I have ordered the 8weeks-8months video as well as the obedience video, but I have a few questions while I wait for them to be shipped.

What should I expect from a 10 week old female GSD? We have had her since 7.5 weeks old.

At this point, what should and shouldn't I be doing with the dog in terms of training?

I know I can't expect too much as she is just a baby, but I also know that I need to teach her something. She can't have the run of the house, chew, pee in the house, etc. What should I be working on with this dog right now?

Read this <:-)

http://www.leerburg.com/trainpupsdirectory.htm

I am a small GSD breeder, and if I still have a puppy left after 8 week. They begin to learn some very simple things. I teach them to wear a collar. walk on a leash, sit and down. I do their schooling at meal time. I cut up some food in small peices and every time the pup does what I ask it gets a peice. I teach them their names at this age also. Pick 1 thing a day to work on and that is it. Once you have one thing most of the time add a new exercise, remember to keep it short and fun. I also start some of my pups tracking at 8 weeks. I also do this at meal time. Again with small peices of food, put one in every foot step at first. Once the pup gets the idea to track for its meals you can spread the food out further. This works great getting a tracking dogs nose to the ground. The most important thing is that your puppy learns to learn. This lesson will last a lifetime. you don't need to put training off because your pup is to young just keep it simple and fun. Hide and seek is another fun game for pups to play and they learn alot doing it. Have fun. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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I have ordered the 8weeks-8months video as well as the obedience video, but I have a few questions while I wait for them to be shipped.......

Right now, you could be establishing markers for such things as eye contact.

Have you looked at this?
http://www.leerburg.com/markers.htm

There's a podcast there (along with the article); you can listen to it right away to get you off to a good (and FUN) start. Just click on it right now and get a 17-minute training session!

Establishing markers does something that you can build your entire training program on: It gives value in the dog's mind to your "yes" when the dog does something you want, and you can start with something as simple and natural as eye contact. The podcast will get you started while you wait for the video.

So there's something you can start right away. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Well it sounds like we are doing very well with our puppy then.

I have her walking on a leash pretty darn good for being a baby. She knows her name and has known it for a while now. She does know "come", but she doesn't always come when asked, but she is a puppy and I know she has a short attention span.

I just didn't want to over do it or under do it with my pup. thanks.

How does one play hide and seek with a puppy I am new to this so please bare with me.

I don't do anything with a pup that young. Get them enthusiastic for treats, spit hotdogs at em to get eye contact, let em chase bugs around the backyard, LOTS OF TIME IN THE CRATE -- pups need their rest and need to grow, they spend most of the day sleeping. Go from crate to outside to crate for potty breaks, that way they learn to go straight outside to potty. Play tug, but be careful with fragile puppy teeth, not too rough, no ripping things outta their mouth etc. No tug during teething. And the #1 thing to do with a pup that age is SOCIALIZE. Take em out everywhere, have em walk on different surfaces on different elevations, over the roof of a car, wet tile floor (on a leash so they don't go running accross it n slide into stuff), grass, dirt, wood, stacked up logs, metal etc. Teach em to carry metal objects in their mouths. I didn't correct for any biting or anything. At 5 months I started basic obedience sit/down/speak/come with nothing but treats or a toy. No corrections. Started bitework at 5 months, but no tugging due to teething, just let em carry the toy... if your dog doesn't have the drive to bite during teething then don't worry about it till the teething is over. I have scratches all over my arms and plenty of torn up t-shirts and pants from puppyhood <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Now she's a lil over 6 months old n she's getting over her biting stage without having to be corrected for it, she no longer hangs off my pant legs or chases my feet when I walk, n I haven't had to correct her for anything. She's perfectly house broken, she will sit/down/speak even if I'm not holding a treat... alotta things just disappear naturally with age if you are able to tollerate them for a while. I don't teach a pup to heel, let em pull all they want, spit hotdogs at em to get eye contact n then work on a focused heel later with a trainer who can show you the proper way to do it. This is just the way I like to do it with my current pup and wish I did it with my GSD, everyone's different, everyone has their own puppy raising techniques, personally I like to let a pup be a pup and use a crate to control my sanity <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I know I tend to forget about the 'mental' development in my puppies while working on the housebreaking and not chewing up everything in the house. And BOTH are something we need to be working on from the second that puppy hits the house if we want a confident and secure adult dog down the line.

These are some good sites explaining what we need to work on for socialization:

http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

http://www.vanerp.net/ilse/GSDINFO/understandyourpuppy.htm

http://www.nwk9.com/early_life_management01.htm

And along with the information posted on leerburg, these are some other good puppy sites that have helped me:

http://home.flash.net/~astroman/primer1.html

http://www.gsdhelpline.com/willis2.htm

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At this point, what should and shouldn't I be doing with the dog in terms of training?

What exactly do you EXPECT from your puppy?

Do you plan to work her or simply keep as a pet?

The two things i train no differently between puppies whether they be working pups or not, is the crate training/house breaking.

The other thing i do similarly, which is (imo) as important as crate training is free line obedience, beginning phase of focus work.

For the first couple of months my puppies eat out of my hand and they work for every bit of food.

NO leash, simply guiding them into position and attaining focus. If they're too pre-occuppied, i.e. not hungry enough, in the crate they go, without supper. Never owned a dog who starved themselves yet...puppy or not!!!

Dogs don't have human mental quirks and will NOT choose to ignore food when they are hungry.

Everytime they come out of the crate is potty time, then work for their meal and a little play time, then in the crate again when i can't watch them.

Once i've attained focus to my eyes and simple exercises, including the house breaking, i then start to feed the puppies out of a bowl vs. my hands, for the vast majority of their meals, but i will always include the "training" feeds as part of their overal meal.

For example...

...if a puppy requires 3 cups of feed, after i've attained the free line focus work, including recalls, house breaking, etc, i might feed 1 1/2 cups in a bowl, but the rest of the 1 1/2 still comes from me during the "doodling (free line obedience)" that i do.

I've found this foundation, to be most rewarding for both pets and working prospects.

Cheers,
Chello...

Email: Mr_Chello@hotmail.com
<A HREF="http://b2.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?&user=Frabo">Visit Longwoods Working Dog Club's Message Board</A>

My list for 10 week German Shepherd pet pup might be:
can they be crated;
can they be tied (to the couch leg while I watch TV);
can they do stairs, maximum three, up and down;
will they chase a toy on a string;
will they chase the bottom of my pant leg, following my right counter clockwise and my left leg clockwise, as I back away from them;
can they follow me, walk up and down the fenced drive with me (little distraction);
usually introduce throwing chains around stock through the fence (throwing at fence);
chains again at front gate (throwing at gate), teaching be worried about gate, don't go under gate and onto rode;
chains speed up bonding process, establish I am safe;
stand with paws on a brick;
introduce a very short game of soccer!

Usually at this age I spend most of my time worrying if they’re eating enough.
My rule is busy household, feed in crate!