Showing posts with label behavior dog training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label behavior dog training. Show all posts

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Dog Health Questions: Are there Govt' monies available for people wanting to be dog trainers?

I was wondering if there are any grants, scholarships or any type of funding available to people who want to become a dog trainer? The only programs I know of are for people with some type of learning disability or who have been laid off at no fault of their own(I don't qualify for any of those). The dog training programs can cost anywhere from $3-12K. I live in Missouri if that helps.

Thanks for reading, any positive input helps

So You Want a Guard Dog, Eh? (Basic Dog Training)



Recommended Answer:
HAHA monies, how are you going to train a dog if you don't know proper English. There is no such thing as "monies" its money. I doubt it. You don't make a lot of money dog training.

Six Dog Training Tips to Modify Negative Behavior


  • OK those guys are *******, but to answer your question: I don't think there's any government programs set up to turn people into dogtrainers per se. It doesn't require a college degree, only certification. BUT you may be able to spin it so that someone else foots at least part of the bill. The most practical thing I can think of is to get a job at a training facility as something else - a receptionist, pooper scooper, etc - and see if they have some kind of tuition reimbursement program. You could also look into programs like JobCorps to see if they have animal related training available (depending on how old you are). If you look, you will find something that meets your needs. Dog shelter, maybe? Do some cold calling, put ouyt feelers, start a network. You'll get it.

    And to the poster who said something about half her paycheck: Yes, the government falls all over themselves to get people GAINFULLY EMPLOYED you stingy bastard. Instead about feeling good that your money may go to help someone become EMPLOYED and thus, a TAXPAYER, you ***** about them. Bravo.

  • Government money for DOG training?

    That's nice....I'm glad that half of my paycheck goes to programs that are this necessary and relevant
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dog Health Questions: What dog training method do you favour?

Clicker? Treat/reward? Praise? Bribery? Punishment (physical or yelling)?

I've used a mix of reward and bribery and it's worked great! my terriers surprise people by how obedient they are - heck, sometimes they surprise me! LOL

I have tapped a nose when they were tiny and biting but only once or twice ;-)

Old Fashioned Dog Training



Recommended Answer:
I have to say I think this one depends on the dog some dogs respond very well to treat and praise others don't really care we use mostly treats and praise with out puppy but our older dog could care less about treats or would only obey if he knew he would get a treat and on that note he also could care less about praise. We tried a lot of methods with him and he still has problems but we won't go into that we have had trainers that helped us with his issues using various methods.

I think you should start with any method that does not hurt the dog and only uses gentle corrections such as a slight but quick leash tug with a nylon training collar but always with the guidance of a professional trainer and then if you have to try another method I very highly recommend you got to a pro

Considerations When Buying Dog Training Equipment


  • I think praise is the best but it depends on how smart your dog is. If it isnt so smart you can use clicker or punishment

  • I'm the sme as you.

  • Treat and praise -- that is all that is needed with my chi!

  • Clicker. What a marvelous way to teach a dog what is expected of it.

  • I am a huge fan of clicker training. After the initial training to the clicker, it made all our other tricks so much easier, and faster.

  • For obedience I use a Martingale collar with lead corrections as necessary, rewarding with 95% praise (verbal & physical) and 5% treats (at random). The less I am reliant upon treats to have my dog respond accurately to my commands, the better. So 5% seems to be a good number that's working for *us*. He feels plenty rewarded with a short ear scratch and a "good boooy", and the *chance* that he *might* get a treat this time helps to ensure a quicker response.

  • Reward has worked with all my dogs and they have al been well behaved, one needs extra help, she's had a rough life but she's doing pretty good and she know when she does, looks back when walking like how am I doin', never physical or yelling.

  • I'd have to go treats with praise. The combination always works great!

  • I have a Dachshund and I have had to use rewards and punishment. Punishment is only reserved for when she runs after a person or animal that she has seen outside well really just when she chases animals because we have a problem with people tresspassing in our yard to get to the next street since we dont have a fence and if she sees someone and we are outside she will go after them. Oh well that is there problem but sometimes she will see a cat outside and if I go to leave she will bolt out the door if I am not paying attention and there is no way to stop her so I spank her but in that situation but I make sure if there is a cat myself and everyone else knows to watch when opening the door and she doesnt chase them as far as she used to either lol. She will sit pretty forever just for a hollywood star liver treat lol.

  • For me its the carrott and the stick method, I could count the amount of times I've had to slap my dog on one hand and should only be as an immediate reaction to very bad behaviour. For example, he used to chase horses on moorland on walks one day he chased a horse when I told him to heel and the horse tried to kick him he ran back an got an immediate slap on the backside, it wasn't enough to hurt him but he has never done that since and can now walk amongst them safely (under close supervision, naturally). Having said that (before the vegans firebomb me) bribery is by far the best way of training and produces the best results everytime.

    By the way vegans and thumbsdowners, Reward=bribe in the dog world, get real, your softy methods are the cause of dogs running riot all over the country, "I never give him discipline, all we need is cuddles"

  • In order to keep our puppies attention, I use a really excited voice. For example, for the come command, I'll wait until he's distracted, then I'll tell him "Ruger, come!" in an excited voice. He'll perk up and run over to me. I verbally praise him then will give him a treat. I try to keep it fairly hyper and excited, lots of positives to keep him enjoying it... I want obedience to be a delight, not a chore-I want a MOTIVATED dog! :)
    Or, say he has something he's not supposed to. I'll swap it out for a treat. I'll hold a cookie up to his nose, and tell him "out", when he releases it I'll FIRST verbally praise him THEN give him the treat. I want him to associate verbal, not food as the positive reinforcement.
    There is definately a time for consequences, but really, I try to keep it enjoyable for him, but still maintaining that I am leading him, and that he has to do as I tell him...

    I'm reading Bobbie Anderson's book right now, she's brilliant!

  • Lure/reward. "Reward" is anything that the dog wants or likes: treats, a walk, play time, a car ride, petting, etc. I always have students praise in addition to giving a more tangible reward so that eventually the praise is more pleasurable to the dog and can be used alone. I have met very few dogs who find praise rewarding enough on its own to truly learn a behavior - and those have been Pit Bulls who would do just about anything to make their owners happy!

  • I use a conglomeration of clicker, treat/reward and praise. I don't think bribery gets you anywhere- I have used it for an INITIAL attempt at something- to get my dog ON the dogwalk, for instance- but I find that with bribery, more often than not, the dog is simply following the reward- not actually "learning" anything-

    I don't use clicker for anything I want to stick- anything that is important for me. I'm not smart enough! LOL! I will use it for tricks, because I enjoy the method and I love watching the dogs respond.

    I use praise if/when my dog will work for praise. Not all dogs will. In fact, few dogs will actually work for praise.

    The treat/reward is the most effective method for ME. I hear people all the time saying "My dog won't work without a treat"- So- give him/her a treat! I see no reason to "not" give my dog a treat if it's available. They still get a treat for going in their crates- etc. My dogs get treated for the things I ask for so often, that the few times they do it without is no big deal- they will still do it happily.

    As for punishment- I find it is extremely ineffective. The only time I would use this is in extreme measures (life threatening)- Most of the people who use punishment don't do it consistently or when they need to- and it usually backfires.

    The most important thing to remember, is that not all training methods work for all dogs. Since my oldest girl was my first obedience/agility dog- and was so stubborn- I went through LOTS of training methods trying to find out what worked! LOL!

  • That depends greatly upon the dog's temperament and what I am training for, but, I am a big proponent or Bill Koehler and his methods.
    They have worked for many years and many dogs long before I was even born.
    I am not a believer at all in the new clicker training methods or the bribery techniques that newbies are using.
    Hope I helped!!

  • My favorite method is the Koehler Method of Dog Training (KMODT). Most things called "methods" are usually a combination of tips and tricks and techniques mixed and matched as needed.

    However, KMODT is a method developed after the author trained 10,000+ dogs (either personally or dogs that were in his classes) and extensive records and stats were kept that were used in the creation of his method that works for the VAST majority of dogs (regardless of temperament or breed).

    It uses no food.

    The dog is taught what a command means and the dog is practiced and practiced and practiced. Then once the dog shows (via various tests along the way) comprehension, corrections are introduced and distractions are used early on so that they become a cue to the dog to pay closer attention to his work. Because teaching is done before corrections it is quite fair to the dog--meaning the corrections aren't used randomly and the dog understands his job and responsibility.

    Praise is also used LIBERALLY to be sure the dog understands when he's doing things right. The goal is off-leash reliability and done "by the book" most dogs will get there in about 3 months of steady, 6-days-a-week work.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum...if a person refused to use corrections I would recommend Clicker Training because it is similar in the sense that the small steps prevent loop holes in training. Done well...it probably still takes longer, but better than the wishy washy in between methods, in my opinion.

    I don't consider either a nose tap or rolling a dog on his back a "Method" -- each of these is an example of a discipline technique... a way to correct something you dislike. Yelling or physically hitting a dog is NOT training and just a lack of personal control over one's emotions...hey sometimes I get mad enough to yell but that has NOTHING to do with training.

    Training is about getting a dog TO DO something on command in response to a verbal, hand, or environmental cue each and every time, reliably. Obviously there are subtleties and the common adage of "every interaction is training" has truth to it.

  • Praise and reward seem to do the trick for my two Labs, never punishment, this only instills fear in them, a firm "No" is all that is required.
    Although Labs love to please, so I think I've got an head start.

  • I only train using Praise. This reinforces to the dog that you are the pack leader because it teaches them to work for your approval. Bribery spoils the dog, clickers are irritating (to me), and punishment is too sophisticated and confusing for a dog to understand. When I must punish my dogs, I roll them over on their backs and get in their face and say NO. They get the message immediately.

  • I tend to like the "praise" idea, but not all dogs will go for that. My dog usually doesn't care how good of a girl I think she was, so she usually gets treats. Not always, but usually. With that said, she'll do pretty much anything for a tiny little treat. . . so it's tiny little treat pieces she usually gets unless I'm lazy and out of pre-cut pieces.

    I do yell (or at least sound very unhappy) at her sometimes if need be. That *plus* praise/treats when yelling made her stop and decide to follow my rules worked really well for house-training.

    Clickers haven't really fascinated her ever, other than that she's learned to associate that with getting a treat if she hears it and comes running into the room from elsewhere in the house. It works as a rather distinctive "come", but that's been about it for us.

  • Any positive reinforcement method that works for your pup. My pup is more motivated by praise than treats.

  • hi a mixture of praise bribery and reward hugs

  • I'm a balanced trainer. This means that I use the method that works best for the dog that I'm training. I use a good combination of treats, marker word, placing by hand, and praise to train a behavior that the dog doesn't know. Once the dog starts to understand the behavior, I start adding corrections. A correction can be anything from saying "NO" to placing the dog back into position, to a leash pop. The correction depends on the dog. Some dogs need a gentle reminder, others need a firmer correction to get the point across. I also will train in more distracting environments so that I know that my dogs have an understanding what I want.

    I don't "Bribe" because that is dishonest to the dog. If I want my dog to sit for a treat, I will have a treat available. I will not pretend to have a treat as that is dishonest. I also do not "Yell". Dogs have excellent hearing. In fact, they hear better than people do. I give my commands in a soft firm voice. I don't beg, plead, or nag either as dogs are very smart and training in this manner demeans their intelligence.

    I train using fair and consistent methods which dogs understand. Notice I said "methodS" not method. I make the method fit the dog not the dog fit the method. Good trainers have many different ways of making a dog understand what they want them to do.

  • I will only use reward and praise, no yelling, and I hate the clicker, some dogs just do not respond to it and others do, mostly don't....I do not yell at my dogs or punish them, if they don't get it right, we train till it is done right.

    and then if still does not get it, I just sit down in the grass and cry...just kidding ha ha

    it is in your voice, your praise, the touch of your hands how well you can train a dog........the dogs will respond more to kindness than any other method of training, and anyone can disagree with that, but I truly believe this and this is the way I train my dogs and anyone else's dog, and my Jr. Handler classes are trained in this method also.....and everyone of them have had good results..

    its not what you train the dog, its all in how you train the dog.

    Breeder/show/handler 15 yrs

    Gentle hand, gentle voice, you don't have to use brute force on any dog to train......and I have helped train Great Pyrenees and they are hard headed, but it was done with ease and done the right way...

    Sorry, but I am very passionate on how dogs should be treated, no matter what the situation is......

  • Positive reinforcement works best. There's no need to every tap or hit your dog. By helping him understand the "Good Boy" and "No" trigger commands, you'll make the training process a whole lot easier.
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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Dog Health Questions: How do I get my 4 month old pup to stop biting on our 6 year old dog??

Do I need to spray the older one with apple bitter spray?! Seriously though, we've been trying to introduce this pup to her house mate & she's being a total pain about it. The adult is always sniffing her & willing to sit on the couch & chill, yet the puppy thinks she needs to nibble on her & go nuts. My dog training guide claims I should leash her while the adult is nearby & give her treats when she sits/stays in her spot. But, all that's been doing is getting her more riled up & ready to pounce on the adult! The adult growls at her when the leash is taken out too. Overall, the damn puppy is being nippy anyway. She's a shepherd/lab/chow mix & the adult is mostly labrador. Is there any hope? I wasn't sure if she's just being like this because she's a young dumb-dumb of a puppy.

Animal Husbandry And Other Unnatural Acts: A Career in Dog Training



Recommended Answer:
You are pack leader. Then comes all humans in the family,then comes older dog, puppy is the lowest in pecking order. Keeping a close eye on them, you should allow older dog to discipline the puppy, the way it occurs in nature.
You should walk the puppy at least 45 minutes at a time, this means YOU walking PUPPY, not puppy walking you. You decide on route, and sniffing time. You are the boss.

Dog Training School


  • Hit him.

  • When your older dog gets tired of it, he/she will let her know! Sometimes it takes another dog to teach the little one to stop biting on them! I have 2 AKC registered shelties, and my little one has already learned a thing or two! He's only 12 weeks old!

  • Get a spray bottle with water and spray the puppy whenever she does something bad like this. If that doesn't bother her, make a loud noise like clapping your hands. The point here is to do something unpleasant every time she does something bad. You could also try hitting her on the nose, works for some dogs, but I don't think hitting is a good idea in any form, and sometimes it just makes them more riled up.

  • my problem is the other way around, my older dog will not leave the puppy alone. go figure

  • whats wrong with you,just let the dog sort it out do not leash one and not the other,that is asking for trouble.
    let them loose and when the bigger dog has had enough he will growl and then bite the little one
    and respect is born ,if they are both males a fight is unavoidable and has to happen in order to establish pecking order,
    they will settle down if nature is given the change to run its course.but dont have one constricted and the other one not
    also pet bopth dogs at the same times and fuss over both at the same time,Dogs like people can get very jalous.

  • NEVER HIT YOUR ANIMALS!!! female dogs will always try to be "top dog" your other dog will let her know if she is out of line. I have a 4 yr old male Akita and a 2yrold female Akita. when I first introduced them to each other she did the same thing and my male did let her know when enough was enough. needless to say she is the ruler of him the big Bitc* all females do this and it is normal.

  • If you spray the little dog while it is chewing on your other dog there is a good chance that you will get the older dog wet too and that might prove to be very confusing for your adult dog. Same with clapping your hands. You know your adult dog best. Has he/she ever shown aggressiveness towards other dogs? If not let them work it out amongst themselves as much as possible. They can communicate in their own language. If the older dog snaps the little dog it will probably be a warning. Even if the puppy yelps a little. This will work provided that your adult dog is not seriously injuring your puppy.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Dog Health Questions: HELP HELP!!!! dog training?

What are the best training practices that can be used for my dog. He is 8 weeks and a shih tz mix. He is left alone for about 3hours thru out the day. While being gates he used the restroom on a training pad. When were home with him he typically barks when he needs to go. Any other solutions??

Clicker Dog Training Tool



Recommended Answer:
Here's some ideas:

-Ditch the potty pads. Trust me.

- Crate him on a regular bed in an appropriately sized crate. A crate should be just large enough for him to stand up and turn around in, no larger. If he has extra room, he will use one side for a potty and hide on the other side. Many people choose crates far too large, because they think it's mean to put their dog in a smaller one. When he's potty trained, you can get him one that's any size you want. For training, keep it small. Like this:
http://www.designer-canines.com/images/p…

That dog can easily stand straight and turn around, but that's it. That's as big as it needs to be. If your crate is too big, get a smaller one, or if you have a divider panel, adjust it to limit the space your dog has.

- Feed him meals, 2x per day, at a set schedule. Make it several hours before you have to leave him alone.

- Always take him for a potty break within 15 minutes of mealtime.

- Do not leave him with food or water when you are gone. He will not starve nor dehydrate in just a few hours. If he is eating and drinking, he will be pooping and peeing. Take all food and water away 30-60 minutes before you leave, and give him a good long potty break outside immediately before you leave.

- Practice with the crate when you're at home, leave him in it for 15-20 minutes at a time, and then take him out for potty breaks. This helps reinforce the idea that he does not potty in the crate, he will be allowed potty time later.

Be patient, he is only 8 weeks old. He will learn quickly if you are consistent.

Bird Dog Training - How Hunting Dogs Are Treated


  • Immediately stop use of the pads. You must, I repeat must stop using them. If he learns to pee on soft, absorbent material...well, carpet is soft and absorbent, isn't it? This behavior is often transferred to carpet or simply the spot where the pad used to be when you decide to stop using them.

    He is eight weeks old. He cannot hold it for three hours. You'll need to rework your schedule so that he can be taken out every hour. Or hire someone to come in and let him out. Pee pads are a waste of time and you'll spend so much time trying to train him out of the various behavior problems that will arise associated with using them, it's really not worth it.

    If he does pee in his kennel, clean it up and keep going. He'll learn not to pee in there when he figures out that he'll have to sleep in his pee if he does.

    I hope this is helpful!

  • Sounds like you might benefit from my Free report and newsletters on the how to stop the 10 most common dog obedience problems. Please see link below.

  • Put him in a crate while you're gone without pads. That will turn into a very bad habit.
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Friday, December 2, 2011

Dog Health Questions: Positive Dog Training Using Food?

I have been doing a lot of research on dogs and am so far a big fan of Cesar Millan's (calm down people, I unlike most, know that his "forceful" techniques seen on his show are used for dangerous, aggressive dogs, and not training). If you actually read his book, you would know that he is full of information on how dogs should be properly treated as far as exercise, discipline, and then affection. That being said I am looking up positive reinforcement dog training which often uses treats. My question is, when your dog associates a command with a treat, and then you take that treat away, and expect them to do a command, won't they miss the treat? I understand that you are suppose to replace the treat with affection, but they are not the same thing to a dog. Can you just use affection and not treats in training?

The Benefits Of Positive Dog Training



Recommended Answer:
You gradually take the treat away, however not completely. Think about it like a slot machine. People will sit there for hours and pour the quaters in hoping for that one win, they will keep trying because we are "trained" to know that it is possible that the next time we drop in the money, we could win.

So in the beginning, give the dog a treat every time they preform the command. Once they have it down SLOWLY start taking the treats away, once every other time, then even more distance. The trainer I've been using has said once every 5 times is a good place to be. It has worked wonderfully with my pup. Good luck!

Dog Training Tips


  • yes you can. i for example, had a dog that wasn't interested in treats, and only worked for my affection. but that isn't most dogs.

    dogs live to please a pack leader. the treats are just a bonus. if you are coupling treats with another positive reward like a verbal or loving touch then when you take the treat away, he will still associate doing the command with a good feeling. if he knows he is pleasing you and you are otherwise doing everything to make yourself a respectable leader, you shouldn't have any issues when you remove the treat

  • No they won't miss the treat because you replace the treat with praise and affection.

    You don't cut off the treats cold turkey - it's gradual - combine the treats and praise together, start giving fewer and fewer treats, and slowly increase your use of affection and praise.

    I almost never use treats, I always use "GOOD!" or "YES!"

  • the idea is to gradually take the treats away so they only get treats every once in a while. this way the dog will still do the behavior because they think 'this might be the time i get a treat!' so they keep doing the behavior in hopes this time will be a treat. i use positive training on my dog and it works wonders! dont let ne one give u crap for it either. trust me some will. :)

  • It's best to use treats as a random form of positive reinforcement.

    I learned this while in college in my experimental psychology class. We had rats, and the goal behavior was to get the rat to press a level as often as we could. We found rats that were randomly dispensed with a food pellet as reinforcement would press the lever more often than those that were given the food pellet every time.

    Reinforcement in behavioral psychology is really a fascinating subject. Amazingly, it works just as well on people as it does on animals!

    With my dog, I used treats randomly on a behavior he was still learning. I was consistant in praising and affection with every occurance of a desired behavior. After a few tries where he had the command down pat, I simply eliminated the treats altogether in training, until the next time I was teaching him something new.

  • It often depends on the dog.

    A friend of mine with a Australian Shepherd took some private training lessons with me & my German Shepherd. Her Aussie responded VERY well to affection as a reward and also treats. But, at first, my GSD would almost ONLY respond to the treats. I think the tummy may speak louder than the heart, though, in almost any situation with any dog... at least slightly. ;)

    The deal with the treat is to use it as a quick way for the dog to learn this is good & beneficial behavior. It helps them to make that association pretty quickly. You wouldn't stop giving treats as a reward cold-turkey. You would just require the dog to do the trick/behavior for a little longer before rewarding with the treat. And then, eventually, phasing the treat out.

    For instance, one thing I wanted to teach our dog was to come inside from the front yard right away when I called. I did this at first by having the juiciest bloodiest piece of beef liver ready for him in my fridge. Then I'd call him & run inside straight to the fridge (by this time he was chasing after me maybe thinking it was a game or something) and giving him a piece of that liver. (Of course I was praising him as well.)

    I did this several times this way. Then, eventually, I would only reward him with a treat every other time. And now, I don't usually reward him with a treat at all. I'll still praise him, though. And every once in a while just to be nice & to remind him that coming in right away really is a good thing, I'll still reward him with a big juicy treat. But I probably only do that once every 3 weeks or a month.

    So, I don't think you ever stop using treats COMPLETELY. I do it now b/c I WANT to. But in the beginning, I did it b/c I HAD to in order to "jump start" my dog into doing what it was I wanted him to do.

  • My dog would rather have affection. He is Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dogs International certified, and he got through all of his training and certifications WITHOUT treats. Sometimes dogs are smart enough to know when they will and won't get a treat. I also know, through psychology, that unless you teach using the treat occasionally, but not all the time, the dog will just associate the trick with the treat. Once the treat is no longer used, they will reject doing the trick. If you give treats sporadically (not everytime they do the trick), they have a higher success rate of repeating the trick once treats are removed.

    You can use affection alone, but otherwise I recommend the sporadic treat method that I explained. I can give you more details if needed as well.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Dog Health Questions: How old do you have to be to learn shultzen dog training. Are there better dogs than German shepherd dogs?

Where do you buy good German shepherd dogs for working and how much are they? Are there schools that let 15yr olds learn about training dogs or do you wait until you graduate?

Training Your Dog - Dog Training Tips and Advice



Recommended Answer:
That you have to ask proves that you are not yet a candidate.

The first step is to actually TRAIN a dog - of any breed - to a competitive level. Doesn't matter whether the competition is Agility or Companion Trials or Obedience Tests or Tracking - each has its peculiarities, but what they do is demonstrate whether you have the patience & consistency required, plus the observational ability required to interpret a dog's behaviour and know when to teach, when to command, when to distract.

For DogSport itself, the first step is obtain a calm, intelligent-trainable, agile pooch - weakness of character will eliminate it from the "courage" section, weakness of body will eliminate it form the physical section, weakness of intelligence/trainability will eliminate it from just about everything in the 3 sections. Basically, unless both its parents have Breed Survey Classification (BS.Cl.1 or 2 in English, KKl.I or II in German), a litter's chances of producing correct GSDs with HGH and SchutzHund potential are small.
The second step is to join a DogSport club and obtain BH (BegleiterHund) with your pet - see http://www.worldclassgsd.com/Schutzhund/…

Only after that - and after your dog's body has matured enough (usually 15-18 months old) will you be allowed to start on the advanced mental & physical activities - see http://germanshepherddog.com/schutzhund/… - but there are many confidence-building and reliability-improving activities that can be used before that.

Now wash your filthy mouth out with battery acid! As if there could POSSIBLY be a better dog than a GSD!
However, the GSD is not intended to be the best at much - being "The Best" requires exaggeration of particular shapes & qualities that suit that ONE thing. You don't expect to see a tennis champion being also a boxing champion and a weightlifting champion and a pole-vault champion. The GSD is intended to be a specialist at the boundary patrolling method of sheep tending, and one of the 3 or 4 best at just about everything else. Its only rival is the Belgian Shepherd Dog - not surprising, seeing as both breeds were developed at the same time (1891-1911) to perform the same tasks on opposite sides of the River Maas! Sadly, show-is-all and pet-is-all breeders have been focussing on ruining the GSD for much longer than they have been trying to ruin the BSD - especially in Britain, Canada, the USofA. But in both breeds you will find excellence and you will find unworthy crap.

To ask your GSD questions, join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group's Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Unlike YA, they are set up so that you can have an ongoing discussion with follow-up questions for clarification. Most allow you to include photos.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_F…
"In GSDs" as of 1967

Overview of Dog Training


  • It's schutzhund.

    And unless you can get work scooping poop at a working shepherd kennel, I doubt you'd ever get close to any dog of that caliber.

    But I don't mean to dampen your spirits - I'll star for Greekman, Curtis, Dutchman and others who have working dogs - maybe they have more info for you.

    Also, most often malinois are used, in addition to other belgian shepherds - they are often better bred than today's German shepherd, at least American-bred German shepherds.

    Hope this is helpful!

  • I know eight year olds with trained Schutzhund dogs. It takes hundreds of hours and dollars to train a dog to such a high level. If you're dedicated then you CAN do it.

    If you're really interested then look up some local Schutzhund clubs and ask if you can go out and watch - they should say yes, but don't get discouraged if a few are rude to you. Keep calling around until you meet someone nice and friendly who is willing to

  • This is why I am going in to Law Enforcement to work with working dogs..... My puppy is from working dog line her parents are from Germany.
    A well bred GSD will run you 700 to 1k+
    A trained police k9 will run you 5K+

  • ohh u dont have to

    just get a dog and bamm ur all set to go
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Sunday, September 18, 2011

Dog Health Questions: Any dog training tips you know?

Well my dog is scared of my new dog and gets mad if the puppy gets too close. Do you know how to train so my dog so it won't be scared of the puppy or get mad to the point it gets defensive? I mean, ive heard of training so the dog won't attact house cats on tv. Never saw one for dogs. Well, there slowly getting used to each other but just making sure.

Positive Dog Training Tips That Actually Work



Recommended Answer:
Rewards almost always work. Find a moment when your older dog responds well to the new puppy, then, at that very moment, give him a reward. Perhaps a morsel of food. Certainly a lot of attention and emotional 'great dog!' sort of activity. Slowly he will learn.

So You Want a Guard Dog, Eh? (Basic Dog Training)


  • What you have to do is give you dogs equal attention so one doesn't feel more left out than the other, and try petting them both at the same time. Give them equal amount of treats also. Play with them both also. I know it's going to seem that you have to give the puppy more attention with training and even though you have to train the puppy you can't forget the older dog. over time they'll work it out themselves.

  • Make sure you do not give the new puppy more attention then the old dog. Make sure the old dog feels dominate. Pet him first and then pet the puppy it Will make him feel more"top dog". Feed the old dog first as well. As long as you tend to the old dog first things should be fine.

  • For any type of dog traing tips just visit

    http://tinyurl.com/2uyb3a

  • Keep the puppy away from your other dog. Puppies can be real pains in the butt to some dogs. Associate good things with the puppy, for example, cut up some cheese and bring the puppy over and feed them both the treats. Save special treats for the other dog, that he only gets when the puppy is nearby.
    Make sure that your other dog knows that you understand he is not comfortable with the puppy. If he knows you will monitor the situation he'll be less likely to have to do it himself.

    www.fearfuldogs.com
    www.fearfuldogs.com
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Dog Health Questions: Dog TRAINING?

I want to train my yorkie agility and dog showing. Do any of you know how to do this? Website links will be helpful too.

What To Look For In Dog Training Ebooks



Recommended Answer:
First of all you will want to start by doing some basic obedience training. If you want to show your dog in obedience than this is a good place to start. After you have started some training and you have control of your dog and your dog is listening to you, start agility training. Agility training really helps to strengthen the human-dog bond. You may also want to look into rally-o which is a fun and more loose version of the standard obedience trials. If you want to do conformation showing, then you will want to learn how to stack your dog. You also need to do lots of handling with your dog so that your dog will stand nice and still for the judges.

I highly recommend you find a dog trainer in your area who trains and has shown dogs so that they can teach your how to stack your dog. Obedience classes and agility classes are also lots of fun for you and your dog and are usually offered at dog training schools. These are the best ways to start of in the dog world.

Good luck and have fun with your dog!

Using Body Language in Your Dog Training


  • I haven't heard of yorkies doing agility, but I guess that doesn't mean they don't (I know Jack Russells can, so I guess they could too if you train them appropriately).

    Normally you need to join a local training club or find a reputable trainer in your area.

    I'll star in hopes our Y!A (dogs) training expert Greekman will see it.
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