Before i tell you about the problem i'm having can i just say this. For the past year i have looked throught the net to find a good discussion forum/website on GSD. Finally last week i found Leerburg.com. I must say this has to be to best site on GSD's etc thats out there.

I'm living in Ireland, and i bought "Cyber" when he was 7 weeks old. I'm just so in love with him. Before i made my purchase i took out all the pups and lay them in the kitchen and watched them for about 10 mins. I decided on Cyber nearly straight away because he was definately the alpha male. He was the only one jumping, playing, nipping his sisters and brothers. The reason i decided on a GSD, (i have had several different breeds before as a kid growing up) was because of their intelligence, loyalty etc. Cyber's temperment is 110%, there is absolutely no badness in him, my nieces & nephews call and play with him all the time and he adores them. Anyways im probably boring you guys now so i'll get to my question. Walking cyber is a nigtmare, cyber never heels, wants to be out in front all the time. After constant failure and even after getting personel trainers in, still no good. TO be quite honest i think they are a money racket but you live and learn. SO i decided to buy an extendable lead, its around 26ft long, and he loves it, i suppose its the freedom for been ahead so he can sniff and investigate. He is very energetic and loves going out. But the problem is i still want him to heel while we walk, as since i can only use the 26ft in fields and id like to be able to walk him in a built up area too. BTW, these so called trainers used haltis and to be quite honest, i found them a waste plus it used to cut his lower lip, because once he see another dog, its like he has tunnel vision, up on his back legs and doing his upmost to get over to the other dog. I did mix him with other dogs growing up as all he does is lick their nose but nearly every dog we come in contact with him snaps at him, which i think then hes better off not socialising with these dogs as he may pick up bad habbits too. Over the weekend i purchase ed's basic obedience dvd a 6ft amish lead and a large stainless steel prong collar. Please let me know if these will help. BTW everyday i train him in my back yard and he heels perfectly, sits, down, leaves and even stays, but once we go out its like he has tunnel vision and doesnt listen to me and is too interested in whats going on around him, maybe its his age (immaturity) i dunno. I have been training him gradually by starting off first in the backyard and eventually when i was satisified to go out to my drive, but as i said once outside the gate, my shoulder begins to ache with the pulling. I recently spoke to schutzhund trainer by phone who is a member of GSA ireland and he recommend that i should restrict his freedom of the backyard and keep him longer in his run & kennel. On a final note, he loves to chase ball and play, but he wont return the ball to me unless i use treats, he tries to make me chase him. I do believe that im the problem not him. He is highly intelligent, and understands all the commands but as i said outside the house he just will not listen. Again great work on the forum, and advice would be great.

I would suggest buying a Prong Collar, My husky mix is about fourty pounds but he can haul me down the street, after I used a prong on him he wont pull on the lead at all. He does walk ahead but I dont require him on a perfect heel so it doesnt matter to me. My shepherd Apollo never pulls just walking anywhere even going to meet other people or dogs, he gets bad about wanting to chase squirrels the prong collar stopped that.

Yup Charlie, i have done that already, should be ready for shipping over the next few days. I would assume the prong collar will be a great tool for teaching Cyber to heel? Thanks again. Anyways i cant wait to watch ed's basic obedience dvd, by the looks of things this dvd has got rave reviews.

While your waiting, make sure you go to the website and read how to properly fit and use the prong collar. I Don't think you have a dominate dog issue (which is the forum you posted in.) All sounds like basic obedience. Use the seach button at top of page for questions and read through the basic obedience threads in the forum home. Sounds like a real nice dog. Not dominant, just in need of some basic obedience. You've made a good start here. Do your reading while waiting for your order. Have fun training your dog.
Bob

Thanks Bob, i'm already reading on the different threads on obedience. BTW sorry for posting in the wrong section, wasn't too sure was it a dominant issue or not.

Yes he is a wonderful dog and beautiful too, maybe im biased but anyone that sees him is amazed by looking at him, all around perfect shape, large head etc. I'll post a photo of him later on in the forum if you'd be interested in looking at him.

His Sire is Lledfegin Jcoo
His Sam is Wenden Loty
and hes registered with the IKC.
There are a quiet a few Siegers in his bloodline too, too many to mention here.

We'll do the short jump over to the Basic Ob threads..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

OKay a week has gone by and still no better with the heel with Cyber. As i said he is excellent in my backyard. He now does not lunge forward when i'm opening the gates. But as soon as we begin to walk outside the gate my shoulder aches. Will not listen to my commands, too much interested in whats going on around him. Again we'd walk back in to the backyard and carry out heel work again flawlessly but again once outside its a nightmare. I know that he knows that he shouldnt be doing what he is doing, but he tries to better me. Once he starts that we are back in the backyard again, so i thought by now he'd start behaving & listen to me for heeling. Any suggestions? Hopefully i'll have the prong collar by the end of this week and im praying that will do the trick. Hopefully! Should i keep up what im doing at the moment and eventually he'll get the message or is it just his age been 14 months and he will grow out of it at some stage? I don't know

How long of a period of time are you expecting a 'heel' position from this 14 month old pup? I always think of heel as being an EXTREMELY strict and precise position and not something realistic for a young energetic dog to be expected to do for the entire length of a daily walk.

Think a more realistic goal is merely not pulling at this point.

Here's some info that may help with the toy/chase thing http://www.doggiedoor.com/come.shtml

And some other ideas
http://www.perfectpaws.com/leash.html

http://www.joelwalton.com/gpage1.html

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/nopulling.html

Jenn thank you very much for the reply and those links as well. Well to be honest Cyber is my first German Shepherd pup, its just that he is excellent with the other obedience. Maybe i should wake up and realise that Cyber is still a baby, and really wont be mature until he is around 2-21/2 yrs old. I guess im expecting too much from him. Again thanks very much.

Roy. Be patient and wait for the prong collar. I've seen a prong collar work wonders on older dogs in a matter of minutes. Though, don't be surprised if he screams like you're killing him and rolls around on the ground the first time that you put it on and give it a yank! I've seen many older dogs (by older, I just mean not a puppy) introduced to a prong collar for the first time at my training classes. The males seem to act like the biggest babies. :rolleyes: