Dog Health Questions: What do you do about other people with your dog?

Here's the situation. I have knee surgery on Monday, so I moved in with my parents because my boyfriend and I are in the middle of moving, and no one takes care of you when you're laid up like momma. However, she's allergic to dogs, so they've both had to stay in the apt. with the boyfriend while I'm here, only coming by for visits. It's been 5 days including monday, and I saw Remi for the first time today. He's a quick learner, and I noticed that he's ALREADY slow on some of his commands. I'd like to teach my boyfriend more about dog training basics, such as one command at a time, never issue a command you can't reinforce, never issue contradictory commands, don't ask for unreasonable things, etc. I'm no expert, but I've gotten him pretty far, and I don't want to see that unravel. I don't think anything is going to be permanently ruined or anything, but the time we spend reinforcing stuff he'd learned, we could be spending moving forward. Today he didn't come the first time I whistled, and that's the one command I'm especially firm with, because it's so important and potentially life saving.

So the question: Any ideas about how to teach him the basics without coming across as ungrateful or a know-it-all? Even better, does any one have any hints for getting him interested in training, too?

We've been dating for almost three years, so we're pretty close, but I don't want to hurt his feelings, especially when he's being so helpful watching them for me.

Thanks!

No-No Dog Training Techniques

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Sweetie, I have been married for 24 years to the same incredible man. He is intelligent, well educated, has great common sense and logic, is a master bow hunter (and maker/teacher) sniper ability marksman, superior at his job......

Lousy with our dogs. Rick is 'come, come, Launi come......Sit! sit, no sit........Off. No, off. Imara, off. Hunter quiet...no bark! Did you hear me? No bark. Maverick, no jump. No, no. Bad girl...'

Anyone who knows me it is one command and one only. Do they listen to me? Yes. Do they listen to him? No. Not usually. I have to come to his rescue.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is your boyfriend may never 'get it'. As long as you do and your dogs respond to you don't try and 'teach' the man in your life.

I have been trying for years. Gave up. Not worth it.

Abandoned Dogs Trained for the Hearing Impaired

• Is he into dogs at all? Show him how training can be fun, I train dogs all the time and I never get tired of it. Maybe see if he'll watch the Dog Whisperer... I don't know... in my experience it is always ten times harder to train the people rather than the dog.


• Never let somebody else train your dog. Your dog should think you are alpha and omega, the source of all things good and bad. Of all pleasure and pain.
  
  Remi will be sloppy but when you're feeling better you can clean him up in no time!
  
  -edit- Ooooh so you mean like...not keeping his training fresh but keeping him...civil? (By civil I mean acting like he has some ****ed sense!)
  
  He could step in and enforce that but honestly? I wouldn't even let somebody do that to my dogs. I'd tell him you let Remi out...you let Remi in. And Remi goes in the crate if he's rude or thinks he's free to break the rules of the house (since his queen is gone). This way like you said: You're not giving any commands you can't enforce because you're not giving any at all! The role of others in the home (especially in your case where you do serious training) should be neutral to the dog. They don't tell him what to do, and he isn't allowed to be rude to them. They simply co-exist. Your boyfriend can satisfy the dog's basic needs without ever asking or telling him to do anything.


• You're a better person than I. haha. I don't trust anyone with my dog!
  Have you tried getting him involved with the training while you are there? If not next time you visit start running through some training with your dog & ask him if he wants to join. Encouragement & showing the success a dog can have with good training usually motivates people to continue down that road.
  At least its only temporary ;)