Hello Everyone!

First off I would like to apologize in advance for the long post ahead but I am new to training and new to GSD's in general. Before I get too ahead of myself here and ask the questions though I would like to give you a brief history of how this all got started.
I am currently deployed to the desert and will be for another few weeks. Earlier this month my wife rescued a 11 month old GSD from a home that was about to have to give him up due to not being allowed to house him anymore. We currently live in base housing and she has him in the back yard which is not very big, but big enough for him to stretch his legs and use the bathroom. We also have neighbors that have fences that come directly up to ours on 3 directions. One of them has a lab which is a whole other story in itself, but to fit this story it is atleast a distraction for Kizer (our GSD). He currently barks during the night hours and up until early morning when my wife gets up and starts moving around. The neighbors have already started talking about this, but it was already a problem with the lab so I dont think this is a big issue. We dont want to be the neighbors with the barking dog though. ALso he has a tendency to walk my wife instead of the other way around and he also has been tearing everything up in sight. I have had several dogs during my 26 years but never have trained one before. I began looking into these behaviors of his and stumbled upon this site and some of the wonderful things that Ed has written. This is how I became interested in training Kizer. Now that you know the background lets get into my questions if your still here.

My wife has bought an extra large dog crate in which we think should be the first step for correcting his behavior and getting him on the track of being a great GSD. My first question though is because he has had free reign on the yard and with her during the first few weeks is it already too late to establish pack structure and crate train? Second question would be should she start this training now or should she wait until I get home in a few weeks and have me start the training with him? Also since right now im in the military and my wife is planning on going back to work soon, should we even crate train since it will be hard to check on him during the day? If we end up working the same schedule then we would be gone from about 7 to 5 everyday. Also if you have any other general tips or knowledge for a beginner like myself I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Hi, Timothy,

Others will see your post and help too, I am certain.

I would like to recommend that your dog start sleeping inside right away and end the nighttime barking at the other dog. That's a bad situation for the neighbors and for the safety of your dog once people become frustrated from lack of peace. It IS a big issue, no matter who else has a barking dog. You are correct to want to end it immediately.

I'd get Ed Frawley's video number 302 right away and watch it a couplke of times. It's not JUST basic obedience; it's "Living with a Dog 101," IMO.
http://www.leerburg.com/302.htm

I'd start reading Pack Leadership articles and/or listening to Ed Frawley's podcasts today.
http://www.leerburg.com/dogtrainingpodcasts.htm

Scroll to The Groundwork to Becoming Your Puppy's Pack Leader (but I'd listen to all of them).

You came to the right place.

No, it's NEVER too late to establish pack structure. I'm not just parroting that; I'm telling you as someone who (like most people) had to learn to be a pack leader. You can make changes in one day. On one walk, in fact.

There's so much free info and instruction here and on the Leerburg main site that you don't have to waste a second; you can order the DVDs and read and listen while you wait for them.

You'll love having a well-trained dog..... I can promise you that.

 Quote: timothyemeott

he also has been tearing everything up in sight.

A lot of this will decrease with plentiful structured exercise and training. Tired dogs are happy dogs, and they are less destructuve and quieter, too.

Connie,

Thank you for your help. Do you think that he should only sleep in the crate at night or should this be a all the time thing except for when training/walking like what Ed talks about in the pack structure for adult dogs Ebook?

Hi Timothy, welcome to the board and congratulations on the new dog!

Don't worry, it's never too late to start the ground work and training. The pack and rank issues are the easiest things to solve since they are all instinctive behaviours for the dog, as opposed to training, where you actually have to teach and educate the dog.

Your wife can certainly do the ground work herself, before you get back. She needs to have the dog respect her and look to her as a higher ranking member of the pack.
As for the training, it's probably best to have one person be the trainer. Once the dog is solid on the commands, you can teach others in your family how to give the commands, corrections, praise etc. so everyone is perfectly consistent.

Being trained by multiple people at the same time can confuse a dog.

Keep the dog inside the house in a crate at night. He may not like it and bark his head off, but Ed is clear on how you deal with that. The dog will learn, as long as you stay firm.

The pulling your wife along on walks is also an easy thing to correct. Get a prong collar for the dog, fit it properly, and the problem should be solved.

Here's Ed's article on how to fit the prong: http://www.leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm

As Connie mentioned, the basic obedience DVD has excellent advice on it for first-time trainers (heck, even if you've trained dogs before it'll come in handy!).

The initial stages of training are lots of fun so I'm sure you and your dog will both enjoy it. It's all done with motivation, food and play. It's a great way to build a bond with a new dog

Here's the ground work article, if you haven't found it yet: http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm

Also, your wife should probably read this as well, since she's the one currently dealing with walking the dog: http://www.leerburg.com/dogparks.htm

An important part of being a pack leader is to stay in control during walks. This means keeping the dog on a leash (or long line), not allowing him to pull on the leash, and it's also the pack leader's responsibility to drive away strange dogs.
You can't earn a dog's respect without doing these things.

The prong collar is usually enough to self-correct a dog that pulls. It's much more humane and effective than a choke collar.
Make sure it's fitted properly though; it should fit snugly up on the neck, behind the dog's ears. If it hangs low on the neck, it won't work.

If the dog continues to pull with the prong collar on, here's what to do:
(1) dog is pulling
(2) you say "NO" in a calm firm voice (not a mad voice)
(3) if the dog backs off, fine, give calm praise
(4) if the dog ignores your "NO" and keeps pulling, give a quick pop or jerk of the leash
(5) if the dog reacts and stops pulling, calm praise
(6) if the dog ignores the correction, then the correction wasn't hard enough. Let's say you started with a level 3 prong correction (on a scale of 1 to 10) and the dog ignored you. You would then repeat the "NO" and this time, give a level 7 or 8 correction
(7) the dog should give a visible response by yelping and backing off on the leash pulling

Dogs that have respect for their pack leaders don't pull on the leash and they know this. If you give a hard enough correction, the dog will instinctively understand that you're reenforcing your position as a pack leader and he will behave himself on walks.

I'd also recommend getting the following DVD: http://www.leerburg.com/301.htm
or at least reading the following article on dominance: http://www.leerburg.com/dominac2.htm

Your dog may not be dominant at this point, but Ed has super insight into dog behaviour and issues of pack order and rank. It's amazing how much you will improve your bond with your dog after following these steps. Earning the dog's respect with fair but strong leadership is the best thing you can do for him


And finally, I know this is a lot to absorb at once, but here's the most important thing you can do for your new dog's health: http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm#feed

Don't worry if it's a bit of an information overload at this point. We all feel that way when we first come across this website, haha.

Just take it all in and eventually you will discover how wonderful and fun it is to raise and train a dog the right way.

Best of luck, I hope you keep us updated on the progress that you and your wife make with your new family member

Yuko,

Thank you very much. I have read a few of those articles so far, and have been trying to get the wife to atleast listen to the podcasts if she doesnt feel like reading the articles. Your advice is greatly appreciated and I will make sure to update you all soon.

Connie gave you some great advice on where to start fixing your problems. But as you're reading this mountain of stuff, remember not to get discouraged. Ed is the expert with years and years of experience and hundreds of dogs. Most of us are not going to be able to do everything right. Even Ed admits that he makes mistakes. In fact, on one of his videos he does something wrong and then says, "That wasn't the dog's fault, that was my fault."

So don't get discouraged! Don't try to do too much all at once. You'll screw up, the dog will forgive you!

On the walk: Does the dog pull you, or only your wife? This could be fixed by establishing pack order and also a prong collar wouldn't hurt.

The night barking: What Connie said! Bring the dog inside. This dog probably has separation anxiety and is an unfamiliar place, it's understandable but he should be with his family, IMO, to get some quiet, yes, but also to increase your families bond with the dog.

Anytime you're not home, the dog should be crated or kenneled. However, if you're both gone for very long hours...can you get a dog walker? This is a high-energy dog and keeping him pent up for so long is going to produce a very frustrated dog that will tear stuff up to release energy! You have no idea how many times it's been writen on this site that a tired dog is a good dog! A lot of exercise will fix A LOT! And don't think that a mile walk is going to be enough for a dog that's in a box all day!

This is purely my preference, but I do not crate my dogs all the time (unless I have a dog that's not housetrained). He stays with me. My dog is my companion and I want him with me. He follows me around the house from room to room and this tells me my dog has bonded to me and views me as a pack leader.

If you have a dog you're training for Personal Protection, the rules are different than for a household pet.

You'll get a lot of advice here, and some of it is conflicting because everyone has dogs for different reasons. Choose what suits you.

Good luck!

PS- Do you know if your dog is showline or working line? It makes a difference, IMO. I would read up on your breed if you're unfamiliar with German Shepherds. And don't forget...as big as he is, he's essentially still a puppy so heap on the patience!

Edited to say: Sorry, was posting at the same time Yuko did...didn't mean to say the same thing twice.

As for the crate issue, the important thing is for you or your wife to be in control of the dog at all times when he's inside the house.

A great way of doing this is to have your wife "anchor" the dog to her when she's inside with him. Put a leash on the dog, have her clip the leash onto her belt or tie it around her waist, whatever, and make him follow her around the house.

Wherever she goes, he goes.

That way she'll have him under her supervision at all times (no worries about accidents inside the house, or destroying furniture, clothes etc.).
Also, this will teach the dog that she is his leader.

He should not be allowed on furniture, or in the bedroom at this point. If you get everything under control, maybe you can reconsider the bedroom thing, but that should be an earned privilege

When she's too busy to be watching the dog or gets tired of having him tied to her, then have her put him in his crate.

The important thing is to let the dog know that you are ALWAYS in control of what he does and where he goes. It's a wonderfully effective and non confrontational way of teaching him his place in the family and of bonding with him.

On walks, he should always wear a prong collar and be on a lead so he doesn't have the opportunity to misbehave in the first place (by running off, getting into stuff he shouldn't be getting into, harassing other dogs and people and so on).

It sounds like your dog is just lacking manners from not being raised properly, so it shouldn't be too hard to fix it using those methods
It really doesn't require a lot of force or corrections, which is the beauty of the ground work. Letting the dog run wild and then having to give him harsh corrections is not a good way to gain his trust and respect.

If the dog turns out to be very dominant, you may have to follow some of the more drastic measures outlined in the dominant dog DVD (like being very aloof with the dog and not playing with it or petting it unless it earns it, having it kenneled all the time, and so on).
Doesn't sound like you'll be needing to go that far though.

Again, good luck!


Edit: once you get home and you start training the dog, the basic obedience DVD that Connie linked to is an excellent place to start.
If you find that you and the dog really enjoy the training (I'm sure you will, shepherds are a lot of fun to train!), and you decide you want to step it up a notch, you can move on to more advanced work.
I have this Leerburg DVD and love it! http://www.leerburg.com/304.htm

It teaches you attention exercises (how to get the dog to focus on you during training), how to get the dog comfortable in the front position (very useful when you start teaching the "come" or more advanced heeling work) and how to teach high level heeling.

All the training is broken down into very logical and intelligent steps that are easy to follow. You use food to teach most of it and it's a lot of fun for you and the dog.

It's also far better training than what most obedience classes offer, and by the time you're through with the program, you'll have your dog ready for competition-level heeling.

Ok I'm getting a little ahead here
You still have all the ground work to do, and the basic training... this fancy advanced stuff is a lot of fun, but probably not for the immediate future, hehe.

Tell your wife to join this board!!

Aren't we all just full of info? Another thing...if the dog is tearing stuff up, get something for the dog to chew on. Marrow bones are my personal favorite but a filled Kong works too. Dogs that are bored are destructive.