# New puppy coming next month/trouble finding a trainer/club



## Anniepol (Jul 24, 2021)

Hello everyone,

On August 10th I will be picking up a 3/4 GSD 1/4 Belgian mal pup. She is out of working parents and has great bloodlines and is already showing a lot of confidence, food drive, toy drive, etc.
I’ve been trying to find an IPO club beforehand so I can hopefully be prepared and have some extra guidance when I get her. I’d love to get her titled even if it’s just a BH.

The issue is that I am still a minor (17) and my mother is a messianic Jew and is completely against doing anything on Saturdays, which is the only day any of the clubs near me meet. 

A helper/trainer from the nearest club does private training sessions on different days, but I have no experience in the sport so I’m not sure if that would be a good route to go or not. Would private sessions be adequate to going to club?

Another option would be to do all the obedience foundations (and some tracking intro) at home for the first year of the puppies life and then once I’m 18 I should definitely be able to start taking her to club on the weekends.

Any advice is much appreciated.
Thank you


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

meet with the private trainer for guidance in laying a solid foundation on the dog... join the club when you turn 18. a late start isn’t the end of the world.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

You can also look at videos for how to start tracking and how to teach different things in obedience. Most videos don’t help you with troubleshooting when you run into issues , but they can help you get started. Don’t try to get into protection on your own though. I would still recommend occasionally meeting with the trainer for help if you went that route.


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## Anniepol (Jul 24, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> You can also look at videos for how to start tracking and how to teach different things in obedience. Most videos don’t help you with troubleshooting when you run into issues , but they can help you get started. Don’t try to get into protection on your own though. I would still recommend occasionally meeting with the trainer for help if you went that route.


Thank you. I’ve already started watching videos (out of excitement and impatience lol). I definitely am not planning on doing any protection or bite work without a trainer. I think my next step will be reaching out to the trainer to see what his schedule and pricing is like so I can figure out what I’ll be able to manage


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

Remember that with a puppy at first your focus should be on bonding and safe exposure to sights and sounds. Don’t over do or rush training.


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## Anniepol (Jul 24, 2021)

drparker151 said:


> Remember that with a puppy at first your focus should be on bonding and safe exposure to sights and sounds. Don’t over do or rush training.


Yes absolutely. Thank you for the tips I’d love more advice on socialization/desensitization and confidence building if you (or anyone else) know of any good sources.


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## EllZuni (May 31, 2019)

Anniepol said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> On August 10th I will be picking up a 3/4 GSD 1/4 Belgian mal pup. She is out of working parents and has great bloodlines and is already showing a lot of confidence, food drive, toy drive, etc.
> 
> Thank you


 She’s a puppy right now, I personally think you can forgo some puppy boot camps, I believe most of the foundational commands can be done on your own, I mean, you have to do it on your own anyways, a trainer will give some time and tips, but with research you can find many of those tips online. Focus more on socialization for right now, it’s never too late to start a sport with your dog, so long as they are willing.

I got my gsd when I was 15, we took her to a trainer initially, but the trainer told us that we would ‘most likely never have a stable, trustworthy German Shepherd’ so we stopped going. Some trainers believe that stuffing a treat in the mouth of a dog solves everything. Now, she is a polite and well rounded dog, has good manners but knows when to be on guard, never leaves my sight off leash, good with kids, etc. You will know your dog better than anyone else, and how she will respond best to training. But yeah, don’t do protection work on your own.

A tip if you’ve never had a Shepherd before, they have the tendency to be little demons as puppies (not all but a good amount). I mean, they’re very mouthy and chew you and everything else, they get into everything, but it’s just puppy behavior mostly. They grow out of it, don’t be discouraged on days that training doesn’t go as well as you hoped, they mature into the best dogs you could ever ask for. Congratulations on the puppy!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Find a private trainer. You can look on the USCA, GSDCA, DVG websites, contact the clubs for recommendations. IPO has very precise obedience. As a newbie - I would not recommend you teach your puppy foundation (obedience or tracking) without guidance. There is no reason to worry about protection right now. You test the puppy for willingness to chase, bark and engage and focus on obedence and tracking. Then bring them back out after they are done teething to build drive and barking. If you post your general location, those of us in the sport can probably recommend someone to you. 

And don't cringe to much when you see the prices of private training. Remember taht you do not need to go every week. I always went about every 3 weeks on average. it gives you time to work on pieces you learned.


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## Anniepol (Jul 24, 2021)

Jax08 said:


> Find a private trainer. You can look on the USCA, GSDCA, DVG websites, contact the clubs for recommendations. IPO has very precise obedience. As a newbie - I would not recommend you teach your puppy foundation (obedience or tracking) without guidance. There is no reason to worry about protection right now. You test the puppy for willingness to chase, bark and engage and focus on obedence and tracking. Then bring them back out after they are done teething to build drive and barking. If you post your general location, those of us in the sport can probably recommend someone to you.
> 
> And don't cringe to much when you see the prices of private training. Remember taht you do not need to go every week. I always went about every 3 weeks on average. it gives you time to work on pieces you learned.


I spoke with a private trainer over the phone earlier and I think I’m gonna see how it goes with him. He sounded very knowledgeable and he was very nice as well (told me I could call anytime with questions I have regarding anything about training or the puppy, gave me several websites, podcasts, videos, etc. and spoke with me about my puppies pedigree and what he thinks the best route to take is based on what I’m looking for). He also has a really flexible schedule and reasonable prices. I’m hoping it’ll be a good fit.

I am located near Columbia, South Carolina if you (or anyone else who sees this) have any other recommendations. I’d prefer to have several options just in case something doesn’t work with this one


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