Some of you may have seen the bacterial colitis thread about my 12 week old GSD. While that thread has proved to be invaluable for information pertaining to her health, I figure this thread will be invaluable for answering the many many questions I have.

To clarify, this is my first large breed puppy. I have raised several dogs, mostly smaller ones. I have also purchased the 8 weeks puppy Dvd as well as the Obedience Dvd, so I do have a pretty good idea but need some general questions answered.


My first question would be, I would ideally like to take her for a walk twice daily, how long should these walks be? She is an extremely hyper dog. Also, she loves her tug more than anything and loves playing fetch with it, is this going to be an acceptable form of exercise? Should I worry about it causing some long term problems such as dysplasia?

Whats the best things to do to reduce the risk of dysplasia?

At what age would it be acceptable to start moving into the correction phase as well as using a prong?

This is just the beginning to many questions I have, I find myself coming up with questions daily.

Hi Dale,
A walk a couple of times a day is fine; around the block kind of thing is appropriate for a 12 week old. Fetch is great and so is tugging until he starts to teethe. Avoid excessive jumping.

What sort of corrections are you referring to? ie, for obedience, or for pack-structure issues? Mostly at this age you want to be redirecting inappropriate behaviors (such as mouthing) and managing the pup's environment to keep him out of trouble.
Keeping a drag line on the pup when inside and outside gives you a lot of control to redirect when he's doing something that he shouldn't be doing.

If you want to see what's possible training-wise, with a young pup, view Roni Hoff's video that she posted of her new pup Havoc. She is using Michael Ellis' method of engaging the pup and then rewarding behaviors that she likes. You will be amazed at how much focus a very young pup can have...

re correction phase for obedience, you must have proofed the command under distraction before considering corrections.

 Quote: Lynne Barrows

... If you want to see what's possible training-wise, with a young pup, view Roni Hoff's video that she posted of her new pup Havoc. She is using Michael Ellis' method of engaging the pup and then rewarding behaviors that she likes. You will be amazed at how much focus a very young pup can have ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-etXQ9GC9w

Thats a pretty neat video. Very helpful to actually watch it. One question though, not to question her methods or anything but from one of the Ellis videos I remember him saying there should be a slight pause from when you say "yes" and when you give the reward. It seems she is doing it in one fluid motion, as in rewarding while saying "yes".

I'll explain, lololo. I am super careful about the pause and then the reward. What you are seeing on the video is that the dog is being taught how to "be" lured. He is glued to my hand but cannot get the food until the pause after the yes word. Hard to see in the video, but he is really pushing for the food in my hand. This helps with drive building for the food (get it it's running away) and allows me to keep his focus on me and also my hand. I am careful to switch hands and also getting him to work off of both sides of my body and turn him both ways. Thanks for asking, Ed wondered too, lololo. I will ask my videographer to close up next time we tape.
I do have to tell you that this is sooooo much fun!!!!!! I have also come to a couple of conclusions by working with him. He is in such "high" drive for the food that he wants to climb up my hand to get it. It can lead to problems with trying to get him to get a complete sit. I talked with Michael and Cindy and I brain stormed and yesterday, I sat on the floor, slightly to the side of him, closing my hand until he calmed in his body and had his butt planted and then I marked that behavior and fed him in that position but turning my hand over, and while he was eating out of that hand I brought my other hand to his mouth and continued to feed in this matter. Sits were awesome. I then was on my knees doing the same thing and then finally stood. Today we did engagement work in the building again and he is very committed in his sits. Soooooo,,,,,in conclusion, by manipulating my hand I was able to manipulate his mind state, enough that he can think...........how cool is that!!!!!!!

Thanks for the detailed and quick response. That really is a great video and I have watched in numerous times, almost studying your every move!

How do you guys feel about this trainer... http://www.schillinglawdog.com/dogs/philosophy

Hes basically the only local place other then petco/petsmart. While I do have many of the Dvd's ED has made I feel it necessary to expand on that and get actual guidance. I feel I am a better learner being hands on and being showed and able to ask questions. I plan on enrolling in a group obedience class. One of my worries is he uses prong collars. How do you guys feel about his methods and philosophy?

Also if someone knows or is a trainer in the Eugene, Oregon area I would love to meet up.

What is your concern about prong collars? Correctly used they are a great training tool and are often compared to power steering. Generally, if used, they are introduced once the dog is ready for formal training at around 6 months of age (when the permanent teeth are in).

Sorry, I wrote prong be its choke collars. I like prong collars and use them on my two other dogs, he uses choke collars which I don't necessarily like.

Dale, it's hard to say from that link, but it sounds like he uses compulsion to get compliance from the dogs he trains. This is not a method that anyone here would advocate. Perhaps you could observe a class?

A prong collar is a much more humane collar and will cause no damage to the dog if fitted properly. A choke collar can cause damage to the trachea...

Are you planning on doing any protection sports with your pup? If you are, perhaps you could find a Schutzhund club near you and talk with members re trainers.

In the meantime, get started w/ the marker training. If it's in the budget, get the two DVD's that are sold here. They will get you pretty far in your training.

 Quote: lynne barrows

Dale, it's hard to say from that link, but it sounds like he uses compulsion to get compliance from the dogs he trains.

Compulsion was the thread I read running through the no-real-info text, too.

And the "bio" link doesn't work.