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serious training for german shephard



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 16th 03, 04:58 AM
Bones
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Default serious training for german shephard

Hi...

I'm the proud new owner of a 10 week-old female german shephard. She seems
very smart and relatively quick to pick up the do's and don'ts, but being
pretty new at all this training stuff I was wondering if anyone could
recommend a web site that will give reliable, detailed info on training from
the ground up. My goal is to have a dedicated family pet that will be good
with children, yet protective of the house and very obedient overall. So
I'm looking for some direction on everything from house-breaking to strict
obedience of commands (in a perfect world I'd like end up with a dog very
much like the police K9's). Does anybody have some advice? The only sites
I see out there offer very generic information and/or want you to pay in
advance for their two-cents.

Thanks in advance...
Rob


  #2  
Old December 16th 03, 05:33 AM
Jo Wolf
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Rob, find a good puppy kindergarden class to start right after the
holidays, then move on to a good basic obedience class. The staff at
the vet clinic can tell you which are the best sources for training in
your area.

In today's home owner insurance environment, you do NOT want to train
this dog in ANY kind bite work except as a sport (schutzhund)... or you
could loose your homeowner insurance. You don't need it... the bond you
will develop (and your wife, too) with the dog through training together
will be sufficient. It would be an EXTREMELY rare situation requiring a
dog to actually do some laying on of teeth.... one in which the dog
would likely be killed or disabled by gunshot, anyhow. A big dog that
barks does all that you are ever likely to need.

Now... if you do want to progress in training to the sport of
schutzhund, note well that this is a very time consuming hobby that is a
year-around outdoor sport requiring specific advanced obedience skills,
tracking skills, and specific skills in personal protection work (which
are Never practiced at home; only on the training field). Train only
with a club or trainer that has titles in the sport.... lots of people
claim to be qualifed, but aren't.

The book _Dog Training for Dummies_ is excellent for background and
getting started, as is _Puppies for Dummies_, but you will progress
faster and better in a good class. Remember that she's a baby dog now
and don't make all of your time together training time; play and groom,
and cuddle... and keep training to short (5-10 minute) sessions several
times a day. Of course, some training IS play... and vice versa...
Concentrate now on getting her out to CLEAN places (until her puppy shot
series is finished... walks in the neighborhood, to friends' homes if
they have nice dogs that like puppies, but NOT pet supply stores yet,
NOT dog parks yet) to meet the maximum number of people of all kinds and
shapes, and just new experiences. Rides in the car to places she'll
enjoy, not just to the vet...

And take lots of photos. Like children, they are puppies for so little
time....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

  #3  
Old December 16th 03, 06:08 AM
Christy
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"Bones" wrote in message
om...
Hi...

I'm the proud new owner of a 10 week-old female german shephard. She

seems
very smart and relatively quick to pick up the do's and don'ts, but being
pretty new at all this training stuff I was wondering if anyone could
recommend a web site that will give reliable, detailed info on training

from
the ground up. My goal is to have a dedicated family pet that will be

good
with children, yet protective of the house and very obedient overall. So
I'm looking for some direction on everything from house-breaking to strict
obedience of commands (in a perfect world I'd like end up with a dog very
much like the police K9's). Does anybody have some advice? The only

sites
I see out there offer very generic information and/or want you to pay in
advance for their two-cents.


Frankly, you do not want a dog like a police K9. Those dogs are specifically
chosen for particular levels of drive and temperament that do not mesh with
the average household, and their training goes far beyond what is needed in
a pet, both in terms of type of training and time and skills for the
handler. What you actually need is a well mannered pet, something that is
not necessarily difficult but will take time and comittment from you. I'm
getting a kind of vibe from your post, and please correct me if I'm wrong,
that you have an idea that you will need to be very hard with your dog in
order to get the results you want, and I don't believe that is the case with
most pets. Instead, you should seek as much information as you can about dog
behavior, what/how to motivate your dog, and how to work as a team in order
to have a happy relationship with your dog. There are multitudes of books
that can help you, and unless your local library is very well equipped with
modern dog books, you will probably have to invest some money in developing
your own library. I'd suggest posting a request on the behavior group for
suggestions on which books to start with, as that is a more highly trafficed
group. You should also investigate the Dog-Play website, particularly
http://www.dog-play.com/behavior.html, which has a ton of links to
information sites, most of which are highly detailed and not pay sites. But
while you are doing that, remember your puppy is just a puppy for a short
period, and enjoy each and every day with your baby. You are training every
moment you are interacting, but sometimes it is best just to sit back and
enjoy your puppy as it views the world around it in the way only a very
young creature can!

Christy


  #4  
Old December 16th 03, 06:40 AM
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On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 03:58:00 GMT Bones whittled these words:
I'm the proud new owner of a 10 week-old female german shephard. She seems
very smart and relatively quick to pick up the do's and don'ts, but being
pretty new at all this training stuff I was wondering if anyone could
recommend a web site that will give reliable, detailed info on training from
the ground up. My goal is to have a dedicated family pet that will be good
with children, yet protective of the house and very obedient overall. So
I'm looking for some direction on everything from house-breaking to strict
obedience of commands (in a perfect world I'd like end up with a dog very
much like the police K9's). Does anybody have some advice? The only sites
I see out there offer very generic information and/or want you to pay in
advance for their two-cents.


YOu really need to go to a class and get in person help. Trying to dog
train from books or video tapes is like trying to learn to dance by books
and without a partner. To efficeintly learn you need the feedback of
someone who (a) knows what you should be doing and (b) is observant enough
to tell what you ARE doing. An in person trainer can help you decipher
dog body language, so you will better recognize how what you are doing
affects her.

And it is vital that you do not overtly encourage protectiveness. As your
dog is growing up you want her to have trust and confidence. If she is
going to be properly protective that will develop at maturity, when
hopefully you will have already taught her that she can trust your
judgement as to who is friend or foe. Until she is mature she needs to be
"young" and able to look to her humans for defense and protection of the
pack.

There is no such thing as being "too friendly" if her temperament is
correct, especially where children are involved. You need to trust that
the neighbor child popping back in to retrieve a forgotten jacket will not
be treated as an intruder and bitten. Exposure to a wide vareity fo
people in a wide vareity of circumstances is critical so that she is
comfortable with differnces and does not treat the guy with a limp as an
enemy.

Your breed is a highly observant one. Failure most often happen because
people aren't aware that the dog pays attention to just about everything
they do and everything is teaching the dog something. Want to make the
dog - dog aggressive? Easy just show her through your actions that dogs
aren't to be trusted and pull her away from any dog she sees. In person
help will help you avoid these kinds of mistakes - it will make you more
aware of what you are doing and the affect on the dog.

Diane Blackman
  #5  
Old December 16th 03, 06:45 AM
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On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 23:33:05 -0500 (EST) Jo Wolf whittled these words:

In today's home owner insurance environment, you do NOT want to train
this dog in ANY kind bite work except as a sport (schutzhund)... or you
could loose your homeowner insurance. You don't need it... the bond you


Actually training in bite work of any kind including sport can cause loss
of insurance. It will also, in some states, change the status of the dog
in criminal law. In those states if an unexpected and inappropriate bite
occurs for the untrained dog there is rarely a risk of felony charges for
the owner. For the bite trained dog, sport or not, felony charges are a
real risk for the wrongful bite.

Diane Blackman
 




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