I have a German Blood line GSD that is 12weeks old he is just about to finish his puppy class, he comes from long line of Schutzhund titled dogs and he may have the correct temperament for the work. I want to do all except maybe the bite work. I was told the starting in obedience could kill some of the drives used in tracking and protection work, but I am also told that you need to have a dog that is obedient first what of these are true and where should I start....I am told by many he would be great at obedience and I should consider it......
Any help would be appreciated...
Robert it is not so much what you do but how you do it. Regarding obedience, if you approach obedience as structured play with a few rules and those rules are enforced by the dog not immediately getting what he wants (food) you can start obedience at 8 weeks of age. This is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqAStDsYuY to one of my training videos w/narration of a GSD at 16 weeks of age with no leash. I this started this training when I got the pup. You can with no problem begin tracking at any age if you don't use compulsion. Regarding protection you have to be aware of the dog's teething but playing tug should not be a problem. When you are ready to begin grip work begin it with the most experienced helper you can find because IMO the first few sessions of grip work are the most important in the dogs training life. Have fun and good training. Norman
John Haudenshield Webboard User Reg: 07-12-2001
Posts: 447
Loc: Virginia
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Robert,
Where are you located? Maybe someone here could put you in touch with a good trainer or SchH Club that would be near you.
Don't get hung up on how obedient your 12 week old dog needs to be, especially if you have an interest in SchH, or even working the dog correctly in obedience, in drive.
Read Armin Winkler's article 'Only the Nose Knows 1 & 2' on how to start tracking. If you have questions about the process, e-mail him and he will help you. Read his other aticles as well, the Tell Me About Your Dog ones are great at explaining 'drives'.
Finally, don't put too much pressure on yourself and have fun.
John, I believe Robert was asking *when* to start not how or what should he expect and my post was directed towards that question. That said Armin Winkler is great source and your suggestion " Finally, don't put too much pressure on yourself and have fun" is a good one. Norman
Moving forward after puppy obediance class, my main questions are....
Should my next step be more obedience or should I start doing tracking and or protection work in fear of surpressing some drive and if I have to much obedience he will turn to me for the answer before making that split second decision he needs to make on his own.....
I am around Milwaukee Wisconsin....My dog was from Steve Miller in Spring Green WI who is also a Schutzhund Trainer but he is 2.5 hours away (a bit far)
So if you know someone good in my area I can check into that would be great...
Any of those disciplines can be trained while your dog is a pup as long as all behaviors are shaped by motivation. I have trained schutzhund dogs for 30 years and beginning a pups training in the manner I described, it hasn't hurt any one of them yet. It also might be a good idea to ask your breeder what he thinks. Norman Epstein
When you say Shaped by motivation.....What do you mean? and Motivation vs. ???? (to be sure I am on the right track)
I have been doing my trainning with praise and treats, and he is more motivated by the treats than the praise, is there any way to change his motivation to focus on me more than the treats.
Robert I responded to your first question and that was would obedience suppress other drives and my answer was no if done via motivation. A better description of the term *motivation* would be positive reinforcement, that would include but not be limited to, play, praise, petting and food. Focus is another issue and how I get it from a dog is to lengthly to describe it in this venue. Again looking at the videos I offered and narrated might be of help. Of much more help would be a book titled "Training in Drive with Gottfreid Dildei, and Sheila Booth". Good luck and good training. Norman Epstein
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Where do I start ? Obediance / Tracking / Protect
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