I have a dog, Scooby, he's a Blue Heeler and German Shepard mix, and I want him to go through training at the local PetsMart. They have a really good trainer that works there, she's really nice. But she can also be very dominant when training dogs.
But more of my dog's past... my Dad and I found them when coming home on the highway, in the middle of NOWHERE, in a Louisiana swamp. There were six puppies, two pairs of each were different. Two looked like blue heeler, two looked like german shepards, and the other two looked like rat terrier mixes. (Female dogs can get pregnant at the same time with different dogs.) And we saved them, nursed them back to health, they had worms, got rid of them, took them all to the vet, got shots, de-wormed, neutered and spayed, and we managed to give two away to good homes. I kept one of them myself, and he was the blue heeler/german shepard.
Anyways, we live wayyy out in the country so they've got a lot of room to play in, even though it's fenced. A couple of acres of fenced land. And the only socializing any of them get it with each other or when going to the vet. They're ten months old now, so they're pretty much full grown. And they don't socialize well at all. Especially Scooby. When people come over he will NOT go near them, won't sniff them, etc. And if I kinda nudge him over to them he'll force himself back as much as I allow and start growling. He's NEVER bitten anyone, never tried to. I think the growling is just a warning.
But I take him for walks down the road and he loves it, until the vet that lives down the road jogs past him. Or the kids playing ball talk sweet to him. He also has a bad habit of peeing on himself when he gets scared, so I haven't tried to get him to be more social, therefore I won't have to get peed on when he gets nervous.
I'm sorry for telling you his whole life story -_- I must be bored, lol. But I was just wondering if I all of a sudden enroll him in training at PetsMart, will it make his behavior worse? Should I slowly introduce him to people? How? Will he stay this way the rest of his life because it's all he knows now?
Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks : )
Protection Dog Training - Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Answer:
I wouldn't just thrust him into training without socializing him first. Take him in the car for rides to public park, let him see people without being too close to them and then get him out of the car after a few trips and walk him around. When he acts nervous or barks, just keep walking, drag him along pretend he isn't barking or nervous. If you give into that type of behavior, they get worse and worse. Just keep walking like there is nothing wrong and nothing to be afraid of. But don't leave any slack in the leash/get close enough to people so he can bight them. And have some treats to distract him when he starts crying or barking. I like to watch Cesar Milano the dog whisperer. It has really helped with my dogs, they barked and lunged at people/cars/bicycles... my yorkie also would pee on himself when he was nervous. It would upset me a lot and I felt so bad for him, then when I took him to the groomers one day, she said he was a totally different dog when I left and didn't bark or growl at all. Then I realized what an enabler I really was!! lol Good luck!
Dog Training Methods - Different Ways to Teach Your Pet Dogs Some Useful Skills
- U need a training guide that u will find in the link below. Hope it helps u.
http://www.reviewlocator.com/reviews/sec… - German Shepherds and ACD, are not supposed to be indiscriminately friendly, one of myGSD would not go to people for petting but if put on a Stand/Stay would be fine while examined even by the vet or at dog shows. Pushing him to people will guarantee he'll hate people more and someone will get bitten. A proper obed class should be fine but most PetsMart suck and an outside one would be much better.In class the dogs are NOT encouraged to socialize, the point is to be obedient when faced with many temptations or distractions. Invite a person over who he is most interested in or fears the least and you both sit on the porch talking and have the person not look at Scooby but toss yummy treats at him.As he gets more comfy with that person you use a diff one. Then when he goes near the person the person can tell him sit then toss the treat. If the vet scares him ask him to not run past Scooby but walk casually and throw food his way. While walking past kids keep him away from them but feed him yummy treats only when the kids are in sight. If he is ball crazy have the person toss a ball to him, underhanded and casually. Basically you want him to see "people near me=FOOD or my BALL". But an aloof dog is an aloof dog and pushing him will get someone bitten or give him a nervous breakdown. You can expect him to hold a stand/stay while someone examines him however, that is a command and not his choice and he will learn the diff. We had a severely shy GSD who would never approach anyone but the family and worked at class for a yr b4 he held the Stand/stay well enough to be shown and get his AKC CD. Also doing an obed routine while going past the kids will focus him on you not them. A well trained dog can not focus on his obed routine and praise and do well and be worried of kids at the same time. ACD standard The Cattle Dog's loyalty and protective instincts make it a self-appointed guardian to the Stockman, his herd and his property. Whilst naturally suspicious of strangers, must be amenable to handling, particularly in the Show ring. Any feature of temperament or structure foreign to a working dog must be regarded as a serious fault.
The GSD standard The breed has a distinct personality marked by direct and fearless, but not hostile, expression, self-confidence and a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships
No comments:
Post a Comment