I have a 9 mo. old gsd that lives in the house I have let him roam the whole house since he was about 3 mo. old. He goes in his kennel when we are at work and at night. For the last month if he gets something he is not supposed to have and i try to get it from him he will not let you catch him nor will come when called. Does he think this is a game or does he think i am going to take it and just doesn't want me to take it from him. He will sometimes will do the same thing if he thinks he is going the kennel.

He probably thinks it's a game and now that he has learned he can get away with it, it will be tougher to break him of it.

I would keep him on a drag collar or long line in the house and perfect his recall. He needs to learn it is not acceptable to play keep away when called. There are lot's of threads on here regarding perfecting the recall.

I have heard an E-Collar is very effective for this also, but 9 mths might be a little too soon for that.

I second the drag line/long line, and also tethering this dog to you is important.

A few questions, though. How is this dogs obedience aside from refusing the recall/running when you try and take something from him?

As a general rule I recommend the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) method, which includes freedom in the house. Dogs need to understand that a house is YOUR territory, not theirs. Also pack structure, etc. But as I don't know anything about this 9 month old aside from him running away when you call him, I can't really say much at this point.

Have you had him since 8 weeks? From a breeder? Shelter? How is he as far as house breaking? Do you know if he is from show lines, working lines, a mixture? What is his general temperament? Do you think he would become aggressive if you did take something away/has he ever been aggressive? Etc

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but I in order to fully help you any problem there may be should be addressed.

I have had since he was 8 weeks. I got from a breeder my wife works with. His house breaking went fairly well i would say he is 95% broke. He is from German working line. His temperament is good i have never had a problem with anything we have done (training,socializing,ect.). I see no aggresssion toward in anything i hav done with him. I have puppies 8wks to 8 mos. and basic dog obedience. He is a really great dog with a lot of potential I am sure the problem is ME.

Thanks very much Chris for the information - thats all I needed to know I just don't like to give a bunch of advice until I know more about a dog as what may work wonders for a regular housepet who only has one issue, may cause a problem with a working dog that has many issues.

I would say to tether him to you and have a line on him whenever he has anything. Work on his recall - you can use the search function, put in "Recall" and I am sure you will have a lot of stuff come up, including this post since the word recall is in it! Limiting and supervising his time with toys and chews, and working with him specifically staging him having something, being tethered or on a drag line/long line, and taking/switching/redirecting for that item.

when he is a training session with a food reward he does everything i ask sit,down come,heel with zero problems its the off times. Outside when i give him a recall and he does not respond i go to give him a correction (he's always on a 20ft long line outside) when grab the end of the line he responds before the correction is givin

I also had the same problem outside with the recall when there was something else that was more interesting than me?!?!?

I tried long line on prong collar. Just let the dog do what she wanted to do (with line with-in reach, not far enough to have to walk over and grab it and lose that split-second window of time to correct) and then recalled. No recall after the second recall, "WHACK", correction on line til she comes.

It is on the basic obedience DVD I believe. From reading your previous post, I think that you have allowed the dog to be "long-line-savvy", or don't have the line close enough to you to make the correction before she realizes it is coming.

After this I got an electric collar (they work wonders), but beware because they seem to be the easy way out. I watched the DVD like 4 or 5 times before I used it, read a couple of books and even purchased another DVD just toget it right,along with the e-collar forum here.

Hope it helps a bit.

Adam

Ed trains the recall several different ways on the basic ob video:

1. He takes the dog to a calm area, with no distractions and puts out 5-6 treats in the grass right after coaxing the dog with them first. He then lets the dog start looking for the treats, while he backs up to the end of the line. When he says, "Come!" he gives a sharp correction to the dog right afterwards. When the dog turns to come, he marks and rewards. Also, as the dog approaches, he backs up and makes the dog come in for a treat. You only have to do that correction 1 or 2 times, and the dog will jump when you say "Come!"

2. He will take the dog out on the training field, where there are blinds for Schutzhund set up, and he has Cindy hold the dog as he jogs away, saying the dogs name. (Dog at the end of the line, excitedly trying to get to Ed, but being held back!) When he gets behind a blind about 30 yards away, he calls the dog to him and Cindy releases the line on the dog. When the dog "finds" Ed behind the blind, Ed backs up and praises as before. Then he doubles the distance that he jogs away from the dog.

Good luck! I used this method with Bella, and I am very pleased with her recall.

 Quote: chris rickard

I have had since he was 8 weeks. I got from a breeder my wife works with. His house breaking went fairly well i would say he is 95% broke.

Am I reading this right? You have a nine month old dog who is "95%" housebroken and you say it went "fairly well?"

When I get a 9-month-old dog from my rescue organization, it is housebroken within 2 weeks. Your statement tells me that your dog is getting WAY too much freedom.

I have a four month old puppy and he loves to take things in his mouth and take off. Problem is, he's on a harness and leash so when he goes to take off, he can't. I can easily retrieve the item from him and replace it with a toy. In fact, I can most of the time, catch him before he even picks up the item. When I'm not watching him, he's in a dog crate. So even though I have a puppy, I still have all my possessions.

When you're working your treat rewarded OB, make sure that the dog is reading following your verbal commands, and not a body language signal you're giving. Often, if a dog is ignoring your verbal commands, it can be a sign of dependance on Body Language. Many people teach their dog to platz when they lean down. Point at the ground and say "sitz", see what happens. Or put your hand where you put it when you reward the recall, say "platz" and take a step back.

I wouldn't correct if the dog gets it wrong; it's a sign that your training has been a little off and needs a tweak. Maybe the dog only recalls on leash because you hold the leash a certain way before you correct for a failed recall, and that's become his cue.