Hello everyone. Long time lurker...first time poster.

Looking to purchase a GSD puppy in the spring and am interested in SchH. My fiancee and I both love GSDs, however she has little interest in SchH. This will be both my first GSD and attempt at SchH training.

We've been talking about raising the puppy, and she generally agrees with the differences between raising a working puppy and a family pet. However, there is one thing she is most stubborn about. German commands.

She will "feel stupid" using German commands with the dog, and around friends. I have no problems with using such commmands. We are almost at a crossroads.

My questions:

In SchH competition, is it required to use German commands?

If not required, is there any advantage in and out of SchH competitions to use German commands?

Is it too confusing for a dog to learn both English and German commands? English words when not working and German commands for SchH work?

Just want us to generally agree on all aspects of raising the dog, BEFORE the puppy arrives <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks,

Christian

It's not required by SchH rules, and there is no advantage to using German.
If you use the dog as a demo dog for AKC-type obedience classes, it may occasionaly confuse the students a bit.
I've used German for so many years now that I'd feel weird giving a command in any other language though. But back while I was still showing in AKC obedience, the judges would look at you kinda funny for giving commands in German.
Oh well..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'm a relative newbie as well, and as far as I can tell, if you get a dog with good genetics, learning english and german commands is not a problem at all, teach one first then translate the same action with the learned command, by giving it in the other language, they soon pick up what it means. Pro's to using german, is that it requires you to think of what you want to say and command, and what you want is clear for the dog. you won't use german in everyday conversation so it will also stay clear for the dog ie ,you say platz and it knows to lay down, it doesn't hear platz in everyday conversation, like i'm going down to the park, i'm going to go down to the basement etc. But then my dog was already trained using both commands she has no problems so I don't know if it would confuse a dog at all anyway. German just sounds good on the training field and a lot has to do with the fact that a lot of people buy dogs trained in germany and shipped here, so they are already trained in german, most use it because of tradition as well. I think you'll find most here use german for working and english around the house.

Well try this one on for size folks. My introduction to Schutzhund and giving German commands resulted in me living next door to two professors FROM GERMANY. Want to talk about embarassing. I'm out yelling FUSS & PLATZ while my other neighbors are scared to death to come over. One day however, I did have my good German neighbor proof my pronunciation of the commands along with the definitions. It's all good here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

All our dogs - German on the field, English and Hungarian off.

And most of the Hungarian that I know is dog commands... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

John that was too funny.
My introduction to German with Ando was with our trainer. He was ALL German, still spoke it with his wife. He'd smerk at me all the time when I'd say a command or try to. He'd tell me a German command, and I'd look at him like, "what the heck did he say". It took me awhile to learn it, but I think it was because I was being taught by a German. It was natural to him, not for me.
Only weeks later, I had absolutey NO problems saying what command I needed to say at a seconds notice. It will become SO natural to you, you won't even realize your saying it. And to me, saying a different language command to your dog in public is awesome. It says, you and your dog are good <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and different. Nothing wrong with that, right.
I taught my one Corgi Czech. It's interesting in my house...German, Czech, and english. I do sometimes give Ando a Czech command and my Corgi a German command. But I catch myself as soon as I finish saying it. My Corgi has picked up the German commands all on his own, Ando hasn't picked up Czech though. Which is fine.

Anybody do Klingon? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

http://klingonska.org/dict/lexicon.cgi?query=come&field=eng

At any rate, it seems like many people reserve the German Schutzhund commands for the training field. They use English for the stuff that doesn't require the snappy response and precision expected in the trial routines. For example, "Heir" means "Run directly to me, sit closely and directly in front of me and stare intently into my face." Whereas, "Come" is "Haul your shaggy behind over here and hang out."

Letting your wife use English commands also avoids having the dog learn sloppy responses to the Schutzhund commands. I doubt that she would correct him for sloppy sits or other minor transgressions.

Dogs don't actually 'learn' any language. They come to associate specific behavioral responses to certain sound patterns. Richard Feynman, a Nobel prize winner and one of the key intellects behind the Manhattan project, taught his dog to get up, run out the front door, run around the house to the back and bark at the door in response to the command, "Come". He did it to annoy his sister.

Pretty much the same here. "Platz" means "Right now". "Go lay down" means you can go across the room if you want, but do it."

I believe that while you are competing in Sch. you must use the same language through out the exercise. Whatever the language is. Correct me if Im wrong.

I don't have a USA rulebook handy. However, according to the DVG rulebook, (pg 4), it only requires that the command

be one word

use the same command for each function throughout the trial.



http://www.dvgamerica.com/2004VDHEnglishVersion-1b.pdf