We've both had numerous dogs, but never really tried to train them beyond the basics.
Secrets to Dog Training to Stop Your Dog's Behavior Problems
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I have found Cesar Millan's "Cesar's Way" and Tamar Geller's "The Loved Dog" to be great resources that balance one another. Although I do not have a GSD (though everyone thinks my pup is a GSD mix (even though he doesn't have the coat, paws, or size)), I've also found Ed Frawley's website VERY helpful: http://leerburg.com/
Nothing, however, has made more difference than finding a good local trainer. Our trainer has done a great deal for our dog... primarily by training ME...
As with anything, what works best for you, your family, and your dog will likely be a matter of "copy & paste" from a number of diverse sources. Be careful not to take any single trainer's or dog expert's two-cents as gospel. You (and your dog) would likely be unbalanced... and an unbalanced person (or dog) is not really a happy person (or dog).
Things to Consider Before You Go For a Dog Training Career
- Cesar Milan's books and videos are great for training:
http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/ - Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan!
I'm reading it right now, but it's been really helpful
It tells you the most effective ways to get dogs to respond to you
WITHOUT abusing them
(: - I like "Good Owners, Great Dogs", by Kilcommon and Wilson.
- Not nessacarily about dog training, but definitely a good dog behavior book. Explains many situations from the dogs point of view. Bones would Rain From The Sky: Deepening Our Relationship With Dogs by suzanne Clothier.
www.flyingdogpress.com (read the free articles, although the site now required signing up for free account) - Try to enroll in a puppy socialization class, and then dog obedience its a great way for you and your dog to be active. Most groups have doggy day outs. Training my GSD was the best thing I have ever did, it was a great time for myself and my dog, they are quick to learn, and make great family pets.
- hope you find what you're looking for.
Try this link...great title - 21 Days to a Trained Dog, by Dick Maller, Simon & Schuster, October 1979, Paperback, ISBN: 0671251937
25 Stupid Mistakes Dog Owners Make, by Janine Adams, McGraw Hill - NTC, November 2000, Paperback, ISBN: 0737304901
101 Essential Tips: Training Your Dog, by Bruce Fogle, Dorling- Kindersley, May 1997, Paperback ISBN: 0789414600
101 Training Tips for Your Dog, by Kate Delano-Condax Decker, Dell Books, November 1994, Paperback, ISBN: 0440505682
All Dogs Need Some Training, by Liz Palika, MacMillan General Reference, August 1997, Paperback, ISBN: 0876054076
American Kennel Club Dog Care and Training, by American Kennel Club, Howell Book House, August 1991, Paperback, ISBN: 087605405X A Classic! The Art of Raising a Puppy, by the Monks of New Skete, Little Brown & Company, March 1991, Hardcover, ISBN: 0316578398
ASPCA Complete Dog Training Manual, by Bruce Fogle, Dorling- Kindersley, April 1,1994, Hardcover ISBN: 1564584879
Basic Dog Training, by Miller Watson, Tfh Pubns, November 1,1990, 2nd Edition, School & Library Binding, ISBN: 0866227857
Becoming Your Dog's Best Friend : How to Earn Your Dog's Love, by Martin J. Becker, Published by Tfh Pubns, October 1,1994, Paperback
ISBN: 0793800870
Beyond Basic Dog Training, by Diane L. Bauman, Howell Book House, October 1,1991, Hardcover, 257 pages, ISBN: 0876054106
Canine Good Citizen : Every Dog Can Be One, by Joachim Volhard, Wendy Volhard, Melissa Bartlett (Illustrator), Hungry Minds, Inc., July 1997
ISBN: 0876054521
Civilizing Your Puppy, by Barbara J. Wrede, Published by Barrons Educational Series, February 1, 1997 2nd Edition, Paperback, 120 pages
ISBN: 0812097874
Complete Handbook of Dog Training, by Thomas A. Knott, Dolores Oden Cooper, Howell Book House, February 1994, Hardcover,
ISBN: 0876055552
Crazy Dogs & Crazy People : Looking at Behavior in Our Society, By C.W. Meisterfeld, Ernest Pecci, Mrk Pub, October 1992, Hardcover, ISBN: 0960129278
The Dog Listener: A Noted Expert Tells You How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell, Harper Resource, July 2001, ISBN: 0060199539
Dog Logic : Companion Obedience : Rapport-Based Training
by Joel M. McMains, Published by Howell Book House, October 1992, Hardcover, ISBN: 0876055102
Dogperfect: The User Friendly Guide to a Well Behaved Dog,
by Sarah Hodgson, Hungry Minds, Inc., December 1995, ISBN: 087605534X - Cesars Way by Cesar Millan is a great training book for getting the right behaviors out of your dogs and making sure you start your dog off right. 101 dog tricks is a great tricks training book.
- How dogs learn - by Burch and Baily
Don't shoot the dog - by Karen Pryor
Clicker training for dogs - by Karen Pryor
Excel-erated learning - by Pamela Reid - I've got a number of resources for you.
1. Look at Patricia McConnell. She used to have a pet show on Wisconsin public radio, her website is at: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/
She has a number of outstanding books including: The Other Side of the Leash, and Family Friendly Dog Training. She has a PhD, a lot of practical experience and emphasizes positive training methods. The Other Side of the Leash is regarded as a classic in terms of explaining how so many people go wrong with their dogs, how dogs perceive things, what works and doesn't work with them.
2. Look at Karen Pryor. Done tremendous research into operant conditioning (application of BF Skinner's work to animals). Her best book (which explains a lot of the concepts of operant conditioning to humans and animals but is short on technical training stuff) is "Don't Shoot the Dog!". Her website is www.clickertraining.com and is a wealth of information on operant conditioning and all animals (but especially dogs). Stuff like: using a clicker to deal with nuisance bargaining, teaching your dog not to jump up on people, and clicker technique and timing. You'll find "Don't Shoot the Dog" to be useful just for dealing with co-workers and your spouse, let alone your dog!
3. Look at Jean Donaldson. Her website is: www.jeandonaldson.com and she's got a couple of books that are highly regarded: Culture Clash and Oh Behave are probably the two with the most application to your situation.
There are also some terrific websites available. I'd start by looking at Shirley Chong's (www.shirleychong.com) and do her six lessons for training a dog, her section on recalls and also behavior shaping. Do those things and you'll have a phenomenally trained and responsive puppy (and it's all free too!). The bit about behavior shaping is how skilled trainers get dogs to do amazing things. Go to www.silvia.trkman.net and watch her tricks videos and be amazed. That's what behavior shaping allows you to do--just mind blowing stuff. And the dog enjoys all of it as well. Silvia Trkman, btw, is a world-class agility competitor.
Now, let me react to a couple of suggestions your'e likely to get a lot of support for:
1. Monks of New Skete. On it's face, it's a great recommendation. The book (and videos) have been around for decades and they breed GSDs. But they use more old-school approaches with physical corrections, alpha rolls (which they've now publicly repudiated) and their assumption is that what we know about wolves (and packs) applies equally as well to dogs. And research the past 2 decades shows that many of our assumptions about alpha status based on wolf packs is just wrong when it comes to dogs.
2. Cesar Millan. He's got a lot of fans and he sells a lot of books. Some elements of his message I completely agree with: give your dog a workout, your dog isn't a human, every dog needs a job. But Millan is wrong--dead wrong--on a lot of things. He uses alpha rolls and that's a terrible idea for probably 95% of all dogs. His assumptions about packs and alpha status have been disproven by research and study of wild dogs as well as domesticated dogs. Finally, he's guilty of doing exactly what he says we shouldn't do--treating dogs like people. His assumption that the vast majority of problems with dogs comes down to alpha status is to regard the dog as a human (if a child or teen or adult defied you, it would be a test of your authority). But that's not it with a dog. Unlike most other creatures (including humans, wolves and cats), dogs are happiest when they submit and when they have our approval. Millan's belief that most dog issues are due to alpha status problems is dead wrong. That's in my experience, that of all the other trainers and experienced handlers I know. It's dead wrong in the experience and research of people like Pryor and McConnell and Nicholas Dodman--all have PhDs , have written extensively. To put it another way, Millan is using a basically old style approach to training dogs that relies on physical correction. That approach ignores all of the work done in operant conditioning over the past 60 years and the advances in animal training (the US Navy training dolphins to spot mines, tricks trainers in Hollywood, Seaworld trainers working with killer whales, every topnotch canine agility trainer I know of). A "positive" approach with dogs (ie: operant conditioning) is faster and more effective way of producing results.
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