Stay with me??

[heronponie]

My 4 month old puppy doesn't seem to have much desire to stay with me

All of my other dogs follow me around. If I'm outside, they're playing within eyesight of me, if I move they will follow. If I'm in the house and I sit down to have dinner or watch tv, they will curl up on the floor nearby. But the pup just won't care- he always wants to be off doing his own thing. If we're outside and I walk away, he doesn't follow me.. he leaves.
Fetch is a disaster- he'll chase the ball and then just take it away.

He does come when called but lately (this week) he will run away or just sit down and stare when I call him. The vet told me GSDs will sometimes "forget" their recall training around this age.

I don't get it. I feed him, I have long play sessions with him every day. Why won't he engage?

[LaRen616]

Does he spend more time with the other dogs or does he spend more alone time with you?

[carmspack]

is the dog otherwise asocial? Is he distant from you because he has joined and prefers the company of the other dogs?
This is not a training issue but one of the dogs character . He can be brought along by only having him make contact with you so that it is highly rewarding and pleasant. No point in doing recalls if at the best of times he has no interest in being with you. That only brings it to a point where you will telegraph your frustration, disapointment which confirms to the dog that distance is a good thing.

So . Try to have only one on one time with him . On a constraint , you choose the length. At any time you can bring him to you . In the house he is on an umbilical cord no more than 6 to 8 feet so that he follows you . Make it positive , which may include the occasional tidbit of dried liver or something with "value" but mostly a pleasant association.
The other dogs are away at this point.
Then you crate him. Create a distance . Crate in another room - away - not confined with the other dogs romping around in front of him.
You keep alternating. Everytime he comes out of that crate it is a big reunion .
If you take him outside you can put him on a tracking lead and do your fetch then , but closer , bring him in for a quick reward .
Carry a short lead with you. At anytime you want to , gather up the long lead so he is closer , closer , beside you, quietly unclip the long , replace with short lead and walk away with him .

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

[carmspack]

when you are out with the dog does he welcome attention from admiring strangers or does he avoid or show signs of distress and fear?

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

[heronponie]

He loves attention from strangers. And he loves attention from me when I play with him, but he doesn't seek it on his own.

He doesn't really seek attention from the other dogs either. They play a lot, but the other dogs initiate. They don't ever curl up and sleep together (none of my dogs do, really).

If I have him leashed with me in the house he stays at the farthest end of the leash. But I will continue that. I've tried fetch on a tether; I have to pull him back every time. He doesn't get the game at all. We live on a farm, when I am out doing farm chores the other dogs will follow me, but I have him tied to me or else he disappears. It seems strange to me that be would rather go off on his own than follow his person, and all his dog friends, when we are walking together.

He is crated 3x a day for meals, and usually stays in there for a nap too. When I let him out, we have a big greeting and then go outside to play, pee, etc. He has a basketball that he loves, so I'll usually kick it around then and make a big deal of interacting with him. We do food-based training sessions but I don't carry treats with me all day.

I originally picked him from his litter because, when called, he was the first one to drop what he was doing and come running. Now he's just the opposite. I guess it's just his personality, it just seems weird that he has no desire to stay with me.

[Rott-n-GSDs]

Sounds like he's a confident, secure puppy. I'd be over the moon.

I have a very nervous, anxious dog that is glued to my heels. He could be completely dead asleep and if one of his humans stands up, he is instantly awake and on his feet, wanting to make sure we aren't going anywhere without him.

Life is exciting for your pup, and it's good that he wants to experience it. He needs time to develop a bond with you, and shouldn't have to be glued to you 24/7.

[heronponie]

We live on a farm, our yard is unfenced. It's dangerous for him to be wandering. That's why we have already done so much leash and recall training. He is the first and only dog I've had to leash for basic life tasks like farm chores.

I'm not saying he has to be with me 24/7. I'm saying it's weird that he has no "pull" towards me.

Yes, he is a very confident. There have been precious few incidents of actual fear in him.

[Rott-n-GSDs]

He needs to be leashed until he has 100% recall and has learned the boundaries. I would certainly not expect a young puppy to automatically know he need to stay on your property. There are so many exciting scents and sights to explore!

I personally have never attempted boundary training... made me too nervous. I just put up a fence.

[heronponie]

Perhaps I'm just anthropomorphising too much. My dogs are my companions, and they usually look to me for companionship too. It catches me off guard when he doesn't do that.

[Stosh]

He's pretty young to have a consistent recall. I use the command 'with me' while he was on a long lead and kept changing directions, I give a quick tug when his attention was on something else or when he walked a different direction. I walked fast, turned at 90 degree angles and kept repeating 'with me', sometimes gave treats. When he was doing it pretty well, I'd lay the lead over his back or let him drag it so I could grab it as soon as I needed to. You may not get consistent results until he's a bit older.