Dutch Shepherd Forum

kain is around 11-12 wks and i was wanting to do possibly do Schutzhund later on.

my question is, is there anything i should be doing now (other than the basic commands) anything i need to be focusing on, tricks , tips, and so on. And also what should i keep from doing. I have never really trained a dog but from what i have looked up online it is up to you to scuplt your dog.

Any input at all will be helpful

thank you

Clay

Kain wrote:kain is around 11-12 wks and i was wanting to do possibly do Schutzhund later on.

my question is, is there anything i should be doing now (other than the basic commands) anything i need to be focusing on, tricks , tips, and so on. And also what should i keep from doing. I have never really trained a dog but from what i have looked up online it is up to you to scuplt your dog.
Any input at all will be helpful

thank you

Clay

Hi Clay,
Congratulations on the new puppy !!!!

As you have stated " I have never really trained a dog " and are intrested in schutzhund I'd really strongly recommend you find a schutzhund club in your area to help with training. You don't say where you are but I bet some of our members can point you towards some clubs if you let us know what part of the country you are in.
It is a fun sport, but be aware it takes a huge amount of commitment and time. It's not a once a week training event.
Not all dogs are cut out to be schutzhund dogs. A good club will help assess your pup for the drives needed for the work and they will guide you with training recommendations.
Easier to do in person than via written words on the internet
You are right, it is up to you to sculpt your dog. Again, a club will help you with guidelines on what is appropriate to do with your puppy given it's drives and temperament. They can also give you a hands on showing of how to do things. Will make it a lot easier for both of you if you are shown. Written words and videos are helpful to a point but physically seeing/doing and be able to ask questions right then will give you guys a better start.

"Force" is my first schutzhund dog. Raised from a pup, just turned 2yrs old and has his IPO1.
I've raised/trained quite a few dogs before him, various temperaments and for various activities.
I can honestly say there is no way "Team Force" could have done what we have so far without the excellent help from our schutzhund club members. There's a lot more to the sport than it seems from reading articles.

Not trying to put you off in the least. Just being honest from my experience and sharing a few thoughts.
Also be aware, it is VERY addictive !!!!
You'll finding yourself eyeing fields when driving and thinking how awesome it world be to track your dog there ( I've jumped more than one or two fences )
You'll be doing obedience moves at odd times with or without your dog. ( the lines on the floors in supermarkets are great to help you with footwork and walking straight for heeling )

Again, congratulations on the new puppy.
No matter what you decide to do, doing it with a Dutch Shepherd guarentees you'll have lots of fun !!!!

Jenny

i live in northwest louisiana around shreveport. I have looked online but i haven't found anything yet as far as clubs. I already know that training in general isn't a once a week event. I try to do little training sessions at least twice a day in different enviroments hoping that this will reenforce his focus being on me and not the surroundings. since he his a pup it isn't anything too demanding just sit down shake and heal (hes still slow on heel but i think it is his age). I also just do random commands when at the house to keep him practiced up and when i can we go up and down staircases.

are there any natural behaviors i should praise or discourage with this breed?

I may be jumping the gun on his expectations but i would much rather start too soon than too late

Clay

Some schutzhund training links that came up on a quick search ( no idea if they are close or the quality of training offered. Up to you to visit and assess. )

http://www.magicyellow.com/category/Dog ... te_LA.html
STONE BROOK KENNELS 318-309-1510
Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana 71107
Dog training company and kennel offering AKC and Schutzhund training. We have lessons for puppy behavior, obedience, biting, housebreaking, and barking.

This website mentions training with a SchH group in the Shreveport area. Maybe they can help you get connected ?
http://www.blessedacres.com/schutzhund_trainingevents

Also United Schutzhund Clubs of America http://www.germanshepherddog.com
Lists one club in Marrero, LA ( no idea how far from Shreveport that is ) on their South Central Clubs link :
http://www.germanshepherddog.com/clubs/ ... entral.htm
Louisiana
Greater New Orleans SchH Association
David Billiot
Marrero, LA
504-348-9105

I'm no expert.
I'm sure there are lots of thoughts on *how* to raise a schutzhund puppy.
For me, we did a lot of exploring and having fun in new places. Climbing logs, play structures, anything different we could find. Lots of rewards for good behaviour. ( food or play or praise ).
Worked on basic positions, sit, down, heel and come.
Tracking imprinting with scent pads in the yard.
Drive building fun with a flirt pole.
Basic house manners. Crate training, house breaking, etc. Redirect him for chewing on the wrong things.
You want to build your pups confidence and drive ( usually not a problem with a DS )
Introduce the basics for the work, but more so , have LOTS of fun together.
He is a baby so training sessions should be short, simple and fun. More is not always better. It is very easy to think "oh that was great ... we'll do one more" ..... but that typically backfires.

You asked about "natural behaviors" .... not sure that there are any particular to dutch shepherds.
For me, Force really liked to use his nose to find things. So I encouraged/rewarded that. It has carried over as he's quite the tracking machine now.

Again, no expert here. ( obviously as this is my 1st SchH pup )
Just sharing my random thoughts
I'm sure others will chime in with what they do and what they like to encourage.

Hi Clay:

As previous posters said, real world training is better than books and videos. But until you find the right club and trainer, here are some videos I found helpful.

Michael Ellis (trained with Ivan Balabanov):http://michaelellisschool.com/videos.htm

You might want to start with this one. He explains his training method:http://michaelellisschool.com/lecture.htm

I wish you all the best with your puppy!

You're getting lots of good advice...

Try to make all your training fun, and don't forget to just enjoy him and have lots of fun with him, too. Remember, every moment you spend with him is training, in that he'll be learning what is expected of him just by being with you, and what you allow.

Opinions vary on this, but I'd be careful with his little body at this point...don't encourage him to jump too much, or too high, I should say. Let him climb all over things, but just not jump down from the porch, for example.

Or run over piled up driftwood...my pup broker her leg doing that at 6 months old

i looked that the locations of those links and all were about 5 hours away so i guess i won't be doing any events with him haha