Emma H

Not to go OT but I am someone who does not believe it is fair to "firmly correct" a dog who jumps up. This is a very normal, acceptable doggy behaviour and physically punishing a dog for jumping up is not necessary. If there are only two people who the dog still jumps up on than it should be relatively easy to fix. Just ask those two people to get on board with teaching your dog some people manners. Ask them that when they see your dog not to interact with him at all unless all four of his feet are on the ground. No eye contact, no touching (including pushing him off), just don't react in any way until he is firmly on the floor. Once he is there they can greet him with gentle strokes and soft, unexcited voices. He should learn that to get the greeting and attention he's craving he must first perform a trick...keeping all four feet on the floor. Because, remember, this is a trick. It's not normal for a dog to see a person and remain on the floor, it is something we must teach them.

I would say that this is one interpretation. I however, see it as a dog not fully understanding what is expected of it. She's probably been "corrected" before and is unsure how to proceed, as she never really knows what she got "corrected" for. "He blew me off" puts the blame on the dog and that's not fair. You have not taught the dog to come to you with a distraction as large as a fleeing bunny. This is on you, not the dog. He doesn't need to be corrected, he needs to be taught.

I gotta say, I rather dislike the phrase "he blew me off" as this implies some thought process and possibly some malicious intent. The dog is telling you that his recall is not proofed enough to test it in the presence of fleeing bunnies. Set up some REALLY distracting environments for the dogs and teach him that no matter what, you are going to be much more rewarding than his environment. If you don't have the time or will to do this, don't call him when he chases a rabbit.

Prong collars are MUCH safer than chokes. They apply pressure evenly around the neck and don't restrict air flow- unlike choke chains. Having said that, I do not believe in the use of either of them and most certainly not on a puppy!!!! Training should be motivated and enjoyable and the dog should not have to fear being "wrong."