I have a new 5 mo GSD female that I became the proud parent of about a month ago. She is by far the best puppy I have ever had. The only real issue (and I wouldn't necessarily call it an issue) is keeping her attention in training. She is not motivated by much of anything which is posing a bit of a problem for me teaching her new skills.
Has anyone else run into this situation??
P.S.- I know she is only a puppy and I don't expect her to focus fo more than a few minutes per session.
Hi Krystina. The only thing that would keep my female GSD's attention for enough time to train one command when she was that age was food-real pieces of ham, turkey, or a really tasty treat that she goes crazy for. Try to find a favorite toy/training item that she really likes and build her drive with that-that way when you train she's in drive and will listen a whole lot better than out of drive(another thing to trust me on.)
Jenn Kavanaugh Webboard User Reg: 01-05-2004
Posts: 560
Loc: Bushkill, PA
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Making training FUN and seeming like a game works for my puppy. If I'm not more fun than all the other sites and sounds going on around us, why should my puppy pay attention!
So real yummy treats (chicken, hot dogs, cheese....), not training immediately after a meal (hungry puppies are more interested in the treats), adding a favorite tug toy as a reward for a correct behavior.
I find that initially I have TONS of play/treats for few behaviors. Because I'm actually relationship building and teaching my puppy that training with me is fun fun fun, and it's all part of a wonderful game with me! Once I have built the relationship, and the dog thinks that doing 'obedience' is actually a PART of 'the game' then I can do alot more of the real training and a lot less of the food/play.
And by adding the toy/play you can actually spend more total time training.................you've just made alot of this total time a blast for the dog!
Intelligent dogs rarely want to please people whom they do not respect --- W.R. Koehler
Thanks for the advice. I have finally found a treat that she actually loves. (She is not a great eater...she would much rather be with me than do anything else). I just don't want her to be food dependent in trainging so I am in the process of trying to find a toy that she loves.
She has great drive....she will chase a rag until she is exhausted but most toys don't thrill her. It seems like once she figures out that they don't put up a fight she is through with them. I guess I need to tie all of her toys to a string...
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006
Posts: 2665
Loc: AZ
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It's preferable for her to be trained with treats than without. It's motivation to learn and makes learning fun. Keep treating. When the very short training session is over, use the rag to play with her.
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