# Puppy bonded with me but husband doing Sch



## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Our new puppy is obviously bonding with me more so than my husband as he works a lot. His concern is the puppy will not perform for him as the pup doesn't have that bond with him as he does with me. Should this be a concern??


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

My guess is that it won't be a problem if your husband does make an effort to spend some time with the pup including playing tug and letting the pup win at the end. That should help the bonding by fulfilling the pup's prey drive which he will associate with your husband doing.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

The puppy is going to need to perform for lots of people not just you and your husband. There is going to be times where other people are going to need to work your dog. As long as he is keeping it fun and upbeat and properly motivating the puppy with rewards the little guy is going to do what he needs to do to get at them. The puppy will bond with him just fine.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

Just don't stand on the rail at a trial.


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Should he be the only one playing tug etc with him? My husband is saying I shouldn't be playing with puppy? I did send email off to my breeder as well


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

At least not until the guy has been trained to ignore mom cheering from the side lines.


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

We had this issue with our last Shepherd. As soon as we got her, work started just killing me. 12 hour days, etc. 

The main thing we concentrated on is that I was using the same verbal commands as my wife was. She kept me abreast of everything that was going on and I tried my best to fall in line with what she was teaching. 

It worked out just fine. It took a little effort but all worked out in the end. 

Your husband does have to form a bond with the dog. If tug is his way to do it, fine. There is no reason that I can think of why you can't play with the dog as well.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

As long as you are both being consistent both of you can and should obedience train and do the tug thing. That dog should be trained to go through an obedience routine even if a complete stranger came over and started working the dog as long as the language and routine was consistent.


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Thank you so much! Same sheet of music is it  very helpful I appreciate it. He was just worried 


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

I guess I will go to trials in disguise 


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

I wouldn't take it that far. If you are both involved in training the dog is probably going to be pretty used to one of you being around in the background while everything is going on and will learn to tune that out, especially if once you start teaching the dog to tune out distractions one of you starts to act as that distraction. If you end up like my gf and are somewhat afraid to "screw the puppy up" by not getting involved in training it can become an issue. She would often take him out to potty before I started a session of tug or a food obedience session or something like that in the back yard. He knows the obedience or tug sessions don't start without him going to the bathroom first. She would take him out for that but not actually run the sessions. He gradually became conditioned to me popping into the picture and surprising him with tug or a session. So if she is just walking or working with him and I come out of nowhere guess what happens? He completely zones her out and stares at me intently waiting for go time.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Baillif said:


> The puppy is going to need to perform for lots of people not just you and your husband. There is going to be times where other people are going to need to work your dog.


Disagree, I do a lot of sports (including SchH/IPO) and no one else needs to handle my dogs. Every once in a while someone helps me during flyball and a few times I've let my agility instructor try something with my dog but can count on both hands the amount of times someone else has handled my dog and it was never a necessity. I don't understand what times a dog will "need" to be worked by someone other than the handler?

To the OP, I would have your husband take care of the dog's basic needs like feeding, pottying, walking/exercise, etc. It's not that you shouldn't play with your dog but he should make sure he is. If you are doing all the stuff at home and he's taking the dog to training, I can see where there might be some conflict. If he's doing the stuff at home and doing the play and exercise, it should be fine. No reason you can't participate. My husband will sometimes play with my dogs and often takes my competition dog jogging. He also attends some of our training and has helped at our competitions and is never a distraction for my dog.


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## HarleyTheGSD (Feb 13, 2012)

Liesje said:


> Disagree, I do a lot of sports (including SchH/IPO) and no one else needs to handle my dogs. Every once in a while someone helps me during flyball and a few times I've let my agility instructor try something with my dog but can count on both hands the amount of times someone else has handled my dog and it was never a necessity. I don't understand what times a dog will "need" to be worked by someone other than the handler?
> 
> To the OP, I would have your husband take care of the dog's basic needs like feeding, pottying, walking/exercise, etc. It's not that you shouldn't play with your dog but he should make sure he is. If you are doing all the stuff at home and he's taking the dog to training, I can see where there might be some conflict. If he's doing the stuff at home and doing the play and exercise, it should be fine. No reason you can't participate. My husband will sometimes play with my dogs and often takes my competition dog jogging. He also attends some of our training and has helped at our competitions and is never a distraction for my dog.


Right. Honestly, it's up to you and your husband if you want others to be working your dog. Personally, I wouldn't want anybody else working mine, unless it's the trainer showing me how to do something.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Those are pretty much the times I mean. They're new they'll need trainer help sometimes. Also if you are in the same system as other people in club it can really help socialization wise and in other ways to pass puppies or young dogs off to each other for short periods of time and do the food marker training and that sort of thing. It really helps bring them out of their shell especially if they are a little on the inhibited side.


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Well my husband will be working the dog. His concern was only that I stay home so I spend 90 percent of the time with him. He is worried the dog won't work for him on the field. He does tug with him he does play and spend every free time he has with him right now. 


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

His concern is not justified so you can set him at ease.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Baillif said:


> The puppy is going to need to perform for lots of people not just you and your husband. There is going to be times where other people are going to need to work your dog. As long as he is keeping it fun and upbeat and properly motivating the puppy with rewards the little guy is going to do what he needs to do to get at them. The puppy will bond with him just fine.


Why would other people need to work the dog? Nobody works my dog except me.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

My family is home more than me. I feed my dogs, I work my dogs. I have no issue handing my dog off to another person. In fact, I do that on purpose. They should be comfortable with other people. But they are bonded to me.

I think once your husband starts training him none of this will be an issue. As someone said above, if he is bonded with you then you should be used as a distraction so he learns to ignore you when working. 

These are smart dogs...they can figure it all out.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> Why would other people need to work the dog? Nobody works my dog except me.


I answered above.


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Thank you Baillif and jax08


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would have house commands and field/training commands. That way you dog knows the formal stuff is for training and the house/manners stuff is just that. I don't want my husband giving commands(and not following thru or giving the command over and over) I'd rather keep my training program separate from everyday life stuff....if that makes sense. My dogs have freedom, and the dog I work in sport is part of the family and the dogs are together all the time. But he knows the difference~when it's time to train, it's time to train.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> I would have house commands and field/training commands. That way you dog knows the formal stuff is for training and the house/manners stuff is just that. I don't want my husband giving commands(and not following thru or giving the command over and over) I'd rather keep my training program separate from everyday life stuff....if that makes sense. My dogs have freedom, and the dog I work in sport is part of the family and the dogs are together all the time. But he knows the difference~when it's time to train, it's time to train.


Totally feeling you here.


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## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Yes I agree. We meet with trainer in 3 weeks. He had said the same thing. 


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

I went with french commands because that is the vogue ringsport thing to do (god forbid I don't do the fashionable thing) IPO people seem to favor German but I found there are too many cognates between german and english and that isn't a problem with french.

I like how french commands all have at least two syllables too. Makes it easier for the dog to catch it.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

As long as he's really putting in the effort, I don't think it matters. Sometimes my husband is home a lot more. He just doesn't do any formal training with my dogs (unless he's helping me)


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Yeah it really doesn't if the training is fun the dog is going to glue eyeballs to him when it is go time.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

The only interaction my SO and I have with each others sport dogs is maybe letting them out to potty. Any type of play especially with a puppy can screw it up IMO. At the first sign of stress during trialing, and it's going to be looking for the "parent" to get it out of the stressful situation. Also, NO ONE needs to be handling my dog but me. My dog and I are partners, a team. If I just pass the dog off to anyone, what type of partnership is that?


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

The most competitive dogs I've seen didn't even need their handlers there. They could have been yelling BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA at the dog and it would go through the routine anyway.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

I don't mind other people handling my dog in certain things. But more in regards to the SAR work. I need the dog to respect others. I need my teammates to be able to get my dog out of a crate and bring them to me and not get drug on the face. I need them to be able to put the dog in a down if needed. 

And, when I fell off a roof and busted up my footon a training trip in TX, it was really nice to be able to hand my dog to a teammate and still get to work. 

On my team we often hand our dogs off to new team members that don't have a dog yet, it's common. We also know each dogs emergency stop command. Because we work in a dangerous environment and if I see someone's dog about leap out if window, dang straight I want it to heed me when I tell it to drop. 

Sport is different I guess though. There really is no need for someone else to handle the dog. 


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