My Schutzhund Class - Page 2

while it is true that some dogs dont "wake up" till they get a little older, i like to stack the deck in my favor.  pups live inside for a couple of weeks till they are crate trained, then they get moved outside.  time away from you will make some dogs want to be with you that much more. 

i heard someone say once,,"i dont want my pup in the house all the time because i dont want them to grow up in a world of "NO".  such as

no dont bite that, no you cant climb on that, no you cant chase the cat

when they are older and have some obedience i will start bringing them back into the house.  most of our dogs are sport/competition dogs.  pets are raised slightly different.

john

Sorry John but I think your point was mostly horse dung.

A dog can live inside a home and still compete and train, whether PP, Schutzhund, PSA or any other dog sport. Living quarters dont make a dog, genetics & training does. 

Pup can be a late bloomer, give it some time, But is there is obvious prey drive lacking even at 12-14 mo or other necessary drives, your dog is not a candidate for sCHh work. Certainly can do other things. Ive seen a few like this, not everyGSD can compete. Doesnt mean anything bad. S&R, THerapy, herding, agility all can be done in pace of..

prey drive is extremely important in a sar dog. Do not think it is a substiture for a dog who lacks drive for Schutzhund.

I agree with  Uglydog.  It has been a fad off and on for quite some time to kennel/ crate dogs to "increase their drive". The better dog can manage life and work -it does not have to be a onehorse act. Besides wth kind of life is that for a dog living in a crate just so you can compete in a sport.

Kitkat 4 months is way to young to be making life decisions on a puppy. Often at that age they change from day to day and week to week. The other issue here that no one is talking about is this business of starting and pushing and overtraining young puppies. It's like the human protege's who flame onto the scene as a 5 year old and are burnt out and history or worse by the time they're 13. Give your dogs time to grow up. There is a lot that can be worked on w/o heavy handed training and drilling. This is a great time to start tracking. Teach articles off the track here is a great article on a method that can be used with very young puppies http://www.juliapriest.allk-9.com/article_articles.htm. Build the foundation for V quality obedience by teaching focus and attention and a straight front sit ( all in very very small doses but done very very frequently). You don't necesarilly have to be  concerned w/ formalizing time and effort on these - catch them doing it right and reward that. Had a young male who was a horrible forger but in the house I had a very short narrow hallway where he always put himself in perfect heel position. So I put the word to the action - all 5 steps of it and that was the foundation for a much improved heel. Don't foget to make sure they have time to just be a dog and that they get a chance to go all out to release their energy and get the "juices" going, That is very important for both their physical and mental health.

Many strong powerful SchH dogs had minimal exposure as a puppy - just enough to expose them to the game - were given time to grow up and do other things and came back like gangbusters at 14 mo - 2 years.I know it is not fahionable in the SchH world to do that because everyone is in such a blooming rush to trial their dogs but my personal view is I like the slower maturing dogs - they live longer for one thing- and I like a grown up mind that will not just get locked in prey etc. Years ago this intensive puppy stuff was never done. Also how much of this grows out of the increased presence  of Mali's and the need to desenitize them to everything 'cause they don't have the nerves?

In the herding world it is not at all unusual for a dog who ends up being a top trial dog to initially show NO interest as a young dog (and occassionaly being afraid esp if they were tested w/ scary flapping birds like ducks or geese). Then it's like they wake up one day when there older and it's all there.

Finally IF in the long run your girl does indicate that SchH is not her thing - the beauty of having GSDs it that they are so talented in so many areas - go out and find what does turn her on. It could be tracking, obedience, herding ( my all time favorite), agility, flyball, dock diving, being a therapy dog etc etc. The point is enjoy life and enjoy her - that's what dogs are truly about.

Quote:  Also how much of this grows out of the increased presence  of Mali's and the need to desenitize them to everything 'cause they don't have the nerves?

If you have to socialize a Mal, then it is junk. If my input isn't enough, then there is a Bart Bellon article floating around that says the same thing. I do not care if it is a Mal, or a GSD, I am not about to bother with a dog that needs "socialization".

Anything that needs this should be put to sleep, or put in a pet home.

Time to raise your standards folks !

All pups get socialization in one way or another.  It is part of the growing up process.  From the tme it hits the ground the bitch starts teaching what is acceptable and what is not..  Whether it is the right socialization is the question.  If you want them to be well behaved and focused you must turn them in that direction.