Hi everybody.
Ive done alot of reading and searching here and have found alot of good info and videos.
My situation is a little different. I have a 3yr old GSD that I adopted about 4 months ago. She is a great dog. She is very intelligent and knows basic obedience. The problem I am facing is she has some habbits that I cant figure out how to re-train. "Dolly" is such a loyal and driven dog that I am sure that she could excel with the right training. She has a good temperment and an intense prey drive.
She is however, a little over protective. She is an excellent judge of character though . She doesnt bite, she just barks and advances.

My question is, what training style will work best with an older dog?
I like that she can think on her own and that she is protective. I dont want to want to squash her protective instinct but I DO want her to look to me for permission before she backs somebody away from me. I would like to do SAR work with her but I need to get her socialized and focused first.
Any advice is greatly apreciated.

Hi Josh, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new dog.

Have you read any of the info on ground work and pack structure? Here is one link, but you can uses the search box in the upper left hand corner to find tons more info. There are also great videos on these topics.

http://leerburg.com/groundwork.htm

I would also suggest reading all you can about Marker Training and perhaps getting that video as well and begin using it with your girl. It is a very easy to learn, effective method of training. Nothing negative - which is important at this point while you are developing the bond with this new gal. Marker training... marker training... marker training.

Do you know anything about her past?

I have read on pack structure and marker training. I am just unclear if I should start from the very beginning just as if she were a pup? I just don't want to confuse her. I have used a marker with her just to see how she responded and she seemed to pick it up right away. She is very trainable and eager, I just want to do it right .
Her past is not very clear. I didn't get much info from her previous owner, who took her in as a rescue. It was just by chance that she came to be part of our family.
Thanks again for the advice!
Todd.

Welcome Todd. There is a great deal of good information to be found here.

As for starting over...I would. Just start as if you were working with a dog with zero training. Since she does have some training, the training will move forward a bit more quickly.

Marker training if fun for the dogs. Make sure a command is solid before moving on to a new one. Then eventually introduce the commands under distration....increasing the level of distraction over time. Don't rush. It is harderv to go back & correct something taught wrong,than it is to teach it correctly the first time.

You are correct that you don't want you dog making any of the decisions on how to react in ANY situation without your approval. My guess is that she is either a bit fearful, possibly due to under socialization, or resource guarding. Dogs not trained in protection work, don't actually 'protect' their owner. Dogs basically are self-serving & do what makes them happy & comfortable. So it is more likely that whoever these people are that causes her to react 'protectivly' as you call it, make her uncomfortable in some way.

If she is doing this with every stranger she comes into contact with, it is most likely undersocialization & maybe she is a little bit fearful, also. Hard to tell over the net & not knowing her history. You don't really know what 'triggers' she may have. But they will surface over time & you can deal with them as they come along. But expose her to new things slowly & always with a pocket full of wonderful treats.

Is she reactive to new sights & sounds? Is her response just to strangers. How about someone (friends, family) that enter your home? What happens there? Is it the same as outside on a walk?

 Quote: toddjackson

I just don't want to confuse her. I have used a marker with her just to see how she responded and she seemed to pick it up right away. She is very trainable and eager, I just want to do it right .
Todd.

One of the best things about marker training is that the worst result of you doing something wrong or confusing to the dog, is that the dog is simply confused or doesn't engage - but nothing negative happens which could have an adverse effect on your relationship. (With many other forms of training, if the dog doesn't do as commanded they are corrected and can shut down, etc...)

I would start with a command she already knows and "train" it with your voice or clicker and the reward/treat. (This is after you have "charged the mark"). Even though she already may know "sit" - by marking and rewarding you are showing her the new fun which happens when she obeys. Nothing confusing at all -just more fun / treats. Keep your sessions short and upbeat and always try to end on an upbeat. If, when introducing a new behavior, she doesn't seem to be catching on, cut it short and go back to a command she knows so the sessions ends with her getting a treat. It helped me in the beginning to make a list in order of behaviors I wanted to train and I began just going down the list of priorities. Come is obviously a huge one, but I'll tell you the "place" command has proven to be a very useful command to have for a lot of reasons.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

Just realized I had your name wrong in my first post... Welcome Todd!!

Hi, I have/had somewhat the same problem.

Last year I took over two dogs. One of them was badly abused by a SchH trainer, the other one was completely raw. Both of them four years old (now five).

I did a lot of research on the internet. I am sick and tired of the "oldschool" training methods that many of the trainers use around here and I knew I wouldn't get far with these methods since my male couldn't take any pressure back then.

I came across the clicker training and digged myself into the research.

It's perfect. Once your dog is conditioned the right way you can re-train pretty much anything and everything, even if your dog had previous training. With the clicker you can start training a dog from scratch because you don't need to use a cue right away. You can first teach them hand symbols and once they know what you want you can add a cue.

My male was literally terrified of the down command and with the clicker I managed to re-train him to a point where he likes it.

Good luck

Welcome!!

I just want to jump on the "start over" bandwagon.

One, it goes a long way towards minimizing any unwanted habits from poor prior training. Two, marker training is a bonding activity. Three, teaching a command this way, even if the dog already knew it from another training method, is a confidence builder (for both of you). Four, it's so much fun!


PS
Anne's explanation of behavior that many folks misinterpret as being "protective" is phrased a lot better than I could have said it. This thread also goes into it in detail:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=299512&Searchpage=1&Main=27790&Words=socialization&topic=0&Search=true#Post299512


JMO!

PS

I would start here unless you already have a marker grounding:

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

This DVD is the basis for all the marker videos with Michael Ellis that follow. You can be a total noob and come away from this video with a familiarity with marker training that will allow you to start with confidence.

If you are pretty familiar with marker training, I would start here:

http://leerburg.com/220.htm


You can also check out the free video clips and eBooks and podcasts on the LB site!

 Quote: Sandra King

... It's perfect. Once your dog is conditioned the right way you can re-train pretty much anything and everything, even if your dog had previous training. ...

This really says it all about marker training!

Thanks guys. I will pick up the marker training dvd for sure. Im excited to get Dolly into training but just want to avoid any mistakes on my behalf. I really appreciate all the help.
I found a couple of pics and thought I would share

Beautiful bitch.

I honestly wouldn't worry about the "Maybe I will do something wrong." part.

I have to work for myself too. I taught myself the marker training and I had the same thoughts. What if I do something wrong. But to do nothing is worse than not trying at all.

Take it slow. Focuse on the parts that are the most important. Re-call, Sit, Down, Stay.

You can start doing them by asking her to sit or to go into the down before you feed her. That is how my puppy learned to do this.

She can't really heel yet since we haven't done any heel work since August but she does know basic obedience which sitz, platz, steh, hier. These are the most important commands for every day life and the clicker is the easiest tool out there. All you need to do is to condition your dog and practise timing.

But don't do nothing. It's possible to teach yourself. Many others before us taught themselves and there are many others to come that will teach themselves too