Hi,

We live out in the country, next door to a large family owned farm and unfortunately sometimes puppies are dropped off along our road. About 2 weeks ago we found a puppy about 10 wks old wondering the road. We fell in love with him and are going to keep him. The vet says he's probably mostly German Shepherd with maybe some coon hound or Rottweiler.

We'd like him (Scamper) to be an outdoor/farm dog, but I would also like him to be well trained and attentive to me. Does anyone know of materials that address training a farm dog?

Here's some extra info if anyone's interested:

The only experience I have with dog training was a mutt off the street in Yemen when I was a teenager. I loved that dog and she was extremely inteligent, but she must have been a dog with dominence issues, because she was almost unmanagable. She learned anything I wanted to teach her - but only behaved when she wanted to. I didn't have the experience or knowledge to deal with her...

Scamper is COMPLETELY different. He is incredibly eager to please and very quick to pick up on what I want him to do. He comes when I call him, even from yards away while playing with other dogs! And on only one leashed walk, he's mostly learned to heal with a loose lead and all I did was tug on the leash and say "no" firmly every time he got ahead of me.

Needless to say I am thrilled but unexperienced. I really want Scamper to reach his potential as a well trained dog, without bringing him into the house. So again, I was hoping someone might have some advice on puppy training material that would focus on raising an outdoor dog (no crate, no house training, etc). I'm also interested in opinions on the best way to keep a dog home without a fence. Is it possible to do this with training alone, or should we look into underground or wireless fencing?

Thanks!
Evangeline

Hello Evie,

Look up the DVDs Leerburg has for sale. Basic Dog Obedience is a start, as well as establishing Pack structure. Training a dog to be a "farm dog" is no different than training any other typical pet IMO.

I did think it was funny when you said the vet said he is mostly German Shepherd with maybe some coon hound or rott. lol Coon or Rott? they aren't really anything alike.

But if you just want the dog to be an outside dog, I suggest in getting an Invisible Fence, dogs will wonder all the time if left to.

Thanks for the reply! I do want to get the Leerburg DVDs. I'm glad to hear that they will be applicable to training an outdoor dog.

I read about establishing pack structure using a crate and tethering the dog to you when out of the crate. That won't work at all for me because Scamper is outside and I'm mostly inside. In this sort of situation how would one establish pack structure?

I walk Scamper for about 1/2 hour in the mornings and play with him some in the afternoon (fetch and tug-of-war). Otherwise he follows my 3 year old son around on his bike or lays on the porch chewing on his toys. I can and am willing to put more time into him - I just need some direction and motivation.

About the vet... the vet actually started out saying he was mostly GSD, but definately some other blood in there as well. A friend had told me the puppy looked like a rottweiler (black and tan markings) so I asked and the vet said "that could be or the coloring could have come from a black and tan coon hound". So maybe the vet was just trying to humor me. hehe.

Thanks again!

-Evie

It sounds like that dog is just gonna be a good ol farm dog. He'll come and go as he pleases and pretty much free to roam. You can do small things to establish structure with him by just going outside and when you say come he does, reward him when he does. If he is on the porch and you do not want him on there, direct him elsewhere. The dog will soon learn that you decide where he is allowed to be and not be. that is establishing some pack structure.

where does he sleep? It might be wise to invest in a kennel. Ours is 12x12 and is great for when we MUST contain the dogs. We have 4 dogs. One is a stray that is strictly outdoors. The other 3 live in the house.

I grew up in a family where dogs were strictly outside. I never thought I would have it otherwise but I love having the with us. The carpet needs to be relplaced more frequentlyand I invested in a heavy duty vacume cleaner. Small price to pay for loyal family members.

All depends what you want.. as a "Farm Dog" if you just want a companion while doing chores it is not much different than a pet then. Though if you want some thing different such as a livestock guardian or a stock mover even a guard dog for the house the protocol for raising the dog is a lot different.

No reason why you can't use an outdoor kennel instead of a crate. If his "free" time is all playing and working with you, he will bond quickly and firmly. You can also use the teather while working outdoors, it's not just an inside thing. But it sounds like you're not out with him a lot, and he'll have long hours confined to the kennel. That's ok, but you need a larger kennel to provide him with enough space to get some exercise.

If you don't use a kennel, you're going to have trouble enforcing your rules when you are not there. If you don't have chickens that should not be chased, or flower gardens that should not be dug up, or objects outside that should not be chewed, that could be a workable situation. But if you're going to have rules for outdoor behavior, kenneling during puppyhood is a very good idea.