Dog Training in HRM?

Does anyone know where there is a good Dog Obedience class in the HRM area? I have looked up a few, and they seem a bit ( alot ) out of my price range. Like 300-1000 bones.

I recently got a new pup last night, an Alaskan Malamute (I think). He's a sweetie, but he has marked his territory on pretty much everything and anything in the house. He was just fixed yesterday, so I'm hoping this will stop ASAP! He also has taken a fancy to chasing the cat, any one have any idea how to correct this? I feel bad for my poor kitty who won't come out of the basement.

I can't help with the dog training locals, as I am not from the HRM. But mayhaps with this dog you must go back to basics with the house training. I'd also try umbilical work, (leash the dog, loop leash around waist), this way he cannot chase the cat or pee on something, but more importantly it teaches him that he needs to pay attention to you and respect your movements. I use this with my dogs and it is quite effective.

Also, he is a gorgeous pup, I have an Alaskan Husky. Love the nordic breeds. I would say he is more Siberian Husky, though. Sibs usually have a very dense, short upright coat, where as a Mally is a very dense long flowing coat and they are double the size of a sib (not in height but overall build, its like a hackney vs a belgian)

well you could invest in the national Geographic channel and watch every eposide of the dog whisper.. he's amazing..

I hope to heavens you mean the original dog whisperer and not that crazy ceasar milan fellow. yeesh.

oh I love Cesar and his big dog DADDY............

I like what Caesar is doing for the 'pit bull' type breeds and helping the abandoned abused dogs, but his way of training is setting us back 40 years. Any one who pins a dog to the floor until it shuts down is mentally abusing the dog, call it whatever you like and tell the audience that the dog is calmed and relaxing, whatever, it is what it is. A dog does not understand it has done wrong when held like this. Like horses, its 3-5 seconds, if you disciplined the animal for a full ten minutes afterwards the animal is not going to know what is going on and it will either completely shut off and take the abuse or it will fight back, either way, it is in no way shape or form good for the animal or handler. He suggests this is done to aggressive dogs, and that is a recipe for disaster. There is a reason why it says 'Do Not Attempt These Techniques' at the first of the show and many times through it.

I am not denying that -some- of his stuff is valid. But this whole 'bite the dog with your hand/kick the dog to make him sit/pin the dog to the ground until it shuts down' is really, really not good. He is a happy, bubbly man with a great personality and mind for business. He does do great things, but some of his stuff is absolutely appalling and the fact it hit the mainstream like a flash flood really worries a lot of people. Not just random people like myself, but American Humane Association and the SPCA, and many animal behaviorists and veterinarians. Some of his stuff is really, really not what it is cracked up to be. He has good intentions though and I really hope he continues his great work and abandons those practices and teaches people something half decent.

Now IMO if you are going to watch a show to gain constructive advice from a dog trainer, go with At the End of my Leash, with Brad Pattison. Every hates the show because he's 'oh so mean' to the people, but Brad makes his living as a dog trainer and life coach, and on this show, he is there for the dog and he has a great 'take no sh*t' attitude about it. But his methods are no-pinch collar, no treats, no pinning, I love it. He also has his own dog training school, and upon looking at his website just now: Helena Lotherington and Tara Duffy is a Hustle Up! certified trainer in the Halifax/Dartmouth area. No contact info, alas. But here is the website, maybe you can find something from that. http://www.bradpattison.com/article/nova-scotia

Found it! http://bradpattison.com/page/request-dog-training-help-cet < you have to put in a request, apparently. Worth a shot?

Thanks for all the info!

I do watch At the End of My Leash pretty religiously, though I do feel the show is sometime more about the peoples relationship than the dog at times which I'm not to interested in. He does do a good job training the dogs, and the people I guess lol. There was actually an episode on an Alaskan Husky which looked identical to my pup, which is why I thought he was one as well. Though I'm not sure, he was just found running at large, so who knows! I actually contacted the people in Hustle Up through Kijiji the other day. They are a bit pricey as well.. it was about 25 bucks per session, and I have found some for 15. Though they could be better than the 15 a class, but I'm not the one paying it, so we will see :P.

I've watched the first season of The Dog Whisperer and to be honest I have not had a problem with any of his methods. I have never seen him be abusive to any of the dogs, I feel like he wouldn't have a show if he was abusive. Though perhaps you are right, maybe he gets more rough in the later seasons, as I have only watched the first.

He wouldn't have a show if people knew what they were watching. It does not have to be vile and torturous to be abuse. Cesar Milan uses techniques that focus on forcing the dog to be broken under his will (using fear and intimidation, and often times pain). He does this with a happy smile on his face and says 'Look how calm the dog is now'. I've watched his show, he does things so fluently and happily that they look like they are working. If you understand dog psyche and behavior, it is actually quite disturbing to see these techniques used so readily. Cesar loves to use what is called 'flooding', which is throwing the dog into a problem situation and making it cope. Say your dog is afraid of people, instead of slowly getting it used to people, increasing the number of persons as the dog gets comfortable, Cesar would take the dog to a room filled with people, then employ his other techniques, to 'divert the dogs attention' such as using a prong collar and jerking the leash, or using his hand to 'bite' the dog, when the dog shows behavior that is not warranted, such as reacting normally to the intense fear it is now exhibiting. Finally, if the dog is not making progress, Milan pins it to the ground and holds it there, until it is calm. He pats it and talks to it and removes its tail from between its legs, and it is all done calmly and without fuss, and the dog eventually 'gives up' and stops fidgeting, and when he lets it go it appears calmer. That act of holding a dog down causes the dog to shut down and remove itself from the situation. The dog is not calm, the dog is not cured, the dog had it's spirit broken and is sulking. Repeatedly doing that to an animal results in fear, detachment from it's owners, depression and aggression. Flooding a dog with stimuli also leads to the dog shutting down, hence why it appears to work on his show. These methods to not appear abusive, no, because they are not *physically* abusive at all.

Also, I don't think Cesar Milan has a sweet clue as to what he is doing, I've seen him label dogs as aggressive and fighting for dominance when they really are just over excitable and have terrible leash manners. Anyone who will forcefully confront and aggressive dog or use intimidation of a fearful dog is a loon. Also, I don't see why any knowledgeable person would put a dog on a treadmill using a choke collar to keep them moving, as it is intensely dangerous and could kill the dog (as Cesar and his associates found out when they almost killed a Labrador). Cesar preaches that their are no shortcuts, yet will use flooding to force a dog to 'overcome' a problem, he preaches that owners not get physical with their dogs, yet his favorite methods include alpha rolls, pinning, prong/shock collars and in-your-face intimidation, provoking bad behavior and suffocating the dog until it calms. I might get totally flamed for this, but I liken Cesar Milan to Parelli, in theory, both seem great, however when you scratch passed that you realize the hypocrisy of their teachings and wonder why so many people look at them as gurus and don't see how wrong things really are.

Sorry for the rant, but Cesar Milan infuriates me to no end with how he charismatically will mentally abuse a dog and teaches people to do the same. Props to Cesar for getting people to walk their dogs, for getting them to not let the rule the household, for helping people better understand bully breeds and for helping raise thousands to rehabilitate and rehome dogs in need, but IMHO that should be where he stops. His 'training' nonsense is just beyond.

I wish you the best of luck with your dog, though! I've said it already but I'll say it again, I really love Nordic breeds.

ETA: With your dogs marking territory, I would try for the time being taking him outside onleash and when he pees, give tons of praise. If he pees in the house, tell him no firmly, and take him right outside and praise when he pees. He needs to go right back to basics and understand what is right and wrong. Same with the cat, stop the unwanted behavior with a stern no, and show him wanted behavior. I mentioned the umbilical before and since you watch End of my Leash you know what it is, this will keep him busy and passively teach him he needs to look at you for instruction. And like I said before, he can't pee or cat chase when he is tied to you!

OK THEN.......I GUESS WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU STAND MEGIVOR............HAHAHAHAH :cowboyhound.gi

I love dogs, lol I'm sorry.