Posted: 6/22/2009 2:23:11 AM EDT
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Figured I'd come here and ask the experts.
A little background first, wife and I are getting a dog, we have pretty much settled on a GSD, though a Lab is still a possibility. For the purpose of this post lets assume the dog will be a GSD pup. Wife and I both grew up with dogs, she had Greyhounds all after they had finished racing. I had two dogs a Golden Retriever and Norwegian Elkhound, so the GSD is a new breed for me. (though I have been around for there use as military working dogs). With the two dogs I had growing up they were basically free range, grew up in a very rural area and we did some obedience training, just enough to get them to heel and walk on a leash. But they were naturally good tempered and never really misbehaved. They were mostly allowed to run free, and rarely ran off, they would come back if we called loud enough, or we just waited till dinner time. After filling out the rescue forms which asks alot of "What if" questions in regards to training, I realized its been awhile since I did any kind of dog training. So I'm looking for advice in how to train a GSD, specific areas to include House Breaking, Chewing, Digging, Food Protective (had never heard of this till I saw the form), Socialising, Training to deal with kids, cats, other dogs (we have none, but friends have all of the above), curbing or breaking un-wanted aggression i.e. towards friends I plan on taking the dog to an obedience class if I feel its needed, but I'd like to do most of it myself. Goal for the dog is a good family pet, while still protective of me and the wife, and our house. The dog will be a Rescue pup so it most likely won't be a purebred but will have dominat GSD genes (if that makes sense) Thanks in advance |
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Thanks for all the tips.
Do most people advocate crate training? I ask because I've never used it before, the dogs always had there bed, or "there" spot to lay. Also when you leave the dog home alone (for short periods) do you give them the run of the house or do most put them in a certain room or basement. |
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I would recomend it to avoid a chewn up ________ (fill in the blank) however, something will still happen (i lost a corner of a desk and a cell phone/ charger, while I was sleeping and several paper objects were ripped up), be prepared to forgive, the good part is you will be well rewarded for your understanding down the road. I crated mine daily from about 6 weeks until about 4 months, letting him sleep where he liked at night, which was usually his crate located in a separate room and he would occasionally sleep on my floor in my bedroom. Start training early, just for a couple of minute whenever you play, and play as much as you can, if your gonna watch tv, sit on the floor with the dog instead of on the couch, your watching tv, but he is bonding. Introduce loud noises asap, if you dont want to take him to a range just buy some of the little fire crackers that pop when you throw them at the ground. If you dont introduce him early he may forever fear sudden loud noises. Dont abuse him, but dont baby him. By 4-5 months you can treat him like an adult dog with discipline, what you do is up to you, but realize to the dog, a firm no, palm smack on the nose and a displeased look is just as effective and much more productive for your long term relationship than a five minutes with a pipe. You want respect, not fear.
there is so much on training on google, check it out and start reading now, I dont have time to type more, sorry, but enjoy!!! background; I have a 10 month lab/gsd mix from a rescue at 5 week... |
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Quoted:
Thanks for all the tips. Do most people advocate crate training? I ask because I've never used it before, the dogs always had there bed, or "there" spot to lay. Also when you leave the dog home alone (for short periods) do you give them the run of the house or do most put them in a certain room or basement. I'm sure you'll find someone who will disagree with crate training, but I think it is one of the best things you can do. The site I provided above will answer your other questions. |
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Quoted:
I plan on taking the dog to an obedience class if I feel its needed, but I'd like to do most of it myself.
Go to the classes. The dog may not need the classes but you do. Basic obedience classes are more about teaching YOU how to train the dog. agreed - if you are rusty take classes. also crate train. my dog was first crate trained up to 5-6 hours at a time and then relaesed into the house a bit at a time. now she can stay home alone inside for up to 5-6 hours. and as was said watch the leerburg vids. all good stuff. |
| I recommend crate training while they are little just to get them used to it later on. You may never have to crate your dog at home his whole life, but it's nice to have them used to it if you have to put them in one. My guy hasnt been crated since he was 3 months old but all I have to do is say "box" and he goes in like a flash. If he's ever kenneled or has to do a longer visit at a vets office he's probably going to be crated while he's there and it's good to have him not freak out about it. |
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We crate trained our dog until she was housebroken and trusted her not to eat the entire house. We cheated a bit and used one crate downstairs and one up in our bedroom (usually you use only one crate). At about 5 months we didn't tell her to "go crate" one night and from then on nights were free. About two weeks later we stopped doing that completely. She would sleep in the crate occasionally and then stopped doing that entirely on her own, preferring to be with us. No more crate after that. It worded extremely well for housebreaking, etc. but we've never wanted a "crate dog" and it all turned out quite well.
P.S. Contrary to what someone wrote above, never smack your dog in the nose. Scruff shake, butt pinch, something that simulates what a canine would do as a correction (nip, shake), but not a nose smack. |
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The Monks of New Skete specialize in GSD. Excellent book - and crate training is the only way to go:
GSD - Monks of New Skete |
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This right here. Buy the Kohler Method of Dog Training for starters and read it several times, ensure that you understand the principles and the method before attempting to train. The Kohler Methods teach the dog the need to watch you for guidance while instilling confidence in the dog. You will find other methods that get varying results and I will admit that others work but you want your dog to watch you for commands and not be locked into the verbal only cue for food reward. Kohlers methods allow instruction from the dog watching for your verbal, audible and hand commands and for the hell of it, learn German and give the GSD commands in that language. I have used it on Rotties for 20 years and have been sold on its principles. One thing is for certain........you have to put yourself in the mindset while using this method. "up like a rocket and down like a parachute" LMAO |
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Crate training is good to do but won't make or break your dog. I own German shepherd dogs as well as train them myself, none of them are crate trained but they do have a "place" command where they will go sit on their bed.
With a GSD, you have to prevent bad habits from forming by giving them a job to do; A bored GSD is a very destructive dog that will find something to do, this is not the kind of dog you can buy and throw in the backyard and expect it to be a guard dog. They will be naturally protective of their territory and family, so unless you want to go through formal protection training, it is already instinctual for your dog to do this. A well-socialized dog can be protective of your home while being friendly or indifferent to strange dogs/people when on walks or out in public. Since you are planning on adopting a puppy you should definitely get in some good socialization for the pup, some good ways to do this are to go to puppy socialization classes, take a puppy obedience class where there will be lots of other dtrange puppies and people for him to meet, or even to sit out at the mall entrance and naturally people will be attracted to pet a puppy or give him treats you provided. Do not take your puppy to a dog park especially if it has not completed its parvo vaccinations series. I choose not to vaccinate but since you are adopting they will likely require you to. In my opinion dog parks are not a good idea anyhow because of the risk you run in trusting that everyone else there has a well behaved dog. I would advise to set up playdates with known dogs. When introducing your dog to new dogs, it is best to do it while walking on neutral territory. The best way is to take both dogs on a walk without having them meet face to face. Walking is a great way to remove tension or if any aggression begins to rise. While on the walk they will become more comfortable with each other as well as tire out a bit so introduction will go smoother. Some quick tips for do-it-yourself dog training: -With puppies, keep training sessions short and exciting. Always end on a high note to give the pup a boost of confidence as well as to keep his interest level high during training. This way he will become more attentive during the sessions, eager to work, as well as help form a better bond with each other -Correcting a dog is different from punishing a dog. Never ever punish a dog, never hit your dog, never hurt your dog. Corrections are sometimes mistaken for punishment, especially when using training tools like the prong collar. Your corrections should NEVER hurt your dog or cause it to shut down (ears down, tail between legs, cowering, fearful behavior) -Never train when you are angry. If you are getting frustrated, give your dog one command you know it can do well (for example, a simple sit or shake), reward him, end the session, and cool down. -Do training exercises before you feed your dog if you are using food rewards. He will keep his attention focused more on you if he is hungry. -Repetition is key. Don't get mad with your dog, if it takes upwards of 50 times to practice a command before he learns it then do it. Say the command ONCE (don't beg or plead him.. i.e. "Sit.. Fido sit... SIT... SIT DOWN"), give him a chance to comply, if he will not obey during an exercise you have three options: manipulate, ignore, or wait. Manipulate him into the correct position &reward, Ignore him for a minute and come back to try to repeat the command, or wait til he sits and reward ("Good sit!") -Distractions are the most important part to bulletproofing training; You should start training in a distraction-free zone (quiet room in your house), move to an area with small distractions (backyard), increase to moderate (front yard), go a little bit higher (small park), and once you feel really confident your dog can succeed in a high traffic area like an amusement park or busy park you may go there. -GIVE YOUR DOG A JOB!!! Don't let your dog get bored, walk him, work him, interact with him, make him part of the family. German shepherds are NOT good outside dogs at all. If you have any questions just send me a message or respond here and I'd be glad to help you along your journey, I realize your post is a little old but no dog is too old to be trained! |
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This has worked very well for the three dogs I've had. Just don't train in view of your soccer mom neighbors 
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Quoted:
Crate training is good to do but won't make or break your dog. I own German shepherd dogs as well as train them myself, none of them are crate trained but they do have a "place" command where they will go sit on their bed. With a GSD, you have to prevent bad habits from forming by giving them a job to do; A bored GSD is a very destructive dog that will find something to do, this is not the kind of dog you can buy and throw in the backyard and expect it to be a guard dog. They will be naturally protective of their territory and family, so unless you want to go through formal protection training, it is already instinctual for your dog to do this. A well-socialized dog can be protective of your home while being friendly or indifferent to strange dogs/people when on walks or out in public. Since you are planning on adopting a puppy you should definitely get in some good socialization for the pup, some good ways to do this are to go to puppy socialization classes, take a puppy obedience class where there will be lots of other dtrange puppies and people for him to meet, or even to sit out at the mall entrance and naturally people will be attracted to pet a puppy or give him treats you provided. Do not take your puppy to a dog park especially if it has not completed its parvo vaccinations series. I choose not to vaccinate but since you are adopting they will likely require you to. In my opinion dog parks are not a good idea anyhow because of the risk you run in trusting that everyone else there has a well behaved dog. I would advise to set up playdates with known dogs. When introducing your dog to new dogs, it is best to do it while walking on neutral territory. The best way is to take both dogs on a walk without having them meet face to face. Walking is a great way to remove tension or if any aggression begins to rise. While on the walk they will become more comfortable with each other as well as tire out a bit so introduction will go smoother. Some quick tips for do-it-yourself dog training: -With puppies, keep training sessions short and exciting. Always end on a high note to give the pup a boost of confidence as well as to keep his interest level high during training. This way he will become more attentive during the sessions, eager to work, as well as help form a better bond with each other -Correcting a dog is different from punishing a dog. Never ever punish a dog, never hit your dog, never hurt your dog. Corrections are sometimes mistaken for punishment, especially when using training tools like the prong collar. Your corrections should NEVER hurt your dog or cause it to shut down (ears down, tail between legs, cowering, fearful behavior) -Never train when you are angry. If you are getting frustrated, give your dog one command you know it can do well (for example, a simple sit or shake), reward him, end the session, and cool down. -Do training exercises before you feed your dog if you are using food rewards. He will keep his attention focused more on you if he is hungry. -Repetition is key. Don't get mad with your dog, if it takes upwards of 50 times to practice a command before he learns it then do it. Say the command ONCE (don't beg or plead him.. i.e. "Sit.. Fido sit... SIT... SIT DOWN"), give him a chance to comply, if he will not obey during an exercise you have three options: manipulate, ignore, or wait. Manipulate him into the correct position &reward, Ignore him for a minute and come back to try to repeat the command, or wait til he sits and reward ("Good sit!") -Distractions are the most important part to bulletproofing training; You should start training in a distraction-free zone (quiet room in your house), move to an area with small distractions (backyard), increase to moderate (front yard), go a little bit higher (small park), and once you feel really confident your dog can succeed in a high traffic area like an amusement park or busy park you may go there. -GIVE YOUR DOG A JOB!!! Don't let your dog get bored, walk him, work him, interact with him, make him part of the family. German shepherds are NOT good outside dogs at all. If you have any questions just send me a message or respond here and I'd be glad to help you along your journey, I realize your post is a little old but no dog is too old to be trained! This is very good info. If I might add to this: Dogs don't think like we do! We need to understand how they think because they don't have the capacity to think like we do. If you get into their way of being it gets much easier to get the results you want. One big thing to remember is that they don't understand the english or french or german language. They react to your stimulus (a word )no different than a hand signal or a blast of a shock collar. I think that understanding how THEY think and interact is the hardest thing for new "trainers" to understand, it is the missing link. If you watch very experienced trainers they seem to know something the less expierenced don't and I believe that they have figured out how to speak dog if you will. Not undrstanding this is what causes the frustration when you can't get a result from the dog. Think about going to a foriegn country and your unable to speak the language and you have no interpreter or guide. Now compare that to going to France and you are already speak French and you have a map. GO LEARN TO SPEAK DOG AND HOW THEY THINK AND INTERACT! Where you ask do I learn this? Well two people that I respect alot on this piece are Ed Frawley @ leerburg and Cesar Millan The Dog Whisperer they are very good at teaching you to understand dog. you need to remember that dogs are wired to use their nose first their eyes next and their ears last and and we tend to want to talk to them which is the least effective form of communicating with them. They are watching your face intently so use that to your advantage. They are very much into posture as that is how they let each other know what they are thinking and feeling and they are very very aware of sutle differences in movement. They notice little things like which foot you start to walk with and competition trainers use this to their advantage. People talk about how dogs seem to know how we feel or what we are thinking and they do know because they can smell how we feel as we give off hormones and ferimones and chemical traits that tell them exactly how we feel and we don't generally conscienely notice. A huge part of dog culture is social order and with dogs someone has to be in charge (the alpha or the pack leader)and if that is not you they will rise to the ocation and that is were the problems develope. If you are committed to being the pack leader than your life and their life will be much more orderly and calm and as far as traing goes it will be inifnitely easier on both of you. Again learn from Ed and Cesar as this is "what they figured out" and are able to teach to the rest of us. These are the kind of things that I mean when I talk about speaking dog. OK I'm feeling long winded so I'll close this but learn all you can before you start so you don't teach the wrong thing without knowing. A class is good to keep YOU on track. It really isn't about a few commands or tricks it's about an understanding and trust between you and your dog you know being on the same level and then it almost happens on its own. Good luck Blocker |
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well my answer isnt going to be that long....J/k
anyway I started my GSD off with the crate, Its a must if your not going to have someone in the home all day.. I took the dog to OB first to test her learning abilitys and to socialize the dog Socialzation is as important as anything for a GSD , they love to HERD thigs, they will chase smaller dogs cats rabbits etc, if they are not properly socialized and OB trained at about 9 months I took the crate out but left her bed, its her place and she knows to go there to sleep, when company comes over etc. after her Basic OB, I took on her training myself till about 1 yr old, at 1 yr I took her to search and rescue training (several different classes over the years)after that and the rest is history so to speak. +1 on teaching your GSD german or spanish or some other language than english, It does many things helpfull besides the cool factor which is high.... but anyway... yes on OB yes on crate Look into advanced OB and agility or something like that. |