New puppy on the way - some questions.

[MrJorge]

Hi there.

 

Hope you're well.

 

I have done tons of research, read some books, articles, surfed the you tube to the point i felt falling into a black hole and this has been so far what I think is the best content out there for dog training. So for that congratulations. Cant wait to put it into practice, which brings me to my questions.

 

I am getting a 12 week old long coated german shepherd. Male, black and tan. And his name is going to be Leo.

 

1st - What do I need!

Can you advise on what I need to buy and have ready/in place before the little one arrives. Bellow is my current list:

- Crate -bed/blancket -Stainless steel bowls -grooming equipment (including oral hygiene, shampoos, brushes etc...) -Food -Treats

- Collar and leash (On this note I would like to get your personal opinion on what I should use, collar vs harness etc....)

 

2nd - Puppy training program and priorities!

Your content is fantastic but when it comes to puppy what things should I be focusing first, in what order, for how long, how many times a day, etc?

It would be nice if you would give me a better understanding on where should i start and when to move forward and to what.

 

Thanks

Jorge

[JMFS]

Hi Jorge - I can give suggestions about toys based on my experience with having 3 pooches in the house.

 

I'd add a Kong Classic to that list at the least. It will become your best friend's best friend. :) My dogs also like the Kong Goodie Bone. It's a good item because you can make it easy or difficult and it requires only a small amount of treats while remaining challenging. Possibly a Flirt Pole as well (it's a stick with a long cord attached and a toy attached to the end of the cord). For the Kongs I recommend the Extreme versions (they're black and tougher than the red ones) because Leo is likely going to be a strong chewer, at least until bite inhibition is learned.

 

German Shepherds have a high prey drive and the flirt pole will be helpful in teaching leave it, as well as entertaining Leo if you're stuck indoors. It's a good outdoor toy, too, but with all the tropical storms Florida has been getting lately (it's thundering as I type) I'm finding it to be a lifesaver for indoor play! Shepherds are also smart (I suspect some are smarter than us!) and he'll need a lot of mental stimulation so you might keep your eye on puzzle type toys. Possibly even a Kong Wobbler for feeding his meals. They're said to hold 1 cup of food, but I can easily get 2 cups in the large.

 

For grooming, the Furminator or a similar tool, or even a shedding blade, is going to be helpful because Leo is going to have a double coat. My Momo does, too - he's got Husky in him. I can groom him every other week and the hair just keeps growing back, especially on his mantle. I groom him outside so the birds can use his hair for their nests. Be cautious because you Can give them bald spots.

 

The internet is dizzying with all the information, and much of it conflicting. I've stated before that if I listened to Every trainer I shouldn't even Have a dog. Probably not a child, either. :D I ultimately chose Adrienne's program because it seems to focus more on a partnership with the dog, but one where when someone needs to be in charge it's going to be the human, and the dog is going to be happy with that. Most other trainers seemed to be on one end of the spectrum or the other (intimidation tactics all the way over to coddling and Only positive reinforcement). This one seems balanced with no intimidation, but it's also okay to give Some negative discipline. I think the key is to settle on a trainer and ignore the rest so I've muted Google for dog training now that I've made my choice. :D So far so good!

 

It will be fun to hear your adventures with Leo! I wanted a Shepherd (and a Labrador, and a Golden Retriever, and a Rottweiler, and an English Mastiff, really any big dog . . . ) myself, but I ended up with a couple mid-sized pound puppies and a mini Dachshund (she came with the husband as a package deal).:p

[MrJorge]

Hi Jennifer.

 

Lovely reply. Thank you so much.

 

Will definetely have a look at all those toys. 😇

 

In terms of training could you give me some tips on where to start etc? What to do first, for how long, how often. Where to move after ...

 

Thanks

Jorge

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Mr Jorge,

Welcome to the forum. Kudos to you for preparing in advance, your puppy is very lucky.

Awesome suggestions from Jennifer you got there!

I have a couple of things to add to the new puppy checklist. You already listed several but thought to make you a little checklist.

 

 

Crate (A life-stages crate with a divider panel may come handy so that as your puppy grows you won't have to keep buying larger and larger crates)

Soft mat/blanket for the crate

Baby gate (for stairs and blocking off access to certain rooms)

Pee pads (in case you live in an apartment or when you will be out for long)

Stainless steel food and water bowls

Puppy dental kit with toothpaste/tooth brush and finger toothbrush to get your puppy used to having his teeth brushed.

Hypoallergenic puppy shampoo

Nail trimmer

Grooming brush

Age-appropriate chew toys (make sure they are labeled safe for puppies)

Kibble-dispensing toys (Jennifer pointed several great ones out)

AAFCO approved food for large breed puppies

Storage container for food to keep it fresh

Enzyme-based spray to clean up accidents on carpets or floors and remove odors (big fan of Nature's Miracle here!)

Lots of paper towels to clean messes!

Leather leash (softer on the hands and durable)

Collar or harness

Training treats

A clicker

 

 

2nd - Puppy training program and priorities!

 

Things to focus on when puppy comes home: priorities (although everything is really important!) are getting your pup used to the crate, potty training and socialization. In the midst of all that, you will find ample of opportunities to train bite inhibition, get your pup used to being handled and basic manners as outlined in obedience 101. There are really no rules set in stone on for how long to train these things, you will just have to go at your pup's pace without overwhelming him.

 

Making the crate a great place to be! Although I have an adult demo dog, this training works great for pups too. See my video series on this:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

 

Potty Training: Here are some reads to get you started:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/7-secret-potty-training-strategies/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/housetraining-schedule/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/why-puppies-have-accidents/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/urinating-when-excited/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/puppy-peeing-after-coming-inside/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/puppy-refusing-potty-grass/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/puppy-wont-potty-rain/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

 

Socialization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-puppy-children/

 

Bite inhibition

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/biting-mouthing-nipping/:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

 

Handling:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-love-nail-trims/

Use the Basic Handling game listed here to get pup to enjoy being touched, you can then progress to using a brush:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

How to prevent hand shyness:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-of-hands/

 

Preventing Fear:

Investing some time in preventing behavior problems from occurring in the first place is important and a good investment:

Puppy fear periods:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-periods-8-10-weeks-6-14-months/

Should your puppy ever show fear, this is a good method to implement:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/using-jolly-routine-fearful-dogs/

To prevent fear of water:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-water-bathing/

 

Basic Manners:

Stop by the obedience 101 section to get started. With puppies, consider that they get easily distracted and we may need to do briefer sessions and take baby steps.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/

You can start on some preschool brain games:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/

 

Nipping behaviors in the bud:

Start reading behavior training for dogs:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/

Jump to the bottom on how to train puppy to trade toys:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

Much more can be found in the archive.

 

Happy training and good luck with your pup!

Adrienne

Edited July 7, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MrJorge]

Amazing answers.

 

The investment in this program was totally worth it so far.

 

I am still not sure if I should walk the puppy on leash using a collar or a harness or a holty. What is your opinion and why?

Another thing I get a bit confused about when you are leash training your puppy/dog is that you should keep it short, stop when he pulls, etc... but if we are out for potty then am I not suppose to let the puppy wonder around so he goes to the toilet? Do you understand my confusion? we should lead the walk, and the puppy/dog should follow us, but isnt that going to affect his ability to find a place to go to the toilet?

 

Also, you mention a clicker. I read recent scientific study cases that prove that clicker didnt improve significantly training compared to a verbal cue (yes, good boy, well done, etc...). Some people argue that the clicker will always produce the same sound and that is an advantage over a verbal cue. But in reality there is no proof of this. Quite the contrary. No one found any differences when tested. And I must admit I am reluctant to use a clicker only because then I would have to fase the dog out of it as I dont want to carry a clicker with me forever. Basically I dont see any advantages in using clickers, only negatives. Can you give me your honest opinion?

 

Thanks

Jorge

[JMFS]

Hi Jorge,

 

In the articles Adrienne often refers to a clicker, but also says you can substitute a verbal cue. Clickers might be beneficial for people who have a tough time keeping an even tone when they're getting frustrated or excited. A clicker might even enable someone else (like a child) get responses from the pup more easily, but that's conjecture on my part.

 

I use verbal cues mostly myself, but I do find that snapping my fingers or clapping my hands three times (that's what my canines have been conditioned to) works well when I'm in a mood. If I'm grumpy my voice will definitely carry that and I know my dogs pick up on that negative mood - they'll walk a little lower to the ground and behave as though they're in trouble. Same goes for when I'm really happy - they get hyper. I can be quite emotive vocally so I'm in training as much as they are! On days I know I'm not controlling my mood well I use snapping or clapping.

 

I prefer a collar. Harnesses go over the stronger part of the dog's body and they're able to pull easier. The collar can remain on as well, so they always have their ID and rabies tags with them.

 

I'll leave the walking topic to Adrienne. :D Momo is still a pain in the you-know-where sometimes, and Gertie is so chilled out there was practically no training needed, so I'm no expert. I do know I'm going to take the suggestion of doing a game of fetch or some other exercise before our next walk to see if that helps with Momo. I also got him a backpack to see if that will help. He's my special boy. :D

[Adrienne Farricelli]

The choice of a collar, versus harness, versus halti is often a matter of personal choice with a puppy, but there can be several pros and cons based on several dog/dog onwer individual situations and factors. Puppies are a clean slate so since you are not dealing yet with established bad habits as it happens with dogs who have been allowed to pull most of their lives, you can train good leash manners from the get-go which is an advantage regardless of the tool used.

 

I always used regular buckle collars with most young pups with dedicated owners committed to teaching good leash manners, but with small dog breeds who are prone to tracheal problems, I prefer getting them used to harnesses. I also prefer harness use with disabled owners or the senior who own large breed dogs.

 

There are harnesses and harnesses. The ones that clip on the back may encourage pulling, whereas the front-attachment ones discourage pulling. Personally, I am a big fan of the no-pull harnesses such as the Easy-walk harness, the Sensation harness, the Walk your Dog with Love harness etc. Some puppy owners start with a regular collar and then as their pups grow and have their "unruly moments" mostly during the critical adolescent stage, they switch to no-pull harness, often just temporarily or on an as-needed basis.

 

Haltis take some time to get used to wearing. I feel their use is a bit too aversive for a young puppy and generally tend to leave them as a tool of last resort for exhuberant dogs with excessive pulling problems or behavior problems. Every dog trainer has their own personal opinions on use of tools certainly, so just sharing mine.

 

Your question about the leash is a great one! When going potty, as you may have noticed, it is best to not interfere too much with the leash. If you keep it short, your puppy will not have enough room and freedom to sniff around and feel comfortable. I like to keep the leash very loose and tell the puppy to "go sniff" when we are near the designated potty area. This way, the leash becomes a cue that the pup should relax and try to sniff and find a potty spot. The best part is that with time, the puppy eventually learns to associate the verbal cue and loose leash with with sniffing and eventually doing business. The cue "go sniff" also emphasizes that you are giving permission to wander a bit. To further prevent confusion, if feasible, you can use a long line just for potty trips and the regular leash for polite leash walk training.

 

I can understand your reluctance to use a clicker for training. Many years ago I was very reluctant to use one too until one day I attended a clicker training event and got hooked because it helped me communicate more effectively.

 

It's a common misconception that a clicker must always be carried. In reality, the clicker is mostly used in the acquisition stage of dog training and then it's use is discontinued. Here is a read explaining the process:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/always-use-clicker/

 

There have been several studies conducted on the use of clickers. The below study found that dogs who were trained using a clicker to perform a specific target behavior took an average time of 36 minutes to perform the task, whereas dogs who were verbally conditioned took an average of 59 minutes:

https://www.clickertraining.com/files/Wood_Lindsay_CLICKER_BRIDGING_STIMULUS_EFFICACY.pdf

 

Regardless, the good news is that all the course covers choice of a clicker or verbal marker. Many dog owners have success regardless, so it's umtimately a matter of personal choice and what works best.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne

Edited July 9, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MrJorge]

Hi.

 

Thanks for the marvellous answers.

 

I came across another interesting doubt. When you mention the association of a sound when teaching Look into my eyes I couldn’t stop wondering if associating his name (Leo) wouldn’t actually make more sense! Can you give me your thoughts?

 

And if not wouldn’t we want to train our dogs to look at us when called by their names?

 

Also, still on the clicker training subject. On your programme the first stage of every new training is 1-Desired behaviour 2-immediate click 3- reward. Wouldn’t you start with the verbal command?

 

Let’s take sit as an example. You start by moving the treat above his head. Bum touches the floor, click, treat. Where as in my head I can’t stop thinking that introducing the verbal command “sit” before all of this will make it easier than to introduce it on a later stage!!!

 

Verbal “Sit” cue. Hand gesture with lure. Desired behaviour. Click. Treat.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks

Jorge

Edited July 10, 2018 by MrJorge

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Jorge,

You have great questions there!

I am personally not too much a fan of using a dog's name other than for recall training purposes and emergency situations. For Look into my Eyes I also prefer a sound that gets your dog's attention very quickly. As you can see in the video, Einstein's response is immediate and almost reflexive despite my husband bouncing a ball a few feet away. The sound is used just for that, grabbing the dog's attention promptly, and you can put it further to good use later when training attention heeling and later on in the "Look at That" exercise in the University section.

 

Here's one fact: dogs hear us talking all day long. This sounds like lots of blabblering from the dog's perspective. When we call a dog it takes a bit of more time for the dog to recognize his name out of the meanlingless blabbering we do, and on top of that, we must pronounce all those syllables so that the dog realizes that we are calling "Oliver" and not just remarking something random like "olives are good!" Many dog names are made of 2-3 syllables and sometimes even more. In these precise circumstances instead, we want an immediate, reflexive response. Some days, I am surprised when I notice my dogs (or other dogs for training) orienting towards me and only a second later I realize I just made the briefest smacking sound with my mouth by mistake without even noticing!

 

It's a common rule in dog training, that we do not use a verbal cue until there are signs that the dog has understood the exercise and some muscle memory has started to set in. Giving an exercise a name in the preliminary stages of training may lead to confusion. As you progress, you will see that in the exercises the verbal cue is added a bit later on. For sake of comparison, it's sort of like putting just a few bricks down and calling it a house. That would not be aproppriate at the earliest stages of building. Once we add windows and doors, then it's worthy of calling it a house!

 

Hope this clarifies!

Best,

Adrienne

Edited July 11, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MrJorge]

Hi Guys. I am back yet with another question.

 

So, looking at pros and cons of Raw feeding vs everything else I became an advocate for raw feeding dogs and that is what I want to go for. Specially nowadays that are extremely good brands facilitating ready raw food for all sorts of dogs with amazing quality.

 

1st question - What is your opinion on raw feeding? Also, how many times should I feed my german puppy dog? I was thinking about twice a day.

 

2nd question and most important one - How will I cope with the fast pacing "reward scheme" of clicker training when I have my dog on a raw diet? What treats to use etc.... as far as I can perceive it its so much easier to just give kibble as a reward. to carry them in the treat bag, etc.... In fact, I am yet to find a good quality raw treat for clicker training. How do you over come this problem? Do you mix the raw diet with kibble for clicker training (mix diet). Do you make treats yourself all the time with boiled chicken etc.... or do you buy raw treats?

 

Any tips would be very welcome.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Personally, I have nothing against raw food, as long as it's done correctly. Veterinary nutritionists have found that many homemade and raw diets are nutritionally incomplete. This can be deleterious, especially in a puppy. A European study found that in 95 homemade raw meat diets being fed to dogs, 60 percent had major nutritional imbalances. I would suggest consulting with a veterinary nutritionist for some balanced recipes or looking whether there are some foods that at least meet AAFCO standards that are suitable for puppies. Sometimes, giving these companies a call is important to ensure the food is OK to give to puppies.

 

As for treats for training dogs on a raw diet, there are some companies that now have started making freeze-dried treats for training. Other options are dehydrated beef heart and live, dried lamb or beef lung and small pieces of dried fish. Boiled chicken is a favorite of mine, albeit a bit messy to put in a treat bag. For that, I line my treat bag with some foil or plastic to prevent major messes.

Edited July 19, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[MrJorge]

Thanks Adrienne.

 

Another question regarding train:

Can I use clicker and the verbal mark (let’s say a “yes”) at the same time?

 

In case I ever forget the clicker I can just go on the verbal mark?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

MrJorge,

I see no harm in doing that as a back-up in case you forget the clicker. Due to the possibility that the clicking noise may be more salient than the verbal cue though, providing these two forms of marking simultaneously may possibly lead to one shadowing the other. It might be more effective teaching your pup using the clicking sound first and then in separate sessions using the verbal marker alone. Then, you can switch between them.

 

Don't forget to "charge" your verbal marker just as you do with the clicker: Yes!-treat-Yes!-treat-Yes!-treat and to always use the same tone considering that us humans (equipped with emotions) may unintentionally have several different ways of expressing the same word.

Edited July 20, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli