Quote: Shelle Fenton

Hes only 8 months old. Do people think it would be detrimental to stop obedience after 6 months?

Stopping obedience as a sport...not a problem in my opinion. But training should be ongoing especially for such a young pup. I look at training as a key to a great relationship....it is the root of communication between my dog and me.

But you need something more upbeat!For example playing games where there are rules to follow is a great training exercise and not as structured as an obedience regiment. I'm in agreement with Steve that a class setting for an 8 month old is less about not being interested in obedience as having trouble staying focused on it.

By all means talk to the trainer. You don't have to say it is boring ask for suggestions to how to motivate your pup and yourself. Maybe a little private consult would be helpful.

Is the class based on marker training?

i actually quit.
i read all of this. And then thought, i actually wanted to go to a class, not to learn how to train a dog, but to provide some socialisation with other dogs, to prevent dog aggression in what is, a rather large breed, GSD.

After 8 months of him training us....

We can predict good manners to: baby's, toddlers, children, teens, cars, bikes, scateboards, other dogs male or female, large or small.
He comes when called 100% of time. Since the day we brought him home at 10 weeks. Now 8 months. Still time.

At what point, am i 'done' with basic obedience training?

What more can you want in a family pet?

I understand i have to keep training, refreshing him.

Do you think im 'counting my chickens' to stop at 8 months. I hear that GSD's can get awfully teenager angst sometimes?

Why would you stop training your dog?

Did you stop learning when you got your high school diploma?

German Shepherds are working dogs. If you don't give them work, they'll find it. Chances are, you won't like the job they invent for themselves.

 Quote: Shelle Fenton

At what point, am i 'done' with basic obedience training?

What more can you want in a family pet?

I understand i have to keep training, refreshing him.

Do you think im 'counting my chickens' to stop at 8 months. I hear that GSD's can get awfully teenager angst sometimes?

Well he's not mentally mature yet. You still have at least another 16 months at least until that is done.

You need to continue to work with him through that time. I understand getting down in the obedience grungies but it would be sad to close off your dogs' learning as just being enough. If he's come this far in 8 months just imagine where you can be in another 16?

Try to think of something fun to do together that he can help you with. There are tons of available options for activities that need not be as formal as obedience. Just this weekend I saw a guy on a pontoon sailing boat with his GSD. Looked like a great time.

My ACDx couldn't stand it either. My class was held in a pole-shed, there was always agility at the same time, the barking was awful. Felt I needed ear protection.
We are going to resume in the winter.

I can understand not wanting to do competitive work with him. The competitive side of dog training is not for everyone.

That being said, there is still a lot of stuff you can do with him, that would/could be fun for you and the dog. Agility, tracking, personal protection, retrieve, off lead OB.

These are all things you can do for fun with friends at a local club, or train yourself with just you and your dog in the back yard, or in a field.

Like said, your dog is a working breed dog. He needs a place in the world. In the long run in my opinion you will want him to have a place in your life and he will want a you to have a place in his.

With my dogs when I start thinking the OB is getting a little boring, I give them a few days off and for fun we do some basic tracking.
It is beginner tracking with food. But, they are having to use their brains, my commands and their scenes to do what is basically a fun job. The reward is a nice high-value treat at the end of the track. It is 100% positive tracking.
My 3 month old puppy loves this game so much and cough on to it so fast it was shocking.

I also never under estimate the power of a good ol' fashion game of fetch, or a swim in the local water hole(or water and fetch). I keep them under a command even when doing this stuff with them. It is soft commands and not asking much, just enough to make them use their brain, but not so much the fun is not their.

There is much, much more you can do with your dog then the 6 basic OB commands. Thoughs 6 commands are the basis to everything, and the tip of the ice burg. The sky is the limit.

Find something different to train for - agility, tracking, pet tricks. Even if he is just a family pet you'll have fun impressing friends with his tricks, it will strengthen the bond between you adn your dog and it will give him something to do that will exercise that brain!

Personally, I think that 8 months old is way too young to get serious about competitive obedience. They are just babies at that age. I know that some trainers start pushing their dogs at a young age to get into the ring but I find that at the end of the day, you are likely to stress the dog out and it makes it harder to do advanced work with the dog.

My boy Poe was my first competition dog (Well essentially my first dog too!) and I put him in obedience classes as a puppy. I ended up quitting the classes around 8 months because the instructor was after me because Poe did not maintain heel position properly. I have to admit that it made me cynical about obedience people but I got over it eventually :-) Came back to obedience with Poe when he was two (after training him in tricks, weight pulling, water rescue etc) and he easily got his Am/Can/UKC/ASCA CDs and was the number one novice ACD in the country. You will be surprised about how much more engaged they can be once they get older and more mentally mature.

My advice is keep working the foundation stuff at home (watch, sit, down, etc) and keep it fun. Train tricks, do herding, do tracking - explore all the different venues you can with your dog. KEEP IT FUN :-) If you do this, the bond with your dog will grow by leaps and bounds and you will get to know what makes him tick. If you still want to do competitive obedience, wait a bit for him to mature mentally and than start in it again. I have never regretted waiting until my dogs are two or three to enter them in the obedience ring. I find that by waiting I have a dog that is mentally prepared to go through and do the advanced classes with little extra work.

Good luck!

I read this whole thing here cause I have a little of the same problem although I am very interested in bringing out the most in Zuki, I have a list of things I want to work with her on. She is a half lab, half shepherd at 10 1/2 months old now. I am unsure on what order of things to teach her and she also seems board stiff with most of the training. She loves food and her tug toy but even using one or the other for a reward she sit slowly or refuse to even acknowledge that I said anything. She knows several commands but likes to do them when she is ready...I think this is probably my doing something wrong but not sure what. I am also "starting over" in a since with the marker training (very impressive for the hand touch,learned in 10 min!) but I am not sure how to progress in that. I would love to get some of the DVDs but funds are tight and I plan on listening and watching the free stuff to see if I can make since of some of it. I also am unsure of the DVDs because there can't be a "one size fits all" with problems that a person faces with there dog (I might be wrong) I would just like a way to get a better connection with my dog.

 Quote: eliza anderson

I am also "starting over" in a since with the marker training (very impressive for the hand touch,learned in 10 min!) but I am not sure how to progress in that.

Not all dogs slam the butt on the ground with a command - some are a tad slower in their delivery by nature. You see how quickly she responds to marker training, so just try using that with her regular obedience. Start when she is hungry, use a high value reward/treat, act excited, have fun, and that energy will transfer to your pup! Start with the sit and see if you can get her offering that more quickly - but as long as she does it - THAT is what counts!