I am a first time owner and want to train my puppy in bite training and to be a good protection and gaurd dog for me at both my apartment and anywhere else. However, I know NOTHING, and I looked and see so many articles with terminology I dont know (defensive and prey drive, etc) I dont know where to start. Unfortunatly I am extrememly limited financially so cant afford to but any dvd's for a while. Does anyone have any tips on where to start? My pup turns 9 weeks tomorrow and is part greman shepard and part cocker Spaniel

I am going to be mean here. You're kidding right? You want to personally train your FIRST dog to bite? A dog that by your own earlier posts is "scared" of being petted? If you can't afford the DVD's or a professional trainer, then please don't try to bite train your dog.

Learn how to train your dog, do obedience, agility something that is NON aggressive.

If you just want your dog to bark at strangers, that's one thing and she will either do it or not...but don't force it. You could potentially damage the dogs personality beyond repair.

Just my .02 ...

Jonathan,

While there is nothing wrong with wanting to learn how to train a PPD or get into Schutzhund, this would be my recommendation to you.

I would raise and train this pup to do something other that protection, as you are raising and training this pup, study and research PPD and Schutzhund, attend some local clubs or contact a reputable trainer that can help you and answer your questions.

Once you learn how much time, energy, money and blood donations it takes, and you decide to do it, then start looking for a pup.
I recommend using the reputable trainer you learned form to help you find, select and broker a pup (or young dog, whichever you choose).

I am not saying a mixed breed cannot do the job, I am just saying that for a first time owner, do some research before you jump into it. It may be much more than you really want to do.

(Can we all remember that we were new too once? Geesh, he is looking for information and that is what we, with experience at all levels, are here for.)

It takes a dog with very specific genetics and a sound temprement that many professionals spend their lives to produce, from working line purebred german shepherds to do protection training of any sort. The biggest mistake you can make is forcing your dog to be something he is not meant to be, and unfortunately even out of litters of dogs bred specifically to be protection dogs (sport or otherwise) many still are not cut out for it.

There's always exceptions to every rule, but a GSD/Cockerspaniel cross is extremely unlikely to be one of them. There are lots of things you can do with your dog, spend time researching protection training, then one day if and when you can afford the price of a quality puppy, the added cost of a 2nd dog and the cost involved with protection training, find yourself a reputable local trainer to work with and learn from Videos are great, but they can only take you so far. The videos are a good way to go before you get a suitable dog for what you are wanting to do. Other than that, just read the Leerburg articles and browse old posts on this forum for a few weeks or months

Enjoy your puppy!

Now that I reread my post, it looks as though I promoted the whole mixed breed in protection thing.
What I meant was entirely different than what I typed.....

I agree wholeheartedly with Mike. I just did not want to seem as though I was bashing mixed breeds....

However, I can't see anything wrong with taking the dog as far as he can go with something like this:

http://www.leerburg.com/101e.htm

Training through drive, etc. Same principles.

Thank you all for your advise. I will just train Konichiwa the basics for now, and who know? in a year or so I could be finacially stable, and be able to go crazy with DVD's and be able to still train him, or get another full blooded German Shepard pup.