# Training advice needed for a 3.5 months female



## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

Hi guys, 

I currently own a 3.5 months female German Shepherd puppy. She is incredibly smart, and drop dead gorgeous. I already taught her how to sit, down, stay, shake, fetch, fetch on command, wait, box (go into the crate on command), speak (bark on command), and climbing the stairs. She performs those commands close to perfect each time when she is focused. 

I feel like I run out of basic commands to teach her since she has already learned all that in a short amount of time (I started training her she was only 8 weeks). so what is the next step? Should I begin tracking / scenting training? agility maybe? any advice would be appreciated.

Just a little more detail on my dog. She was born Jan. 1st of this year, and currently weights 32 Ibs. Her coat is predominantly black, with red / tan / silver pigments on her legs and near her ears, neck, and chest. Mother weights 70 Ibs, father weights 88 Ibs, both are AKC conformation show champions. Her feet / paws are humongous btw.

To sum it up in questions:

1. What should I train her next?

2. What will her coat color be like? (black / tank?, black / red, or black / silver, or a mixture of all those)

3. How much will she weight when she matures? (I know the standard weight chart by month and the weight of her parents, but her paws are just huge, literally EVERY person who sees her says she is going to be around 85 Ibs, a big girl)

here is a picture of her mother:
















and here are some of her recent pictures:


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## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

didn know u can only edit for 10 minutes after you post, here are the pictures:

mother:










her recent pictures:


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## Andy-jr. (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the board. I would slow down and let her enjoy being a puppy. At 3.5 months they don't need to know every command out there, they are smart dogs and can be taught pretty much at any age. If you are looking something for her to learn there is a lot out there, try tracking. Let her learn what her nose is for. Good luck.


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

I only know basic commands but I had to say.......SHE IS SOOOOOO CUTE! She is the perfect example of why I could have 50 GSD's.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

She looks like she'll be a black and tan, possibly a blanket, or may fade to look like mom. All pups go thru gangly unproportioned phases. Ears or feet don't fit the face or body. She is a cutie, reminds me of Onyx!
I don't see her being overly large(usually the knee knuckles will tell if they are bigger boned, may end up larger) keep her lean, easier to keep weight off than taking it off when they get too rounded. A quality diet will help.

I agree with Andy-jr. Let her be a pup and just have some fun with her! Think about what you want to do for activities, tracking is nice for bonding, check out your training centers and get into class, maybe beginning agility after she has gone thru a puppy ob class. Or if you want to show her, try some conformation classes after you do the obedience class.


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## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

didn see there is a puppy section on this forum, if a mod or admin could move this thread there, that would be great.

thx for the replies guys. I know she is only a puppy and a puppy should have fun, but I feel like if I don't teach something new to her soon, she will become bored and unhappy. I would like to begin tracking training with her, but I don't know how to train tracking (what games to play? what tools do I need?)

and about her coat color, I would prefer more red pigment over tan / silver. How long does it take for her to get lighter? she almost looks like solid black.

Her weight, I checked out the standard GSD weight chart by age, and the avg weight for a 4 months old female GSD is about 36.4 Ibs. Her next vet check is 5/3, and I have a feeling that she will be a bit under that mark because her last vet check (4/3) weighted her 26.5 Ibs. Has there been certain cases where a puppy far outweighs the parent of the same sex? not fat, just maybe heavier bone, and stronger muscles.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I agree with letting her be a puppy. Also, if she knows all of those commands, you still have to reinforce them in 1000 different places, So maybe try visiting new places with her all the time. Just have fun 

Regarding her coat pattern, I can't really see a clear picture of her feet, but check out her heel area and her toes. Bi-colors will have tar heels and toe penciling (all other colors will be a solid color). If she doesn't have those features I would say blanket black and tan, although she could lighten up and be a black and tan sadle. Regardless of what her pattern will develop into, she will be gorgeous.... since she is such a presious little thing now. :wub:


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I completely disagree with the others: train all you want. This is by far the easiest time to teach your puppy things as they are little sponges, and as long as you keep things basic and positive, there is no end to what you can work on. Don't forget to start attention work, heeling, fronts, recalls, and definitely tracking.


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## Rat A Tat (Apr 20, 2010)

You can start teaching her some simple tricks that will wow your friends like "cover your eyes" and just easy stuff like that.

Although you may also just want to continue with the basics that you've already got going. Once she understands the idea of the command, you need to work on reliability of said commands by working on the 3 D's (duration, distance, and distractions). Just because she's reliable in the family room with no TV or outside noises doesn't mean she'll be as reliable outside with the sights and sounds of the world.

If you're just worried about keeping her mentally stimulated, I recommend trying some games of hide & seek and "find it". For hide and seek you can just tell her to stay and then either you or a friend/family member goes and hides. Then have the hider call her and see if she can find them. You can build up to having search out the hider without them calling her at all.

For "find it" start by putting a treat just a couple feet in front of her then tell her "find it" and when she eats it praise her. Build up to the point where you can hide a few treats around the room and have her sniff it out, then eventually hide treats around the several rooms or the whole house and have her find those.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

More important to work on training ATTITUDE than training at this age. Why clicker training and tricks are so much better to work on at the younger age than real 'obedience' stuff.

Teaching a trick is the least important part of teaching a trick

I see WAY more problems from people who unintentionally UNDER socialize and UNDER exercise their puppies than I ever see from those that don't startup obedience at an early age.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I see your key phrase being WHEN SHE IS FOCUSED. So, yeah! Work on perfecting those commands EVERYWHERE. Socialize the patootie out of her and get her and make training all over the place fun and rewarding.


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## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

I forgot to mention, she knows how to heel and walk on a leash already. I walk her around the neighborhood twice a day every day. And I bring her to difference places at least 2-3 times a week, whether is pet store, a park, a different neighborhood etc.

the only time she doesn listen to me is when she meets other dogs at a park, or when she needs to relieve something (want to play because of stress, needs to potty). She does fine when she is in an open field, but when people or other things come by, she gets distracted very easily.

She has had plenty of socialization and exercise. But yes, I agree I should perfect those tricks, making them last longer, and harder, and distraction free.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Agree with MRL: attitude is everything!!!

The other stuff will come very easily if the bond is strong and the attitude is good.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Socializing is one of the best things you can do and it seems you are doing that already. I also would suggest playing hide and seek so she learns to keep and eye on you and it will keep her instincts sharp. Training such a young puppy is fine as long as it is always positive and training is kept short . JMO. Having her find items in the yard is also a good thing to do.Sounds like you have a great puppy and she sure is beautiful.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

What a cutie pie! 



Elaine said:


> I completely disagree with the others: train all you want. *This is by far the easiest time to teach your puppy things as they are little sponges, and as long as you keep things basic and positive, there is no end to what you can work on*. Don't forget to start attention work, heeling, fronts, recalls, and definitely tracking.


That's pretty much my approach too. I love clicker training for working with puppies, and especially "capturing" behaviors, where you basically catch her in the act of doing things you like (looking at you? coming towards you? laying down? sitting?), marking them, and rewarding. The more you reinforce any behavior, the more she's going to offer it up, you can worry about adding a cue later. 

Rewarding spontaneous eye contact is a terrific way to build a foundation of focus and attention, which will pay off in spades in the long run. By the time I start puppy class I've usually got a puppy who will lay on the floor and stare at me for hours if I tell them how wonderful they are and toss a treat once in awhile. And since you can't teach your dog anything unless you've got her attention, you can see much further ahead you'll be if you work on building the foundation. 

Always keep your training sessions short, fun, and positive. I like to work almost exclusively off leash when puppy training around the house, unless I'm specifically working on leash skills. So there's no force, and no physical corrections, only verbal.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

If you can learn about clicker training it is a great way to start a puppy! I like to build a lot of "want to" in a puppy by working with positive training methods for a foundation.

Pretty puppy! I see Elizabeth there handling her dam at the show. What is her pedigree?


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## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

I do have a clicker, got it for free. Can anyone tell me exactly how to train with a clicker? I tried it, whenever she does something right, I mark that and reward it, but it seems like there is no difference if I don't use a clicker (good behavior --> reward) Also, I have been using motivation training, so no leash at all.

Another training question, she is crate trained but not house trained yet. She knows not to potty in the crate, and when she wants to potty, she ll whine / claw the crate so I ll let her out. But when I let her out, and try to put the leash on her, she always struggles and bites the leash. She does not know to scratch the door or bark at it when she needs to go out, if I don't put on the leash on her and force her out, she will just circle around the house and potty wherever she wants. 

I tried using a bell, doesn work either. I take her to the same spot everytime. How can I house train her faster?

@Samba, how do you know Elizabeth?

Maggie's father is 2005 Select Ex. Ch. Braunhaus Samurai and her mother is Ch. Hadori"s When its Love (Val)


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## Rat A Tat (Apr 20, 2010)

If your puppy isn't yet grasping the concept that outside is the bathroom, then there's no sense in expecting her to learn a way to tell you she needs to go outside to go potty.

Do you have an enclosed area/backyard? If so, I wouldn't worry about putting the leash on her to take her out to potty. Just take her out and let her do her thing. Another big thing is until she understands to only potty outside, ONLY take her outside for pottying and nothing else. That means no playing outside. It's easier for her to figure out that outside is the bathroom if that's the only thing she goes out there for at first.

On the subject of the leash, have you introduced it to her slowly? As in leaving it just laying around for her to sniff and get used to. Maybe just leaving it in her crate at night. Then when she's used to it, put it on her and just let her drag it around on the ground for a day or two.


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## dukethegsd (Apr 11, 2010)

pretty dog she looks like my duke as he is all black with tan socks ,he does have black on the toes good info, any way teach her all the important stuff and behavior is important most of all have fun while your doing it and the bonding will come natural.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I see Elizabeth at shows. She is Hogan's friend and calls him "killa' pup". I think I should have her handle him!

Hadori is Greg's kennel I believe. He has a nice male that I saw at the National.

At your pup's age, I am doing owner led "go outside". I take them out regularly on a leash, at regular intervals and when it seems appropriate. Kinda young to have it be puppy lead pottying, at least in my mind.


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## shepherd1125 (Apr 18, 2010)

@Samba

yes, Hadori is Greg's kennel, and I got Maggie from him. Val is Greg's mother's dog I believe. And Greg's male GSD ur speaking of is Dalton (Father: Fletcher Mother: Val)

maybe she is a little bit too young i guess, but I hear ppl saying that their puppies is house trained at 9 - 12 weeks old or something. I am just checking my progress here.

@Rat a Hat

yes, I do have a pretty big yard with enclosed fence. So your saying I shouldn use the leash on her to take her to the spot where she potties? what if she potties somewhere else? is that okay?

and about the leash. When i said I trained her leash free, that does not means she doesn like the leash. She is perfect with the leash, just bites on it when she comes out the crate for some reason. I walk her on loose leash, rarely have to pull, I only train her w/o one.


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