hello, i have a 11 wk old GSD. i have owned and titled adult males in the past and have been involved in schutzhund for years but puppies i have never been good with. because of my young kids i was talked into buying a pup. he is a good dog, i like everything thing about him but i have one problem. when i let him off leash which i do occasionally so he can have some freedom because my living situation does not allow me a fenced yard. when he is off leash he basically ignores me when i call and does not want to come back and when i have to corner him or grab him through a bush i am just making matters worse. he has gotten to the point where he hides from me which tests my patience. i have made the mistake by correcting him harshly when i get him back on a leash i will admit which has just made things even worse and i know is wrong. i know the simple answer is to never let him off a leash. but is there any other options? i dont want him to get to the point where he is afraid to come to me which is the direction i feel like im going and may be there already. how can i reverse this mistake i have created? like i said i have much better luck with adult dogs. i hate to say it but i do not like owning puppies, if i can just just make it until he is a year old without ruining him i will have done good. any feed back would be appreciated. thanks.

Chris, order 1 of these videos ASAP...

If this pup is to be a family pet, get:

http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm

If he's to be a sport/working dog, get:

http://www.leerburg.com/117.htm

While you're waiting a few days for the DVD to arrive, do NOT let your pup offlead & please, NO more terrorizing him with harsh/rough punishments -- Also read all the following:

http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm#workpup

Common sense says don't let him off leash. If you don't like puppies then don't own one. Its not fair to the dog if you yourself admit that you don't like having it that young. And buy the way, there is absolutely no reason you should ever harshly correct a dog that young. If you cannot get over the thing you have with puppies, get rid of the dog. It is that simple.

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I hate to say it but i do not like owning puppies, if i can just just make it until he is a year old without ruining him i will have done good.

Not good enough. No one just gets by until the puppy "goes away" and becomes a dog. You have already lost control (not that you can't get it back), and by just hanging on, what do you think you will have when the puppy becomes an adult? Raising this puppy sounds like a tremendous chore to you, so I would suggest you rehome it soon and, if you still feel you need a pet, look into an older dog that already has some obedience training. JMO.

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Common sense says don't let him off leash. If you don't like puppies then don't own one. Its not fair to the dog if you yourself admit that you don't like having it that young. And buy the way, there is absolutely no reason you should ever harshly correct a dog that young. If you cannot get over the thing you have with puppies, get rid of the dog. It is that simple.

And meanwhile, training the recall is NOT a miserable chore. If you train it right, it's fun and bonding for both of you.

Until he has a reliable recall, he cannot be off-lead. Period.

If you have ruined a certain recall word (maybe "come"?), then I recommend a new one with no correction associations.

You asked how to reverse what you have done. That's how. Start over with a new word and make the recall something he wants to obey above all else in life, with playing, treats, praise, and petting all the results of coming to you.

http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showf...rue#Post4183079

http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showf...rue#Post4181980

You can do this. It's easy, once you reset your mind to making the recall a joy for this puppy. If you must rehome him (and it does sound like a good idea to me too), you can at least give you and him both some good experience in the meantime, and teach your kids something forever valuable.

*Mod Note*

Chris, I removed a duplicate post of the exact same message that you placed in the puppy area.
Please do not post the same message in multiple areas of the forum , that is considered spamming and is against forum rules.

Will Rambeau
Moderator

In addition to all that advice, how about a long line? You can get them at lengths of 20 feet or much longer, that way your pup has some freedom to romp and you have the ability to control.

I'd also suggest marker/clicker training to keep training sessions fun and positive. Pups learn very fast with this method.

A neat trick: If you chase after your pup, it will think it had initiated a game you're now participating in. Try getting your pup's attention by clapping and acting excited and running backwards. Most puppies will flip a switch and bound after you, you can turn it into a short chase game, and when the pup finally catches up to you, dump some praise on it! At that age, the pup still has a strong instinct to follow that you can capitalize on just by walking away from it. Never, ever, EVER correct the pup when you finally get it back to you! You've already figured that out but it bears repeating.

Stay positive, don't look at this as a chore. Raising a pup will teach you a ton about training and behavior and you will end up missing this stage when it's gone.

Sounds like it is the puppy that needs the help. With you feeling the way you do, I agree that you should rehome him.

Peggy
TX

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because of my young kids i was talked into buying a pup.

How old are your kids? If they're old enough, perhaps the puppy can be their responsibility? It's my opinion that kids, provided they're mature enough and the dog has bonded to them, can raise a puppy to be a good and obedient dog. Especially with German Shepherds which tend to love kids and bond well. I had the sole responsibility for a German Shepherd pup when I was 11, and even competed with him in obedience. He stayed my dog until he died. Children often times have the time, patience and dedication to an animal that adults often lack.

If your children don't have the maturity, or if they're too young to take care of a puppy, then give the pup to someone that won't harm what seems like a wonderful, normal pup. If this is the case then I have to ask why young or immature children have the power in your household to convince you to take on a responsibility you clearly don't want? I don't mean to sound harsh, but remember, the dog is also just a baby. It looks to you to feel secure.

Best of luck to you and your pup.

Try using a 20' or longer lead. You can let him run free, but still be able to get to the end of the lead if he decides to play keep away or hide and seek. Then you just reel him in while using your recall command. It's much easier than chasing him, and a lot less stressful too. At 11 weeks old my dog responded perfectly to "come" when inside. Outside ... not so good. He's nearly 10 months old and I still keep a lead on him in my fenced backyard so I can get him if he decides he'd rather play chase than come to me when I call him. The other night he decided to play keep away with a ball. I calmly walked up to the long lead, stepped on it, and waited for him to deliver his own correction. After that, for the rest of the play time, he came when called.

Dogs aren't people, they are dogs, but they have an awful lot in common with children. Be patient with the puppy like you are with your own children. You have the advantage of being smarter (just like you have with your own kids.) You can get through this.