Need some advice, Please help! - Page 1

Ok so heres my story, I adopted a 4yr Female Pure Bred GSD named Sage, her owner was a client at the animal hospital I work at and was moving away, I had been looking for a dog, a GSD to be exact and happened to find her when one of the nurses told him that I love that type of dog. I spent several days being with her alone and out in the park and woods to see how she would act, how her behavior was and if she was for me. Well the first day we spent together she jumped in my truck, cuddled up next to me, and has refused to leave my side ever since. Heres where I struggle Im trying to teach her basic commands like sit stay come no and down, I keep it simple only saying the commands and using hand gestures, I both exercise her and feed her before training and take her to a spot where she wont be distracted by anything else. I keep a happy and positive attitude but she just doesnt want no part in trying to learn these commands I reward her when she does with treats and good praise and never yell or hit her when she doesnt perform a task. Shes really a good dog never leaving my side when shes unleashed out side, doesnt chew or destroy anything in the house and sleeps the whole night away with me in bed. i just need some advice or some tips to get her to be more attentive and willing to wanna learn these commands.

Thanks a bunch
Joel K

Stop feeding her before you train.

That'll bring her food drive up, and make her work harder for the treats.

You can also manipulate her pack drive by crating her for a few hours before you train. 

She takes you, and food, for granted.
Why should she buy the cow, when she gets the milk for free?

After just being re-homed she's probably also a little unsettled and distracted right now.  I'd limit her contact a bit and feed only by hand (make her work for her kibble)

Joel, You have not said how long you have had the dog. I would tend to give her a settling in period of a few weeks without training any commands, to allow her to really bond to you. The behavior you describe sounds like she is very upset that her prior owers are gone, and she is clinging to you, but that does not mean she is ready to learn from you. Do you really think she was never trained in any basic commands in her life? Could you find out what words the owners used? Can the vet give any insight into her temperament when living with the original owner? When you start training, I would behave as if she was a pup, with short training session focused on a single command at first, and gently moving her body into position for each command. It sounds like you are doing that, but maybe she is just too upset, not ready to learn. Good luck, and have patience with the poor girl.

Give her time with you and some time away from you and soon she will be excited at your presence. That is when the bonding will start to show and you can start training slowly with short sessions at first with lots of play and reward to start.

Then things will start to click. And it will be very noticeable when it happens. Morning the loss of her previous owner can last for a few days to a few weeks. Patience and consistancy is the key.

Just my thoughts, mahon

I keep it simple only saying the commands and using hand gestures,

???  Kind of sounds like you expect the dog to understand English and sign language!  Do you physically show the dog what is expected of her, by (for example) gently pushing her bottom down, and pulling up on the collar for the sit? Have you trained a dog before? How are you getting across to her just what you want?

i would check out ivan balabanov's methods and make it more play then training.try to find out what toy,tug or object she is most driven by and play with it.u need to make the object come alive/fun when she brings it to u .remember to train a little and play alot at first.  www.trainperview.com   steve 

I agree
I always feed a new Pup from my hand for the first two weeks of having it, the only food it eats comes from my hand, and this is what you should do with this Dog
If you are training Obed do not rush her too quick just get her to do the Sit and Come until she is right every time then move on to the down later,
Do all this with Food, so stop all feeding before she is trained and excersised
So SIT and blieve,  or in your case Stay  then a treat, SIT and stay then a treat when she is doing that  right and keep doing it until she is, 5 to t0 minutes is long enough
then move on to SIT stay, move back three paces still facing the dog, Pause for five seconds, then say Here in a firm voice but not too loud but make the here a longer word, keep the dog on a long line whist doing these things so it cannot go anywhere always work on a line
Once you get the dog to come and sit  in front of you when you call her, move back three paces and so forth
When the Dog is coming as above each and every time, you can then teach it to Foot come around you and Sit at your left side but get the other right first
You only train the dog with food, so do not feed it first, and keep her on a line you are in control not the dog
Steve

She sounds to me like she is very worried that you will leave her, too. I agree with all said above, but would stress that while she is still unsure about her future, she will not be able to focus on anything but where you are, & how she can be as close to you as possible. Give her some time, you said she stays with you, & does not do anything destructive, so it's not like you have any major issues that need urgent correction. Let her develope trust in you. After all, her world has been turned upsidedown. Once she's used to your routine, & has accepted that this is her new life, is time enough to start fine tuning. Sounds like she is a very sweet girl, & well worth your time & efforts. I'm sure she'll want to please you with all her heart & soul, once she gets over her loss. Can you post her picture? Just play with her & let her confidence in you grow, as she learns your vocal tones & body language, she'll start responding to your commands, but give it a 4-6 week warming up period. Have fun, & good luck! jackie harris

You say she sleeps in your bed with you,

She has become an equal now with you, she does not see you as the pack leader...
more like the push over...

She needs her own bed, and needs to not be treated like a baby, or you will ruin a good dog...

Crate train her, or buy her a doggie bed, she will have way more respect for you, and will want to listen to
your commands, as you will then be the pack leader