Oh yeah,

I agree all Ob training should be short motivational and fun, I wouldn't start any hard correction until he gets to be a teenager 9 months to a 1.5 years, maybe. Then he will need it, to keep him focus.

Don, cool we are on the same page. I probably misunderstood your post. I still think dogs that have high food drive & play (toy) drive are the best to train.

OK I see what you guys are saying. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Basicaly once I establish a better foundation for OB then that will help with the cat problem. Now as for the crate... in our back yard we have two separate yards... one with the play equipment and one for the dog. Is the caret better and building anticipation? Or will leaving him in the yard be just as good?

Also when you say that once he knows and understands the command, then a pop of the leash is ok say when he goes for the cat. Now is this pop to correct him or just to get his attention? Cause a normal pop does not affect him in the least. Now the reason I have decided to do OB with treats is because when I use his toys he seems too focused (if thats possible) But hes so intense on the toy that its like he doesnt even hear me, or will paw at me or jump wanting it too bad. His food drive is so-so but enough that hes not too intense. I do like the fact that when I leave the house for a few seconds to empty the trash he will follow me to the door and sit and wait for me until I return, with me out of sight.
So he does understand sit. And he will down but only if I lower the treat to the ground. So he may not yet understand that command.

I have started laying a sent pad, which I found was fun although never training in tracking seems like Im not doing it too well. He does seem to know that "such" mean nosse to ground which I guess is a start. But he does however sometimes try to skip ahead in the trail. Should I stop him and make him pick up each piece? Once I see him doing well on a sent pad with hotdogs, whats the next step?

I have been very carefull with Kane, like I mentioned that I dont want anyone envoled with his training such as my boyfriend. As it is I already had to yell at his cousin who came over one day and was in the back yard where I feel is Kanes space and Kane jumped on him. Now I know nobody likes a jumping dog but I will deal with that later, and he then said "Get down dont jump on me" I got very mad and told him not to correct my dog and if he doesnt want the dog to jump, nip(mouth) etc then he needs to get away from the dog and go in the house. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> Again I caught him telling him the same thing about a week later and again I told him "Dont come into my yard anymore." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> And hes has not been around since. Unfortunatly Im not around anyone who has a clue as to what Im doing or the importance. I did try to get my boyfriend interested and envolved by giving him material to read and so on, but hes a lost cause.

One mistake I will admit to is allowing Dannys friends to be so close to Kane. They are over alot, I mean like everyday or every other day. They are like brothers to my boyfriend, but I dont want Kane to go to them so willing. So whats the best way to start new on that subject? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Should I just start putting him away from now on when they come over? And I know that protectiveness will come with maturity. But is there an age that I will see a difference in Kanes attitude toward people? When we go on walks he will focus on the passing stranger and even go towards them a bit but he is not that excited pup when hes with who he knows. So I guess its ok, as long as I start to control his environment more now like by not letting our friends have access to him.

Now again on the OB subject... is sit and down the only commads I should focus on at his age or are there other that I should be working on?

Geez again I thank you guys for all the great advice! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Oh and one more thing on training focus... what do you recommend? Just keeping his attention? Should I have a "command" for focusing?

Chastity, its great that you have a new dog your excited about and wish to train in Schutzhund, and while this forum is an invaluable tool, it's difficult to try and answer these lengthy posts and advise you on every aspect of your day to day training. My suggestion if you don't have help in your area, is to educate yourself by reading past posts on different issues using the search tool on this site, as well as various articles Ed has written that in my own experience I found to be very helpful. You'll find that most of the questions you are asking have been discussed before at some point usually in some detail. My other suggestion would be to try to attend any seminars you can in your area, as well as look into the different video tapes and DVD's sold on this site. Visit your local library or bookstore for books on dog training. You mention you have no one to train with. Is there not a club in your area you can join? A lot of your questions seem to be based on obedience. Maybe joining a puppy class would give you some insight on training your dog. I am not trying to discourage you from posting your questions and concerns, but merely pointing out that there are other available resources novice trainers can tap into to learn. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> By the way, IMO great focus on the toy is an awesome thing!

Thanks John, your right I didnt even think of like a library for books and the such. again thanks for all the great advice!

There is a club in my area but when I called them for more info they told me the only meet once a week on thursdays at 5:00 which is impossible with my schedule but I will do alot of reading!

Yeah I know there are other posts that may cover some topics on some of these matters, but since I was getting such good responces from this thread I thought Id give these questions my personal touch <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . Besides I have read so many pointless posts where all I read is people badgering each other . But thanks again... I really didnt think of the library! I am off to do some reading! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Thanks again! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Chastity,

Do you have a local schutzhund club? I feel like you need someone who can be of hands on assistance. There's so much involved in raising a quality working dog and it can be very challenging, especially when it's your first.
Answering all of your questions could take a while.

OB: As far as OB goes there are a lot of things you can teach. You can work on sits, downs, recalls, come fore, retrieves, you can even begin a fun game of heeling by allowing him to drive at your left side while looking at your face.

FOOD DRIVE: You say that his food drive is so-so. Food drive is a great tool because you can manipulate it. Dogs learn best when they are in drive. So make sure your not overfeeding. Make the treats extra-special, they're a valuable tool so don't abuse them by free feeding them. If he's ignoring you when your trying to do OB or doesn't seem to be that interested in the food don't feed him before your training session or feed him his meal from your hand instead of his bowl. You want him to press you for your attention.

FOCUS: This comes with him driving at you. What I mean by this is simply, you don't want to be your dogs cheerleader you want him to want to be with you. He should be pushing, jumping and excited to try and get your attention. This is best developed IMO through food drive and play. It's very easy to make mistakes early on with toys. Although I'll add that I do agree with Don that food must be faded. But you need to add a little fuel to the fire before you extinguish it. Get a clicker and find some good info on how to correctly use it. Keep special treats on you 24/7. If he makes eye contact - click - treat. If he comes to you voluntarily - click - treat. Some may disagree but I really like the use of a clicker for OB. It's so much quicker and more definitive than a voice command when the dog is beginning to learn a command. Don't worry about the vocal command as much as concentrating on the movement, correct sits, a collapsing down. Click and treat these movements as they are happening. You'll know when he understands the gymnastics of the command, then simply fade the clicker the same way you would the food.

TRACKING: Once he's learned to distinguish the difference between disturbed ground and undisturbed. You're ready to start a straight line. It is important IMO that he eats all of the treats in the scent pad. He can even wander outside of the pad as long as he comes back to it. That's the beginning of him learning, hey there's nothing over there, all the good stuff is in the stomped grass. BTW, lay his first tracks with very close foot steps, scuff your feet, make it easy for him to distinguish initially. Food in every step.

One last thing. I tend to be very anal about my dogs. With NO EXCEPTIONS would I allow ANYONE to inappropriately interact with my dog! NO if's, ands, or buts about it. It never ceases to amaze me how many people "Know How To Handle a Dog". Most are clueless. Be smart. Don't put a lot of time and energy into a dog that will become nothing more than a pet due to someone else ruining your dog. In the end there's no one to blame but yourself. Only you know whose doing what with your pup. Only you can control that. Your his protector. You must shelter him from bad experiences.

In trying to answer some of your questions, John beat me to the punch. He's right you really ought to find someone with some experience to assist you. Not to mention, Ed has one of the best video libraries you'll find.

Best of luck. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hi Chastity,

You have been given a lot of good advice through this thread. Specifically, find yourself some one-on-one help. Have your puppy evaluated by a good trainer and do some obedience with that person. You have some of the best schutzhund clubs and talented trainers, helpers and dogs in your area that there are in the whole country! I drive four hours to train with a man in Turlock. He is really great. For him, each dog and owner/handler is a separate case to evaluate and work with. There are clubs in your area that have members that go to the USA nationals. The number one DVG team trains in your area. Bottom line, find the good people, set aside the time, start with the basics and perfect them. You'll learn so much from working with really knowlegeble dog people. I have heard that schutzhund is the test of true character and I think that this is true because it takes commitment and discipline to qualify for any level of schutzhund competition. Worst possible scenario, you'll learn a lot about your dog and a lot about yourself. Good luck and don't let a bunch of layabouts mess with your dog or your head.

Naida, Turlock isnt too far from me. Actually my father lives in Hilmar which is even closer. I wouldnt mind driving to Turlock. There is a club in Modesto I think it was but like I said they meet when I am unable to go. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I really need someone that can work with me on the weekends. I dont know how impossible it is, but that would be the best for me.

Does this trainer only meet on certain days or is he flexable? Its nice to know that theres someone close by that someone recommends. If you have anymore info on him I would love to be able to meet with him. If he isnt too keen on information being given out, maybe your next training session you can ask him if he is willing to meet me and what times he available? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I just would rather go through someone that I have heard good things about. Leery about going to some clubs hen I have read stories about some of the trainers not knowing one thing about what they are doing.

Chastity, the USA club I was thinking of is the Golden Valley Working Dogs. They are working out of Manteca which is even closer to you than Hilmar. I understand that I can't recommend a trainer on this site, however I would be glad to share my experiences with you at: ingohaus@charter.net