Dog Health Questions: My wife is getting in the way of my dog training?

I got a German Shepherd Dog a week ago and I was planning on training him as a personal protection working dog. I've trained them for years but this is the first dog that belongs to me and the first time I've gotten into training in 7 years. I've been married to my wife for over 5 years so she's never been exposed to the difference between training a family pet and training a working dog (BIG difference). Anyway my wife, who is very knowledgeable about training family pets (she's VERY good) isn't a big fan of the working puppy training method. (..just so everybody knows, there's nothing inhumane or cruel or anything like it when it comes to raising a working puppy...it's just different.) My wife isn't allowing me to do what's necessary to build drive, focus, and other critical elements to make sure our pup does his job well when he grows and matures into an adult dog. Should I give up on this and just raise him as a family dog and wait until we buy a larger property and train a working pup properly? Should I push through and continue? If so, how on earth do I get my wife to understand that certain things have to be done on a consistent basis in order to successfully train a working dog?

Secrets to Dog Training Reviewed

Recommended Answer:
Sit your down with your wife & discuss the training of the dog & the reason you paid the amount of money you did for a GSD pup that was specifically bred to work.

If it's something you really want to do, then train the dog & ask your wife to support your training methods & not undermine them. Your wife can always buy a pet dog to train at a later date.

Protection Dog Training - Vicious Animal or Family Pet?

• Sir, grow a set and let your wife know who is in charge.
  This is YOUR dog.


• Give up, make him a family dog


• Sounds like you need to take up wife training classes


• Well, I think you should politely ask her to let you try it your way first. If she doesn't see good results in a month, then you agree to work it her way.


• There should be no difference between a pet and a working dog.
  
  I do protection work with my Beauceron, he also is my family pet.


• Sounds like you and your wife need to sit down and have a talk. You both have to decide on a working dog or a family dog. Whatever the decision, you both have to agree and be willing to go 100% in that direction. This is all about who is willing to give in. Who bought the dog? Whose decision was it to buy the dog? Maybe a small dog for your wife is a good idea, before the shephard gets big enough. Both dogs need to be friends if your going to have a large working dog around a small dog. But without cooperation from both of you then this could potentially turn disastrous. A working dog can be a family dog. But they need to get the working part down first. The obediance and training will be well for a family dog.


• This is a tough question to answer. I guess in my opinion I would first attempt to have a sit down discussion with both you and your wife. Write out your expectations of the dog and your expectations of her in the training process. Allow her to explain what she expects of the dog. If the two lists cannot work together and she cannot commit to allowing the dog to be trained your way you might just have to wait. It seems to be more of a marital issue, I just worry that the poor dog is going to be very confused. Good luck with your training!


• You don't want to force something that isn't going to happen. If your wife is set on this dog being a family pet then so be it. You wouldn't want the dog to be confused about it's purpose. Maybe waiting is a better option. But you should probably have a "sit down" with your wife and discuss your wishes for this dog, and then give her a chance to tell you what she wants from the dog.


• What kind of working dog? Search and Rescue, Weight Pulling, Showing, Agility Trials? If you don't have a large area you will have to make accomodations as the dog grows. The protectiveness is built into the dog, you don't have to train for that. I never train my animals to BE protective, their love of you will make them protective of the family. Your wife needs to be a part of this, not the problem. Tell her that you have learned a lot from her on training dogs for other things and you intend to use a lot of the techniques that she taught you, because you have to have your dogs trust first. She is part of the family and the dog will need to recognize her as an alpha also. I think working together and making it fun for all of you is important. You have to establish a very good relationship with your dog before any of that kind of training and I train only basics until one year of age. The things working dogs have to do can be hampered if you start too young. They aren't fully formed in their bone and muscle structure. You don't want them jumping until a year because it could damage the back leg muscles. Weight training usually starts about 18 months. You can train things to get them ready to train for working but I suggest, highly, that you wait until he is older for his sake and yours, he will understand better at that age also.


• Eddie.
  
  I admit I don't know anything about training a personal protection dog. I have seen some Schutzhund training and one competition. A good friend, years ago, did protection training with his "companion" GSD; I say "companion" as the dog went everywhere with him, to work, visiting people.
  
  I know tons of "dog show/sport" people. Started with the family mutt in obedience in Jr High, got my 1st purebred Sheltie in High School and competed (1991/2), raised and showed in conformation, been actively competeing in agility about 14 years, done some herding. I am an agility trainer, and have had students with dogs that actively compete in obedience, rally, have done herding, a couple of hunting dogs (who hunt yearly) a CCI dog, a couple GSDs that have been trained in basic Schutzhund, a Basset that competed in field trials, and 3 SAR dogs. My daughter (25 years old) bought a Lab pup from a hunting kennel for her 3rd agility dog. He is an awesome agility dog. She worked him some off and on with a hunting trainer and with very, very minimal training is a very decent pheasant dog. Our friend prefers him over another hunter's "professionally trained" dog. What all the above dogs have in common is that they are "personal pets/companions" that live in the house.
  
  Having been exposed to the many facets of "dog eventing" and in talking to people who "do them" there is much bias. And possibly misinformation. People ( ;-) ) tend to engross themselves into their own little interest, and sometimes fail to see the big picture. When I was quite young, one breeder told me "You can't obedience train a conformation dog because it will ruin it for the conformation ring." At a big show, a famous Champion Sheltie took HIT and BIS the same day. Well. Hunting dogs are often kept in a chain link kennel and only brought out for hunt training and hunting.....to keep their enthusiasm for their "job"? Well, remember my daughter's Lab. He lives in the house, plays frisbee on the lawn, goes for off-leash walks around the farm, is trained for agility, competes in agility....and will NOT stop hunting in a field, and will gladly swim across a slough to retrieve a bird.
  
  I had a lot of trouble when I went out looking for my current dog. I wanted a Border Collie for my next agility dog, and as a companion to sleep on my bed. Many BC breeders were apalled and would not sell me a pup because it was a travesty: not a herding home. I finally found the perfect pup for me. I had put a lot of forethought into the training before I brought her home: agility skills, speed, drive, distance work to make up for my being fairly slow (remember my daughter is 25!), and yet I wanted a dog I could live with in the house and would not run the walls. She needed an "off switch" so she could just "hang". I also wanted her to be a totally trustworthy companion I could have off leash around the farm and not worry about her running into the fairly busy country road, chasing cars or taking off after rabbits or such. I also had hopes to dabble in herding, so she has been exposed to sheep about 2-4 times a year the past 3 years. Only last year was I able to actually get her out fairly regularly for a month and a half on sheep in a small arena to have someone "teach me" a little stuff, before we quit. Just a couple of weeks ago I took her to a "real" Border Collie trainer/competitor to have him work her and assess her. After hearing about her ( family house pet, competitive agility dog/minimum exposure to sheep) he was very surprised when he worked her in a huge pasture how willing she was, much she "knew", how much she picked up on right away and that she wouldn't quit. He asked if she had had some professional training.
  
  The ideal dog should be a family companion first. Then, they have their "jobs".
  
  So.....what I am saying is: do not underestimate your dog. They are very, very smart and they can wear more than one hat.
  
  I can understand your frustration with your wife: spouses surely can make life difficult ;-) But I am sure you can compromise and train around what you see as a contradiction with some forethought.
  
  My BC has a "special tug toy" that is kept on the ledge of the front porch. That is her "trigger" for agility working mode.
  
  Good luck, and keep us posted...