I have a 6 mo. old German Shepherd that the trainer has described as having relentless ball drive & high hunt & prey drive. The dog has wonderful temperament but mouthing & jumping are a big problem. I babysit my grandsons age 3 & 4. The dog wants to play with them but she is too rough. I have been told by 3 trainers/breeders that a dog with this type of drive would never do well as family pet even with obedience training. We have a large family, we're together often, & our 5 grandchildren are not "couch potatoes". They scream & play as children do. We love the dog but my family comes 1st. Our dog's dad is a schutzhund champion so its bred into her. I need help making the decision as to whether or not to keep her. Any advice would be helpful! I want to do what is best for our dog as well as our family.
I don't agree with those trainers. I don't know how you can classify a dog as unfit to be a family pet just because it has high drive. If she is rough with the kids, keep her kenneled for now. Or at least have a lead on her and someone else in the room to keep the kids from getting to close. It sounds like she is just going to be a pet, but in any case this site has a lot to offer in the way of articles and Q&A pages. Scroll through the DVD's too I would recommend them. I'm not a super experianced trainer, but that's my $0.02.
Thank you for your two cents!! Our dog doesn't mean to hurt the children. She isn't showing aggression. She just wants to jump & mouth on them as she does me. She is a large 6 month old & she over powers my grandchildren. We have a prong collar but we can't get it on or off her. We live in a small coastal town in N.C. & there aren't a lot of options as far as dog training goes in this area. I just want to believe that we haven't found the right trainer yet.
Well I am by no means an expert like some folk on this board --but I guess my 1st question would be -- how much quality training has this dog actually had ? Ed has some truly wonderful articles and training materials on 'pack structure' and 'aggressive/dominant' behavior. if you are seeing behavior issues (particularly aggressive behavior towards children) but noone has trained this dog, IMHO you can't blame the dog... far too early to predict the dog's future without knowing how much owner training has gone on.
Our dog isn't being aggressive she just wants to play. We are having a very difficult time trying to teach her not to jump on us or mouth us. She is a very hyper dog. For instance: I played ball with her yesterday for 2 hours. Her tongue was hanging out & it was clear that she was very tired but she was begging for more.
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Wanda Bradsher
Our dog isn't being aggressive she just wants to play. We are having a very difficult time trying to teach her not to jump on us or mouth us. She is a very hyper dog. For instance: I played ball with her yesterday for 2 hours. Her tongue was hanging out & it was clear that she was very tired but she was begging for more.
Can you clarify what you mean about being unable to get the prong off or on her?
Have you ordered and watched any of Ed's videos? I think it sounds like you could use some clear direction in teaching basic doggy manners.
What have you done so far about the jumping up? Maybe that would be a good starting point, since you have kids around who can get knocked over when jumped up on.
Short and upbeat basic obedience sessions throughout the day will tire the doggy brain while the ball-playing tires her body.
Are you familiar with marker training?
I'm asking questions so we can see more clearly which articles, podcasts, and videos will serve you best at this point.
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Matthew Thurston
Ditto on the above. I've bought many of Ed's videos and they have been well worth the money.
Yes. I believe that if video #302 and the new one on pack structure, for example, are watched -- studied, really -- more than once, they are more useful than many trainers are going to be. I also think that motivational training enhances the owner-dog bond, and that several short and upbeat sessions throughout the day can be *much* more effective than an hour with a trainer once or twice a week.
Even if the owner does choose to hire a trainer, these videos give the theory, the language, etc., for assessing trainers.
For someone who is new to dog training, it's really helpful to have expert advice and scenarios from the videos to bolster the confidence when a trainer is trying to convince the new owner of something that doesn't feel or look right.
It is difficult to get a leash or the prong collar on her. She won't sit still for either one & she has figured out how to roll on her side as we struggle with the prong collar. I don't have much strength in my hands & it is very hard for me to squeeze the ends of the prongs together so they will fit together. I've tried pressing on her paws when she jumps on us but she just mouths my hands till I let go. I'm probably not doing it hard enough because as I said I don't have much strength in my hands. I am not familiar with marker training. I haven't ordered any videos because I wouldn't know where to begin.
Please lead me in the right direction. The trainer we had worked with used the prong collar & would jerk on the collar till our dog yelped. The dog would obey but it really unnerved me to watch.
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Relentless ball drive blues
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