# Only up from here!



## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

a second brag post? oh goodness, what an accomplishment, but my sweet boy deserves it.

I've been slacking this past month, or two, on training, and this week I finally decided I needed to step up! I got into contact with an old friend who has some rescued GSD mixes and planned a meetup to exchange some tips, see how the dogs get along, stuff like that. A very nice dog park just opened right down the street from her and since its been cold and wet out, no one has been using it, it has lots of room and some cool agility equipment I was excited to try out. Charlie was a little iffy at first, but he walked fairly calmly with me down to the park, we introduced the dogs without any trouble, released them and they got along just fine! Venus did have to set some boundaries with him but he respected them and enjoyed having a new friend.

And to my surprise, Charlie tackled the agility equipment with ease, the ramp or tunnel didnt phase him and the little raised stepped stones only took him a couple tries, he followed commands and paid attention in the midst of a new environment with a new playmate and I couldn't have been more happy with him. Nobody ever showed up so we had to the park to ourselves and the pups adored it! they were covered in mud and absolutely zonked out the second we got back to the house, which Charlie also behaved very well in, simply laid down at my feet and stayed out of the way.

To my surprise, the second day was even better, we brought both of her girls out, introduced Charlie to the newer one, which did take a bit more time, since the other one is a bit more nervous, but they got along even better, and Charlie seemed to really get the hang of following commands amongst all the distractions, as well as listening to corrections if he got too rough while playing with the girls, id never seen him so focused and willing to listen, I havent practiced much on heel but he did a flip and heel with me all the way down to the park with his eyes zeroed in on me. Where did he learn that from?!? there's no way I did that?!?! bahahaha

Of course hes not perfect, but his recall was about 85% reliable even with the dogs running and barking around him, and his leash reactivity was practically non existent, he was excited of course, but stayed rather calm. I dont think I've ever felt so proud! Im really start to see him begin to mature and learn to choose me over other pups and people, its like he knew exactly what I wanted and delivered it way better than I expected of him, his general obedience and behavior/listening skills were wonderful, this was his first time out and about in a while and he seemed to work even better amongst all the distractions and excitement lol

As a new owner and someone who's worked and worked to get everything right, its a type of joy and pride from seeing all your hard work pay off that i cant describe, so proud of my sweet boy!

and thankyou to everyone who ever gave me advice on here, it has helped tremendously and is the reason we're where we are now!


the ramp was his favorite









here's my close friends dog, Venus, shes a cutie!


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

Beautiful pups!!!!! You deserve to be proud! How old is Charlie? I am still waiting for the calm focus on me in heel but I must admit, I didn't practice that much as I want to get her out of the habit of reactive to other dogs first. 

Well done on both of you!


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

3ymum said:


> Beautiful pups!!!!! You deserve to be proud! How old is Charlie? I am still waiting for the calm focus on me in heel but I must admit, I didn't practice that much as I want to get her out of the habit of reactive to other dogs first.
> 
> Well done on both of you!


Thankyou! Charlie just turned a year back in November! It's been one of the hardest to teach imo, especially since I started late, but it has really helped with his reactivity, helps him to ignore things and such, although I will say Charlie isn't as "reactive" as some so I think that made it easier, he doesn't act crazed or bark, mostly just won't pay attention and pulls. As for the heel it's kinda sloppy but Charlie must have grasped it pretty well somehow because he did it very nicely yesterday, it helps to work against a solid surface such as a wall and reward them when they're behind you coming into the heel as well as the heel itself, helps get that really nice "flip".

I wish you luck with your girls reactivity! It can be frustrating but you'll get there! She's gorgeous btw <3


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

peachygeorgia said:


> Thankyou! Charlie just turned a year back in November! It's been one of the hardest to teach imo, especially since I started late, but it has really helped with his reactivity, helps him to ignore things and such, although I will say Charlie isn't as "reactive" as some so I think that made it easier, he doesn't act crazed or bark, mostly just won't pay attention and pulls. As for the heel it's kinda sloppy but Charlie must have grasped it pretty well somehow because he did it very nicely yesterday, it helps to work against a solid surface such as a wall and reward them when they're behind you coming into the heel as well as the heel itself, helps get that really nice "flip".
> 
> I wish you luck with your girls reactivity! It can be frustrating but you'll get there! She's gorgeous btw <3


Thanks! Buffy's reactive to other dogs was a mistake we made during lockdown, took her to daycare with hope she could play with other dogs. However, it turns out she learned that she could play with other dogs whenever she liked! When we took her out, she just wanted to run to the other dogs to play but since then we worked hard to calm her, make it clear that she is not going to play whenever she likes and has to ignore passing by dogs, still in working progress but 85-90% there.

Look at us, two paw parents exchange experience, how nice! I am sure with a bit more patience, we can shape them the way we want. By the way, mine is a GSD/Husky!


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

3ymum said:


> Thanks! Buffy's reactive to other dogs was a mistake we made during lockdown, took her to daycare with hope she could play with other dogs. However, it turns out she learned that she could play with other dogs whenever she liked! When we took her out, she just wanted to run to the other dogs to play but since then we worked hard to calm her, make it clear that she is not going to play whenever she likes and has to ignore passing by dogs, still in working progress but 85-90% there.
> 
> Look at us, two paw parents exchange experience, how nice! I am sure with a bit more patience, we can shape them the way we want. By the way, mine is a GSD/Husky!


Ah I see! I guess I had a similar problem, we have 8 dogs and Charlie grew up around them all so I guess that could be similar to doggie daycare lol, but he just wanted to run up and play to every dog he met because of it, not to mention i hadnt taught focus properly, the wonderful people on this forum actually helped me out and told me some things to do/practice and it made me realize how important focusing on you and keeping eye contact is! Once we began working on that Charlie's caught on to things a lot quicker. It sounds like they're in the same spot training wise, he's about there!

One video that really helped me was Robert Cabrals teaching focus video, I really like the way he sets it up and it worked super well for Charlie! Here it is in case you wanna check it out 






It is nice! I love discussing dog training and dogs in general, especially with a responsible owner, makes you feel not so alone in your struggles!

i love her mix! She's such a pretty girl <3 we're not exactly sure what Charlie is, he's mostly GSD of course, with something mixed in, not sure what though bahaha


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

Thanks for the video! I have watched similar one and started to do it a couple weeks ago. Work in progress, again, lol

8 dogs? You are a saint! Charlie is doing a lot better than Buffy as she is 2.5 yrs now. I think mostly is I don't know how to teach in general, human or dog, so sometimes I might have confused her. I am getting a grasp of the training methods, slowly,lol


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

3ymum said:


> Thanks for the video! I have watched similar one and started to do it a couple weeks ago. Work in progress, again, lol
> 
> 8 dogs? You are a saint! Charlie is doing a lot better than Buffy as she is 2.5 yrs now. I think mostly is I don't know how to teach in general, human or dog, so sometimes I might have confused her. I am getting a grasp of the training methods, slowly,lol


youre welcome! I figured I might as well send it in case you asked, since it was pretty helpful 

and yes! we own lots of forested land and my parents always had rescues and fosters, my father kinda retired from it last year so now we have our final 8, it is quite the hassle but we love them and they're all very good dogs, they definitely help with socialization though! bahahah

and I totally get that, I dont think I'd ever seriously trained a dog past shake until I got Charlie, I had no idea how either, especially with a strong breed like a GSD, but the internet and this forum have most definitely helped, as well as hours and hours of research and lots of patience, im sure i confused him a lot too, but doing the research and working towards better behavior is all that matters! it sounds like they're both on their way to success, which is wonderful, go Buffy! and go you!  ❤


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

I don't think I can foster without adopting them! You and your family are wonderful people!

Just curious, why did you suddenly have the urge to train Charlie, consider you said you never did much training? 

With the best intentions in heart and patience, we will conquer the training! Even though I made some mistakes and sometimes even confused Buffy, I can tell she likes looking at me for instructions and the bond between us is getting stronger everyday. Please post more update and photo of Charlie so we can envy your progress


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

3ymum said:


> I don't think I can foster without adopting them! You and your family are wonderful people!
> 
> Just curious, why did you suddenly have the urge to train Charlie, consider you said you never did much training?
> 
> With the best intentions in heart and patience, we will conquer the training! Even though I made some mistakes and sometimes even confused Buffy, I can tell she likes looking at me for instructions and the bond between us is getting stronger everyday. Please post more update and photo of Charlie so we can envy your progress


bahah we kept a LOT of them, its super rewarding but it is hard work, luckily it made me pretty knowledgeable on dogs and their behavior over the years though, which helped out!

As for why I decided to train Charlie, well i/we never actually owned a really big dog, they were always small to medium sized and just plain shelter mutts, id never owned a purebred dog and definitely not one as strong as a GSD, so when I got him (by surprise may I add lol) I knew that he was super capable training wise. Growing up my dad did most of the training and that usually only involved house breaking and leash walking, most of our dogs were sweet and good, but they were heathens who didn't have much obedience😂 so I had big aspirations when I recieved Charlie, and once I began researching i realized the bad behaviors he was susceptible to if he WASNT trained properly. That made me wanna buckle down and really teach him even more so he didn't become dangerous or too much to handle. We have learned SO MUCH together and im super proud of both of us, hes now the best behaved dog ive ever had the pleasure of handling/owning and he's definitely my heart pup! 

and ill tell ya, id always heard talk of the loyalty of a German Shepherd and kinda blew them off thinking most dogs are loyal, how are they any different? but I can see now its quite different, Charlie loves his pack/his people and rarely goes far from me, always checking up and is just generally very caring over the people he knows and trusts, he'd do almost anything I asked of him as long as he understood and I can see why people say the things they do about the breed, they're wonderful and I definitely want more GSDs in the future once I gain more knowledge.

Which breed do you see more in Buffy, the crazy husky or the ever loyal GSD? Shes adorable and looks like a perfect mix between the two, so I was curious, I bet she's super smart either way, both breeds are very intelligent, just use it different ways, I know huskies tend to be more difficult to train, so kudos to you!

sorry for all that talking! im a rambler bahaha. You do the same! id love to see updates on the pretty girl ❤


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

peachygeorgia said:


> bahah we kept a LOT of them, its super rewarding but it is hard work, luckily it made me pretty knowledgeable on dogs and their behavior over the years though, which helped out!
> 
> As for why I decided to train Charlie, well i/we never actually owned a really big dog, they were always small to medium sized and just plain shelter mutts, id never owned a purebred dog and definitely not one as strong as a GSD, so when I got him (by surprise may I add lol) I knew that he was super capable training wise. Growing up my dad did most of the training and that usually only involved house breaking and leash walking, most of our dogs were sweet and good, but they were heathens who didn't have much obedience😂 so I had big aspirations when I recieved Charlie, and once I began researching i realized the bad behaviors he was susceptible to if he WASNT trained properly. That made me wanna buckle down and really teach him even more so he didn't become dangerous or too much to handle. We have learned SO MUCH together and im super proud of both of us, hes now the best behaved dog ive ever had the pleasure of handling/owning and he's definitely my heart pup!
> 
> ...


Yay, finally someone rambling about dogs and doesn't mind me do the same! Husband always thinks I am way obsessed with Buffy but in my defense, I don't really have much experience about dogs, let along a big intelligent one, so I am taking my time to learn, to observe and to improve. Besides, dogs are family, that we have to find a balance in life to look after them.

Buffy, let me start rambling, lol. Husband grew up with dogs, big and small, but his parents weren't the caring types and never train any of them, they always bought a pair so dogs had company and let them play in the enclosed field, a few acres. We used to live with MIL who had needed to be looked after more or less 24 hours. She had a dog which we sometimes interact with but she stayed at MIL room most of the time. The dog passed at old ago 3 years ago and we were very sad and husband wanted to have another one. I refused as I knew the commitment which I wasn't prepared for. A year later, my mum passed away, combined with many other family issues, I went in to deep depression. I always wanted to have a GSD, even though I have never had one, I am always admire their looks, characters etc. Husband wanted a husky. Out of the blue, someone we knew told us it was an unplanned pregnancy between their dogs and only one puppy left needed a home. Without hesitation, we went for her. She was very shy and timid, the typical one that no one would take if you go buy from a breeder. Anyway, we took her home at 8weeks old, she bonded with us instantly, never cried at night, slept through the night, just woke up needed to go outside. Took her to puppy training classes, she did well, especially recall. We took her to the dog park off leash, well behaved. Covid hit, training classes stopped and we were naive to think it would be fine as she was 'well trained', we are not looking for a soldier, that would do. During lockdown, doggy daycare, **** broke loose from there on.......

Now we have to redo all the training but tiny improvement can be seen everyday which makes it all ok. Buffy got me out of depression and determine to be a better person for her. We are planning to a get GSD pup in a year time, hopefully by then Buffy is more obedient. 

P.s. After we got Buffy home and took her to vet for vaccine and check up to find out she was born on the day and time my mum was cremated. I would like to think that she is my guardian angel sent by my mum to continue the love.

Buffy is very intelligent and loyal and we think she has more shepherd in her than husky but she is quite independent, she likes to get close to and check up on me all the time but only cuddles with her own terms! 

My apologies for rambling this time, lol


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## peachygeorgia (Oct 5, 2021)

3ymum said:


> Yay, finally someone rambling about dogs and doesn't mind me do the same! Husband always thinks I am way obsessed with Buffy but in my defense, I don't really have much experience about dogs, let along a big intelligent one, so I am taking my time to learn, to observe and to improve. Besides, dogs are family, that we have to find a balance in life to look after them.
> 
> Buffy, let me start rambling, lol. Husband grew up with dogs, big and small, but his parents weren't the caring types and never train any of them, they always bought a pair so dogs had company and let them play in the enclosed field, a few acres. We used to live with MIL who had needed to be looked after more or less 24 hours. She had a dog which we sometimes interact with but she stayed at MIL room most of the time. The dog passed at old ago 3 years ago and we were very sad and husband wanted to have another one. I refused as I knew the commitment which I wasn't prepared for. A year later, my mum passed away, combined with many other family issues, I went in to deep depression. I always wanted to have a GSD, even though I have never had one, I am always admire their looks, characters etc. Husband wanted a husky. Out of the blue, someone we knew told us it was an unplanned pregnancy between their dogs and only one puppy left needed a home. Without hesitation, we went for her. She was very shy and timid, the typical one that no one would take if you go buy from a breeder. Anyway, we took her home at 8weeks old, she bonded with us instantly, never cried at night, slept through the night, just woke up needed to go outside. Took her to puppy training classes, she did well, especially recall. We took her to the dog park off leash, well behaved. Covid hit, training classes stopped and we were naive to think it would be fine as she was 'well trained', we are not looking for a soldier, that would do. During lockdown, doggy daycare, **** broke loose from there on.......
> 
> ...


Im sorry my reply is so late to this, I got a little busy for the holidays and never got the chance!

Im glad you ramble and are as obsessed with your dog as much as im obsessed with mine! Charlie and I have a pretty similar situation actually, I got him in January of 2021, he was a surprise gift from my slightly estranged mother, she got him off Facebook I think? Backyard breeder or unplanned pregnancy, I'm not too sure honestly lol 
I loved him right off the bat, and I got him at one of the hardest times I've ever had in my life and he really helped, I really dove into research and training to distract myself and it worked, he gave me a purpose, I'm a lot happier now and Charlie's one heck of a dog because of my little "obsession" bahahah 

I definitely look at dogs and training differently and I'm a lot better of an owner because of wanting the best for him, which I'll forever be thankful for 

Also that's too sweet! I believe everything has a purpose and I think Buffy's was to cheer you up! Dogs have some crazy ways of doing that.

I can definitely see that, she looks like a very sweet girl, Charlie's almost the same, but he loves to cuddle! He's a very affectionate mamas boy LOL 

I hope your training is coming along well! I'm kind of at a stand still with Charlie right now, since it's been so cold we haven't been able to try anything new, but things are going well, how's the weather where you are?


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

Well at least you replied me back and not scared off by my ramblings, lol

Hope you had a great holiday with your family and Charlie!

Buffy likes cuddle, sometimes, but no more than 10 mins in general, it is too warm for her. We will put the heating up to 65F for a few hours before bed, and it is getting a bit warm for her, so a lot of time I would rather put thick layer on but not turn up the heating for her.

Normally me and husband both work at home but slight change recently that husband has to leave home during the day for 3-4 days per week, it is only temporary and should last no later than March. However, I don't drive and husband doesn't want me to take Buffy to the nearby park, just worried about her reactivity to other dogs, even though she has improved enormously. So I take her for a walk around the block. We never really work on her heel work properly (she was off-leash when younger and then on fexi leash), and wanted to tackle one problem at a time, get rid of reactive to dog first then heel work. Now she got so excited for the 'new walk', and pulls quite a bit. I have to start from the beginning again 🤣 She is getting better and I can tell she is trying, she is just so excited but it takes time! So I try to work more impulse control with her. Charlie and you seem to be doing a lot better.

Where I live is cold (around 32-44F) and miserable, raining a lot. But Buffy loves the cold, for this aspect, she is more husky than GSD! She would take out all the throw or cushion from her bed so it is cooler for her.


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