Training? - Page 1

I have an 8 month old working line pup that I had hoped to train for Schutzhund, I have not been able to train much lately due to unforseen circumstances and was hoping that he is not getting too old.  Will this set him back any?  Any opinions please.   

alot of things you can do at home, such as obed., tracking and early prey drive building exercises for bite work.  You don't need a group or a trainer to help with these things.  just make a game and as long as the pup is having fun, he will continue to learn. 

You can make a simple game of fetch a complete obed. course for the day.  even tracking can be done as a game!  a game of fetch or even catch and release can be modified into the first stages of bitework training.

Alot of it is common sense on how you handle and correct the dog. 

Thanks, I play with him alot throughout the day, but I feel like he is just running wild!  He is a bit hard headed, and likes to try to do what he wants.  He has alot of prey drive, and he loves to fetch, pretty much anything.  I am just not sure when to really incorporate obedience on him, I have been working on coming when called, cause he gets this attitude like, whatever.  Sometimes he will come right away, and sometimes he thinks its a game of me fetching him!  LOL  He is a bit unpredictable.  Is it a safe age to start cracking down somewhat with the training?  Not harsh correction of any type of course.

First of all you have to teach him what you want and how to behave properly........ you do this with lots of treats and shaping behaviors and luring.. and you could have been doing it from the time he was 8 weeks old.

All young dogs although we want them to grow up full of themselves and confident still need a clear pictureof who is leading the parade so to speak..

So, in answer to your question... no, before you crack down you need to teach him what you want.. he needs to be controlled.. all good things come from you, you are the fair benevolent dictator and nothing in life is free..

I'm sure people are tired of hearing this.. get the book Ruff Love by Susan Garrett and Building Blocks for Performance by Bobbie Anderson, both excellent books written by exsllent dog trainers 

Read about the PreMack Prinicipal... whichh is basically to get what you want you have to do what I want.....