dog problem

[muppeteer]

i took my 4.5 month old westie for our 3rd trainng session yesterday. when the trainer was walking to heel the dog was looking at me, so he started shouting at puppy & yanking on the lead so hard that puppy was yelping. he continued to do this so the puppy tried to bite his hand. the trainer shoved his hand in my puppy's mouth. i told him to stop as there was blood running down puppy's beard- he has bit his tongue & maybe even hurt his gum (am waiting for vet appointment in 2 days to get checked). now puppy is acting a bit timid & wont eat his food- he backs away if i try to put his lead on for a walk & now he has got a runny rummy. could this be the stress of what happened or is it just a coincidence?
also what do you do about the upset tummy before you can get to the vet?

[jules77]

The poor soul, what an awful experience, that kind of treatment is so unnecessary, especially with a young puppy. I guess you arnt going back to the same dog training club? I know a dog shouldnt bite, but you cant blame him if he was being strung up and was obviously in considerable distress to have bit his own tongue.

I am not surprised he is timid and doesnt want his lead on, as he knows what happened last time, poor thing, you are going to have to be very gentle with him for a while.

I would think he has got diahroah through the stress of what happened....normally you would starve a dog for 24 hours, but as it is not food related, it may be ok if you tempt him with a bland diet of chicken and rice or chicken and fish for a few days.. Do you have any Kaogel for digestive upsets and is he drinking?

[Kleiber]

Oh, poor little thing!! I hope you NEVER go back to that "trainer"!! If he/she is registered with any of the dog clubs or Kennel Club, I'd report him/her. That's just downright cruel. Of course your pup was looking at you - you're his owner and the one he looks up to. I hope he's OK, just give him lots of cuddles & hopefully he'll soon get over that terrible experience. Good luck. K xx

[muppeteer]

thanks for your answers. i have already told the trainer i am not going back. toby is drinking water & has just had a little bit of food after a gentle walk. will keep an eye on him.
have never heard of kaogel- can puppies have it?
(never had a dog before, so this is all new)

[jules77]

I have given it to puppies from 4 months upwards, it is dosed according to weight. Always worth keeping something in for tummy upsets. I have also used acidophullus tablets available from health food shop, that can be given to very young puppies without any harm too.

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=pro duct_info&cPath=5_145&products_id=906

[leelapops]

Oh muppeteer, poor Toby. That kind of treatment is totally uneccessary, and isn't training at all, just instillment of fear. You need to complain to his regulating body; if he doesn't have one (in fact, even if he does) write to the paper, inform your local vets so they don't recommend him, and spread the word among dog owners too. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near dogs!
Your pup is a good boy to be looking at you while he is walking, that is just what should be happening. It shows he looks up to you in the metaphorical sense too.

Please don't let this lie, 'trainers' like this man need eradicating...they rely on people who don't have a lot of experience, as they are least likely to challenge their methods.

Take it easy with Toby, as has been suggested, and make sure good things happen on walks (lots of fuss, praise and treats!)
Give him a cuddle from me x

[bigmamma]

Oh muppeteer , poor Toby , bless him . I hope his mouth is feeling better and he will feel able to eat again soon. I do hope a formal complaint to the appropriate authorities has been made by you , to stop this so-called trainer in his tracks . Not very nice for you to experience this when you have done the right thing taking your puppy and yourself to classes.xxx

[wolf63]

It's a pity that Toby didn't take the guy's hand off - what a stupid way to train any dog - more so a puppy.

I hope that you find another trainer and Toby forgets this terrible experience.

Best wishes.

[888sally888]

Report this trainer for their awful outrageous behaviour.

I would be furious if someone treated my dog like this.

[shivvy]

Poor little pup.
Not only do these type of people fail to train dogs, but they can make them nervous and fearful of all sorts of thing ie leads, people, walks etc.
Please, please make a complaint about this person to all of the bodies that others have suggested. Go to as many people as possible. I would suggest that his treatment of your pup was downright cruel and for that reason I would also make him and huis training classes known to your local RSPCA. His practices may need to be investigated, plus there may already be complaints lodged against him and your complaint would be enough to keep him away from animals if deemed necessary.
If this person thinks it is ok to treat a vulnerable little puppy like this in front of the owner then who knows what he would do to dogs in private.
Hope your wee pup goes ok at the vet. Give him a squeeze from me and a lick from my pup!

[muppeteer]

thankyou for all your advice- happy to report toby has got a bit of bounce back in him now after all the fuss!