Just bought show/Sch1 Dog as pet - need advice P2 - Page 1

Part 2… First, the dog hasn’t come home yet – we pick him up on Sat – having chosen to board him with the person who brokered the sale so we can get the house ready. I guess most of our questions are related to fact that since he is transitioning into a “house/pet dog” role (from show/SCH) – as far as training him to respect the household rules do we go all of the way back to puppy training with him? OK, some of our questions include: 1. Heeling. The person handling him (a trained handler) knew the fuss command (he was German) but the dog has a strong pulling issue. According to the broker it is just because he was a show dog that was encouraged to pull on the lead to look “motivated.” Also, this was at an entirely new facility (the dog was 2 days off the plane) and we first saw him while a breed survey was being conducted. The broker (a accomplished trainer and breeder) was very certain with a little training that we’d be able to get him under control – but also advised us against any discipline for the first several days while he bonded with us. This I’m uncertain of – as we’ve got to be able to walk him at least. 2. Bathroom issues. The dog is almost 3 years old but has not been a 24/7 house dog. I don’t know if he was kept in a run or inside – but I’m guessing run most of the time. From what I’ve seen they let the dog’s each have a turn inside the house for a while each day (during which time they don’t eliminate) but they aren’t in there for extended periods of time. I’m wondering the best way to establish BR etiquette. We’ve bought a 5’x5’ magnum kennel for him for when we are away – but we’re wondering if we need to do some sort of puppy/crate training with him to get him on the right track with elimination. On this topic, we’ve been advised to not let him have the full run of the house initially – which sounds like good advice. What do we do with him however? Crate unless we’re interacting? 3. Cats. We’ve had reports that some people have no problems, others lots. We’re just wondering the best time and process to introduce them. We’ve been told we need to bond with the dog for at least several days before correcting him – but the cats are “mine” and he’s going to need to learn at some point that he’s got “stuff” and I’ve got “stuff” and - he leaves mine alone. With regard to “stuff” we’ve been told about the “trade” exchange – but say for example he’s got my cat – I’m not planning on “exchanging” for something so prohibited in the first place – if I’m wrong on this et me know. 4. feeding. We have no idea how he’s been fed to this point – do we do the puppy thing with trying to desensitize him to being handled at this point? I guess we’re wondering where to start. There are plenty of books on raising (training) puppies – but none for something like this. This is an adult dog bred for show and breeding, sch titled and is now transitioning into a household role. We again don’t want to “screw him up” but at the same time, while continuing with SCH would be fun, his primary objective comes first – even if it diminishes his show/SCH abilities. Thanks for the advice, -Calvin

Cats... we have two and it took us months for our young puppy to finally relax around them and not chase them. However, when we brought our older dog home after buying him, we had to start from scratch. I won't allow him to approach the cats yet, as he seems too exciteable around them. For the most part, our cats are scared of the dogs, and stay upstairs. Each dog will react to cats in a different manner, but I do not reccomend allowing your dog to approach your cats until he is settled in. Use a baby gate to keep your dog confined in a smaller area so that the cats, if they even approach, can get away. Maybe you can keep him on a leash so in case he lunges after the cats, you can grab him. Just my two cents, maybe others have had better experiences with this.

Kennel him and let the cats and him get use to each other in a secure enviroment. Kennel the cats and let him approach them and correct him if he goes after them. Give this a lot of time. Even is it looks safe, give it more time. The leash idea is a good one, However, they move so darn fast. You need to go to sch with him, you and your wife hanlde him. Only if to learn how to call him off. That will help with the bonding and Alpha role. Do not give him the freedom of your home, it does not sound like he has been exposed to family life, long term. To much freedom and "loving" will give him the signal, "he is the boss", and you may not like what he decides to do, There is plenty of time for that later. Take your time get to know him and he you.

All these questions should be unnecessary here. The person that imported the dog for you should address every single issue for you and help you out there. Since the dog was recently breed surveyed I assume the dog is still very young. So he is not as set and routined in his training as an older dog would be. You need to understand that there is a huge difference between SchH training and the obedience on the SchH field and for everyday situations. Few dogs ever get commands off the field. Bonding: I always recommend that you NOT feed the dog for the first few days, rather put his daily ration of dry food into your pockets and hand feed the dog throughout the day. Every time he comes to say hello, sticks his nose under your hands and puts his head into your lap, and most importantly - whenever he looks at you - he gets a treat. Coming to you and staying around is literally going to a "treat" for the dog. He also learns very quickly where he belongs. First though, you need to determine who is going to be the primary person this dog should bond with. Other family members should keep in the background in the beginning. Respect: is the next thing the dog has to learn. He is not heeling because you are just a tie-down point at the other end of the leash for him at this moment. He needs to learn to respect you, look at you, pay attention to what you are doing. You need to set boundries and most of all be consequent. If he is supposed to sit, he needs to sit and not be allowed to wander off. If he is supposed to heel, he has to do it, and not be allowed to sniff here or there instead. You need to be firm, but fair. Since he seems to be a young dog, do not expect a robot, but keep training sessions very short. 5 minutes in which he has to obey, then let him be again. Increase the number of mini-training sessions until you know how this dog works with you. If you want to maintain his current training level you need to maintain the training on a regular basis. It is a common misconception that the dog will maintain what he has learned forever. You need to keep him up to snuff. Example: How much of Algebra, unless you happen to be among the few that use it on a daily basis, do you still remember and if you had to take your algebra final again today, how well would you do? Cats - correct approach by stating very firmly that they are "yours". Never had a problem with getting new dogs used to cats, have (ab)used my neighbors cats for that and has always worked. They are used to dogs mind you and have neither fear nor respect for them. That helps. Feeding - most good premium dog foods will do. I personally recommend Eagle. www.eaglepack.com. The Original Adult Formula, or if too rich the Natural Formula. Stick to feeding instruction on the bag, and adjust food up or down depending on the dogs condition. If he is getting fat you are feeding too much, if he is getting too thin you need to feed more. Time of year and activity level may make adjusting the amount of food necessary as well. I always recommend feeding 2 times a day

cont... BR issues - If the dog does not soil his kennel, housebreaking should be easy. If he soils the kennel potty training will be a bit harder. Keep an eye on him, watch if he starts to wander about the house while sniffing. If in doubt take him out more frequently as first appears necessary. Get the dog on a routine. Usually dogs have to go after they have slept, after they have eaten, after they have played. So keep that in mind. And then put him on a potty schedule. Do not praise while he is going, it may cause him to stop before he is done, you then take him back inside and he has to go again in a short while. And no, a male does not have to lift his leg everywhere. Keep a few chain collars in your pocket and throw them his way when you think he is lifting his leg. Say nothing. The sound of the metal collar hitting something close to him, or even him (won't jurt him) on occasion will dissuade him quickly of lifing a leg inside the house. And he will not associate it with you quite so quickly. I never allow a male to lift his leg close to the house on the outside either, because a male's urin has a very strong smell. They have their assigned potty areas. If the dog is sleeping in the house with you, decide where he should sleep (probably bedroom), then tie him to that area at night with a few small bells on the leash. It will wake you up every time he moves. If he is just rearranging himself, everyone can go back to sleep. But if he pulls and moves about excessively chances are he has to go out. He will also learn that he needs to wake you in case he needs to go out. And he will learn where his sleeping place is supposed to be. Crating - I would never leave a dog that has not been house trained to roam the house unattended. There are too many things the dog can get into. Same goes for the car. Start leaving him alone after he feels comfortable being in the house. Then only a few minutes at a time, and stretch out the time more and more. Never make a fuss over leaving, or over coming home. Not even a praise. Treat it as something normal that you simply expect to be happening. Later you can start praising the dog, and get into a greeting routine. If you do this in the beginning you make the dog anxious for your return and could set him up for bad habits (destruction, scratching, barking etc). Overall you are probably too worried. Be firm, be fair, be consequent, and have lots of fun with him. One more thing: If you have small children, you need to assign a retreat area to your dog that is OFF LIMTS to the children when the dog chooses to go there. That is his quiet place when he wants to get away from it all. And never leave children unattended with your dog.