u/Longjumping-Menu-295

Hello everyone!

I’m considering investing in an online training program (Tom Davis / Shield K9...) to build more reliable obedience for my 2 wolfdogs, especially around distractions and eventually off-leash reliability when possible. I know that may never be realistic for my wolfdogs in all situations, and I’m fine with that—I just want to give us the best chance.

I also have an almost 9-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog who is basically the complete opposite: extremely easy dog. He’s almost “self-trained” in a way. I’ve done mostly force-free work with him, and honestly it’s been more than enough. His recall has never really been something I had to “build”—it just came naturally. He’s very much a velcro dog, always underfoot, and if I stop for more than a couple seconds he’ll just lie down (especially if there’s shade).

The only times he doesn’t really come straight back are very specific: if he spots shade and goes for it, or if he sees the car… which, in his mind, basically means “ok we’re done, let’s go home.” He'll run towards the car, ignore me and sit and wait there 😅...Even after short walks, he sometimes clearly prefers the AC over nature.

Even with early morning and late evening walks, he still struggles a lot with heat. He’s a Bernese, so that’s kind of expected, but right now it’s even more noticeable.

Of course I plan to properly work on recall with him too, including leash pressure and structured exercises, before even considering anything like an e-collar.

But here’s my question: in case of extreme heat like this, how do you approach recall training and obedience work when the dog isn’t really “disobeying,” but more just prioritizing shade / the car / cooling down?

Do you keep pushing for structure and corrections (R- / P+), or do you essentially accept a “lower standard” temporarily for welfare reasons, when training/walking in cooler contexts isn't possible?

I’m trying to understand what “fair but still reliable” looks like in this kind of situation.

Thank you all!

I could really use some training advice and real experiences.

I keep reading that positive reinforcement tends to work much better with wolfdogs than more coercive or correction-based methods. I’m curious why that is—what actually makes them so different from regular dogs in that sense?

I know that in an ideal world, positive reinforcement would probably be the best approach for every dog. But in reality, training isn’t always that simple, especially when dealing with serious behavioral issues where progress can take a long time, and unwanted behaviors can keep reinforcing themselves in the meantime.

In my case, I’ve been training my dogs for about a year using positive reinforcement—I'd say around 95% positive.

It works incredibly well with my 8-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog, who doesn’t have any behavioral issues. His recall came quite naturally, and a simple firm “no” is enough to stop things like puppy biting or other unwanted behaviors.

On the other hand, it’s a completely different story with my two wolfdogs… they’ll basically laugh in my face if they decide they’re not doing something.

Positive reinforcement has still been very useful—it’s helped me teach them a lot of things, especially tricks and general skills. But when it comes to addressing behavioral issues and getting reliable obedience outdoors, it doesn’t feel like it’s enough on its own.

One of my dogs is also reactive and human-phobic, which is part of why I’m considering a more structured approach. My goal isn’t perfection or “obedience for obedience’s sake,” but rather to reduce her fear and build better engagement with me around environmental triggers.

Long term, I’d like to eventually be able to have them reliably off leash in safe contexts—like going for a swim or hiking—just normal, relaxed outdoor activities.

I’ve also started using a prong collar about a week ago, and I can already see a noticeable difference in leash pulling, for example. Since starting, I’ve been able to take them out much more than before. It used to be really difficult managing both of them pulling like crazy at the same time. Now we go out about twice as often, and the walks are honestly much more enjoyable.

I’m also seeing a bit more engagement during walks even in low-stimulus environments, without constantly having to correct or scold them. I’m not seeing an increase in stress levels—in fact, they seem happy and excited to go out for walks.

That’s why I’m looking at an online program like Shield K9, especially their Reactivity + Off-Leash bundle. I like his general approach from what I’ve seen on YouTube, as well as other trainers like Hamilton Dog Training and DIY Canine.

However, he is a balanced trainer, meaning he uses both positive reinforcement and corrections, including tools like prong collars and e-collars.

So I do think positive training is great for wolfdogs, yes—but it doesn’t seem to be enough on its own. And personally, I’m ready to take things a step further if it helps me build the kind of relationship I’ve always wanted with them.

Without trying to change who they are. They’ll always do dumb stuff, they’ll always be a bit more independent than regular dogs, and that’s fine. The goal is just not to be constantly stressed about it, and to actually enjoy them and the whole experience.

So my question is: in your experience, would this kind of balanced approach be potentially harmful or counterproductive for wolfdogs, compared to sticking strictly to positive reinforcement even if progress is slower?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences—what methods have actually worked for you, and what hasn’t?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from people who have experience with wolfdogs regarding frustration tolerance and impulse control training. ​

My mid-content wolfdogs really struggle with managing frustration and arousal. When something triggers them, they escalate very quickly: scratching at doors when they want to go out, destructive behaviour, overexcitement, etc. Even Shunka, at times when she gets very highly aroused, can go as far as “attacking” other dogs — even dogs she knows — before switching into play mode about one or two minutes later (and a few ‘love marks’ left behind 😅). It’s more like she discharges excess energy in a very intense way and then settles into normal social behaviour afterwards. ​

On walks, it becomes even more challenging. They pull extremely hard whenever they want to go sniff something or investigate movement in the environment. I’ve been working on loose leash walking, but in real-life situations they don’t seem able to “give up” the idea once they’ve locked onto something. It feels better with a long line, but of course, it still sucks. ​

It gets particularly intense when they see other dogs. They absolutely love dogs, which makes it even harder to manage, because they will try to drag me towards them at full strength to go and interact. The problem is that most people tend to cross the street when they see us, which doesn’t help Shunka's fear of humans either. ​

I’d actually like to give them more controlled positive interactions with other dogs to make things more enjoyable and balanced for them, but in reality many encounters just don’t happen because people avoid us. When that happens, they can literally pull me for hundreds of meters without being able to disengage. ​

So my question is: how do you work on frustration tolerance and self-control with wolfdogs in situations like this? What has actually helped you teach them to cope when they can’t access what they want, especially in high-arousal contexts like walks or dog encounters? ​

Any insights or experiences would be really appreciated, thank you ! ​

* I use martingale collars but they still choke themselves. And the use of prong or e-collars is forbidden here in France !