Updated Photos and Info of Kai - Page 2

I love the feathering by ears one of my males had that and my wife would clip it sometimes but he caught everyones eye when it grew out

Awesome pics and handsome pup!!

One little tip that greatly helped our pup when he was mouthy was leaving the room. Not everyone would have to leave the room, only the person that he was mouthy with. Soon he learned that biting or being mouthy would result in no play and no attention. Our trainer said that giving your pup a toy (too soon) to subside the mouthyness, in a way, is rewarding the pup. Giving him a toy makes him think that, "Hey, this is what I need to do to get my toys". Plus, when pups are little they will learn to stop biting from their siblings in this same exact way. Once another pup is bitten he will leave and overt his attention to something else, ignoring the pup who bit him. However, some GSD's are sold in the earlier 7 wk period and don't catch on which leaves us to deal with the problem.

Also, my pup is 7 months now and I have noticed that he is more alert at night as well. During the day he will bark when someone is near to alert us, yet at night the slighest sound will alarm him. We always make sure to praise him before correcting. We will tell him "Good boy" or "yes" because having a GSD - protection is a big key, so you do not want him to ever lose interest in alerting you. Yet, if he consistently continues to bark after he gains your attention, he needs to know that it is not okay. We taught our GSD the word "enough". "Enough" signals that it is time to stop barking, that we have the situation under control, and things are okay.

Good luck!

--Brittany

* I wanted to also add that once we began leaving the room and shutting a door behind us for a few minutes when our dog would bite or be mouthy with us - the problem was solved. Sheperds are smart and they pick things up quickly - especially when in training. So the several times of us leaving the room and ignoring him was all it took for him to realize that being mouthy was not okay.

Oh my goodness britney your dog is fabulous! I love love a solid black mask. Everyone's advice is much appreciated and very helpful. Britney, I was wondering how you would train the "enough". Because I do shush him when he's on the porch and he'll stop (most of the time) but as soon as I leave he's back at it (at least at night).
BTW I will admit I've fantizied about trimming his ears but he's so hyper I think I end up cutting him! O_O Plus he's good-looking either way.

Aww! The long hair on the ears gives him character! I love it! Koda had sap on the tip of his right ear that would not come out - not even with goo gone -  so I regret removing the hair because some has yet to grow back!! It's pretty much unnoticable, unless you point it out, though.

When training it is always important to be firm. Sometimes never works because a well trained dog should listen on first command only. Never reward the dog for saying something twice to him. If the pup does not stop his wrong doing - consequences must be implemented so s/he will learn that I must not continue or I will lose some privleges. Nothing harsh, though!!!

Our pup knows the word "park it" so when he misbehaves we always tell him "park it" if he does not listen to our first command. (Park it means go to your spot - which for him is his dog bed - and sit/lay there until we say his release word - "free"). So when teaching him the "enough" command, we would try to remove him from the situation to deter his attention while saying the word "enough" only one time. That way he could pick up on the word and know that he must focus his attention elsewhere and quit whatever he was was doing -- whether barking, being obnoxious or full of high energy. If he did not listen on the first commad - it was followed with "park it" which he knew was for misbehaving. Soon he began to listen to "enough" so he would not have to deal with the consequence. But if you dog does not know how to park it or go to his kennel on command, just simply removing him from the situation should help him to learn that the behavior is not all right. Queuing a word should come after the dog learns the skill. Repitiion of consistently saying the word will make your pup immune to it and it will never click.

Gotta run - otw to Koda's training :D Best of luck!

Nice pup ...  At home, we follow "pack protocol" and discipline is meted out much like an alpha bitch would dole it to her pups.  If we're out for a walk, I let them have their head to sniff around.  If there is any reason  to heel them while on a walk, then I do it.  If we're working, it is all work.  It works well for my pups and they do mind well at home.

Eventually, age will help to settle them down a bit.
 

Thanks for the advice! I try to go by pack order but I think I need to learn even more about it. :) Also, will start removing him from situation more promptly when he doesn't stop. :)