We have just added a 4 month old GSD female puppy to our household....

I have a couple of questions regarding this puppy...

Firstly, we are trying to house train this pup, when I take it out doors for it to do its business should I have the pup on a leash and take it to a specific spot or is it ok to let it have the run of the yard and do its business where-ever......does using the leash a more effective method of house training

Also we are going to purchase a Dominat collar here on the site but since the dog is only 4 months old and a female I don't know how to measure....

Would appreciate getting your input...

Thanks

Keeping a leash on your pup and having a specific spot is a good idea. One area to keep clean is a whole lot easier than an entire back yard. Keeping a line on your pup keeps her out of mischief and allows you to control what she's doing and where she is at all times. My pup wore a line all the time when he was young.

Is there a reason you want a DD collar now? 4 months seems awfully young. Leerburg's flat leather collars are wonderful and far more appropriate for pups. All JMHO.

And welcome to the forum, Sam.

I wanted the DD collar to start training the pup, I was reading about the marker/clicker method and that seems to be the method that Mr. Ed is recomending.....

Sam,
What kind of training are you heading into?
16 week old puppy probably is not giving you any grief. I'd stick with the flat collar my self, plenty of time for pinch and dd collars if the need comes up. Play around with the marks for awhile, you'll be surprised how far you can get with it.

If I have a safe area I let the pup go with a drag lead on a flat collar. Let it sniff around and investigate on it's own. This exercise time is usually when the dog will have it's business to do. After that 'serious business' is taken care of, I make the exercise period a play time between me and the pup. The dog has fun while I'm starting to shape behavior for the recall, sits and retrievals, etc. We just have fun.
Keep it simple Sam, the pup is only 16 weeks old.
Along with your reading and learning about dog training here's the single most important thing you must learn: patience, patience, patience.
The next thing you must learn is that there's many ways to get where you want to be, no one method is going to work with all dogs, be a little flexible.

The crew here at Leerburg are all pretty good and many of us have had dogs our whole lives. All are more than willing to help you over the rough spots, just let us know when they arise.

Good luck with the new pup, and welcome to the board Sam.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

 Quote: sam smith

I wanted the DD collar to start training the pup, I was reading about the marker/clicker method and that seems to be the method that Mr. Ed is recomending.....

Sam, the title of the collar says it all... "Dominante Dog Collar". You do not yet have a dog she is still a puppy and I surely do not think she is dominate just yet.

People need to be careful when it comes to reading about "technics and special use tools". Taking and only using bits and pieces can in the long run create bigger problems that will require a lot more effort to fix than it did to create.

My recommendation and I am sure others will agree is this DVD box set and not the collar.....

Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months
and
Basic Dog Obedience DVD
and
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Pet DVD

http://leerburg.com/120.htm

Best of luck and enjoy the puppy stage... they grow up fast.

 Quote: Sam Smith

... I was reading about the marker/clicker method and that seems to be the method that Mr. Ed is recomending.....

There you go!

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

And Rick and Randy very wisely suggest fundamentals. You have no DD problem to address, just fun training to do. A nice flat collar, a pocketful of teeny rewards, and you on the other end of the leash ....

 Quote: Sam Smith

... Firstly, we are trying to house train this pup

The pup has a crate?

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: sam smith

... I was reading about the marker/clicker method and that seems to be the method that Mr. Ed is recomending.....

There you go!

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

And Rick and Randy very wisely suggest fundamentals. You have no DD problem to address, just fun training to do. A nice flat collar, a pocketful of teeny rewards, and you on the other end of the leash ....

The DVD than Connie linked "The Power of Training Dogs With Markers" video they never use a collar nor any kind of physical correction. The only time there was a collar correction was when Cindy was working Rush with healing during Ring training.

Best of luck and have fun.

Good observing there, Rick!

But to the O.P.,

We have to remember that the beginning training, even though it's outside and looks like big open spaces, is not in an unenclosed area.

Everything that Sarah said about her dog being on a line (for the ability to grab that line) for most of his puppyhood stands. JMO.

So while the pup is right there in your immediate range, during a training session, with you focused on the pup and vice versa, indoors or in a fenced yard -- great, no leash. OTOH, there's no problem with a drag line being on the pup even during your sessions, and chances are good that you're not making a training video right now.

It's better to err on the side of more environment-managing than less, I think, when you have a new dog, and really set the dog up for success.

Rick, you have done your video-watching!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Sam Smith

... Firstly, we are trying to house train this pup

The pup has a crate?

Yes we have an extra large crate, but since it is not house trained yet we put the dog in there overnight, and first thing in the morning we put her out to do her business......for the rest of the day she isn't in the crate, we try to watch her, and we put her out about 15-20 mins after eating......we feed her three times a day 6am, noon, 6pm.....She has had accidents in the house though......

I get the feeling we are not crate training her properly, do you have any suggestions....