[[email protected]]

Hi,

My family and I just adopted a GSD puppy at Christmas and brought him from Hawaii to Tokyo. He is 3 months old. I am looking for a lot of help with him as I have never had a dog before and there are not a lot of resources to help me out (in English) locally.

We have all read lots of training books (Monks, Leeburg) and we try to all do the same commands/rewards/actions. Little Merlin seems like a smart little guy. He can sit and fetch. Yesterday we all worked on 'down' with him and was getting that but we will reinforce the learning everyday of course. He is crate trained and goes into his crate when we say 'crate'. He is doing really well with his house training I think with accidents becoming less frequent (none in the last 3 days).

I will ask my first question here. My husband is an imposing fellow and the dog clearly listens to him. My children (ages 12 and 14) and I are less successful. Any tips on how to make the dog listen to everyone?

Here is a link to his Dogbook profile page so you can see a few photos of him:
Dogbook on Facebook

 

[CassandGunnar]

Welcome.
You'll get all kinds of good information here on anything you want to know. You can also look in the forums to find information.

Great pics of Merlin. He is a wonderful looking dog.

 

[1sttimeforgsd]

Welcome, and Merlin is so very cute! :welcome:

 

[JustMeLeslie]

Welcome to the forum! Merlin sure is a cutie pie!

 

[Mary&Stella]

Welcome ! Your Merlin is one day older than our Stella! We are also almost house trained, the only accidents are when mommy does not notice the signs that she needs to go now!!

 

[DharmasMom]

Welcome! And Merlin is adorable!! And I love his name!

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. Today Merlin has been a Tasmanian Devil. Not sure what has gotten in to him. Tomorrow he can expect some long walks and some training time to tire him out. I hope that helps!

 

[2CrazyDogs]

Welcome, he is one handsome pup!

 

[Deuce]

Welcome!

 

[[email protected]]

Today I am learning to be the Wolf Momma. Just maybe we can tone down his biting clothing and hair. His one confident little guy.

Is there anyone else on this forum based in Tokyo? Is there a way to find out?

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Best thing for us to all do with our puppies is to really build a relationship with them. Treats/training/play/exercise and socialization all help with this.

You have to be a bit careful with some training information and don't go overboard with the 'Alpha/boss' thing with a puppy. Much more important for them to just realize you are their strong stable leader so they mature to strong stable adult dogs!

You try clicker training yet? Perfect for puppies. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-puppy-stuff/150660-intro-clicker-training-perfect-puppies.html

Trick training with treats/clicker is a great way to start training:

 

[Anja1Blue]

Welcome to you and Merlin - he is a cutie. I don't know what your resources are in Japan, but the best way to get any dog to bond with you (other than walking and playing together, the former after he's finished with his shots..) is to have everyone go to a Puppy class. Obedience training for dogs (and people, they need training too) is a must, and the whole family needs to be on the same page for it to be successful. If this is impossible where you live, then this forum has a lot of info, plus you can get DVD's and books from a number of sources other than Leerburg and the Monks - Ian Dunbar for example (you can Google him) had a SiriusPuppy series out some years ago. Everyone who has ever put training methods into print has had his/her critics - you just do as much research as you can and pick the approach that works for you. The clicker approach shown above is also great.....Good Luck, let us know how things progress!
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Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:

 

[[email protected]]

Since I like my shoes and slippers and my lower left pant legs are all getting little puppy vampire bite holes in them, today we worked on the 'leave it' command. He has mastered leaving a treat in my hand and on the floor. But when I drop the treat next to him, he grabs it right away. We will try some more tomorrow, perhaps dropping them from a little further away.

Thanks for all your input. Unfortunately here in Japan it is very unlikely that I will be able to attend a puppy class. My Japanese is not good enough. Plus many, many of the dogs here are puppy-mill, pet-store, removed from their mothers at 4-6 weeks because cute and tiny gets sold fastest. Mostly they are small, stupid dogs with owners that think because the dog is small, it does not need any training.

Merlin goes out for walks 2-3 times per day. He greets any dog if the owner agrees. I am trying to teach him to lie down when we see small children so we go to the park during the daytime to socialize him as much as we can. We have watched lots of videos and read lots of books. I am hoping to raise a dog ambassador. German Shepherds are feared in Japan so I want every person and child who meets Merlin to have a really positive, favorable experience. Wish me luck!

 

[Anja1Blue]

Unfortunately, Japan isn't the only place they have a bad image, there are plenty of people (some of my own neighbors actually) who think the same way. I applaud you however for getting out and showing how wonderful they can be, and a puppy is a great way to do it.....

Yes I do wish you luck - but I don't think you'll need too much of it, you are sensible and willing to learn: and most of it is common sense anyway. You and Merlin have a wonderful life together!
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Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel: