed he was advertising a doggy bootcamp.

Basically he will take your dog for a number of weeks and integrate them into his pack of non reactive dogs. I had some email back and forth and explained that my dog was very reactive and would most certainly try to fight with his dogs. He said that he has had really aggressive (human and dog) dogs in the past and he has been able to rehabilitate them, all but one dog who was child aggressive but that turned out to be related to a neurological condition.

I must admit I am tempted as I am finding it hard to cope with my boy at the moment. But i'm concerned that this is dangerous (even though he says that will manage no problems) as my boy could do some damage/be attacked, but also don’t know how to verify if he is actually any good, or if I would be giving my money to someone who will do more damage than good.
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Comments

  • Pechow
    Pechow Posts: 729 Forumite
    edited 13 March 2014 at 1:33PM
    What kind of training methods does he use? Does he use terms like "dominance", "alpha/omega", etc?
  • Try Googling for the UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists (UKRCB). They are trained in this sort of thing and are UK nationwide.

    Good luck!
  • thorsoak
    thorsoak Posts: 7,166 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Hi, I was wondering whether anyone here has experience of a 'doggy bootcamp’, or opinions on the below please.

    Basically my staffy x is dog aggressive, various training classes haven't worked, and he is kept on lead and muzzled at all times when we are out. I would love for him to become less reactive around other dogs, I feel it would be a huge boost to his quality of life.

    I was googling about reactive dog classes in essex and came across a guy who does general dog walking/sitting/training. He has a facebook page with a lot of positive feedback (I know this can be controlled) and I noticed he was advertising a doggy bootcamp.

    Basically he will take your dog for a number of weeks and integrate them into his pack of non reactive dogs. I had some email back and forth and explained that my dog was very reactive and would most certainly try to fight with his dogs. He said that he has had really aggressive (human and dog) dogs in the past and he has been able to rehabilitate them, all but one dog who was child aggressive but that turned out to be related to a neurological condition.

    I must admit I am tempted as I am finding it hard to cope with my boy at the moment. But i'm concerned that this is dangerous (even though he says that will manage no problems) as my boy could do some damage/be attacked, but also don’t know how to verify if he is actually any good, or if I would be giving my money to someone who will do more damage than good.

    It's not just a case of training your dog; you have to be trained too. A good trainer can get most dogs to do anything ....but then the owner has to be as firm as the trainer was, to be as consistent as the trainer and to follow the trainer's instructions.

    Personally, I would suggest a behavourist (but please make sure that you use a behavourist who has trained with an organisation such as the APDT). Your vet should be able to make recommendations.
  • Thanks guys. Pechow, no I asked him about discipline and he said nothing about dominance etc which would have rung warning bells if he had. I does sound like a good environment, i'm just worried about giving my dog over to a total stranger, he is a sensitive soul!

    Thorsoak and Daveypac we have used a behaviourist in the past, she just tried to get us to meet friendly dogs in the park, which is hard when my one is barking and lunging! I'm sure there are others/better ones but not sure where to start with that either!
  • This is the reply I got. It does sound positive, but I am sure my dog will fight and i'm just scared of putting him into the deep end (both dog and trainer)!


    Bootcamp is normally 2 weeks minimum as the first week in a new enviroment is about trust building and can take a dog a while to settle in.
    the longest i have had a dog for is 6weeks but she was very nervous of everything and everyone.
    an assessment has to be done on your dog to determine the severity of the situation.

    in bootcamp it is all positive training and your pooch will live with my pack of dogs who have exceptional social skills and are proven stooge dogs. they will learn how to act and think like a dog and help gain there confidence. i have 4 dogs they will be living with.
    on a daily basis your dog will be coming along with me on my morning jobs where i look after a pack of 7 well balanced and behaved dogs to furthur gain social skills. everywhere i go your dog will go and will always have a buddy with him.

    as he progresses in bootcamp i will start bringing him along on jobs with me where i need dogs assistats so he learns how to help other dogs with issues and becomes a stooge dog.

    he will be taken to many different places and situations to help further boost his confidence.

    the reason bootcamp is so good is because they learn to live as part of a pack of dogs.

    once bootcamp is complete i will return the dog to you, give you a run down of all the training and tell you what you need to do to keep up the good behaviour. i will also bring him home with a group of dogs to make sure he behaves the same way on his own territory

    I have had dog aggressive and human aggressive dogs in my house . I also specialist in extreme aggression and work with the dogs no one else wants to.
    dont worry about my dog s they are all trained stooge dogs abd no how to act around aggtessive dogs.
    The reality is and this is more common than you think, when a dog is taken away from the influence of his owner, put in a new environment and confronted by a pack of dogs 9 out of 10 of them dont want to fight and there common sense kicks in.

    I WOULD not advertise such a service if I was not confident I could fix your dog . Aggression and extreme fear are what I excel at abd why I have such a good reputation.
  • Caroline_a
    Caroline_a Posts: 4,071 Forumite
    Has your dog been neutered? If not this might help a little, although it can take several months to take effect.
  • thorsoak
    thorsoak Posts: 7,166 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    This is the reply I got. It does sound positive, but I am sure my dog will fight and i'm just scared of putting him into the deep end (both dog and trainer)!


    Bootcamp is normally 2 weeks minimum as the first week in a new enviroment is about trust building and can take a dog a while to settle in.
    the longest i have had a dog for is 6weeks but she was very nervous of everything and everyone.
    an assessment has to be done on your dog to determine the severity of the situation.

    in bootcamp it is all positive training and your pooch will live with my pack of dogs who have exceptional social skills and are proven stooge dogs. they will learn how to act and think like a dog and help gain there confidence. i have 4 dogs they will be living with.
    on a daily basis your dog will be coming along with me on my morning jobs where i look after a pack of 7 well balanced and behaved dogs to furthur gain social skills. everywhere i go your dog will go and will always have a buddy with him.

    as he progresses in bootcamp i will start bringing him along on jobs with me where i need dogs assistats so he learns how to help other dogs with issues and becomes a stooge dog.

    he will be taken to many different places and situations to help further boost his confidence.

    the reason bootcamp is so good is because they learn to live as part of a pack of dogs.

    once bootcamp is complete i will return the dog to you, give you a run down of all the training and tell you what you need to do to keep up the good behaviour. i will also bring him home with a group of dogs to make sure he behaves the same way on his own territory

    I have had dog aggressive and human aggressive dogs in my house . I also specialist in extreme aggression and work with the dogs no one else wants to.
    dont worry about my dog s they are all trained stooge dogs abd no how to act around aggtessive dogs.
    The reality is and this is more common than you think, when a dog is taken away from the influence of his owner, put in a new environment and confronted by a pack of dogs 9 out of 10 of them dont want to fight and there common sense kicks in.

    I WOULD not advertise such a service if I was not confident I could fix your dog . Aggression and extreme fear are what I excel at abd why I have such a good reputation.

    Mmmm.....check out the pack theory ......not something that I would be happy with.
  • trolleyrun
    trolleyrun Posts: 1,382 Forumite
    Can you ask this guy for references? The proper type, where you can call/visit them? That would be my starting point if I thought about using this service. Then, if the references come up clear (try to get at least 3), I'd go visit the guy if possible to see where he lives and what it looks like dogwise. I'd then take it from there. Good luck!
  • Yes I think I will do that next re references. He has been neutered, at around 11 months old, he is 5 now!
  • krlyr
    krlyr Posts: 5,993 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 13 March 2014 at 4:47PM
    Lots of reactive dogs will be calmer in a big group of dogs - not because they're happy, but because they'be been flooded by what they're afraid of (and may have the sense to not start anything whilst outnumbered!)

    Personally I wouldn't want to take this route with my dog, whilst it may seem effective, if you don't go at the dog's pace you may end up with a dog that is pushed and pushed until it snaps - it's behaviour could end up worsened due to how stressful this method could be IMO
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