GSDhandler

agreed. get to see a vet. just be sure its not going to develop into a big dangerous problem.

i think i would prefer the mouth preference. must have been a dog in a past life :rolleyes:

just remember to keep t gradual. dry food is fine. many dogs in the security industry live off it. personally i like mixing something in with it. not always meat or tinned food, but something.

what i would like to know. i prefer to know people who have used him, rather than "i think hes good cause he sounds". dont misundestand, i like good presentation, but any one use him?

poor thing.... at least she can still get up. poor kym couldnt even do that eventually. had her pts when we realsied how unhappy she had gotten.

this guy looks pretty good. anyone else used him?

The security industry has no standards when it comes to dogs which means a lot of people use trainers which aren't very good. I'd be careful with recommendations from within the industry. Yep, no doubt there are some seriously shit security dog trainers (and their methods are highly questionable too I hear) but I reckon GSDH will have more luck seeking recommendations within the industry than ringing the local Bark Busters. ..... yeah, and ialmost ended up working for some :D till i saw their dogs, and asked some questions. im pretty new and clueless still but i didnt agree with a dog having 20 odd handlers before he dies. where is the relationship then? wont menton names of companies. they have eyes and ears everywhere. dont need defamation suits chasing me :p but the asp looks soooo coooooool

a valid question... are you training your teeth midol?

i mix pedegree in with other high quality foods so i dont have a prob with it. try slowly weaning your pup off it, by funily enough mixing the other foods bit by bit into it.

Ummmm .... not against regulations to use one in SA to my knowledge??? However, it is wise to get some professional advice/help regardless of what you do - so that you can be sure what collar IS the most suitable (along with checking/coaching your lead handling skills as mentioned below). They are effective, GSDh .... but ANY tool needs proper handling for it to be so and therefore, like others have suggested, you'd do well to seek professional help. I've worked with people who initially were thinking they needed to change their training equipment, when all it was, was how they were working the lead (ie lead handling skills). Highlights and italics are mine .... How old is your dog, GSDh ??? the prong collar isnt illegal to use, but you cant get one. its like having your H6 and being allowed to carry and use a asp batton but not be allowed to own one. shes 13 wks old. will be seeking a trainer, as well as using Kaviks idea of "safe" desensitisation. and as for your comment Erny, thats why i am trying to get a handle on the behavour now.

this one has probably been done a lot but was unable to find with a (typically me) look. koda is coming along with her obedience quite well, and when i want her to do something most of the time now she does it. however she is terrible on her leash. she managed to snap the D loop of her collar the other day and i noticed just in time to grab her before she scampered off into the unknown, though she has come along with recall as well. the prob is that when she sees other people she near enough chokes herself out to get to them. other dogs not so much, but its people...... she goes nuts for them. always friendly of course and the insane ones patting her without asking..... if she bit them they would be mad ;) but is ther a way to settle her down and stop her ripping my arm off when she sees other people. have been trying to expose her as much as i can, but it seems to be getting worse. should i be using a checkchain instead? because most people i know hate them, and would try and hate me for using one... though i keep explaining when used correctly they arent a problem. am in SA so it is illegal to import a prong collar, though i heard they are effective. when she is pulling her obedience goes out the window (though it wont in puppy class ) and she wont respond to food reward. any advice is appreciated.

2 new ones. every time i put my work uniform on koda thinks its time to go for a ride in the car, so if i take her out to toilet beforehand she spends the whole time sitting at the gate, waiting, rather than peeing and pooping. and now i have taught her fetch, half the time she gets back to me and tosses the ball the last metre so it rolls to my feet. (this is an extention of her learning how to play fetch with herself )

please would like to see other peoples opinions.

From my understanding of the studies, you can certainly teach a 1 year old dog not to put its mouth on you. Whether or not you can teach bite inhibition to a dog of this age is more problematic. The two issues are not the same. For this dog in particular, the rule would need to be "no mouth on people" ever. wasnt talking specifically bout inhibition mate. ;) How old is she again? Why will she need to bite? Never say never about kids.. you'd be amazed how quick they can latch onto your dog. ;) As I understand it from your posts, your dog is still mouthing hard.. just not on you. What lessons do you think she's learning about mouthing generally? around clubs and pubs mate. kids arent around there.... and at ohter times we will prob be sleeping the dead sleep of nightshift workers. i get what youre trying to say... but i got pros leading me here. Well I would definitely defer to the pros for security dog training but if you want a dog to bite, I gather you would want it to bite hard every time? I wonder how teaching a dog to mouth gently sits with that. ;) does still need to be able to live with me and mine..... while she isnt at work i dont cage her up and rattle the wites with sticks... though i do know companies that do ;) this method was reccomended to me by the guy who handles our dog division. its a bit of a contingency plan, as since koda is 13 wks old we cant know that her personality will be ok for work when she is old enough... but need to work on these things now... otherwise cant ever. keep the bite inhibition, rather than knocking mouthing out all togehter otherwise when she needs to bite she never will.

the border collie my aunt had when i was little started doing this when she got advanced arthritis. it is most likely just her age, and it is uncomfortable going outside now. if your worried speak to a vet, but as i said, my opinion.... and i very seldom have been in this situation... is that it is probably the years catching up with her.

How old is she again? Why will she need to bite? Never say never about kids.. you'd be amazed how quick they can latch onto your dog. ;) As I understand it from your posts, your dog is still mouthing hard.. just not on you. What lessons do you think she's learning about mouthing generally? around clubs and pubs mate. kids arent around there.... and at ohter times we will prob be sleeping the dead sleep of nightshift workers. i get what youre trying to say... but i got pros leading me here.

THANKYOU someone for actually taking the time to think about a post before jumping down my throat. (and for the record mine was 13 wks before inhibition kicked in). and yeah, stepping up your responses is the best method in my experience. and agreed on the point bout the 1 year lab. just work very hard on it, as it is a little harder to teach adult dogs. some say impossible but i have had miracle dogs before.

sorry but must disagree. know penty of people who have dogs trained well enough in this. IMHO this will not be a problem with her, as she does no longer put force onto her bite. there is no intent. each dog is differnet i will agree. So if your adult GSD with a large set of teeth and a fully developed set of jaw muscles playfully mouths a child, how do you think that will be interpreted? I agree with Nekbet... it's a much safer bet for the dog to teach a puppy not to mouth you at all. I would argue, in an age where people are quick to see almost anything a dog does as dangerous, you'd be better off keeping your dog's mouth off you and everyone else. i can not get alll the bite out of my dog. she will need it. and as for child getting involed, what owner would i be if i did not watch my dog at risk situations like that. she will not be arund children to get into that situation. as i said every dog i different and i am not saying that everyone should teach thier dog to soft mouth. i was just stating that i had taught my dog to do so.

sorry but must disagree. know penty of people who have dogs trained well enough in this. IMHO this will not be a problem with her, as she does no longer put force onto her bite. there is no intent. each dog is differnet i will agree.

my dog is meant to climb. breeder warned us bout it and showed us pics of mum doing the same. so all our fences are either straight, or have links so small she can only fit a few toes through, but im still worried cause a shep X i had when i was a kid learned how to use the round door handles so finders crossed she never picks up on that one.

Oh my god. This works. Martha just swiveled her head around as if to say, "What gives, Crazy Lady?" I have a feeling its efficacy might wear off when she comes to expect it. GSD Handler, excellent point about consistency (and I know I have stuffed up there), but just out of interest, what method did you use? to start with when she was biting real hard i used nekhbet's sugestion of the squeeze, and i also took hold of her snout. when she came to realise that biting was bad, she softened up a bit, and i was able to go to the tried and tested yelp when they bite and ignore them. now she only puts her mouth around my hand and never bites. its her way of affection now. EDIT: and yes i realise this contradicts the theory of consistency but when the behavour lessens you lessen the correction. same as i do at work.

we are doing the same with my GSD Koda. now we dont need to let her out so often. the idea is that they learn to hold it. you are doing everything right, and dont think that you have to let them releive themselves so often. as adults when they toilet so often its time to see a vet. good on Samantha, and you have done really well. PS i know there are spelling mistakes here but cant sem to fix them, my mind has shut down

you have a lot o f options but as nekhbet has said be consistent. Koda does not bite me, she soft-mouths, as i taught her. she doesnt dare bite me ahrd. my OH was not cinisstant and so we are still having probs with her bitng him hard, but he doenst seem to get that he has to stick to one method. the dog was easier to train than him

not a bad thing but i taught Koda that when i cook, if i say get outa my kitchen she nicks off. i told my OH whi is lazy as buggery when it comes to being consisntant, so he has started using her release command and i have to start from scratch on that again, cuase now she only rememebers to get out of the kitchen. works in the bedrooms too, but not the bathroom.

i got my kong at coles across the street, and they even have a cheap clicker there! might just get it to see how she is with clicker training, and how responsive. dont want to spend lots of money and go through the net troubles for someting she doenst respond to