9 mo black gsd male without basic obedience. Help - Page 4

Hire.a.professional.trainer!

Honestly, dog training is really not as hard as people want to make it out to be. Any layperson can bumble through figuring out when to click the clicker and make progress with the dog.  NO ONE has "perfect" timing yet dogs get trained, what can you do. 

 

If dog training was all that simple, I wouldn't be in business... 

Hahaha. As a pro myself I think so much of it is that dog owners are currently paralyzed with self-doubt, afraid to learn and try things because they've been told it's SOOOO difficult and requires PERFECT timing, which I think is horse pucky. We can see this for certain in the millions of training videos out there. No handler is perfect, not even the ones having great success.

And these "schools for dog trainers" charging insane amounts of money for week-long "certification" courses....it's just getting nuts. Yes certain things are easier for me than for clients at first, like luring, which requires practice of the technique. But it's not super difficult to learn, really.

+1000 on the Sprenger. Much less chance of hurting the dog than a choke collar, and better results with dogs that require more than a flat collar. Because your dog is a "wild child," strong, and not a baby puppy, I'd start with the Sprenger and over time you might be able to transition to a flat collar.

I don't like clicker training. I teach voice and hand signals. My current dog can also pick up on my facial expressions (i have a lousy poker face) and body language without my saying or doing anything. Most dogs pick up on tone of voice, as well as specific commands.

If the dog's previous owner was getting old/unable to properly care for the dog, the dog may have been left alone a lot and only gone out minimal times for pee and poo, and so seriously craves human attention and exercise/fresh air. The need for attention can be a huge plus for training and bath time.

If training is done multiple times a day for short times each time, the training and human interaction become the reward, especially if training is made like a game. The dog will look forward to learning and performing because it's associated with the time and attention he gets from you, as well as being fun. This, in turn, will allow you to train more times per day and eventually for longer and the dog will be more and more motivated to learn and please you. Every time you interact is a bonding experience. The more interaction, the stronger the bond. Do everything you can to anticipate and prevent bad/unwanted behavior so as to maximize positive interaction and bond building.

AKC has a lot of free care, training, and behavior information and help on their website. There is also Good Dog training helpline. IIRC, the one-time fee is less when you register through them. The small fee I paid got me lifetime help with my dog anytime I want it. I think the price has gone up some, but not ridiculous.

There are a few free videos on the Leersburg website that might be helpful.

Congrats on the new family member :-)

Coming in a little late to the chat, but in the beginning, hand feeding helps to create the bond and for the pup to see you as the purveyor of all that's good. While clicker/marker training is effective, its not for everyone. Be patient and persistent. He will get it.

I agree that there are professionals that can and do a very good job. there are also lots of scammers. the novice will not know the difference.

but guess what, if the owner is not trained, in 6 months or less they have the same dog they started with and have to live with.

it's much better that the owner is trained, whether by a professional or simple obedience classes.

of course,
JMO

Rik

My first GSD was a 5 year old rescue that didn't even know how to walk on a leash. She learned very quickly, and after just 5 weeks of obedience classes, scored 175/200 points in an obedience fun match.

My second GSD was 9 months old, and had a real mind of her own. She turned my house upside down!

I learned 10X more training HER than I did my first dog! But within a year, she was heeling nicely off leash, and had a good recall.

And I have a permanent scar on my left hand from a very harsh lesson I learned when I was teaching her that recall! :o

First take a big ole deep breath and relax...any frustrations you feel WILL travel through the lead/leash and straight to the pup! Next get yourself a crate(and nope a crate is not mean...dogs are denning animals, and that crate WILL ultimately become your pups “safe place”. In the meantime the you will use the crate to help establish the pups boundaries. Ditch the choker collar and get yourself a pinch collar, they look big and ugly but they are much safer when used properly that the choker chain. Have someone show or tell you how the pinch collar should be worn, and it does not have to be worn unless you are working on training your pup.

The pup will pick the value of ANY treat you use. Always train when the pup is hungry, it make food treats a bit more appealing if the pup is hungry. Lure the dog into position and AS SOON as the his butt is sitting on the ground, name it as “sit”, then reward. Work on that for a few days, you might have to add a down a stay and a few others just so the dog does not get bored.

When walking your pup this is where the pinch collar will come in handy, because the pinch collar is a kind of self correcting collar, meaning if they suddenly lunge the collar with tighten and it pinches(it doesn’t stab it pinched and the pup will then stop acting inappropriately and that’s when you reward the good/desired behaviors...there’s really no need for an e-collar until the pup knows the obedience cue is done 80-90% with that cue given only once.

Hey, @Max39

How are you and the dog doing? Training?