Hi, I'm new here, I was directed to this site for info on prong collars and was wondering if I could get some help......

I have 2 dogs ....Ursa who is a german shepherd and Buddy who is a german shepherd cross....It is buddy that I am concerned about.

I got Buddy from the spca, he is quite a character he's got that clumsy puppy outlook and behavior I got him at the age of 9 months he is 1 year old now.

I had only one dog before in my life that was a lab/collie mix that I got at the age of 4 years fully trained beautiful dog but passed this year. So my eagerness to get another dog led me to Buddy (ursa is my boyfriends dog)

I didn't listen to boyfriends advice when he insisted on getting another purebred GSD. I couldn't afford one at the time and didn't think it mattered because my last dog Bandit was a mix and he was the most loyal obediant dog.
So here I am 3 months later with a gsd/hound maybe? That is a big goofball and spaz.( wishing I had listened to the b/f now) He doesn't listen much is terrible on walks,(takes me really) takes off on occasion if not tied up at his doghouse he is generally a little bugger.
He can sit and lie down, thats about it.....sometimes sits pretty when he wants out but not when asked, just looks at you with a big grin.

My questions are:

1.) I can't afford a trainer at the moment and I am going to save up for one of the video's here and a prong collar (might take a while) is there some basic steps or drills I can go through with him to teach him the basics.....sit, stay come etc.... He has never had training (according to my vet he needs it badly) I myself have no experience in training a dog.

2.) Any suggestions on what Buddy might be crossed with? He loves to run at full speed like a grey hound chasing a rabbit....lol and has I thought hound eyes

Perhaps I should note ....Buddy has Hip dispasia so he is not allowed to run like he yurns to as he has already been at the vet for pulling something in his leg as he runs so hard.

Any help or advice you could give would be most appretiated

Buddy

I do not think your problem is do to the dogs breeding or genetics, but on a lack of proper obedience training. Get the basic obedience training video from this site and use it. You need to train this dog and he needs to know that he must listen to you. I think it would be good for you to learn about dog trainig before getting into too much of the correction phase just right now. While you are waiting for the video to arive, teach commands like sit, stay, down and come using treats and praise, the dog must know what the commands mean before you start correcting for not obaying. Only give a command you are able to enforce. So make sure the leash is on while training the commands so you can mannually make the dog comply and then give a treat and praise. Do not give a command that you are not able to make the dog perform. You do not want to tell the dog to sit and then have it run off and play "chase me." Get a couple of cheap nylon leashes about 4-6 feet long and have the dog wear them when it is with you. It can still play fetch and stuff with it on and will be easier for you. By this time you should have watched the video and have a grip on what training is about.

Nice looking dog, btw.

Jeff

Is Buddy food motivated? Kane will sit, down etc. for food but not with the enthusism as he would with a toy. Also depending on his energy level you will want to train during his calmer moods, not when hes too excited. For example Kane is his calmest when he just waks up from napping. Hes not bouncing off the wall. Also does your boyfriend know anything about training basic OB? If not you can go to Training Basics
I do not like Purina but the basic training steps for sit, down, stay etc. are the same. Purinas site also has other information that may be helpful and even a Puppy Care Kit that has a DVD that covers puppys and baisic commads, that they send for free. At 1 yr. old hes still a puppy.
Once he knows what your asking of him and then he decides hes not going to listen you can go to corrections, hopefully by then you will have Eds tape. One word of advice, be careful when choosing a trainer. I took my first dog to a traininer and now I realize that they taught me all wrong! Eds site offers alot of advice... it can be time consuming <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> but well worth the knowledge! Good Luck and Have fun!

Oh and keep training sessions short!

Jeff.....Buddy thanks you for the compliment <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> I didn't mean to imply that Buddy was dopey due to genetics....infact he seems to be rather intelligent Unfortunatly can't say the same for his owner.....lol I have never trained a dog before not even the basics but I'm sure with some consisatncy and perseverance he will do well once I learn the proper way of training.

Chastity......Yes Buddy is very food motivated and yes after a nap is about the only time he is calm he is a very excitable boy. Thanks for the site I shall check it out. I hope to have some extra bucks soon as I fully intend to get the dvd that Ed has out.....I checked out this site pretty good before posting and thought it to be pretty well put together and I trust that the people here have a great amount of knowlege that could help along with the video and prong collar so ED the order will be comming soon.......lol lets just get the Mastercard limit a little lower....hehe


Still no thoughts on what Buddy might have been crossed with ??????

Thanks for the responses......Going away for about 5 days so I will check back when I arrive home have a good weekend all.....

Hi Deborah. I too think Buddy is WAY cute! It's amazing - one of our dogs is a mix mutt of unknown origin. She looks a lot like Buddy LOL. Not nearly as much white especially in the face and neck, but similar just the same. Maybe they are related. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My very first dog was a GSD / Chow mix from the shelter. He was a total spaz (thanks largely to my own lack of knowledge about training) by the time he was 4 months old. I honestly didn't think we would last together. Once I got him into obedience classes the transformation was amazing. He was a high energy dog right up until the day he died, but a wonderful companion due to obedience training. Very smart too - just like Buddy.

So hang in there and good luck. You CAN do it! Learn LOTS of basics before you try that prong collar. Those can be great tools in the right hands, but like shock collars can be very bad if you don't know what you're doing. I second all the motions to start with praise and reward rather than corrections.

Beth