hello all,

I recently adopted a 8 week old GSD. She is now 10 weeks old. I have been working with her in a positive manner for the fast two weeks. I have Ed's your pup 8 weeks to 8 months dvd, basic obedience, and training a competition heeling dog. There seems to be different techniques in these videos and I'm wondering which gets the best results and what others might think or have encountered with training their pup. Here is what I've been doing so far. It seems I'm incorperating a bit from all videos and I'm wondering if it might be counterproductive. I have been using the sit and down training from the your pup 8 weeks to 8 month dvd. My pup will sit in front and accept the treat from my hand and when I put her in a down she has started to look down at the floor and sniff around just as Ed suggested the animal would once it started to click. Now I watched the competition heeling dvd and the trainer employs a totally different technique.. that being the sit on a log and take the food from mouth in the sit and down. If the pup falls off then you tell her to climb and drag her back up by the collar. I have to admit i felt kinda bad for the pup. I'm wondering if there is any danger of hurting the pups neck or anything.. Miera is so tiny I almost feel like her head would pop off.. That would be terrible..I havent tried this yet but I have been having her recieve food from my mouth while sitting down. She goes totally nuts and will paw my face and take the food from mouth.. She is pretty gentle with her teeth and she has not bit me yet. her scratching is annoying so I have started to hold her legs down while she takes it. It seems she will not stop which is a good thing. How should I train the sit and down? shes so small i have to bend down and contort my body very awkwardly to get the food to her so she doesnt stand up. I dont think shes agile enough to catch the food if I drop it.. What should I do? any suggestions?

The first bit of advice that I would give you is to make sure you aren't rushing things or asking too much of her too soon. You have a baby and she doesn't have the maturity to handle serious training right now.

IMO, the important thing for your pup at her age is to bond with you and to "learn how to learn." Very simple, easy and fun obedience is really all she needs right now, but the bonding is really the important aspect.

I have the competition heeling DVD, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet, so I'm not sure what specifically you're refering to. But I will say that if you're having success with Ed's techniques then..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it." With a young pup, the more simple it is the better.

Hi David,

I have the competition heeling DVD and I know what you're referring to. The object of the lesson in that video is to sit tight and still and to focus on your face. It's a great exercise for an older puppy but, as Amber said, your puppy is still very young for serious training. You've got lots of time so make training an enjoyable, stress-free game...for both of you.

Here's a great way to teach your pup to "Watch":
http://www.leespets.com/TheEyeContactGame.html

It's fun, easy to teach, and your young pup will catch on quick...astounding your friends and family with her brilliance and your prowess as a dog trainer From there you can start spitting treats from your mouth (which will save your face from scratches) and it will also give your pup a good foundation for watching you when you begin serious heeling later on.

David, my thinking is if it doesn't feel right to do a certain thing with your pup or dog, don't do it. I agree with Amber and Sarah. Your pup is too young for the type of training you mentioned regarding the log. It might actually be fun a few months from now whereas if done now, it would be stressful for the pup and for you. And it's certainly not necessary. A sit can be taught on the ground. A solid sit is in the future, but not at your pup's age.

I would give the treat from your hand for sitting. Switch hands if you want but don't spit it out. At this point you're not expecting her to hold the sit, but if she breaks the sit to get the treat that is being spit out, it creates a gray area for her. It needs to black and white. So I would really just give it from my hand because that way you can instantly reward while she's still in the sit, so it's clear to her why she's getting the reward.