I've posted a couple of times, so far, and thank-you for your good advice and kind responses. I thought I'd post a link to some pictures of the gorgeous little monster I've been talking about.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.157938424306928.24734.100002723144894&type=1&l=6a5a2ed3d8

It has been an awfully long time since I've had a puppy, and an even longer time since I've had a large breed puppy, and I have to admit to not having been prepared!!!

Her sheer rambunctious energy, the "owie-ness" of her biting (that I haven't been able to stop), and her sheer power has just bowled me over.

I think I started with absolutely unrealistic expectations. My other dogs have always been so well behaved, and/or unable to do any damage, so the puppy years weren't an issue.

How long can I expect Sasha (12 weeks today) to be untrainable?
She is fantastic at sit and down. She comes to recall only when she knows I have a treat or she wants to!!! And though I have managed to get her to moderate the biting, she forgets pretty quickly. She's also not fully house trained yet. I thought she was - but she's just gone backwards again.

Anyway, I thought that the doggy pics were worth sharing in this forum - I love the doggy loving (not anthropomorphising) that goes on here :-)

Best Wishes
Mara

Start now! Puppies learn fast and it's fun to watch them learn, what you do now will be her foundation for later, very important!

Marker training!!!
You can't start early enough.

No advice from me. I'll defer that to the other more experienced folks here, other than offer a big ditto on the marker training. I just want to say those pictures and your puppy are gorgeous! What a fun ride you're going to have!

She's trainable! Just in small doses. You'll be surprised how much "training" happens at this age. They soak up things like a sponge. The little routines and rituals that you establish now will be with her for life---so this is the time to work on simple basics like self-control and attention to you.

High on my list of things to work on are "come," "wait," ane "watch me." Those can pretty much become the foundation for everything else...and make for a decently-behaved dog if they learn nothing else in life.

She's a tiny baby. At this age, they have practically no attention span or self control. So just keep your "training" in very small doses, and work them into the routine of your household. Are you using a tether?

@ Greg - Fun Ride.... Yes I think lol

@ Tracy I was using a tether, then I stopped. BTW your dogs are beautiful

I have to admit I'm so confused by all the advice I've gotten and read. I have to say that the result is probably me being a lot less effective than if I just listened to my instincts.

I've had her for 4 weeks now, and she seems like she's going to be a courageous and large dog. She is pretty independent, and nothing scares her at all!! If she's unsure about something, eg the Bull bellowing on the other side of the house yard fence, she'll just sit quietly somewhere near me and check it out.

Because she is so large already at this stage, I think I keep forgetting that she's a tiny baby. So I started her on marker training, on trying to curb her biting, getting her to 'mind' me and look in my eyes to check (used treats and markers for this). I also had her on a tether when she first came home, but since then I have had the tether on and off. I think I've been making mistakes in oscillating with my training. Poor thing - she must be totally confused at all the consequences and methods I've been using. At least I've been consistent about what are definitie NO's and what are definite YESs.

I also find that she seems to go back and forth on what she remembers. She seemed to have gotten the knack of toilet training, and then she really went backwards. I thought perhaps I was just less vigilant, but I don't think so, she would just pee immediately no matter where she was. I hope it's improving again today.

Was the same with the biting. She had really modified her behaviour, but when I no longer had to correct her, it only took her a day to have forgotten everything and be back to base line.

Is this normal?

I do keep working on "come" "wait" and watch me in tiny little spurts - always using markers and sometimes treats, but it is slow going. What kind of timetable for memory retention do GSD puppies have? AM I expecting too much of her?

I'm afraid I oscillate between expecting too much and then not enough from her... I hope I'm not stuffing her up. It's like when I expect a lot from her - she becomes a bit distanced from me - when I don't expect enough it's like she tries to dominate me and becomes more unruly. I am searching for the happy middle ground, but can't seem to find it..

A bit exasperated at the moment

I would find a local trainer who is familiar with marker training, corrections theory, and dog behaviour. Someone who understands shepherd pups and teenagers, too. Also, if you can do a series of sessions over a number of days instead of a number of weeks, I have been finding that really helpful for modifying my handling. It doesn't take long for me to get into bad habits, and my bad habits translate into my dog's bad habits.

What a cutie! I have heard that these large breed dogs don't mature until around 3 years old, so I'm not holding my breath. I wish I had known what I know now when I adopted Jethro at 4 months.

Good luck!

Thanks for the compliment on my hooligans.

It sounds like you're doing many/most things right to me. I'd go back to the tether, and stick with it for several more months, honestly. My newest pup (not in the photo...you know how it is with the youngest never getting in the family photo...) was on a tether pretty much constantly for about 4 solid months. He's just now getting to the point where I can trust him out of my sight in the house for very short spells. I think tethering is wonderful. It forces you to pay attention to the pup's signals so there are no "accidents," and forces the pup to focus on you.

Puppies are exasperating. That's their defining criterion.

Just keep at it. At 12 weeks, despite her size, this is a tiny infant. She won't have much sense for several more months, and very little attention span. Just take it slowly. This is the time to build bonds of trust and set very simple routines (they arent' even "rules" yet for such a wee one.) She is definitely not tyring to "dominate" you--that's meaningless to her at this age. She's just trying to play with you in the only way that puppies know how to play--with their mouths.

Because you got her at a relatively young age (8 weeks), she's learning from you some of the bite-inhibition she might have learned from her littermates. No biggie. Just carry a soft toy with you and put it in her mouth everytime she tries to mouth you. And when she gets too unruly and you need a break, put her in her crate.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

I think tethering is wonderful. It forces you to pay attention to the pup's signals so there are no "accidents," and forces the pup to focus on you.

So do I!

(Of course, this means tethering the dog to the human .... not to something stationary. )

It's not just for puppies, either! Now that I have learned the jump-start that tethering gives to everything from bonding to learning body language to potty training, every dog who is added to my pack starts out attached to my jeans for weeks (or more).

For the O.P., please don't be in a hurry to stop tethering.



" .... always using markers and sometimes treats, but it is slow going" is a red flag.

The marker means "Right! Reward coming!" How are you always using markers and sometimes rewards?

If you tell us how you loaded your marker and explain a simple session, I think we are going to be able to help out, both with posts and links to streaming video (Speaking of video, have you considered the two first-in-the-series marker DVDs here: Power of Marker training, #219, and Power of Food, #220?)

"I have to admit I'm so confused by all the advice I've gotten and read. "


My personal and honest opinion is that you can't go wrong with any of the recent DVDs and articles and free streaming video here at LB.

In addition, this is a forum community with many experienced marker trainers.