New pup could use some guidance. - Page 1

Hi all!  My name is Chris and I am very new to this forum.  First a little background...

I have had a GSD nearly every day of my 36 years of life.  Recently we had to put down our GSD Cassie.  Cassie was the by far the greatest GSD I have ever had.  We really miss her :(  Not long after the passing of Cassie I contacted the breeder from whom I purchased Cassie and our previous GSD (Smokey) from.  We got on the list for a litter due at the end of August.  Not long after that I noticed on the breeders website that they had an ad up for one of their pups that they sold to a family this past June.  The family had to relocate  and could not keep the then 12 week old pup.  Anyway I worked out a deal for him and now he lives with us.  He is a gorgeous boy.  Medium-high ball drive and very strong willed.  When we picked him up he already knew a few basic commands such as sit and shake. 

Now that he is well adjusted to our home I have been working with him 5 minutes 3 times a day on leash outside and off leash inside.  Worth mentioning is that he scores an even split of 2's and 3's on the aptitude test.  He seems to be a bit independent.  It was fairly easy to teach him to speak, release a chew toy, and lay down.  The problem I'm having is that he does not seem to take to the command "come" too well, lol.  It's just strange for me cause I have never had an issue with a GSD with such a simple command.  He also likes to bite, and show his dominance on the sofa.  I guess my questions are:

What is the best method to discourage the playful bite?

What commands should he know by now?  He was born 4/4/12

What should I be working on with him?

Are basic obediance classes (puppy classes) worth it?


My goal is a well rounded dog that my kids can play fetch with and will protect his family with his life.  He must be some what social as well.  Basically a well rounded companion.  I have never had an issue reaching these goals on my own in the past but this guy has a bit different personality than I have ever experienced in a GSD.  It could be I'm just older now and my recollection of puppy behavior is failing;)

Here is a link to his pedigree:  http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=1352959

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Chris
 
  
 



 

Welcome Chris, hope you like it here. I'll give you my 2 cents. Nice looking showline pup you got yourself, and he sounds lucky to have you.

What is the best method to discourage the playful bite?

Usually, most GSD owners would just rather use an acceptable distraction like a tug toy for the pup to bite; so what you are doing is teaching him what is okay to bite, just not you.

What commands should he know by now?

I'd say, if you know how to teach him his manners, great, and anything else is only limited by you. 

What should I be working on with him?

You should be bonding with your pup, first things first.

Are basic obediance classes (puppy classes) worth it?

If you have no experience, yes, they can be worth it, with the right trainer who is a good teacher.

Thanks for the response.  He sure is a gorgeous young pup.  We could not be happier with him. 

I guess my patience is just not what it used to be.  After 10 years with Cassie I may just have forgotten all of the hard work it takes to have a dog who lives to please.  I'm sure he will be a great dog, I have no doubt about that.

I think you are right, we need more time to bond before I can expect him to want to please so readily.


Chris

   

A male will test you more, as a male, than a female likely did. I have seen that a lot. Wives of females I've sold hate them; their husbands think they're the best dogs ever! LOL  It could be a combination of this, his individual temperament, and your different perspective. 

Lol, it could be.  The GSD I had prior to Cassie was a male.  Smokey was very protective of my wife.  Come to think of it Smokey and I had some pack master issues on ocassion.  He was a good boy just a bit stuborn...kinda like this new pup:) 
We will be getting a female this fall from the same breeder.  Things will get interesting I'm sure.

Moved from the GSD forum.

New guy with a puppy! by Hundmutter on 05 August 2012 - 06:08	Hundmutter Posts: 287 Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 08:43 pm Owner edit
At 7 months he is getting a bit big to be allowed to get away with puppy-biting games. Don't set yourself up to fail - yes, get him into a basic Obedience Class; stop him getting up on the furniture COMPLETELY; this is a privilege which you can reinstate later on if you must, but get your basic control established first. A dog who has a strong dominant personality is always going to make you work harder than a more compliant one. Keep on doing the short bursts of training consistently every day, like you described you've been doing. I don't believe there is a 'target list' of "he should be able to do X Y & Z by now"; that will vary from dog to dog and with what order you are teaching in; but I certainly think you should be working on the Recall ! Remember, he's growing up and becoming the equivalent of a teenager, so he will start to test you for his 'boundaries'. This is where the help from a regular Training Class comes into its own ! JMO Linda.
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New guy with a puppy! by Hundmutter on 05 August 2012 - 06:08	Hundmutter Posts: 287 Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 08:43 pm Owner edit
Chris - BTW, I also think there is something in the thing about forgetting what pups can be like, when you've lived with a grown-up dog for a while, a lot of people don't recognise that - so I believe you have the right instincts ! Wishing you the best of luck with this boy, I'm sure he'll come good and you'll have another treasured companion. (Do you wish to do any other stuff with him, Working / Show / CaniX etc etc ?)
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Thanks for the replies!  He is 4 months old though not 7 months;)  I am considering a regular training class.  I think it would be best for him in the long run.  I would LOVE to do both working and show with him but I have no idea where to start and when I explore the subect online it just seems very overwhelming.

Chris

Chris - First step needs to be find out what facilities are in reasonable travelling reach of you - whether Breed, Show or
Working Clubs.  If you have a training class in mind you are already happy to use, ask around when you get there;
and/or put up your general location on here and let local members advise you about what is available .
Next  is to go visit some dog shows and working trials, sit and watch what goes on and get a feel for what  you
like best, think you can cope with, etc.  It will all start to feel a bit more concrete then !  Good luck - enjoy !

Thanks Hundmutter.  I am taking him to a basic obediance class in September.  They also have advanced traing from a retired K9 trainer.  I don't know how far we will go into advanced train or even if my pup is suitable yet.  I'll be receiving some info soon from this trainer.   BTW I live about as smack as you can dab in the middle of PA. 

 Hi Chris,

 Welcome to the board.
 Hope this helps.

 1) bonding

 2)Getting him to know  the different tones of your voice.

 3)Praise and touch, reprimand vocal when necessary.
 
 4)Play the come game. I teach this as a start  of the recall exercise.
    (ensure the dog is hungry and tied to a post.
    Holding a treat move along the end of the lead and call your dog.
    When he comes,don't reach out to him,
    just lower your hand close to your body,to the level of his mouth and reward him.
    Repeat this varying the distance but always stop and stand facing him, before calling him.)

 5)Use a lot of positive training use minimal  physical reprimands.