# Raising a potential Schutzhund dog.



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Greetings,

My husband and I are bringing our puppy home this spring, and I was curious about what others have done as far as early training before they brought their puppy to their club for the first time. What kind of games did you play, and did you teach the German commands immediately? I am assuming tug-o-war is a popular game for Schutzhund prospects?

Did you make sure your puppy knows that you are the "Alpha" early on? (In other words, did you establish dominance?)

Share your experiences and advice, if you will! It's greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,
- Angel


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

The only things I ever focused on was building confidence and our bond, not correcting the puppy, but re-directing. The bond you share with the pup is really important, you want the pup to be happy and biddable. I don't think establishing dominance is a big deal, the pup should see you as the leader, but a fair one.
Before I got my pup I read(and still read) Purely Positive Training by Sheila Booth. It has a great section on puppy foundation training for competition dogs.
You can start with the German commands but some will use those only for the SchH training and other everyday commands for everyday use. I use German.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Jane....that's a very good book....highly recommend also.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> The only things I ever focused on was building confidence and our bond, not correcting the puppy, but re-directing. The bond you share with the pup is really important, you want the pup to be happy and biddable. I don't think establishing dominance is a big deal, the pup should see you as the leader, but a fair one.
> Before I got my pup I read(and still read) http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=dtb588]Purely Positive Training by Sheila Booth. It has a great section on puppy foundation training for competition dogs.
> You can start with the German commands but some will use those only for the SchH training and other everyday commands for everyday use. I use German.



My primary goal will always be to establish and build upon the bond between my myself and my new puppy, regardless of everything else. That is very important to me. My puppy is meant to be my constant companion and a family member first and foremost.

Dog training and behaviour is, in a way, my specialty. I have a great deal of knowledge gained through experience, research and education. I may have been unclear in my initial post, but what I seek is personal experience and advice as opposed to resources. I have a great deal of resources, but most do not cover preparing a dog for Schutzhund. 

*My question, I suppose, is if there is any special training or preparation owners like to do with their puppy when they plan on competing in Schutzhund.
*
Also, I really like the idea you mentioned about using the German commands only during training/competing. Perhaps it would encourage an on/off switch in the dogs?

I actually have a copy of that book! I also have several German Shepherd specific books. I have my various text books from school including a copy of "The Complete Book of Dog Breeding" by Dan Rice, which has an excellent section on raising puppies. 

I greatly appreciate your response!

Kind regards,
- Angel


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

I never liked the idea to play tug of war with a puppy. I always felt it encourages them to bite and most of all be very aggressive when playing. I feel your homework has been done and you have selected the breeder and pup that will give you the best chance for what you are looking for in that dog. I also feel working on the mind of your puppy to challenge it mentally will give you the best chance to have it progress in what ever you choose to teach it but encouraging it to be aggressive and rough isn't going to help in any way when they are so young. JMO. =)


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I would strongly advise you to take your pup everywhere and do everything with him. Expose him/her to as many things as possible and keep it light and fun for them as this will help with confidence and bonding.

Also what Jane said about re-directing, I don't think Stark was actually "corrected" other than a "ah ah" until he was about a year. I always tried (and still do try) to re-direct the behaviour(s) into something more desirable. 

TONES of games that build on focus and engagement.

If you can, I would look up Michael Ellis's DVD's (I like, "the power of training your dog with food" and I especially loved "the power of playing tug with your puppy").


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## Denali Girl (Nov 20, 2010)

I don't think tug is that bad when played in a proper manner, I like to play it lightly and or to teach the out command. Tug a little and when the pup gets it, tell it to out and give it back as a reward but with no tugging. Either way it seems like you are well on your way, you will be fine. Good luck and make sure you post some pics.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

If the plan for this pup is SchH, then you should start taking the pup to your SchH club right away and have them give you advice for what they want you to do with him at home. Definitely get him out and about and socialize him as much as possible. Do not punish him for biting or chewing; discover the wonderful world of redirecting and channeling that energy. And, yes, playing tuggie is a good thing.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Elaine said:


> If the plan for this pup is SchH, then you should start taking the pup to your SchH club right away and have them give you advice for what they want you to do with him at home. Definitely get him out and about and socialize him as much as possible. Do not punish him for biting or chewing; discover the wonderful world of redirecting and channeling that energy. And, yes, playing tuggie is a good thing.


Yes, I am currently investigating my closest clubs to choose the one that is the best fit for me and my husband. I have every intention of being fully prepared before my puppy's arrival.  I have contacted each club requesting some time to discuss certain things and answer my questions.

I know the basics of re-directing, but have not gone in-depth. I will study this method more immediately, since it seems to be a popular and effective method. Thank you! 

I always assumed tug of war was a good game to play, when done correctly and controlled. Tug of war and Schutzhund seem to fit quite well together! One must be careful not to encourage the wrong aggression/dominance when playing such a game, correct?


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> I would strongly advise you to take your pup everywhere and do everything with him. Expose him/her to as many things as possible and keep it light and fun for them as this will help with confidence and bonding.
> 
> Also what Jane said about re-directing, I don't think Stark was actually "corrected" other than a "ah ah" until he was about a year. I always tried (and still do try) to re-direct the behaviour(s) into something more desirable.
> 
> ...


Yes, I certainly will expose her to as much as I possibly can to encourage strong nerves and acceptance of many different situations. Socialization is important in every dog's earliest years. Building focus and confidence are very important! Thank you!

Thank you, everyone!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I think you are over thinking this. Just play tuggie and you will be fine. The club will teach you how to do it and how to out him correctly from there.

You said you were bringing home your new puppy in the spring. Are you getting a workingline dog?


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## bocron (Mar 15, 2009)

ZAYDA said:


> I never liked the idea to play tug of war with a puppy. I always felt it encourages them to bite and most of all be very aggressive when playing. I feel your homework has been done and you have selected the breeder and pup that will give you the best chance for what you are looking for in that dog. I also feel working on the mind of your puppy to challenge it mentally will give you the best chance to have it progress in what ever you choose to teach it but encouraging it to be aggressive and rough isn't going to help in any way when they are so young. JMO. =)



We hear this philosophy and it ALWAYS comes from someone who has no clue about what Schutzhund is and how to train for it. Generally it comes from people who come to our place to address aggression issues in their doodle mix, or rescue pup. They proudly state, well trainer so-and-so told us NEVER to play tug because it causes aggression. What a load of malarkey! A dog doesn't have hands, it has a mouth and they need and enjoy using it. As a game, it is a great way to teach a pup to take and release on command. Have you ever watched flyball teams compete? A huge percentage of them are rewarded with a game of tug, they even make and sell special tugs just for that sport. Nothing aggressive about it, just a reward. Same thing with Schutzhund, a good training director can get you started playing tug in a way that is enjoyable and educational for your puppy, just like learning to sit for a treat or a happy recall, learning to control when and how a puppy uses it's mouth is very beneficial. Why hide from it? That is like never allowing a child to use it's hands because when it grows up it might use them in a fight. 
Everyone who calls about joining our Schutzhund club is encouraged to start as soon as they can. Even come out and watch before they get their puppy if possible. They can watch the obedience and tracking and see where they will hopefully end up and when they watch bitework, they can concentrate and ask questions without having to worry about their pup yet. We have been training as a hobby and professionally for many years, and we can say we have never had any dog that has been trained in bitework bite either of us or even almost bite. (They have an Aus command, go figure!). Now dogs from the general public, that's another story .
Go to your club and get them to get you started, at first, socialization and general manners are all you will need (yes we start off in German) but it is never to early to start.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

By the way, you do not have to use German commands. If that's what you want to do, you can, but it's not necessary. I don't speak German so I use English. As you live in Canada, nothing wrong with French. You are supposed to use one language throughout, so pick whichever one you feel the most comfortable with.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Wild Wolf said:


> I always assumed tug of war was a good game to play, when done correctly and controlled. Tug of war and Schutzhund seem to fit quite well together! One must be careful not to encourage the wrong aggression/dominance when playing such a game, correct?


Actually, I think when tugging with a puppy there is more risk of the human imposing too much on the puppy than vice versa. I've seen some people just be too rough with a puppy or expect a puppy to be playing tug like they are doing bitework. It's just a fun game. When I play tug with my puppies I use old towels or bits of old fabric on a string so that I can tap into their prey drive and put some distance between us. I'm not using a tug toy and bringing it to my face, staring down at the pup or leaning over the puppy. The puppy should win! I get my puppy tugging and then let him win, I call his name and clap and he comes running right back and shoves the rag back into my hands for more. What you don't want is for the puppy to run off with the toy all the time and then stay there, chewing it and keeping it from you. It should be a fun game for both of you and the puppy wins even though you are controlling the toy, if that makes sense.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Actually, from my perspective I think tug of war is good for Sch today, because most dogs developed this way usually you don't have to worry about indescriminate biting. I think too much tug playing leads to play/prey dogs and that is okay in today's sch world, but not for developing a dog to really bite people.JMO


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

bocron said:


> We hear this philosophy and it ALWAYS comes from someone who has no clue about what Schutzhund is and how to train for it. Generally it comes from people who come to our place to address aggression issues in their doodle mix, or rescue pup. They proudly state, well trainer so-and-so told us NEVER to play tug because it causes aggression. What a load of malarkey! A dog doesn't have hands, it has a mouth and they need and enjoy using it. As a game, it is a great way to teach a pup to take and release on command. Have you ever watched flyball teams compete? A huge percentage of them are rewarded with a game of tug, they even make and sell special tugs just for that sport. Nothing aggressive about it, just a reward. Same thing with Schutzhund, a good training director can get you started playing tug in a way that is enjoyable and educational for your puppy, just like learning to sit for a treat or a happy recall, learning to control when and how a puppy uses it's mouth is very beneficial. Why hide from it? That is like never allowing a child to use it's hands because when it grows up it might use them in a fight.
> Everyone who calls about joining our Schutzhund club is encouraged to start as soon as they can. Even come out and watch before they get their puppy if possible. They can watch the obedience and tracking and see where they will hopefully end up and when they watch bitework, they can concentrate and ask questions without having to worry about their pup yet. We have been training as a hobby and professionally for many years, and we can say we have never had any dog that has been trained in bitework bite either of us or even almost bite. (They have an Aus command, go figure!). Now dogs from the general public, that's another story .
> Go to your club and get them to get you started, at first, socialization and general manners are all you will need (yes we start off in German) but it is never to early to start.



Excellent response, and I thank you for it! My belief that it is never to early to start is exactly where my initial questions came from!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

cliffson1 said:


> Actually, from my perspective I think tug of war is good for Sch today, because most dogs developed this way usually you don't have to worry about indescriminate biting. I think too much tug playing leads to play/prey dogs and that is okay in today's sch world, but not for developing a dog to really bite people.JMO


I get that but can tug play vs. no tug play really make a difference in the actual work of the dog? A bit off the original topic, sorry. It seems that a real dog knows the difference. To me, when I play tug I am playing a game with my dog, nothing more nothing less. That's all I see it as, and I *think* all my dogs see it as. I don't really see any of it carrying over into our protection work. I don't try to do "protection" or "bitework" with my own dogs, in any fashion. I don't even use tug for developing bites/grips. If a dog likes to play tug, then that's what I use for fun and a bit of exercise. I don't do it with my "Schutzhund dogs" because we do Schutzhund or anything like that. Heck I play tug with my cousin's Coton (little fluffy white lap dog). Is playing tug really going to develop a dog into a prey/play dog? Or, is a dog that is genetically more prey/play more likely to enjoy playing tug?


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## alaman (May 3, 2006)

Well I just started a new puppy that will be a schutzund participant when she gets old enough. She is turning 5 months old next week. I do/did the following:

Established who the alpha dog was 

taught sit

taught stay

taught come

taught to walk easily on a leash and primarily on left side

taught "no"

put a soft piece of leather on a pole and tied together with a strong nylon string and played with her chasing it to build drive and confidence. Let her catch and win some and even let her "pull" it out of my hands and pull away.

play with a bigger tug and let her bite, again letting her win at times to build drive and confidence and if done correctly, help develop a full bite

Be careful on "tug" games as long as puppy has their baby teeth so as not to put hesistancy to bite later.

take a couple of balls and have her retreive and bring back to me. Will move up to a puppy sized dumbbell when adult teeth come in to get her familar with one. Have her bring ball back thru my legs for future "heir" 

lay some short food tracks for tracking foundation.

take her everywhere, truck, pet store, where pet classes are going on (have a friend that conducts these year around) walk downtown (small town), walk around the outside of Walmart, have her follow me on stairs, let her go all over home for smells, hardwood, carpet, etc. She did a 20 minute down while a puppy class was going today (brags).

Try to make it as much fun as you can and good luck. Be sure to keep sessions short since a puppy has a short attention span. I do 3-5 short sessions a day and then immediately put her up in her day kennel to let her reflect on what we did. I always end on a good note. Be sure to praise when your puppy does it correctly and praise as soon as it's done so the praise is related by puppy to what it was doing to earn it. You want the puppy to be happy and want to work. Good luck and have fun.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

Liesje said:


> I get that but can tug play vs. no tug play really make a difference in the actual work of the dog? A bit off the original topic, sorry. It seems that a real dog knows the difference. To me, when I play tug I am playing a game with my dog, nothing more nothing less. That's all I see it as, and I *think* all my dogs see it as. I don't really see any of it carrying over into our protection work. I don't try to do "protection" or "bitework" with my own dogs, in any fashion. I don't even use tug for developing bites/grips. If a dog likes to play tug, then that's what I use for fun and a bit of exercise. I don't do it with my "Schutzhund dogs" because we do Schutzhund or anything like that. Heck I play tug with my cousin's Coton (little fluffy white lap dog). Is playing tug really going to develop a dog into a prey/play dog? Or, is a dog that is genetically more prey/play more likely to enjoy playing tug?


I think it has more to do with the drives the dog is engaged in regardless the activity. Working/playing in a routine state of prey drive tips the balance in that direction as the dog matures. So the question I am looking to answer Cliff....is how to develop the SchH pup with an eye on balance?....focus on training in obedience and avoid prey/aggression until they are older?


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Lies,
I understand what YOU see when you play tug, my perspective is what does the dog see and develop. I don't know if you are doing Sch training or not right now, but if you are; have your dog do a revier on the helper in the blind and then have the helper throw the sleeve away and tell me what your dog does? (Hint: the dog should be reviering the helper not the sleeve) I'm just curious.
Also sorry for going off topic but it does relate to the assumption that tug playing leads to aggression or bites...Agh!!!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I guess my question is, can that really change the dog, or is it more a matter of using THAT sort of work as your actual foundation for Schutzhund? If the latter is what Cliff was getting at, then I agree. 

I play tug simply for the sake of playing tug, it's not really meant to be any foundation for Schutzhund or bitework. I leave that to the helper(s) for formal training days. What about throwing a ball for a dog that likes to fetch? I do this with all my dogs, and I don't think it really effects their prey drive on way or the other, nor does this carry over into how they do their formal retrieves later on. To me, play is just play, it's just a way to have fun, burn some steam, and bond with the dog. I don't really put too much thought into whether I am ruining my dog's chances at this or that later on just based on how we play. I guess I just like to let a puppy be a puppy and don't see the need to micromanage every aspect of the pup's life and every little game we play just for the sake of eeking out a few more points on the Schutzhund field. When it comes to Schutzhund I rely on the genetics and the more formal training and foundation we do, separately.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

cliffson1 said:


> Lies,
> I understand what YOU see when you play tug, my perspective is what does the dog see and develop. I don't know if you are doing Sch training or not right now, but if you are; have your dog do a revier on the helper in the blind and then have the helper throw the sleeve away and tell me what your dog does? (Hint: the dog should be reviering the helper not the sleeve) I'm just curious.
> Also sorry for going off topic but it does relate to the assumption that tug playing leads to aggression or bites...Agh!!!


My 2yo dog is not sleeve-focused. The few times we did suitwork with him there were sleeves on the ground he was actually running/walking over during protection. In fact we did some work to balance him out with a bit more prey because he works so much in defense. But, this same dog LOVES to tug with me, LOVES fetch, retrieves naturally, loves flirt pole, loves being back tied and teased with toys, dock dives and does lure coursing... I do a lot of prey drive stuff with him but it's all play, all fun and games. Has no effect on his protection work and I wouldn't want or expect it to. I try to give him credit that he knows the difference between tugging with me and doing protection phase in Schutzhund or being worked on a suit for SDA. Dogs are very contextual and I think this works to my advantage. Likewise I would never expect my dog to start showing defense to me if I backtied him and was teasing him up with a toy for fun. I am his owner, we play together and have fun, not do protection work on our own.


My puppy, I have no idea, I don't do anything formal with him yet.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Working a dog on a suit doesn't stop a dog from being a sleeve chaser. Either way I'm sure your dog is fine and my only point is that I don't overdo the tug thing because I think it leads to too much prey. With many of the sport dogs today this happens as they have good nerve and lotsa prey and you look up and you have a sleeve monster. JMO.


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## VALOR (Dec 5, 2010)

I have also heard arguments for raising a working puppy in an outdoor kennel and not as a housedog. I also am in the researching process and would like to hear from those of you with experience.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

cliffson1 said:


> Working a dog on a suit doesn't stop a dog from being a sleeve chaser. Either way I'm sure your dog is fine and my only point is that I don't overdo the tug thing because I think it leads to too much prey. With many of the sport dogs today this happens as they have good nerve and lotsa prey and you look up and you have a sleeve monster. JMO.



I agree with this. We have dogs with high prey, good nerve, and a higher threshold for defense- which means that too much tug creates a lot of prey based habits. Additionally when you play tug with a dog, you are teaching them how to bite and if you don't pay attention to when you let them win you can reinforce some less than desirable habits. 

On my first dog I would play tug a lot, and I ended up rewarding a lot of thrashing because he would basically rip the tug out of my hand. I didn't really know any better and thought it was cute how hard he was "fighting", so I would let him win and praise him. Mistake. 

Now when we play tug with the puppy I first don't play with anything that resembles a sleeve, so no Jute, no bite pillows, nothing like that. Actually I play tug with my dogs with a stuffed dragon that looks like this... 








And I basically do very little tugging. I reward full bites, counters, and then let my puppy carry as long as he wants. I allow no chewing of the tug toy, but I don't do much snatching or drive building with it, because my dog doesn't need it. He's got insane prey drive without any encouragement from me. So in this way he learns how to bite through play, BUT it is important not to confuse this with protection training. When we start my puppy in protection training we will wait until he is older because he will be started with more suspicion and defense work than the average puppy because he will need more of that to keep him balanced.

So basically my advice to the OP, is that IMO less is more when raising the SchH puppy. Socialize it (This does not mean take it to dog parks- this means exposing it to lots of different environments and stimulus). Teach it to work with you...I use a lot of lure and marker training in my puppy OB but not much in the way of formal exercises until the dog is older. The most important parts of OB with a puppy for me are engagement and focus. Can't do much more until you get those things. Work on tracking. Eating food from the ground (tracking foundation) is one of the easiest things you can do with your puppy and is probably the phase least worked by most people.

Get yourself to the club you plan on training with. They will help you evaluate your dog's drives and help you figure out what it is you need to be doing.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

VALOR said:


> I have also heard arguments for raising a working puppy in an outdoor kennel and not as a housedog. I also am in the researching process and would like to hear from those of you with experience.


I don't agree with raising it outside, but I think it depends on what you mean by "house dog". 

My dogs all have 48"-54" wire crates in the house. Puppies spend a lot of time in their crates in the beginning because it's all about management. I think the reason many people suggest not raising a SchH prospect as a house dog is that you sort of want to avoid creating a "polite dog" which is what many of us want in our house dogs. I allow my puppies to jump, to explore spaces that they find interesting, use their mouths to play..these are not necessarily desirable house dog traits in a traditional sense of house dog- dog that lives inside and has free access to the house. 

Instead my puppies have very limited access to the house, despite the fact that they are living in it. They are only allowed time out when completely supervised, and of course we also spend a lot of time outside playing and running around. I like having them in the house because they are exposed to a lot more noises and situations. They watch from their crates as I vacuum, they hear the garbage disposal, the ice dispenser, pots and pans, they see friends and other dogs in the house. I think it creates a more well rounded dog.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have 3 GSD's(one I train in SchH). They all live in the home and I don't use crates unless we have company or need them to be contained. My dogs play together and are free in the home. I don't see any problem with my SchH dog as far as his drives or house manners overflowing to training. He is very well behaved, and I've never corrected him for much of anything. He settles easily and isn't crazily engergized but does need outlets for his energy. 
That said, dogs have different temperaments and the "over" obedience put on them may lower their drives in the different phases. They often defer to their handlers for everything, and need to have more independent thinking.
Then I see some who are kenneled or crated often and they are over the top with their excitement level, and can't control it without some compulsion put on them during training. 
Whatever works best for you and your dog, personally my SchH dog is my companion and I love having him with me as often as possible.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

JKlatsky said:


> On my first dog I would play tug a lot, and I ended up rewarding a lot of thrashing because he would basically rip the tug out of my hand. I didn't really know any better and thought it was cute how hard he was "fighting", so I would let him win and praise him. Mistake.


My pup LOVED the jute tug I used and I used to reward the same behavior. My trainer - not Schutzhund, just a normal class - told me that tugging should be him and I both hanging onto an object and moving through space together. AKA no spastic head thrashing or going nuts, he shouldn't pull me over etc. It's worked WONDERFULLY. I reward with a tug in flyball and he does growl and pull but he isn't thrashing like a crazy dog either. His bites now that I've started Schutzhund with him (at 1.5 yrs old) are full and clean - he doesn't thrash or chew at the sleeve at all.



onyx'girl said:


> That said, dogs have different temperaments and the "over" obedience put on them may lower their drives in the different phases. They often defer to their handlers for everything, and need to have more independent thinking.


Something very true. I am working through exactly this right now with Madix. I was very much redirecting and encouraging playing as a puppy BUT was definitely discouraging ALL biting - now he looks to me too heavily but I think we will be able to work through it...


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## Dr89 (Nov 18, 2010)

I've been doing A LOT of research on this myself, and I have a 5 month old who I have been raising in hopes of being a good schutzhund prospect. Here is what I have done to try and create an extremely strong bond, high drive, CONFIDENCE, and also be well-behaved.

As someone else said he has been a house dog, but crate trained from day one. Out-of-crate time is only allowed under supervision, he does not get the house to himself when no one is home.

Started commands in english, sit, down, stay, and come. 

Once those were mastered, simply added hand motions to each. Already knowing the commands, he caught on to the hand signals almost immediately. 

Once the hand signals alone were understood I began combining them with the german commands for sit, down, stay, and come.

For a long time those were the only commands we used. No corrections were done for chewing on things he shouldn't chew, just said "no" and simply removed the item, and replaced it with a toy or bone. This works like magic and we have not had ONE item in our home destroyed.

I use the "no" command to mean "stop" as well, and to get his attention on me. It's not a treat/reward type command, over a couple of months of consistently using "no," he understands that when he hears it, whatever his action is, it is undesirable.

Once he was old enough to play, about 8-10 weeks (got him at only 5 weeks) I have played tug with him. This game should be fun, and the pup should always win (this is a confidence builder). He should also return the tug, he knows "go get it" which is just more convenient than necessary!

At about 4.5 months I began using commands from a distance. First made him stay--walk about 20-50 yards, and command sit, down, then come. This takes some time as they're used to working right next to you. 

I did not teach a heel command until lately because exploration is an important part of puppy hood, while on leash I allowed him to sniff around, pounce at blowing leaves, etc. Now we're working on heeling and he's getting it fast.

I'm hesitant to suggest this because each dog is different. Rambo (my 5 month old boy) has been very mature and extremely attached to me, so during tug games, we incorporated a sit-stay from a distance, and then holding the target (rope, or tug) I give a quick "fass!" to release him to the tug. Very important to also teach an "aus" or "give" at the same time. He was 100% on his other commands before I decided to begin this. And he must be 100% responsive on the "aus" or the game is over and he gets a time out--so far thats not really been an issue though.

Frisbee is also a new thing we're using to maintain a high prey drive. He loves fetch this is just a new fun way to do it. I taught a "fuss" command (heel) with a hand signal (tap my leg) in which he'll run around me, sit to my left, and i throw the frisbee.

Hope this helps out on your original question some.


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## Dr89 (Nov 18, 2010)

I forgot we also sometimes play a hide and seek type tracking game with some of his favorite toys, or an old rag, etc. This is a thinking game and is a good way to wear them out indoors. They love the search and it's extremely rewarding for them to find their prize.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Oh! Something I learned today that I wish I would've known before. Teaching sit and down in the "correct" (meaning heel) position. I taught sit as a free-form trick. He was just by me, in front, beside, it didn't matter and I lured him into the right position. Welllllll now he moves his front feet back to his rear to get into sit position. So, when we are heeling and I say sit, he ends up a half-stride behind me instead of right next to me. I am attempting to reteach with a different command but what a hassle. If you teach sit in the proper position to begin with it will be natural.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

Let them grow up...Socialize off your property and awy from club. Travel


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## Dr89 (Nov 18, 2010)

FG167 said:


> Oh! Something I learned today that I wish I would've known before. Teaching sit and down in the "correct" (meaning heel) position. I taught sit as a free-form trick. He was just by me, in front, beside, it didn't matter and I lured him into the right position. Welllllll now he moves his front feet back to his rear to get into sit position. So, when we are heeling and I say sit, he ends up a half-stride behind me instead of right next to me. I am attempting to reteach with a different command but what a hassle. If you teach sit in the proper position to begin with it will be natural.


This is a good idea! I wish I would have thought of that. Rambo learned sit and down at such an early age that I know he doesn't even remember why when I say sit he does what he does, at this point its just a response. That's why i had to teach "fuss" (german for heel) because he already knew sit and heel. So I needed something to make him sit beside me haha


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## Dr89 (Nov 18, 2010)

Smithie86 said:


> Let them grow up...Socialize off your property and awy from club. Travel


Smithie, not to stray off topic, but I'm pretty new on here and I clicked the link in your sig and I've seen that kennel posted and referred to on here several times (it's actually bookmarked in my favorites for when I want to buy a bitch) but how are you connected? Is it your kennel? I'm very impressed with what I see and read on it.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

> Let them grow up...Socialize off your property and away from club. Travel


Exactly! 

Just have fun with them.. Let them be a puppy and don't squelch their drives!


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

DR89,

Thank you. Husband. Need to update...


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

All of the information and experiences posted were a huge help, being able to see unique opinions and what worked for some dogs was very enlightening. I understand fully that every dog is an individual and will need an upbringing suitable to them. I have a fairly good idea of what I want to accomplish in the early stage now, and some tips that were shared are excellent!

I have to say, though, while my puppy will be crate trained, she will not spend much time in there unless necessary. I recognize the benefit of crate training, especially for a puppy, but I refuse to keep any dog in a cage away from it's pack. Being a wolf and dog fanatic, my studies have taught me that the healthiest and happiest animals are the ones that are full time members of a family group. I strongly believe that a dog is meant to be by your side. Always.

Thank you, everyone! Keep the advice coming.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I don't understand why people think that a dog knows the difference between German and English. Words are only sounds that, with repetition, become familiar to him/her. Whether you use German, English or Swahili the only thing that works is repetition and association. A dog doesn't know anything about 'languages'.


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## Dr89 (Nov 18, 2010)

PaddyD said:


> I don't understand why people think that a dog knows the difference between German and English. Words are only sounds that, with repetition, become familiar to him/her. Whether you use German, English or Swahili the only thing that works is repetition and association. A dog doesn't know anything about 'languages'.


I can't speak for other people, but I use German commands for only three reasons:

1) The German commands themselves just sound more harsh, and the words come out sharper.

2) It's a language that I don't speak, and the words are unfamiliar to me, therefore I only use them in this (training) context so they are more likely to sound EXACTLY the same every time.

3) The German commands aren't words the dog will EVER hear, except when I'm telling him to do something. I say the word "down" a thousand times a day, and maybe 20 times I'm actually speaking to my dog haha, but how often am I going to say "platz!"--never unless it's to my pup. Just helps reinforcement I believe, it's an extra cue for the dog.

So basically, I use German for MY benefit, so that I can be as consistent as possible, and there is a clear distinction in my voice when asking the pup to do something. People do fine with english all the time and that's cool. I taught English as well so that other people can easily--using this word loosely haha--control him.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Funny thing is, that dogs really seem to _like_ the more explosive sound of german commands. My mixed breed really perked up and improved when I switched to German commands. When I first walked onto a Schutzhund field, I used the word "foos" for the first time, and she just fell into a perfect heel. (Like DR89 was saying, "Heel" is for everyday walking, Foos is for competition heeling. So it is nice to have different commands to differentiate the two). 

Same with Platz - I trained using a down command. One day at Club training, another person had a ball that my dog wanted. He yelled PLATZ at his dog, and his dog hit the ground. My dog looked at the other dog, and plopped herself down in a platz too! I had NEVER used Platz before. She just figured it out. The guy threw the ball, and the dogs chased and played. 

Afterwards, I wondered if she was associating the command with the down, so I grabbed her and went on the field to do obedience, and instead of telling her to do a down in motion, and told her Platz! and she did, LOL!!! 

Something about German words that dogs pay attention to. They come out easier, and sound more authoritative, I think. 

I used to assist in pet obedience classes, and the instructor, for fun, would take a student dog and start to work it in German, and wouldn't the dogs just perk up and work their heart out for him! It was funny!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I use English commands. I always have. I also am working multiple dogs and don't want to use two different languages, one for my older dog and another for the younger. I have never had issues with confusion between home use and competition use.


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## szariksdad (Jun 25, 2010)

First off I use polish command instead of german and that works great for him. Secondly, since I was a novice i bought the "Raising a working puppy" by leerburg and got from there socialize and expose to many experiences. For this it was from teaching how to go down slides to swimming in a lake. He is a great house dog but that took time with lots of redirection when wanting to nip. There are a lot of great books and websites on puppy development. The 2 I used the the most are first book "Training the Behavior" by Gary Patterson which has a puppy development section. I also used Ivan Balabanov's website trainperview.com along with his training videos.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

The one thing to not is that you have to use the same language during all exercises in a phase. You can not switch out.

We use Hungarian/English at home, German on the training and trial field.


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