Questions for you dog lovers?

[RonMar]

Than is a good looking dog, but as mentioned, the sporting breeds require a lot of time and exercise and will tend to follow their nose when not directly supervised. I have a 3 year old yellow lab named Sadie that does just that. I would suggest you install a dog run cable. From near the door to a point out near the edge of the yard. Mine are usually several feet in the air, my current one runs between back porch roof and detached garage To this attach a chain that will slide along the cable. This allows you to let the dog out and back in without you actually going out and using a leash. This allows the dog a little safe access to the yard without allowing her to go too far. It will also help to develop the habit of staying in the general area and returning to the door. It is also a little easier on you to let her out as needed. one of our neighbors has an invisible fence. I have returned their dog 3 times as he knows a way out. Damdest thing is that the dog knows where it is both comming and going and will stop before we get to it as I bring him home. Have to take the collar off(he knows how it works) to get him to go to his own door.
I started using a training collar several years ago. I personally would reccomend it. It allows immediate re-enforcement. It is basically the collar part from the invisible fence setup but with a remote control. The one I have is made by Pet-safe and has both audio and shock capability. I have trained many dogs over the years using the old standby leash-choaker chain combination, but Sadie was a real workout in leash training as she would always work her way out to full extension/tension when on a leash(basically hang herself on the choak chain as she strained the leash. Despite repeated correction she would not maintain a good heel when walking no matter how many times she was corrected. Her neck and hide are so tough, I think jerking on the leash really had little effect on her. When she has her special collar on she knows she has to pay attention to whoever is giving the commands and she is excellent out and about. I take her out in public and to work with me fairly frequently including the local co-op that is dog friendly, with only the training collar. As soon as she figured that she had to pay attention to me and not her nose(which she did quickly), I havn't really had to use the shock portion since her initial training with it and rarely do I have to use the audio beep to get her attention.

Good luck and enjoy your new dog.

 

[cp1969]

German shorthairs are bred to be hunting dogs and hunting dogs, by nature, want to hunt which means leaving the yard. I would think you will have a very hard time trying to get the dog to voluntarily stay close to the house. If it did, that would mean to me that most of it's hunting instinct is kaput (hardly ever happens--the will is there; they just get physically unable to perform) or it never had any to begin with. In your case, maybe that would be a good thing if you intend it to be a family pet rather than a hunting dog.

One of my neighbors has a pair of Shorthairs that he keeps in a pen. When he lets them out, they are off his property in an instant. They are bundles of energy and are off like jets to go check out scents they've been smelling all day long. When they get tired, they come back.

Good luck with your dog.

 

[Jstpssng]

Well thanks for the tips. To answer some questions her name is Holly. So far she has been super sweet and minds very well. Took her outside just a while ago and she went and then headed right for the door to get back inside. She also has been doing really well with the kids.....I have 3 with the oldest at 5 middle at 3 and the youngest 15 months. I did some reading about the breed and she will be hard to figure. But she was a stray and I sure would hate to loose the first dog the kids will remember. But so far she is one mellow sweety. Time will tell. Attatched a pic for all of you.

Nice looking dog, and from what you say it sounds like she has a good personality. Makes you wonder why someone gave up on her, after spending the time training her.

the smarter the dog, the more of a challenge they can be; but if you keep doing what you've been doing you should all be happy.

 

[archerynut]

I have a golden mix that I got as a puppy and I have trained her myself with the aid of a couple of things. I also recommend an electronic collar with a long check cord. At first when the dog wants to leave your general comfort zone, always have hold of the check cord then give the "Whoa" command and when the dog doesn't respond give a zap with the collar and then give a good tug with the check cord. Eventually once the dog figures out how far they can stray you can leave the check cord and only use the e-collar. When to dog realizes that you have control without a leash, then you can slowly stop using the e-collar. There is a really good book about training bird dogs that I recommend. If you aren't going to hunt you can ignore a lot of things, but it is very informative of how to train the dog for general household manners also.

Here the link:
Amazon.com: The Ultimate Guide to Bird Dog Training: A Realistic Approach to Training Close-Working Gun Dogs for Tight Cover Conditions: Books: Jerome B. Robinson

 

[dubba]

How much time do you have a day to wear her out?

Keep in mind that this length of time increases daily until you have a dog that can run full speed for 2 hours, rest 10 min & repeat. I have a TBH that is/was this way. He is slowly calming down now that he is 7. We had to clip his nails for the first time 2 months ago, owned him since a puppy. Good luck

 

[hillslider]

Well here is an update. I hope all this behavior I am seeing continues. Every hour I spend with this dog I get more and more amazed. Like yesturday I went out with her to get the mail. Our box is acrross the road. I really do not want her to go out in the road so we just kept telling her to sit at the end of the drive until she got the idea. Went and got the mail and she just sat their. Today we go out and she plops down at the end of the drive without a word. I know it is not my training abilities!!! She is so smart. All kinds of little stuff tells me someone spent a lot of time with her. Why then was she a stray? Sure would like to know her story. The only thing we have to work on is her pee habits. At night she goes right outside the door on the sidewalk. So I have been putting her on a leash and taking her into the yard but so far she still fights me. Soon as she is off the porch it is squat time!

 

[randy41]

get her tags so if she wanders and turns up at the pound they will call you...don't depend on the chip thing.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

The only thing we have to work on is her pee habits. At night she goes right outside the door on the sidewalk. So I have been putting her on a leash and taking her into the yard but so far she still fights me. Soon as she is off the porch it is squat time!

I expect she was trained to do exactly that.

You probably aren't going to train her NOT to do something, you need instead to train her to do something else in it's place. She may have been trained to only go on concrete or gravel and you are asking her to do something against her training. By resisting, she's may be trying to train you.

Personally, I would try getting a 18"X18" piece of concrete from HD and placing it where you want her to go. Then use a key phrase every time you go there, like, "Go Pee." Then you should at some point, be able to just say, "Go Pee" and she will go to her spot and pee. Smart dogs like her pick up new words very fast. I expect she would easily learn a hundred words and more if you put any effort into it.

Cliff

 

[praha]

...we have 2 dobermans currently on TOP 20 in obedience in the country. Actually I should say my wife does.
All I know , she uses food reward/treat/ constantly for every move...for everything positive when she trains a "new trick".
Never any force....only to show who is the boss..she gets the dog on his side and hold him down for little bit........to show him who is an ALPHA ***** as she put it. Untill he accepts it.

Watch DOG WHISPERER Tv show. The guy is very good, you will see a lots of inspirations right there!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe

 

[Sigarms]

Currently we have a German Short Hair "mix" in our foster care (we think Dalmation, and we're open to suggestions). He's been with us the last four months or so. When we got the dog (long story) he was uncontrollable and the only life he knew was at the end of a leash. No one wanted to deal with him, and to be frank, I could see why. He was 60lbs of pure energy who was stuck at the end of a chain his whole life, and if anyone came near, he had so much excitment that he would litterally bowl you over and almost kill you with that chain around him.

We used a Petsafe training training collar on him and within a very short time (big difference within 20 minutes) he is one of the most well behaved dogs I have come across.

He no longer wears the collar (having seven other dogs, he knows what his boundaries are on our property). Funny, because we need to keep the training collars on OUR dogs and not on some of the fosters VERY trainable. Will sit on command and the first time I made him sit for his food, he waited for me to give him the command to eat after I put my hand up). NEVER had a dog learn anything that quick (by the way, the dog in my avatar is mine, and she is one that always keeps the training collar on!)

That said, his is also the main reason why I put up an electric fence inside our "dog fence area" (where we can leave the dogs outside without our supervision). This dog was one of the few who could jump out, no problem because he wanted to be with you, and wait at the house door.

Get out a tennis ball and throw it, your dog may amaze you at her "catching" ability. They will run and run and run as long as you keep throwinig that darn ball.

It really is amazing the difference in some dogs when you take them off the end of a chain (the only thing they've know), take the time to work with them, and give them a little "love".

Keep in mind, I highly advocate a Petsafe training collar (and working with a local shelter group, I can't speak highly enough of that particularly company for what they do), but the idea is not just to "zap" the crap out of the dog if they (the dog) won't "listen" to you (I've been amazed at what I've seen, and I had one guy tell me that he NEVER uses the audible signal).

Hillslider, with some of the dogs in our care, like you, I would love to know thier story and what actually happened. The only thing I can come up with at times is people don't realize the commitment a dog takes, and you get out of them what you put into them. Look at some of the kids today, and these same families have pets? (rant mode off!).

Our "mix" doing what he LOVES best.

And if anyone is looking for a dog