Okay, so..... Yoshi is my longhair GSD puppy. He is just a week shy of 6 months old. He is at 65 lbs, and is gargantuan. I live in Germany, and I am not able to get ahold of the dvd's in any kind of reasonable time frame, so I am going to ask some questions to get some advice.

I do not work so I have spent a massive amount of time with my puppy, and I feel as though he is very well socialized. He goes in stores, sees joggers, bikers, kids, strollers,traffic, buses, trains, soldiers, guns, cannons, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, birds, rabbits, etc.... He is around some of these every day. Okay, so, I have started making him "walk nice" next to me, and using corrections when he pulls my arm off. I have really done a ton of purely positive training and free shaping behavior, which has paid off a lot. But, it is definitely feeling like time to step it up a notch. I have hesitated in teaching anything new, or using corrections because this is my first GSD and because of his age. I have NO formal training experience either. So, I have been staying on the nice side of the fence this whole time in order to not screw him up till I know what I should be doing.

I see now, and after reading a lot on here, that instant obedience is crucial to the safety of the family, the dog, and is necessary for the harmony of the home. My main questions are, if I know the dog understands commands, is it time to really enforce the commands with corrections? How do I go about this? He is pretty reliable on many things, but occasionally the horse poop on the side of the road is way more interesting than I am, or there is a giant lunge that pulls my shoulder out of socket toward a dog he doesn't like. At his size, my body literally can't handle massive jerks. What to do at 6 months?

There are 2 particular dogs that he can't stand, that he literally goes crazy over. Today, the guard dog at a warehouse down the road was barking, and Yoshi goes absolutely nuts, and I gave corrections. Did I mess him up? I was VERY stern and VERY strong with them. I ask this because all of the time people say "don't pull on your dog, or you will cause anxiety about other dogs" but, I am wondering how long they are allowed to act like this with no regard for me or the cars passing on the road as he darts and jerks and pulls. That is also why I brought up the socialization, because if he is really well socialized, which he is, then is it outrageous to expect him to somewhat behave himself when these 2 dogs are within the vicinity?

What age if any do you use training collars or electric (for hole digging, or chasing the cat, or getting in the trash?).

Okay, thanks for answers.... Sorry if I sound retarded. I have tried German training schools, but it's either remedial training with little kids and crazy dogs or schutzhund clubs, which is great, but there is a lot lost in translation, and it's really hard to get the information I need to get his training going the right way.

Do you have to be near the dog who you know drives yours nuts?

I sense some management holes in the post. How does he get into the trash? Does he have complete freedom of the house? Does he have a drag line on in the house? Is he outside alone for long periods?

Have you taught "walk nice" at home, in the yard, etc., until it's very reliable with no distractions and then gradually introduced distractions? Does he "walk nice" on the road when there are no other dogs?

" I am wondering how long they are allowed to act like this with no regard for me or the cars passing on the road as he darts and jerks and pulls." Is this all from other dogs, or what else?

What kind of collar are you using for walks?

Yeah, I would say there are management holes. He does get to run the first floor. He is not allowed upstairs. One dog that freaks him out is one that we regularly see out and about here. The other one, well, it happened out on a walk, and I should have completely avoided that direction, but I was just walking along and then we were all the way down that way, and there was no way back without rewalking the entire thing which was too much for him.

Yes, he was leash trained at home in the yard, and was then introduced to sidewalks and trails. In an effort to socialize him properly, he was taken everywhere with me everyday and put on a leash and walked. I used treats and taught him to walk, and did a lot of the turid rugass method for pulling. It worked a bit, but at this size, I cannot have a dog that only wants to listen when it's convenient. He was never a puller or a lunger Obviously we work on things at home first, but like you said, I think there are management holes.

I do not have him on a leash in the house anymore. I did for awhile, but have not since he stopped getting into things, and stays out of the kitchen and leaves things alone. Him and the cat are separated for now because the kitten is little and because I honestly don't like cats, and so it lives out of my way . It is my sons.
I literally have no problems with him other than these. He is super in the house, and goes "off leash" with a 15 m drag line and knows to stay on the trails, and stops and waits, and will sit on command and come on command, heel, stay, down stay, retrieve, stop, wait, corner sit, cross the road, etc.. and it's very reliable a lot of the time, but obviously I am asking how to make it as reliable as possible even when dogs come by. Livestock doesn't bother him, nothing human bothers him, only recently dogs are starting to bother him. I take him out to work in the fields because honestly i hate my tiny little european back yard, so he has to pass dogs. The lunging is getting worse, and intolerable in icy conditions or slick conditions, not to mention rope and leash burns. The trash is in a cabinet and I have never had him in it, but if for some reason the door were to be left open, I would put money on him getting in it.

I asked about the e collar because I have read some of the stuff on here about it, so was wondering if people like it or not, and how they use correctly.

Well, if dogs are the only pulling/lunging issue, I would stop going near the dog whose whereabouts you do know, and start desensitizing work. There are so many threads here that I won't re-type them, but if you have any trouble finding them, post and I will do a search and link you.

What kind of collar are you using on walks?

The trash -- I consider that a management thing. Trash is (or certainly can be) too dangerous to leave out with a puppy in the house.

"I cannot have a dog that only wants to listen when it's convenient" just means time for distraction proofing and desensitizing. The dog doesn't think in terms of "convenient."

It sounds like you are doing a great job and have a couple of items to work on.

 Quote: danielle keith

I asked about the e collar because I have read some of the stuff on here about it, so was wondering if people like it or not, and how they use correctly.

Which issue did you mean?

I don't consider it to be a dog-reactivity tool.


eta

" ... how they use correctly ..."

http://leerburg.com/318.htm




Edited by Connie Sutherland (02/25/2011 12:07 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Have you tried a prong collar?
It works very well for my dog. It is not necessary to hurt the dog at all with the prong. It helps my dog to focus.

just a plain flat leather collar.

Thanks connie... will look up more of the desensitizing stuff.

@ Betty, is 6 months an okay age to use one?

I don't mean at all to be offensive or ridiculous, I just don't understand if this lunging thing is something to "correct" or to work through with reward, and what kind of collars or corrections are suitable for a 6 month old puppy.