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by nikkavy on 22 September 2012 - 17:09
Hello,
I'll soon be bringing home a new GSD pup, between 8 and 12 weeks depending on when I'm able to pick her up. I hope to be able to work with her to obtain CGC and possibly do some tracking or agility if either of those turn out to be a good fit for her.
I have currently a white shepherd (12 yrs) adopted from Humane Society around 18 months, worked with a trainer on basic obedience for about 18 months in Florida, and she is an angel even in her old age. No aggression with dogs/cats/kids/ferrets/horses and doesn't even do much if nipped by another dog. On the other hand she's not very protective and has never had much drive of any kind. She never quite got the distance recall down, but we live in the city so she is always leashed around anything dangerous. I've always had trouble keeping her focus which is part of the reason for her poor distance recall. My trainer was very focused on positive reinforcement, but we did use a prong collar (carefully and gently, the noise from the chain was the main correction) and she instructed me for the most part to reserve food for difficult tasks (this hyper dog was so motivated by affection that human approval worked fine). I know some don't like the prong collar but our dog took to it right away, never strained against it (she had a hard time learning "Heel" as she was so distracted by everything) or acted like it bothered her. In fact she gets excited when it comes out because she knows it means a nice long walk.
Previously adopted a 5 yr old GSD who was sent to "away school" before coming to live with me. Perfect obedience, attentiveness, loved to fetch balls, sticks, excellent distance recall. Very protective, but became wary of *everything* in her later years in spite of continued socialization & working within her physical limitations. She eventually became a bit of a fear biter and had to be kept separated from most other dogs (by age 13).
Now I'm looking for a trainer for our new pup. I keep hearing that positive training is empirically supported, etc and that is very attractive to me, with a graduate degree in psychology. However I wonder if my ability to perfectly time the clicker/rewards will be a problem (I can be a bit of a klutz and have had a hard time with the clicker before). Like others I hear of, I wonder if positive only will be enough to be sure my dog responds immediately, even if she's just eaten her dinner or is not particularly food motivated. I've read a lot of posts on this board that suggest mostly positive for young puppies until a certain age, then moving on to some correction at a later age.
I'm interested to hear any suggestions on working with the new pup so that I end up with 1) a good balanced family dog who is as safe as possible and 2) the possibility of doing some hobby level competition with her, as well as any suggestions or comments you might have on Seattle area trainers. Most of the places I'm seeing that get good reviews are strictly positive only and I'm not sure if that will be enough for a strong-willed GSD.
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions, and my apologies for the super long post!
Cassy
I'll soon be bringing home a new GSD pup, between 8 and 12 weeks depending on when I'm able to pick her up. I hope to be able to work with her to obtain CGC and possibly do some tracking or agility if either of those turn out to be a good fit for her.
I have currently a white shepherd (12 yrs) adopted from Humane Society around 18 months, worked with a trainer on basic obedience for about 18 months in Florida, and she is an angel even in her old age. No aggression with dogs/cats/kids/ferrets/horses and doesn't even do much if nipped by another dog. On the other hand she's not very protective and has never had much drive of any kind. She never quite got the distance recall down, but we live in the city so she is always leashed around anything dangerous. I've always had trouble keeping her focus which is part of the reason for her poor distance recall. My trainer was very focused on positive reinforcement, but we did use a prong collar (carefully and gently, the noise from the chain was the main correction) and she instructed me for the most part to reserve food for difficult tasks (this hyper dog was so motivated by affection that human approval worked fine). I know some don't like the prong collar but our dog took to it right away, never strained against it (she had a hard time learning "Heel" as she was so distracted by everything) or acted like it bothered her. In fact she gets excited when it comes out because she knows it means a nice long walk.
Previously adopted a 5 yr old GSD who was sent to "away school" before coming to live with me. Perfect obedience, attentiveness, loved to fetch balls, sticks, excellent distance recall. Very protective, but became wary of *everything* in her later years in spite of continued socialization & working within her physical limitations. She eventually became a bit of a fear biter and had to be kept separated from most other dogs (by age 13).
Now I'm looking for a trainer for our new pup. I keep hearing that positive training is empirically supported, etc and that is very attractive to me, with a graduate degree in psychology. However I wonder if my ability to perfectly time the clicker/rewards will be a problem (I can be a bit of a klutz and have had a hard time with the clicker before). Like others I hear of, I wonder if positive only will be enough to be sure my dog responds immediately, even if she's just eaten her dinner or is not particularly food motivated. I've read a lot of posts on this board that suggest mostly positive for young puppies until a certain age, then moving on to some correction at a later age.
I'm interested to hear any suggestions on working with the new pup so that I end up with 1) a good balanced family dog who is as safe as possible and 2) the possibility of doing some hobby level competition with her, as well as any suggestions or comments you might have on Seattle area trainers. Most of the places I'm seeing that get good reviews are strictly positive only and I'm not sure if that will be enough for a strong-willed GSD.
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions, and my apologies for the super long post!
Cassy
by Bhaugh on 11 October 2012 - 01:10
I posted a while back if positive training could be had for a competition dog. Most of the responses were no, at some time the dog will need more than positive only training. I believe this as well. Puppies get all the good that life has to offer from me until those pesky teen years when they think they should get their way. Or for the few who have tried to take it from me.
I use treats alot when pups are small then change to a toy if treats are no longer working or I want to change things around so food doesnt become the only reward. This is only my opinion but I also think that other than lots of socialization and basic manners, heavy training should be timed with the dogs desire to step things up. I think puppies need to be puppies and most cannot hold attention for very long. Its hard to remember that when what you see on the outside is bigger than whats happening on the inside.
Find what your pup likes and work on that foundation. Some dogs like scent work (like a golden I have) and just thinks its a great game. Makes training fun and rewarding. Others may like the obedience part and excel at that. I think knowing what your dog likes sure makes it easier then you can work on the things you like and hopefully the two of you will compete and do well.
Barb
I use treats alot when pups are small then change to a toy if treats are no longer working or I want to change things around so food doesnt become the only reward. This is only my opinion but I also think that other than lots of socialization and basic manners, heavy training should be timed with the dogs desire to step things up. I think puppies need to be puppies and most cannot hold attention for very long. Its hard to remember that when what you see on the outside is bigger than whats happening on the inside.
Find what your pup likes and work on that foundation. Some dogs like scent work (like a golden I have) and just thinks its a great game. Makes training fun and rewarding. Others may like the obedience part and excel at that. I think knowing what your dog likes sure makes it easier then you can work on the things you like and hopefully the two of you will compete and do well.
Barb
by jbenzmiller on 29 October 2012 - 22:10
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northwests-Working-k9s/182733301757531?cropsuccess
They use both the positive and more... Their dogs are well rounded dogs, no matter the breed.
They use both the positive and more... Their dogs are well rounded dogs, no matter the breed.
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