Training Advice - Page 1

I have a year old male German Shepherd I recently got. He was never socialized and lived his life in a pen.
I have had him a couple months or so and he has done a complete turn around and is quite the social dog now and loves to get attention. He's a quick learner and I have decided that I want to try and show him if at all possible. He is AKC Registered, but I am not sure I want to even try and get his papers since AKC has not helped me much on what he needs training in and to help bettering the breed, if I even decide to breed him when he comes of age and I get him tested.
I have searched and searched any sites I could find on what manors and tricks I can personally train, what I need to have tested before the shows, and what all he needs done otherwise.
So far all I have found out is he needs to know Sit, Lay, Heel, Proper on and off Lead Work, and I am guessing Stand and Stay. I want to train him for Agility, which I know some basics that I can do homemade, Obedience, but I don't know all commands needed besides Sit, Lay, and Heel, Schultzhund, and just about anything else possible that he could do.
I am not even sure if he would be good for SchH at all. He has little to no Drive, but he is eager to please me and will fetch if that helps at all, and he is still slightly skittish with strangers and is getting better with each new person he meets but since I can't take him out often it is slow. He also has no desire to do nose work, not even to find his treats. He is active and loves to be around me and the people I live with, and he is quite the obedient dog, but I am, again, not sure what else I can do with training at home as I cannot seem to find anything else that will be needed to be taught. I want to do more than Conformation showing, but I don't have the money to pay for a trainer and figured I can try the training at home, and it is also a plus that I am not wanting to do the shows just for points or anything like that right now. For now I want to do it for fun and if he does great in it then I plan to try and get more competitive.

You need to have done the basic obedience stuff with him before you can take him onto an Agility field, so start there. You need Sit, Down, Stay and Heel, but most importantly Come ! You have to be able to keep his attention on you, and get him back if he wanders off. There are helpful Articles on here, and loads of Basic Training books and videos are available. Keep coming back to PDB, there are sometimes tips on improving particular exercises.

Its great that you can't afford to buy his training !; much better for your relationship with the dog, and for you to expand your dog-related knowledge, if you do it yourself. But there are exercises where you can use help from others in a group, so I would find the nearest Dog Training Club - particularly, for now, one that concentrates on things like puppy education and Ringcraft for showing, i.e. more about 'manners' than an ability to Track or bite a sleeve. Worry about finding somewhere to do the Agility later; a basic DTC will almost certainly get you contacts for all manner of other doggy things, anyway.

You won't be able to enter proper conformation shows, whether AKC or SV, without his full paperwork. So unless you can get them, strike out that ambition.
But I don't know if the US has 'fun' dog shows, Companion Shows, like we have here in the UK ? Something informal, held in a Park or open space, often attached to e.g. a County Show or other public event ? They don't have strict rules and can be a good day out with your dog.

Good luck. And well done for giving him a better life.

There are many books and videos on all sorts of Dog Training...You can go on "YouTube" and see a lot of stuff too...
The best thing...if you have something around you...would be to find a group or a class for Basic Obedience...the best thing would be a Group Class where you can learn different commands and how to teach and re-enforce them...but one of the best parts is the Socialization both with other people and dogs too...

There are many places that would have Dog Training...But I would certainly check at your local dog food place...be it a Pet Store or even a Feed Store...Check and see if they don't have a "post-it" board...Even "Tractor Supply Co." sometimes has boards and/or Dog Obedience Classes...But it would be great for you to find your closest Dog Club...if for nothing else you can go and see what and how they do things...And always to meet new people to talk to and ask questions...

As was said already but if you have any particular questions on what to do please feel free to ask on here (PDB) and someone should be able to give you a hand...

~Bob~