A horse trainer once told my wife, if you are not training, you are untraining . This holds true. The ponies have basically reverted to being wild again. I have to go a couple of days ahead of the farrier with carrots to get them haltered .
My dogs, except for vet visits, haven’t been on leash in 3 years. They will pull like the dogs in the picture. I have untrained them by not having them on leash. I have the boxer that has to be restrained because of medication that is fighting me on it right now
I got the boxer as a rescue, because animal control brought it in. They told my wife’s clinic to do everything. The guy was dragging it down the street on a bicycle then got off and punched it in front of a canine cop. The guy spent Labor Day weekend in jail, had to pay over $3000 and had to relinquish the dog.
I spent 2 months building trust with the 4 month old pup. To this day, that dog will get her haunches up and growl when she sees a large Black or Hispanic man. I took her to a training class using the Koehler method (he was the head trainer for Disney).
Almost all training methods use a type of control. Choke chain, properly installed. The instructors at the 10 week class told me I would never be able to train her. Every single week.
I worked with that dog, an hour a day, down at the local park with distractions like bums sleeping. Squirrels were her downfall. The throw chains prescribed in week 8or9 was when I had enough. She was still small enough to squeeze through our gate on a very busy street.
Using an Ecollar was a lifesaver for her. I could tell her sit, stay, walk 200 yards up the driveway, then here. So much for an untrainable boxer.
My labs, professionally trained, will respond to a whistle and hand signals to do a blind retrieve.
To keep up with this level of training, you have to keep reinforcing it.