german shepard training.

[FirstTimePetGuy]

my lil maggie i've had for about a week and i'm wondering how hard it is to training this breed shes mixed and not purebred (German Shepard/Great Pyrenees), maggie is 2 months old (10 weeks) and its abit difficult.

I try taking her outside and she won't go. i gotta actually carry her outside but when shes out she has a awesome time(except afew times she may sit down and whine or refuse the move for afew seconds). shes never lonely cause everyone is around her and she doesn't bark unless shes happy.

german shepards are i heard they are intelligent,obedient and eager to learn but my puppy doesn't seem that way, i have tried alot to get her to even do basic things like sit, but training her to sit with a treat seems to be impossible. She'll just grab the treat. and i consulted a vet and she should be able to go outside without problems and he told me that winter is perfect for puppies (so he says)

Her whining is hard cause i never know if she wants to go out or wants food or attention. german shepards i know aren't barking dogs but i wish i knew what she wanted

mine will just sit and hold up a paw and start to shake even tho we are just 2 steps from the door. i love my lil maggie to death, shes my lil princess. i know also she needs socalization but i don't know anyone with dogs.

i don't know what to do, or go to classes to get her trained, i know its my first pet but its frustrating.

any words are welcome

-FTPG

[breeze]

patients and consitintly is the key,
your pup is only 10 weeks old you have to show her what you want.. when holding the treat make sure she can not get to it, even if she whine... hold on to it firmly until she does what you would like her to do..
as for going outside, instead of pulling the leash, stand beside her and walk with her to go out..when she does go out praise her and then you can give her the treat..

about her whining make a schedule for her feeding morning afternoon night, if you fed her 1 hour ago then you know she does not want food.. same thing with outside potty breaks, take her out every 2 maybe 3 hours for that (can't remember how long a pup that age can last), after she goes potty then play when all is done and she still whines she propably wants some cuddle time..

everything is going to take time, she will understand eventualy, maybe not right away but she will..
don't forget pups know how to get what they want by whining and wraping you around their paws.. you have to be the leader..

[Dracko]

She is very young. Don't expect her to just learn things right away.

I have a GSD as well. I didn't have a clue what to do and went out and bought Puppy Training for Dummies. It helped a lot.

I would also suggest you register her for puppy classes with a local trainer. She is a little young yet but it will go a long way in training YOU how to control your dog and have an obedient/socialized animal.

[14+kitties]

Patience, patience, patience, and then, when you think it's paying off....... more patience. Your puppy is only a puppy. A very very cute puppy but a puppy. For right now work on getting her housetrained, then worry about the tricks you want her to do.
A schedule is very very important. Feed at same time, potty at same time, walk at same time, etc.........
You have to remember, everything is new to you AND to her. She has never been a puppy before either. The whining in part may be because she misses her littermates. Does she have lots of toys? Lots of distractions? Who ever said puppies always had to be fun? A lot of time they are hard work, and more hard work but the rewards at the end....... amazing!

[mona_b]

Originally Posted by Dracko

She is very young. Don't expect her to just learn things right away.

Exactly....

It's all about time and patience.

I also have a GSD,my third.LOVE this breed.Grew up with it also.

They are very quick learners and aim to please.

Try not to teach her too much at once.One command at a time.When you take her out,you can teach her the"go pee" command.As breeze said,keep a firm hold on the treat and don't let her get to close to the treat where she can get it.You actually need to show her how to sit so she knows what to do.

Also you have another breed mixed in there...

[breeze]

Yes a Great Pyrenees, is stubborn, and alouff meaning they will do what they want and they stand on their own..usally a mix breed is just eager to please but you have to show her what you expect of her. depending on which breed is dominant in your mix it can be trying at times.. one thing at a time..

Are you crate training her?? how many times are you feeding her?? how many times are you taking her outside for potty breaks??

[allymack]

well keep being consistant, but i dont think you should be carry her outside, try to do anything, bribe her or anything to get her to go out on her own, beceause if she gets in to the habit of you carrying her outside, she might learn to expect you to do that when shes older, which probably wont work becasue she sounds like she is going to be huge! but definately take ehr to a class of some sort maybe puppy kindergarten, it socializes them and i know at the one i went to the teach you the sit and down and start towards learning the come. hope this helps oh and pictures are more then welcome !

[FirstTimePetGuy]

Originally Posted by breeze

Yes a Great Pyrenees, is stubborn, and alouff meaning they will do what they want and they stand on their own..usally a mix breed is just eager to please but you have to show her what you expect of her. depending on which breed is dominant in your mix it can be trying at times.. one thing at a time..

Are you crate training her?? how many times are you feeding her?? how many times are you taking her outside for potty breaks??

no, i don't got a crate for her, she has free roam of the house (i'm planning on crate training her

i feed her 3 times a day with dry puppy food and some water, she goes out 2-3 times a day, i'm planning to move it so she goes out 4-5 times a day. Maggie has alot of toys to keep her company and distracted. but she loves to chew and rip up the flooring. i may of set high standards when i got her.

i'm planning to get her into a puppy place so she socalizes with other dogs soon .

one day at a time with the lil one :P

[breeze]

Originally Posted by FirstTimePetGuy

i may of set high standards when i got her.

we all have high standards for our pups, that is normal.. once you get to know her more and she gets to know you more things will be better..

first things first, why does she hold up her paw and shake when you want to take her out?? have you checked her paws?? you might want to take her out a couple more time than 2-3 times..

when Bree was small I would take her out every 2-3 hours a day until I got to know her better.

try coaxing her with a treat to go out but make sure she does not get the treat. once outside she can have the treat, praise her and then continue on your walk until she pees and poops, reward her and praise her ALOT.only then you can have play time/teaching..
put the treat above her nose so she can see it a good distance away so she can not get at it but can see it and ask her and show her how to sit.. usally if you hold the treat above her eyes/nose she just might sit cause she has to look up and it is a natural intsict to sit. once she does this praise her (even if you have to show her ) and say good sit, give her a treat and repeat.. just remember that a pup has a short attation span..

[mona_b]

2-3 times is not enough.

You say she has free run of the house.Is someone home all day with her?

I never crated any of my dogs.I was 17 when I got my first GSD and crating wasn't heard of back then.I just blocked off the kitchen and puppy proofed it....Not saying anything is wrong with crating.I just didn't feel the need to do it.

And remember she is teething.So she will want to chew on everything.I suggest a Kong.Or what I did was wet a cold washcloth,roll it up,sprinkled a tiny bit of garlic,then put it in the freezer.Once it get mushy it gets taken away.

[breeze]

Originally Posted by mona_b

And remember she is teething.So she will want to chew on everything.I suggest a Kong.Or what I did was wet a cold washcloth,roll it up,sprinkled a tiny bit of garlic,then put it in the freezer.Once it get mushy it gets taken away.

I agree but someone must be around to supervise if you give her a washcloth..

[mona_b]

oops,forgot that part....thanks breeze.......

[Lukka'sma]

I know you are going to have a lot of success with this little girl as you do seem to be very devoted to learning all you can to make her a well trained and well behaved doggie.
Just make sure that whatever you plan to do with her as an adult, you do with her as a pup. For example trim her nails when she is young and more manageable, bath her as a pup....etc. You don't want to introduce her to the bath when she is weighing in at 120lbs. and decides bathing isn't for her Open her mouth and get her used to having a finger poking in there a bit, touch her frequently all over her body now when she is young, it will make vet checks so much easier on both of you.
Good luck with her

[Longblades]

At 10 weeks I would expect her to need a bathroom break MUCH more often than 2 to 3 times a day. A puppy that young generally will need to void after waking up, after eating, and after playing. With our 12 week old puppy it's more like we go out every 1 and a half hours during the day.

Wake up in the morning and right outside for a "hurry up", eat breakfast and right outside for a "hurry up" and a "finish", then a little play after I've had my breakfast and outside for a "hurry up" again. That's 3 all within about the first half hour of the day. And no matter how cold, rainy, windy, tired I am we stay out till the duty is done. Ok, ok, I weakened on some of the really cold days, but only for the puppy's sake.

[FirstTimePetGuy]

when shes outside and raises a paw i think its just her paws getting cold. and not the rest of her, maybe cause its winter, i was told maybe get her doggy booties to walk in while outside. i'm taking her out every 2 hours now , slowly getting her to go out every hour.

The coaxing her with a treat i'll try

theres always atleast 1-2 people around her when i'm not there to keep her company, and we as a group are trying to get her trained . wet wahcloth ? damn why didn't i think of that.

i wanna take her out more but i give up and she gets her way, when we are outside walking she may get scared by other dogs barking or just a light wind and she'll want to go back to the house.

i'm not sure about the crate. but i want quiet at night. she whines at night cause i keep her in my room at night only and she looks at the door and whines. i remember her not doing that the first 3 days when i got her

i'm just thinking to dig deep and maybe get a dog trainer

[amatazes]

she's very young. don't expect much. i've had the going outside problem with a boxer in my office building. He hated collars and leashes. they just get over it one day.

give it time and just keep trying. patience like everyone else said. remember that they don't really get everything until they are over a year. as mature adults they are still incredibly eager to learn.

[breeze]

1) you can never give up.. just cause she gets scared of things outside just keep going.

2) if a lot of people are trying to train, you ALL have to do the same. meaning if you make her sit at the corner the other person MUST do the same.

3) taking her out more is great!! keep it up. (every 2 hours should be enough until she get the idea then you can lenthen you times..and don't let her win (unless it is in play) lol lol

4) does she have a pillow or blanket she sleeps with during the day?? if so bring it into your room, make sure she knows that this is a safe play to sleep..

about the booties, well I am not a big beliver in booties, there are alot of people here that swear by them..that one is up to you..

Bree use to get scared alot when she was small (she still doesw now when I take her out at night) but I show her no emtion and just keep walking, if she continues with the scared whine I tell her "enough" and I keep walking..

It might be a good idea to go to training school you will learn valuable leasons.. just remember to use logic in training..and patients.. what she use to do when you got her WILL change.. There is a whole world out there to learn and explore for her and you..

[Longblades]

I'm noticing something else here too. You say there are always 1-2 people around her. But that's during the day, right? And then she is all alone at night. Yes, she is in your room, but you're asleep. Probably too big a change for her to handle, if I am reading it right, in going from day to night.

She needs to be alone during the day, at times. There are going to be times in her life when she has to be on her own for a while and you should try to get her used to it early. Constant attention will set her up for separation anxiety later on, sounds like even now.

It is hard but you have to be firm with the little mites. Because they are going to grow to be big mites and then you will really have problems. Basically, anything you don't want a big, adult dog to do you have to work at not allowing a puppy to do. Just like when your own mother told you over and over and over again not to eat with your elbows on the table or talk with gum in your mouth. With our first puppy I found Brian Kilcommons book, "Good Owners, Great Dogs," to be a very valuable aid in teaching ME what I should be doing. I'm sure other people can recommend some good books too.

My own puppy is only two weeks older than yours and he is going out in the snow and rain and cold and yesterday a thunder storm. If you act like it is fun dogs usually think it is too. Try acting happy, sing a song, do a dance and play with her outside.

[mona_b]

Lonblades is right.Maggie needs time to herself once in a while.Not saying that having everyone around isn't good.But something can arise that she will need to be alone sometimes.

Please don't give into her.She will have you wrapped around her paw(lol)And you will have serious issues as she gets older.

Also,you have only had her for over a week,she is trying to adjust.Remember mommy and siblings are not around her anymore.

Also,you will need to get her used to all sites and sounds.Even thunder.You can get a cd for this and play it at a low volume to start off.

My current is a retired Police Dog.I did all the initial training.That meant all commands,getting him used to loud noises,crowds,people,kids.Teach him not to go after cats,birds,squirrels ect.This took alot of hard work.And he was 3 months old.And I had another 3 month old taboot.LOL..But it all paid off in the end.But this is the training I did for my other two also.

Everyone in the house has to stick to the same training.If everyone is consistant,she will pick things up better and not get confused.