May 19, 2011
Our 5 month old dog isn’t interested in tracking. What can I do?
Full Question:
Ed,I have a 5 mo. old GSD female named Dixie. I have had her for about a month now. Dixie is already about the size of our 2 yr old GSD Sandy.
When we got Dixie, we put her in with the other GSD and rott. They get along great. Question is, I am wanting to train Dixie in SAR work like our other GSD, and Dixie is not wanting to pay attention to me. My husband does not want Dixie in house, so how can I bond with her without having her in the house?
Our jobs also hinder the idea of having pooches in the house. I spend as much time with her as possible, but it doesn't seem like it is working. I am considering getting a personal obedience trainer to help Dixie and I. Dixie has an excellent play drive, which is one reason why we chose her for SAR work. When I work with Dixie, I walk her away from kennel and other dogs to eliminate distractions. This still doesn't seem to work. I'm running out of ideas, please help.
Tiffany
Ed's Answer:
My obvious question would be why do you need another dog? It would seem like you have enough irons in the fire for your current life style.
You need to change the way this dog is housed. If it can not be in the house, it needs to be kept in a separate pen and not allowed to have social contact with the other dogs when you are not there. This dog looks to the other dogs (not you) and her buddies. This needs to stop and the only way to do it is through separate pens. If this is not possible then get a dog crate and crate the dog when you are at work. For an adult dog this should not be a problem. Just do not feed her before you leave and then stick her in the crate.
There is a small possibility that your dog can not smell properly. This can be easily checks by you and your husband taking the dog to a new place in the country. You go out and hide in a field (where the dog can not see you). Make sure the wind is blowing from you into the dogs nose (you are up wind of the dog). When your husband gets the dog out and walks it towards you, we will see the dog get into your odor cone. On a day with a slight breeze, this will be some distance from you (it can be as much as several hundred yards down to 50 yards). If the dog has a nose problem its not going to react to your odor cone.
If you separate the dog into its own private pen, then you need to obedience train the dog. This is going to improve the bond and teach the dog to work for you. My personal feeling is that you would be better off with my Basic Dog Obedience video than a personal trainer. Take the dog as far as you can yourself and then if there are still problems seek help. But at this stage a personal trainer is putting the cart before the horse.
You need to change the way this dog is housed. If it can not be in the house, it needs to be kept in a separate pen and not allowed to have social contact with the other dogs when you are not there. This dog looks to the other dogs (not you) and her buddies. This needs to stop and the only way to do it is through separate pens. If this is not possible then get a dog crate and crate the dog when you are at work. For an adult dog this should not be a problem. Just do not feed her before you leave and then stick her in the crate.
There is a small possibility that your dog can not smell properly. This can be easily checks by you and your husband taking the dog to a new place in the country. You go out and hide in a field (where the dog can not see you). Make sure the wind is blowing from you into the dogs nose (you are up wind of the dog). When your husband gets the dog out and walks it towards you, we will see the dog get into your odor cone. On a day with a slight breeze, this will be some distance from you (it can be as much as several hundred yards down to 50 yards). If the dog has a nose problem its not going to react to your odor cone.
If you separate the dog into its own private pen, then you need to obedience train the dog. This is going to improve the bond and teach the dog to work for you. My personal feeling is that you would be better off with my Basic Dog Obedience video than a personal trainer. Take the dog as far as you can yourself and then if there are still problems seek help. But at this stage a personal trainer is putting the cart before the horse.
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