# How many training hours per day?



## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

So...the last two blow up threads and information in those threads had me thinking--does Sabo have it in him? 

I have done a lot of self reflection, and talked to some people around here that do Schutzhund...and have decided to take him for a temperament test with Mike Kempkes who is about 30 min away. Those that I've talked to do about 1-2 hours of practice a day, then 1 hour a week with the club and 1 hour a week with Mike...and this is about what I do just with training and playing with Sabo. 

Some self-reflection showed that I am afraid of the sport. Why? What if my dog doesn't have it in him? What if I create this bag of nerves and ruin my dog? What if I make an aggressive dog? 

Other side of it was: I have always wanted to do this. ALWAYS. When looking at shepherds on line, I've always gravitated toward the IPO videos and training videos. 

I'm still split here. I love agility, I love watching the videos---its so much FUN and the dogs eyes are GLOWING...however, watching Schutzhund...those dogs are INTENSE and their eyes are glowing also! Not to mention their tails are going a mile a minute! 

Anyway---can someone lend me advice? Their stories? Their feelings? Is this something you have always known you would do? If we don't have the temperament for it...well, we are still doing Agility just for kicks anyway! Am I really ready to go down this road with my dog? 

Bottom line I want a HAPPY DOG! I want a CONFIDENT dog! I want a dog that can see something new and think "Hey! No big deal! Mom is here, I'm cool with all this!" and keep on walking. 

My bottom line fear? I'm afraid of failing my dog. I am afraid of that with everything I do. I am afraid of being a giant failure in his eyes. 


Chime in anyone?


----------



## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

We don't do any Schutzhund or dog sports although I would not mind some dog sports, it's too far away to be practical. Anyway my feeling is pick something you enjoy and hopefully your dog will follow, pick up your enthusiasm.

Our first trainer was very boring, I would space out and my dog's only thought was to play and do agility. Not very productive.

Second trainer had a lot of energy, overall positive and did a lot of agility that my dog loved, plus I enjoyed moving, running too. We both went home exhausted, in a good way. If there was something we did not like in training, we wouldn't do it or take a break.

So I guess its up to you, if you can get over a fear. Sometimes it takes a while.


----------



## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

Do what you and Sabo ENJOY!  I had similar thoughts as you, I was terrified to go get my dog evaluated, but I'm glad I did. Turns out, he has it in him, no he won't be GREAT or we may never even title, but we have fun , I learn ALOT, and I've met some really awesome people. I also do alot of other sports with him cause he truly enjoys a lot of them. Schutzhund just demands alot of time and dedication. So give it a go, see what happens and if you guys like it.  you'll never know unless you try. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

Thanks for the support guys! I am so NERVOUS about it! What if he has it in him and the trainer says I don't??? ACK!!!! We go Thursday morning! My stomach is already in knots! LOL! I'm half tempted to ask for a scrip of ativan so my nerves dont wack Sabo out! LOL! (So kidding on that! I just wont have coffee that morning to keep the jitters at bay!) 

Because my kids LOVE the agility stuff, I am also planning on doing that for fun. There is a club here that will let the kids "handle" the dogs...so if Sabo really loves it, we can do both and my daughter (more into it than my son, he just loves to watch "his" dog do cool stuff) can help me out.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I never train 1-2 hours a day at home. I may track one day, do a 10 minute obedience session(working on whatever we need to work on, be it retrieves send out, go arounds or focus heeling) and try to keep it fun. 
I do train every Saturday with my club(all three phases) and Sundays and Tues I go to another field for obedience and protection. My club doesn't have an actual trial field so I need my dog to see this picture/run blinds, etc.
I also train once a week with another private obedience instructor for whatever I'm working on. I follow one program, take it all three places. I love training and because my club is so far away, once a week isn't enough....and I enjoy having someone spot me/critique me and give me some suggestions because I'm still a newb at this. So I go elsewhere for more. Every day though I do a session, short and sweet. Tonight we're going back to the basic of article indication because I want to polish up a bit of crookedness in the down.

Don't feel intimidated or inhibited when you go. Your dog will feel it down the leash big time.
Instead go in with confidence and prepare to make a fool of yourself, because your dog loves it when you act like one/it brings up their enthusiasm!


----------



## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

Go and have fun!!! If your dog doesn't love it, you don't have to do it. I don't train an hour a day. When I am prepping to trial it's maybe 10-15 mins twice a day. Tracking 3-4 times a week and protection about 2 times a week. With my puppy, it's two 5-10 min obedience sessions a day and lots of play, exposure and life things.

Be careful, it's addictive and you will end up with more dogs, a minivan, and thousands of dollars worth of gear before you know it! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Redrider469 (Jul 19, 2013)

I think as long as you have Sabo's best interests in mind(sounds like you do) you cannot go wrong. It sounds like you spend a lot of time with him and I think based on the quality of time spent together, he will be all of the things you want him to be.


----------



## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

Thanks guys! To be clear- we dont train 1-2 hours a day period right now! LOL! We play and goof off outside in intervals for a total of 1-2 hours. In that play we tug with ropes, throw balls, and certain commands are interspersed like "wait" "sit" "Down" "get it"...stuff like that. formal "training" work is about 3-10 minutes depending on his focus and my energy levels. He knows when I'm running through the motions and will get easily distracted if I'm not totally into what we are doing!

Thank you all so much!


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Your dog is either a bag of nerves, or he isn't.  You won't be 'creating it'. The evaluation will tell you if he has it to start, if he does, just have fun! It is an adventure and a learning experience for both of you - even if he doesn't cut if for protection, you can do tracking and Obedience, and watch other dogs doing protection and get a great education about nerves, aggression, and control. 

I started with my shelter mutt! She didn't have the drives, the stamina, or the natural aggression that a good working dog has, but she had enough for us to learn together and have fun. Our club helper at the time felt that she would title, but for a number of reasons I never pursued it. 

If I were to do it all over again, I would. It was fun to be part of a club, to be involved, and even if not a SchH1, we did do a BH, and try and fail and try and succeed in tracking and obedience. 
Just take one little step at a time, go for the eval. Experienced trainers will look for confidence and prey drive in a young prospect - much can be built on that.


----------



## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

erfunhouse said:


> So...the last two blow up threads and information in those threads had me thinking--does Sabo have it in him?
> 
> I have done a lot of self reflection, and talked to some people around here that do Schutzhund...and have decided to take him for a temperament test with Mike Kempkes who is about 30 min away. Those that I've talked to do about 1-2 hours of practice a day, then 1 hour a week with the club and 1 hour a week with Mike...and this is about what I do just with training and playing with Sabo.
> 
> ...


I'm excited for you.  make sure you come back and tell how it went. I am just starting out in IPO also after not doi well in French ring. I wish I would have done some things differently. I have made many mistakes already. But luckily our dogs are very forgiving. Have fun Thursday! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## BoTaBe (May 2, 2013)

We're doing both at the moment - Schutzhund and Agility.

My dog is 7 month old and we started with obedience and Schutzhund. Never 1-2 hours, more like 10 minutes obedience, short rest and 10 minutes bite work afterwards (then came the whole teething period and we did tracking and obedience only). Tracking I did mostly at home.

We started Agility last week, it was also about 10/15 minutes in the beginning.

Just go and have fun! 
And if it really comes down to him not having "the temperament" for Schutzhund, well, there are so many other things you can do!


----------



## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

We are always harder on ourselves than others are. No one was born knowing how to train or do dog sports. We all start by learning and as long as you aren't an idiot people will appreciate your willingness to learn. Listen and implement. When I started I went wanting to learn more about obedience, had never done bite work- didn't know if it was right for me or my dog. Tried it loved it he's great at it so we continue! Def more about training me vs the dog many times and that's ok! Our first evaluation Blaze was not engaged at all. Second time he was a different dog. You try and continue if it's right stop if it's not. You'll never know if you don't try.


----------



## erfunhouse (Jun 8, 2013)

What did you do differently that made him engage the second time? Was the first just an "off" day? I worked last night, slept this morning/afternoon...so poor Sabo didn't get his park time or hike time this morning and is BRIMMING with energy, I'm kind of hoping that means he's more ready to play tomorrow morning. NERVOUS!!!!


----------



## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

First time he just didn't know what was going on I guess- more interested in the other dogs, the smells in the grass- he was 5 months old. I said I swear you probably hear this all the time but he's nothing like this at home lol! I knew him and knew that wasn't him and that maybe he just needed a time or two. Also helped that after a couple session I started using the ball as reward, b/c even with high food drive the environment was trumping it, but ball trumped the environment and didn't take him long at all the care about only me and the training we were doing. 

You'll do just great- no worries!


----------



## Jmoore728 (Oct 17, 2013)

gsdlover91 said:


> Do what you and Sabo ENJOY!  I had similar thoughts as you, I was terrified to go get my dog evaluated, but I'm glad I did. Turns out, he has it in him, no he won't be GREAT or we may never even title, but we have fun , I learn ALOT, and I've met some really awesome people. I also do alot of other sports with him cause he truly enjoys a lot of them. Schutzhund just demands alot of time and dedication. So give it a go, see what happens and if you guys like it.  you'll never know unless you try.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Is there a certain age when you get him/her evaluated and who would you have evaluate him/her? I'm currently raising a male GSD puppy, almost 14 weeks old....I'm focusing on socializing him to everything I can, introducing marker training, a couple short sessions of tug daily....etc....
On the marker training, he is a quick learner on it....Nothing serious yet....He started barking during some marker training, so I took advantage of it, marked it, and he will now bark when told to. In a distraction free, comfortable environment....By no means is anything reliable at this point. The recall will be the first thing I get down pat. I've marked it, but no verbal or physical cue yet....I'm a novice and don't want to push anything too fast and take the chance of ruining him... To date, I haven't ran across any audible noises that bother him,.. Gun shots, vacuums, pans, all kinds of kids toys, etc...This might not mean or account for anything,.. 

When he gets older, I would like to have him evaluated just for my sake....I wouldn't want any Joe Blow doing it. I would like someone that does this for a living to make the evaluation.


----------



## My5dogs (Aug 30, 2013)

Our pup at 14 weeks our trainer said 2-3 mins 3-4 times a day. Obedience and some tracking. Alittle bit of tugging in a rag


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Jmoore, get with a club and have the training director and others in the club do the evaluation. You can have him evaluated at any time. The genetics don't change.


----------



## scout172 (Sep 14, 2013)

10 or 15 minutes.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

My advice is try both and see where it goes... I've done both (at the same time, with the same dog) but unfortunately found agility to be cost prohibitive so we started flyball instead and my dogs love this. I was actually spending more time training agility than Schutzhund but with Schutzhund I have to factor in travel hours. So, I can do some agility drills like contacts, double box, 2x2 weaves in my backyard 2x a day but for Schutzhund I might need to drive 25 minutes to find a place to track, lay a track, age it an hour, and then run my track. The actual time the dog is working is less but the time commitment from me is always more. I can drive 15 minutes to private agility instruction but it's 2.5 hours one way to the SchH club.


----------



## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Try both!! I think they engage the dog in different ways. My pup's sire is IPO3, and he does disc dogs, dock dogs, CGN, did his herding instinct etc etc etc GSD's are supposed to be versatile, after all


----------

