My wife and I have been married for twenty-two years and we have been training dogs as family pets for the last twenty-one years. In addition to that, I am a teacher and have a passion for helping others get the most out of their lives.
As we have just brought home our newest addition to our family, Della, I am looking forward to sharing the process and journey that we take as Della becomes a Smart, Happy, and Respectful member of our family.
What were we thinking when I talked my wife into adopting a puppy to add to our family of five and a six year old black lab? I mean it’s not like we don’t have anything else going on in our lives. We are only in the middle of moving, reopening, and throwing a grand reopening event for my wife’s store, sending our daughter off to college in the fall, and trying to manage two twin fourteen year old boys he seem intent on destroying our house one plate at a time; when they aren’t destroying the world via Xbox. I mean, it may be summertime, but especially in this economy, the living isn’t easy. And then, like a couple of nitwits, we decide to introduce a puppy into the chaos that is our family life? Family and friends look at us as being more than a few pancakes short of a stack when we tell them that we were going to add another dog. Really, are we losing our minds…
Well, the answer to that is simple. It’s not that we are losing our minds, the quality of our mental state has long been questioned (just ask my daughter), but it’s more that we lost our hearts to Golden Retrievers a long time ago. My wife and I have been married for twenty-three years. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary by getting a golden retriever, and we have had a golden in our family ever since. Last fall, we had to put our beloved Gatsby down and it was an especially painful experience for all of us. At the time, both my wife and I told each other that we didn’t know if we could do this again. Gatsby had been such an incredible friend and member of our family, that the pain of his death lingered for a long time. But as the days turned to weeks, the loss of companionship that we had grown accustomed to with Gatsby was becoming more painful. Gatsby had always slept in our bedroom, and we found ourselves missing the sound of his snoring at night…sometimes loud enough to wake us up. Gatsby was that quiet loyal companion who flopped himself outside my wife’s home office door so that he could keep an eye on her and the kids while they played in family room. So, after a few months, I started looking at ads in the newspaper and online of puppies. 
I knew that the timing wasn’t quite right to add another dog to our family, in fact I was hesitant to even bring it up, but something about seeing those pictures of beautiful golden retriever puppies satisfied a part of me…at least for awhile.
After a few months of hiding my secret practice of sneaking away to search online for dogs, I finally called my wife over and showed her a few…her face melted into a smile right away and I knew we were going to be getting a new puppy.
After going to a number of different breeders in search of the purpose puppy, we finally fell in love with one light colored female golden. Now the work began. The puppy was still a couple of weeks from being able to come home with us, so I set out to make the best use of the time by preparing our house and property and also brush up on my puppy training skills by reading a few highly recommended books and doing a ton of online research. I am one of those people who believes there is no such thing as doing too much research. Being very practical and analytical, I always feel confident that with the proper knowledge comes the ability to create a logical solutions to the problems that will inevitably arise. So, as I go through the joys and obstacles of raising a puppy, I will share those experiences here.
Dog Owners Fall Into Four Categories:
Some Important Factors to Consider When It Comes to Training Your Dog:
Dog Training List of Keys to Success:
The German Shepherd is an exceptional dog breed. A relatively new breed of canine, the German Shepherd originated in Germany in 1899. The Shepherd was bred as a work dog, with the purpose of herding and protecting sheep. Because of the specific requirements of this type of field work, the German Shepherd was developed for their intelligence, athletic ability, strength, and fearlessness. These characteristics make the German Shepherd one of the most trainable breeds and has led them to be one of the most popular dogs for service work. Because of their trainability, German Shepherds are among the most popular breeds for police work.
One of the saddest things about any breed of dog is owners who don’t do their homework on the dog before bringing him home and thus don’t have a realistic understanding of how much work the dog will require in order to properly train. These dogs end up being aggressive and often given up and taken to a shelter which could end up in the dog being euthanized. Any dog, regardless of his breed, only wants to please his human master, but it is when the master fails to live up to his end of the bargain, that the dog begins to exhibit undesirable behavior or aggressive behavior. Also, I want to make a comment about aggressive dog behavior. This type of behavior, like biting, snapping, growling, excessive barking, etc. is not part of any dog breeds genetic code. In other words, German Shepherds are not going to be any more “naturally” aggressive than, say, a Golden Retriever. However, because of their strong personality, German Shepherds could learn to become aggressive when the human master fails to properly train the dog.
So it is important to be aware of potential problems when you make the commitment to a German Shepherd puppy. One thing that all dog owners must realize is that dogs are pack animals. This is a highly socialized system and part of what makes them so loyal. However, part of being in a pack is to develop a pecking order within the pack. Within every pack, there will be the alpha or the dominant member – the ruler of the roost, so to speak; followed by the beta, and on down to the omega which is the lowest member of the pack. As long the pecking order is clearcut, the dogs will be happy, regardless of their position in within the pack. However, some dogs (German Shepherds amongst these) will try to move up their social standing within the pack and this cannot be allowed. No dog should be allowed to feel that he is superior to any human family member. It may sound silly, but it is a real problem and failing to correct this problem could lead to aggressive behavior in the dog.
Now, in terms of the German Shepherd, this is a very confident breed of dog. This confidence should be an admirable quality, but the problem is that confidence also equals a desire to move up in the pack and is also a key component of a dominant trait – in either dogs or humans. With proper training, the confidence of your dog can be a wonderful thing, with inconsistent training, your dog’s confidence could lead to aggressive behavior.
German Shepherds are also active dogs. They are bred for field work and so it is important to these dogs are trained in order to channel their excessive energy into positive behaviors.
As I mentioned earlier, German Shepherds are extremely intelligent dogs. This can make them easily trainable and they will retain their training once it is firmly in place. However, Having an intelligence and confident dog can be a problem for an owner who is not firm and consistent in training their dog as the German Shepherd will be confused by lack of clarity within the pecking order and will seek to control that lack of order themselves.
For the right owner, German Shepherds can be extremely wonderful, loyal, and courageous pets. With the proper training, these dogs will be a very happy member of your family.
All dog owners need to be aware of their legal liability when it comes to owning dogs who exhibit aggressive behavior. Most states have some sort of strict liability law that makes dog owners financially responsible for the victims of dog attacks. Unfortunately, dog attacks are not a rare occurrence, as every day you can find articles in news papers about aggressive dog behavior. Also, dog attacks are not limited to specific breeds. Some people mistakenly think that aggressive dog behavior is based on genetics, but this is assumption is incorrect. Dogs are not born to react aggressively, this type of behavior is a learned reaction. Any dog can learn to exhibit aggressive behavior and any dog could react aggressively to situations once that behavior is learned and not corrected. Also, you can’t be lulled into a false sense of security just because your dog has an overall pleasant, happy disposition. We had one of the sweetest golden retrievers you could ever meet and yet he still demonstrated aggressive behavior in certain situations.
Typical signs of aggressive behavior include: growling, baring of teeth, snapping, biting curling lips, mounting humans or other pets, blocking your movement, lunging, or a dull glassy stare with legs stiffened and hackles raised.
To begin to understand how to start aggressive dog training, that is to control your dogs aggressive behavior, you first need to understand what the most common types of dog aggression are:
Dogs are pack animals. This is a highly socialized environment in which they thrive under a clear cut hierarchy. However, some dogs may perceive their place in the social pecking order of your family as higher than yourself or other members of your family. I this is the case, you will notice your dog exhibiting aggressive behavior as a way to challenge your or other family members in certain situations.
When dogs have experienced previous abuse, they may interpret a simple non-threatening act such has a pat on top of their head as an actual intention to strike the dog. In this case the dogs will react to protect themselves by responding aggressively..
Dogs will seek to protect their territory as a way of protecting their pack. So, if they believe that a stranger within the boundaries of their territory poses a threat they will react aggressively. If you walk your dog around the neighborhood and allow them to mark their territory through urine marking, they will then have a larger territorial area in which they may feel driven to protect.
Be a responsible dog owner. It is your obligation to insure the safety of other pets and people from the behavior of your dog.
You made a big step and decided to add a puppy into your family, this was a great idea, but potty training basics might seem difficult. You might have brought your puppy home and found out that he goes to the bathroom whenever and where ever the urge hits him! But the truth is potty training your puppy doesn’t need to be difficult at all. All you need to do is set a command that you will use when you think it is time for your puppy to go to the bathroom, set a location for the puppy to use, and always praise the puppy for doing a good job. With these three things, puppy training will fly by!
The great thing about dogs is that they can understand you when you train them with a command. When potty training your puppy, you need to set a command that you will consistently use when you think it is time for the puppy to go to the bathroom. Remember, consistency is the key here. After a few days of training, the puppy should start to remember your command and what you want when you use it. You can be creative or simple with the command you use, but make sure its something the puppy can pick up on.
One of the most important parts of potty training your puppy is picking out his location to use. If you have a backyard, you can choose to let the puppy free and see if there is a spot that he or she might like to use, or you can choose a spot yourself and get the puppy familiar with it. The location has to be consistent; after the puppy has been fully trained this location will be the one unless you choose to retrain the puppy. The location should be practical; a place where the puppy can easily get to and where nothing will change in the landscape.
The puppy needs to be praised throughout training to remind him that he is doing a good job. As the owner of a puppy, you need to remember that accidents are going to happen no matter what. You can’t punish the dog after he has made a mistake, he will not understand what he is being punished for and this might create trust problems. Give the puppy a little snack or give him a pet after he has done the right thing, and remember to make sure that he feels like he did a good job. Praise will make all the difference in potty training your puppy; it will give the puppy confidence in what he or she is learning. A tool that you can use in the training of your puppy is a dog clicker. Many dog training experts believe that using dog clicker training can increase the rate of learned behaviors by up to 33%. Dog clickers are inexpensive small plastic devices in which a button is attached to a metal band and when the button is pressed and released makes a “click-click” sound. Because the pressing of a button gives you immediate and precise feedback for the recognition of positive behavior it increases the efficiency of your training sessions. 
Potty training doesn’t need to be long, miserable thing. If you work with the puppy and not against him then your results should be positive. Remember that picking out a consistent command, finding a reasonable location, and praising your puppy are all the keys to lead your puppy to being fully potty trained. After this you won’t have to worry while you are away from the house or in the middle of the night, your puppy will respect the rules you set if you give the puppy patience.
Bitter Apple Spray
We just brought our new golden retriever puppy home. He was the most adorable little guy! The only problem is that he is a chewer…in a big way, and those little puppy teeth don’t look like a whole lot, but wow they can shred through the wooden leg of the dining room table like a locusts.
The problem is catching the little guy in the act. And for some reason, he hasn’t quite got the idea of “No” yet. It’s almost like waits until we turn our back and then he races back to the dining room table leg to start chewing away. My wife is about ready to ship him back to the breeder. So, I set out to find a solution.
There is a lot of information about Bitter Apple Spray. What I like the most about the Bitter Apple Spray is that it is safe to spray on wooden furniture. I ordered the 8 oz. bottle from amazon.com and it arrived just in the nick of time. The dining room table was beginning to teeter.
Bitter Apple Spray by Grannick was specifically designed for teething puppies as a way to prevent chewing on toys, shoes, and wooden furniture (and other furnishings).
I was a little bit nervous about spraying it on our antique dining room table, but information on amazon assured us that it wouldn’t harm the wooden furniture, so I sprayed a little bit on. Our puppy, Boo Radley, watched with interest…which I could have sworn almost had a smug attitude, and then walked over to the recently treated table leg and gave the leg a tentative sniff, before turning away and wondering off. A little bit anticlimactic, so I called him over and encouraged him to give the leg a little lick, but he had no interest whatsoever. A couple of days later, there has been no further damage to the table leg, so I would pronounce the Bitter Apple Spray a winner.
One of the few drawbacks to the spray is that it wears off after a couple of days. This fact was not lost on Boo Radley, who returned to his table leg chomping habits as soon as the spray wore off. Also, treating one item with the spray seemed to only turn my intrepid puppy into a lover of other things not treated with the Bitter Apple Spray, like my kids socks that are always laying around the house.
You have done your research, found the perfect puppy bed, have large amounts of newspaper for accidents, and the perfect collar and leash. Today is the day you are getting your first puppy. What should I name her? What will she act like when she gets home? Will she like me? These are all questions that any puppy owner would have. Dogs are called man’s best friend for a reason, they love you unconditionally and will always be there for you. Being a great owner will help your dog to become a happy and well trained dog for the rest of their life. Leash training is one of the first lessons that you have to teach your puppy. This is important to keep you and your dog safe and allows many happy and under control walks and runs together. The three steps to successfully teaching your dog to walk on a leash are, getting your puppy used to wearing a collar around her neck, the puppy is able to walk around with a leash attached to the collar, and the puppy must be comfortable with you holding onto the leash while it is attached to her. This informational paper will help you to successfully be able to quickly and happily train your puppy to walk on a leash.
The puppy needs to get used to wearing a collar around her neck at all times. When you first put the collar on you puppy she will try to bite at it and wiggle out of it. Leave the collar alone, if you take the collar off while they are behaving like this you are reinforcing that behavior, you want your puppy to wear the collar at all times and be comfortable with it. When your puppy stops biting at the collar and ignores it that is the time to treat your dog and praise her, if you reward her behavior of wearing the collar she will associate the collar with positive praise and be happy to wear the collar. I prefer asimple nylon dog collar. By wearing a collar you are also keeping your dog safe because if she does run away you will be able to have ID tags on her and she can be returned easily.
The Training Leash
Next, the puppy needs to get used to having the leash attached to the collar and having it follow her around. Your puppy may be able to ignore the new collar but a leash is a whole other story. She will be extremely curious with this new “toy” and will bite it, roll on it, shake it, and many other things. Again, do not take the leash off of her, let her get used to the idea of the leash and once she starts ignoring the leash and playing with her other toys that is when to treat her and play with her. She again needs to be reinforced that leashes are a positive thing and she needs to be able to leave the leash alone otherwise she will not be praised. It is very important that while your puppy has the leash on to follow the puppy around the house. Obviously, you don’t want this leash to be too long or it will get wrapped up and tangled around things that you have in your house, which could lead to injury to your puppy. For this training period find a short leash like this reflective dog lead from Rogz. You should not be holding on to the leash yet, but make sure that your puppy is in a safe room and that you are with her at all times to ensure that she does not hurt herself or damage anything around her.
The final stage of leash training is to get your puppy used to you holding on to the other end of the leash. Your puppy is now used to the collar and leash so now they need to understand that you holding onto the end of the leash is okay. Like the previous collar and leash training walking around the house while holding onto the leash will allow your puppy to get used to walking on leash. Keep the leash loose and if your puppy starts to pull stop walking. By stopping you are teaching the puppy that if she is going to pull or be naughty she will not be able to keep going on a walk. Soon she will figure that out and both of you will be able to go on long and enjoyable walks together.
Do you have a new puppy you want to crate train? Crate training is fast, easy, and hassle free. In this paper, you are going to be taught why crate training is important, the don’ts to crate training, and the do’s to crate training. Crate training is the best way to train your dog to be obedient and patient; it will also give them a private domain in which they can feel safe and secure, and allow them to be alone. In the following paragraphs, I’m going to tell you why you should crate train your dog.
Some main reasons why you should crate your puppy are:
You want your puppy to be obedient; show them you’re the boss, and teach them patience; incase you have to take kennel them during a trip. Crate training will help you to with these things. When it comes to obedience, you want to show your puppy that you are in charge. If you tell your puppy “crate” or “kennel” and point to where their crate is, they will learn over time what to when you give the command. As they’re learning, reward them when they follow your command to “crate” or “kennel”. However, if they don’t do as you command, you must walk them over to the crate, leading them with their collar, then say your command while they are right outside their crate. When potty training your puppy, crate training comes in handy. When you put your puppy in their private domain, they are less likely to use it as a bathroom because it’s their safe zone.
It is very important to know what to watch for when training your puppy, so here are the don’ts to crate training. Do not lock your puppy in their crate when they have diarrhea, bladder problems, or when vomiting; this will cause your dog to become distraught and uncomfortable. Some other don’ts are:
You want the crate to be a safe place for your puppy; a place where he/she can be alone and get away from the chaos of the outside world. Punishing your puppy by putting them in the crate will cause your puppy to not like their crate, and may cause them to be disobedient when you give the command for kenneling up. If your puppy learns not to bark/whimper while in their crate, then you’ve done a good job training them! However, if they begin to bark/whimper then that may mean your puppy has to go potty or needs to exert energy. These don’ts to crate training are very important to follow. If they are not followed, then your results may not turn out as smooth as you were planning.
While having a new puppy in the house, it is ideal to follow these recommendations while training them to use their crate:
It is also recommended that you put the crate in an appropriate location, such as a(n):
You want your learning puppy to be in a quiet area where no one is likely to disturb him/her if they are napping. By training them to nap in the crate, it creates a sense of protection and security for them. These are all good reasons why crate training is ideal for a growing puppy.
Crate training is the best way to train your puppy to be obedient, patient, and feel safe in their personal domain. In this paper, I have discussed why you should crate train your puppy, the don’ts to crate training, and the do’s to crate training. From my experience; having owned five dogs and growing up around family dogs, crate training is a sufficient way to show your dog who’s in charge!
