# Drop-off dog training



## joel.ortega (Jan 4, 2012)

Good day everyone, I am seeking some input on the subject of drop-off dog training. Bella is our 13 week old female GSD, she is enrolled in a basic puppy training class at our local PETCO and she is doing great. the issue is that between work, taking college courses, doggie training, home chores, and making sure Bella is properly exercised there isn't much time left in the day to re-inforce her training at home. I am considering enrolling Bella in a program where i would drop her off for 2-3 weeks and she would learn all her basic obedience,socialization,on and off leash walking, and correct the small unwanted puppy behaviors such as play biting, charging at the door. 
I would appreciate some thoughts,opinions,suggestions,advice

Thanks
Joel


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## TheActuary (Dec 17, 2011)

I wouldn't do it. It's important to create a bond with your puppy and you can't do that if she's not with you.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Agree with TheActuary, and the handler needs to be trained as much if not more than the dog. Daily life will teach the dog what you want, not sending it off to a board and train. If you didn't have enough time for a puppy, why did you get one?

This thread posted in the wrong forum?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i would train my own dog with the help
of a trainer but drop training is better than no
training. when you have a pup/dog you have
to sacrifice. when my dog was a pup i use to get
up a hour early (4:00 am/4:30 am) to train and play
my guitar before catching a 6:47 am train to work.
my GF got a hour early so she could train before she went
to work. my neighbor would come in every 2 hours to take
care of the pup. my neighbor also trained the pup. when i came
in from work it was change clothes, train the pup, play guitar
and train the pup some more. when my GF got home she did the same
thing. before going to bed train some more. whatever i/we did during
the course of the day included training. you have to make time
for a dog every day.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Play biting is going to be a part of your life until she's around 7-8 mos. if not a few mos. longer than that. It's a part of puppy hood.
I agree with the rest.

Training classes are for the human more than the dog


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I've notified for it to be moved (can't do it myself). 

Joel, the Urgent forum are for dogs that are in urgent need to find an adopter. We'll move your question to a puppy forum, and you'll get more answers that way. 

Agree with the others - play biting is something they will grow out of, not something that can be trained out of them in 2 or 3 weeks. 

Here's a recent thread with a similar question to yours:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-puppy-stuff/174512-new-puppy-owner-q.html


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## gusto (Dec 8, 2011)

I am surprised that everyone immediately looks down on people who don't have the time to train their dogs. As someone who works at a board and train facility, I can tell you the dogs in no way are less attached to their people at the end of the training however it is up to the owners to continue reinforcing the commands. We offer Free private lessons for the life of the dog to ensure this happens.



doggiedad said:


> i would train my own dog with the help
> of a trainer but drop training is better than no training.


Well put.

Research the place you are considering using, have them meet your dog before hand. See how they interact with the pup and make sure they lay out realistic goals. Housetraining, chewing, digging, and off leash control can not be guarenteed to transfer to you or your home. Off leash is one of the biggest things we are asked for but it's not for the faint of heart and requires you to have absolute faith in your dog and for your dog to have faith in you.

Good luck to you!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Who said "looks down on"? I did not get that feeling at all from the replies.
It's more about the owner learning the same techniques, not expecting drop off training to fix some "problems" that are not really...well, not really problems at all.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I couldn't go that route, but that's only me. 2-3 *WEEKS* without my dog? Probably sleeping in a run somewhere instead of under my comfy, cozy bed? She's so young, such a baby... no, I could not, could never consider being away from my young puppy pup that long. Besides that, you'd be missing some very highly impressionable periods. To me, it would be about the same as handing over my five year old child. 

There just isn't *a human being on earth* I'd trust with either the dog or the kid at such a young age, for so long. But again, that's just me. Your pup is 13 weeks? Aghh!!! THAT is such A FUN, FUN, FUN AGE! Heck, if I was gonna send my dog away for a few weeks, I'd wait for adolesence.  You can have Mr Bails for a couple of weeks if you want!

I'm sorry you're so busy, but you knew that when you got her? 

The trainer may make some very nice strides with her, but you'll have to still reinforce those things. Still work with those things. Daily. It isn't a magic fix or pill. You're not going to get away from reinforcing issues at home, which is what you said was your issue. She won't come back perfect.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

jmho...i would be very reluctant to leave my dog(s) with anyone else to train them. is it better than no training...maybe. do lots of people do it...probably. i can't say what others should be comfortable doing, only know what i'm not comfortable doing.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

joel.ortega said:


> Good day everyone, I am seeking some input on the subject of drop-off dog training. Bella is our 13 week old female GSD, she is enrolled in a basic puppy training class at our local PETCO and she is doing great. the issue is that between work, taking college courses, doggie training, home chores, and making sure Bella is properly exercised there isn't much time left in the day to re-inforce her training at home. I am considering enrolling Bella in a program where i would drop her off for 2-3 weeks and she would learn all her basic obedience,socialization,on and off leash walking, and correct the small unwanted puppy behaviors such as play biting, charging at the door.
> I would appreciate some thoughts,opinions,suggestions,advice
> 
> Thanks
> Joel


What you are describing is normal behavior for a GSD puppy, neither one is a big deal. I would never send my dog off to a place where I wasn't personally involved with her training. The training itself is for you as much, or more, than it is for your dog. You need to continue to work together as a team, not have someone else do the groundwork in a strange place. There have been horror stories posted by people who sent off healthy dogs and got back sick, or poorly trained, ones. When you commit to raising a dog, training and socialization are a must - I was working and also very busy when we got most of our dogs, but I made the time to go to classes with them, and to work on reinforcing it every day. With a young dog you are only talking about maybe 15 mins or less. It's part of the deal, and you can do it, just takes some management of your time. 
__________________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

msvette2u said:


> *Who said "looks down on"? I did not get that feeling at all from the replies.*
> 
> *It's more about the owner learning the same techniques, not expecting drop off training to fix some "problems" that are not really...well, not really problems at all*.


Exactly :thumpup:

I've found dog training is at least (if not more) about training the human on the other end of the leash. Because when we know what we are doing, and our pup understands, training moves on TOGETHER at an amazing pace.

If I send my dog off to and expert, then my dog will learn like a rockstar, cause they are with someone who knows what they are doing! But unless they then come home with the dog, and live with me for the next few years, my pup is coming home to someone who is now WAY behind the training curve and things will probably start breaking down and breaking down fast.

And though I'm now on to my 4th dog, and you'd THINK I would have the training thing down, I still go to dog classes. They 'force' me to progress at the best rate, allow me to learn from the other dogs/handlers in class, make me do some homework cause I know we are moving on next week, and I LOVE the people I meet and the socialization in a safe environment for my dog. 

BTW, I have friend now that I met in some of my earlier dog classes 20 years ago! I know their dogs, they know mine. We go on hikes and have playdates with puppies. Even better, I've never had to pay for kenneling for MY dogs. I dogsit my 'friends' dogs and they dogsit mine. Since we all know each other and that the dogs get along, I save them the stress and health issues kenneling can bring. Instead sending them off to have a blast at their friends house! 

Dog classes are MUCH more than just about teaching behaviors. 

:wub:


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## stealthq (May 1, 2011)

I know several people who have done this kind of training for their dogs - puppies and adults. The facility did its job - the dogs all came back healthy, apparently none the worse for wear, and trained as advertised. 

Problem is, if the owner isn't willing to put in the time up front, they generally don't do it once the dog comes back. None of those dogs retained their training past a couple of months (days for the house trained puppy). No facility can get any behavior thoroughly ingrained to withstand that kind of benign neglect in a couple of weeks.


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## mleun481 (Aug 9, 2010)

We did it and it made a huge difference. We dropped him off for 2weeks when he was 1.5yrs old. But, we continue to go back every weekend for follow up sessions.


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## Sambuca (Mar 13, 2010)

I know that most people recommend against this and argue that you need to train your dog yourself to form that bond but we actually dropped off our puppy at a relatively young age (3 months) for a week of training. 

When he came back he knew all of his basic commands, walked in a heel position, and stopped the play biting altogether. We were obviously taught on how to reinforce this. 

We did do further training with him months later that focused on off-leash recall and a refresher on basic obedience.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I'm curious how/why they stopped play-biting? 
Puppies must learn to inhibit bite and they can only do it through using their mouths to explore the world.
To make a puppy stop play-biting is akin to telling a 6mo. old human infant to not mouth everything in sight...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

From what I've always experienced, once the teething stage is over, the pup is not as oral. But then I've always played tug, offered chews to keep them satisfied. My dogs have never been 'landsharks' that are described here(or I just managed it, so it wasn't skin shredding) Having other dogs in the house helped with that, I'm sure!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Sambuca said:


> I know that most people recommend against this and argue that you need to train your dog yourself to form that bond but we actually dropped off our puppy at a relatively young age (3 months) for a week of training.
> 
> When he came back he knew all of his basic commands, walked in a heel position, and stopped the play biting altogether. We were obviously taught on how to reinforce this.
> 
> We did do further training with him months later that focused on off-leash recall and a refresher on basic obedience.


I see you're in Ontario... Would you mind PMing me your training facility aomincan have it just in case?

Thank you!!

In terms of drop off and train, I think there's a very real need and, yes, it's not as good as doing it yourself of you're a competent handler, but if you weren't and needed some extra foundation to help you get started I don't see how it's bad. 

I considered it very seriously because I obviously had no idea what to do with Amaretto when she first came home. Rather than me giving her all these bad habits that I was teaching inadvertently left and right, why not let someone who is more experienced set a foundation for me so I can reinforce at home with a higher degree of success??


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would rather go to a private trainer that I trusted and have them show me how to handle my dog, than have them do the foundation work. The fun of having a puppy is training! I guess if I didn't have the time for a puppy, I'd adopt an older pup/dog or wait until the time was right in my life to have one. To send away my puppy would be torture on me! And I sure would have to have total trust in whoever I sent the puppy to.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I am going to get beat up for saying this, but it is nothing more than my very humble opinion.

I think shipping the dog out for training is one of two things: the owner is lazy and/or too busy for the dog, or the owner lacks confidence in what to do/how to do it. 

If you're in over your head and need help, why not get a trainer to come *into the home* and teach you there, on-site? (Financially speaking, this option is very likely MUCH cheaper.) You also have the benefit of seeing exactly how the trainer interacts with your dog and exactly what their "methods" are. If you ship your dog away, you don't know. That's granting a lot of trust to someone.

Notice I said, "teach YOU." Because that's likely the problem. The owner isn't sure how to do this or that. The owner needs advice on how to deal with this or that. 

I would not hestitate for a second to call someone in if I had a problem that unravelled me. Sure, I question myself on some dog issues, but at the end of the day, I am confident and my dogs know that quite well, too. When I'm not sure, I post questions here. I read books & forums. I try to learn more. These dogs are *my* responsibility. I realize that people have lives outside of their dogs... but I don't.  I'll concede, maybe that's why I feel as I do on this. 

Honestly, how hard is it to teach sit and the simple basics? It isn't. It requires dedication to working it daily. And not even a long period of time daily for the simple things. If the problem is a tougher issue, what better place to work on it, than in your home, where the problem is occuring?

If you want a dog already trained because you don't want to invest the time and energy, why not get an older dog? Why get the pup in the first place? Pups are such a *huge* time and energy investment... but that hard, hard work for the first year really pays off later! (Not saying it "ends" at the year old mark, but that I believe you have to plan to work very hard for the first year.)

So I'll end this by saying, ok... if you do not want to do the work yourself and want someone else to do it -- be darn sure you understand and totally agree with their methods. Be darn sure that you can continue to maintain what the dog was taught, HOW he was taught. Just don't expect him to come back home perfect and you don't have to do anything. 

Off soapbox. Let the flaming begin.


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