Well as its been said before over the last week I've adopted a yr and half old gsd. He has is basic obedience down however I know that its going to take time for him to realize that me his new owners word is law. Already I am able to give a command and him listen however when it comes to the correction if given the work no as the mark in a stern voice he submits straight to the ground and pees himself. Wonder how to overcomb this extreme. Its obvious that he was verbally abused and the logical answer is retrain him to a new mark for your making an error not to do try again. But wonder what are some your guys thoughts.

Joseph, if you have only had the dog for a week you should be focusing on building a bond with him and reinforcing his obedience with positive reinforcement. (marker training)

What are you verbally correcting him for? Can you give some examples? I don't think you can assume that he's been verbally abused; is he generally submissive?

I think they are really frightened when they do this.

I'm not big on branding a dog as having been abused because it shows a lot of submission. Could be the dog is just a genetic crapper. Not an insult, honest!
Either way, the dog needs a lot of one on one fun time to get the dogs loyalty/trust.....and don't correct with such a "stern" voice if that screws him up.

I think maybe I would not correct just yet, but perhaps just use an ignore, reset and try again until you guys have had ample time to really bond, or just use a nuetral voiced "nope" marker. It's been 1 month for my new adult dog and I am just starting to correct the small stuff.

I haven't really done much with him as far as work is concerned. To be honest the only thing that I've been doing is when going for our routine walks every day I give him a break and tell him to sit and then when it comes to going outside I've been making him sit before going out the door. When it came down to the correction it was more or less when trying to leave him in the 20x20 kennel I made for him. He would try to shoot past me to get out and when catching him in the act i just said no and he buckled to the ground and pee. I just wonder when it does come down to working together after the bonding process what would be the best way to approach correction. New marker or something else. I just don't want to break his moral more than it already seems. I want to boost his confidence.

Well since we are on the topic about dropping down to the ground and peeing I've also noticed that he will do it when I go to get him out of the kennel and even twice now when waking up in the morning to go out. Not so much out of submission but what seems to be pure excitement and not being able to control it. So my question is how can I get around this little bump I came into.

Joseph, at only being with you for one week - this dog doesn't have a CLUE as to the language you are speaking. A simple "no" to him, in the past, may have meant hell unleashed was coming his way... he doesn't know you or your expectations and you don't know all of what he brings with him - correct?

I would not correct in any way. If he is trying to shove out of the kennel in the AM - toss a treat toward the back so you can go in (assuming a large kennel/outdoor type).

Do not show ANY emotion when going to get him in the AM. If you can back up to the kennel door, do so. You want to be as un-assuming and non-aggressive as you can. Your only mission is to get the dog outside to do his business. IF he pees inside - NO COMMENT (imho) at this point - simply get hime outside and then praise calmly when he goes. I'd say "have a party" but until you know more about what triggers this guy, I'd keep it quiet and calm.

No corrections. NONE. He isn't being bad in any way; he just speaks French and you speak Latin.

 Quote: bob scott

.... Either way, the dog needs a lot of one on one fun time to get the dogs loyalty/trust.....and don't correct with such a "stern" voice if that screws him up.

I don't want to do anything that causes a dog to drop to the ground and wet himself, and after only a week, I think I'd still be focused with this guy on bonding.

Do you know marker training? A negative marker for me is a very neutral "nope."

But what you're describing as a negative marker sounds like a verbal correction ... not really the same thing. This dog needs no corrections right now. JMO!

Have you done marker training before? It's a huge confidence builder as well as a bonding thing. What's your experience with it? Or have you seen any of the DVDs are streaming video? I'd probably want to be loading my marker. If you're not sure what that means, please let us know, because there is a wealth of material here, from this board, from DVDs, from free video, from written articles....

Loading my marker and starting short upbeat sessions with high-value (but tiny) rewards -- these are my first steps when a new adoptee comes to me.



"Well since we are on the topic about dropping down to the ground and peeing I've also noticed that he will do it when I go to get him out of the kennel and even twice now when waking up in the morning to go out. Not so much out of submission but what seems to be pure excitement and not being able to control it. So my question is how can I get around this little bump I came into. "

Is this a dribble or a stream? Most of what you describe sounds like submission (and excitement) urination, but it would probably also be a good idea to drop a specimen off to check for a UTI. If you would like a description of how to collect a clean-catch (mid-stream) sample, you might start another thread. This too is something many folks on this board can help you with.

Excitement can be stepped down by the way you approach and speak in the situations where you have seen him lose control, but also, IMO, it's very early (one week), and I think it's something that often goes away with familiarization, confidence, bonding, etc.

My big focus would be what others have said: fun, and short upbeat confidence-building marker sessions.

IMO, it doesn't matter if he has been trained some commands. I start over with marker-style. If the dog already knows "sit," for example, it will be fast, but it sure won't hurt anything. Marker training offers so much more than other methods, because not only do you get the result of a dog who knows a new behavior, but also the training itself is just great for the dog.

It's perfect for a dog who is anxious or worried or skittish.

BTW, congrats on your new dog!



eta
Barbara posted while I was typing, so there's a lot of overlap.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (09/13/2011 08:48 PM)
Edit reason: eta

I'd love to see your new guy! Do you have a picture yet that you can link us to?