Hi, I have been training dogs in both obedience and agility for over 30 years.
Last year I bought a male GSD from a litter produced by a dog I trained 9 years ago.
My dog has totally bonded with my husband, who will not do any training with him.
He just turned 1 yr.old I have been training with an international Schutzhund trainer. I am finding the dogs attention is not totally with me. If my husband is at training the dog will try to leave the field to get to him. His bite work with a helper is awesome and he is totally focused. The obedience with the long heel pattern is not so good. He is always looking for my husband. I am totally frustrated and ready to just quit. any advice or suggestions to try would be greatly appreciated.

Get your nubby into training. LOL. What did he do to get this pup so bonded with hi
?

get rid of your husband

you need to bond with the dog, thru feeding, play, drive and focus work
this should of ben a long time ago but is never to late

what is a international shutzhund trainer?

Tell your husband to not go to training with you for a while and work on the dogs attention on you. Your husband is, for all intents and purposes, a distraction to the dog, no different than any other distraction. A green dog learning the first steps is not ready for that kind of distraction during training.

Your husband could cooperate in a simple game, unless his ego would be crushed.

Take the dog out, off leash, have husband ham-it-up with all sorts of attractive and stimulating body language to get the dog's attention, and as soon as the dog gets to him, husband turns absoloutely motionless and boring...not acknowledging the dog at all. At that point you call (or bribe) the dog over for his favorite whatever...game, food etc. No formal commands, just teaching the broad strokes of who is more interesting.

Repeat that until the dog is downright sick-and-tired of being
-f-ed with, and flat ignores your husband. I've seen this process a few times, and it's as close to fool proof as I've ever seen. The wheels start turning immediately. You're structuring the environment in a such a way that the dog teaches himself. No conflict, no corrections. Pure trial and error, and the progress is immediate and very encouraging.

Last time we did this, it took mere minutes for the desired effect for that particular session. And this was with a very young, untrained puppy and more than one person trying to distract him...and I mean right up next to him, squeeling and pounding the ground.

Then apply that regularly with anyone else who'll cooperate.

My Husband is retired and home all day with the dog. I work as a NJ animal control officer and do private training for other people. Not home nearly enough, I feed,walk and groom him everyday.

Linda, how about a kennel where your husband can leave him alone during the day?

Husband loves the dogs devotion, while I was doing my basic obedience with Mack, he would do a lot to interfere,when I tried to change what he was doing, he said"you do it your way,I'll do it mine".
Best info received, "Get rid of husband", Thanks!
I'll try to see if he'll play the game with us.
International Schutzhund Trainer, John Soares, from Portugal, has trained all over world as well as trialed his dogs in Schutzhund.
He is now located in Warwick, NY. He has a website. John Soares k9 training.
Thanks for the responses, I need and value all the help I can get.

 Quote: linda resch

.... while I was doing my basic obedience with Mack, he would do a lot to interfere,when I tried to change what he was doing, he said"you do it your way,I'll do it mine".

He deliberately sabotages you?

I mean, he does something other than what you do, right there with the dog, rather than making suggestions to you privately, away from the dog?

Is he aware of the sabotage? It it supposed to be be funny or something?

That isn't a problem for this forum, I'm afraid.

 Quote:

I'll try to see if he'll play the game with us.

It's not really a one day thing. It's supposed to kick-off a general precedent.

Good luck.