Post by elia on Oct 6, 2017 10:16:50 GMT -5
We have a new English Shepherd puppy, who is now about 15 weeks old. I have had lots of dogs, but don't know much about training this type of working dog.
I am looking for resources and ideas, so I can bone up on this... no pun intended.
What we are working on so far:
Orientation to livestock and the routines of chores.
Contact with other people, children and dogs, and going out in public, riding in the car or truck.
House rules, getting along with cats, house training, the daily routine.
Commands: Sit, wait, get back, get off, lie down (or down), leave it, that's not for you, bring it (he is a born retriever), drop it, no, come here (or come), come on, let's go, stay with me, take it, dinner time!, let's eat!, time for bed, shhh!, ... and I am teaching him the names of animals from sound or sight. Squirrel, owl, coyote, fox, etc.
I haven't done anything with flanking commands and don't know when that sort of thing should begin. I don't have any sheep and don't want to get them just for his benefit... at least not at this point.
He is pretty smart, it seems. Example: We walk past the raspberry patch en route to the goat shed, and I pick a berry to eat, and I give him one. (He will eat anything!) He watches me do this a time or two, then reaches up and picks a low-hanging berry for himself. "Oh that's how you do that?" he says, "that's easy!" Of course he mostly gets a mouthful of leaves, but he is trying.
He barks at noises and at anything that is out of place. "There isn't supposed to be a wheelbarrow in the driveway! Woof! Woof!" Or an acorn hits the ground: "I heard that! Woof! Woof!"
The Great Pyrenees, Missy, looks at him, looks at me, as if to say, "He has a bad case of puppy brain, doesn't he?" "Yes," I tell her, "he does. He may grow out of it in time." He jumps on her and asks her to play. She refuses, but is tolerant. Long-suffering might be a better word.
So I have a lot to learn. I am a sponge, and eager for perspective from any and all who have trained this type of dog.
I am looking for resources and ideas, so I can bone up on this... no pun intended.
What we are working on so far:
Orientation to livestock and the routines of chores.
Contact with other people, children and dogs, and going out in public, riding in the car or truck.
House rules, getting along with cats, house training, the daily routine.
Commands: Sit, wait, get back, get off, lie down (or down), leave it, that's not for you, bring it (he is a born retriever), drop it, no, come here (or come), come on, let's go, stay with me, take it, dinner time!, let's eat!, time for bed, shhh!, ... and I am teaching him the names of animals from sound or sight. Squirrel, owl, coyote, fox, etc.
I haven't done anything with flanking commands and don't know when that sort of thing should begin. I don't have any sheep and don't want to get them just for his benefit... at least not at this point.
He is pretty smart, it seems. Example: We walk past the raspberry patch en route to the goat shed, and I pick a berry to eat, and I give him one. (He will eat anything!) He watches me do this a time or two, then reaches up and picks a low-hanging berry for himself. "Oh that's how you do that?" he says, "that's easy!" Of course he mostly gets a mouthful of leaves, but he is trying.
He barks at noises and at anything that is out of place. "There isn't supposed to be a wheelbarrow in the driveway! Woof! Woof!" Or an acorn hits the ground: "I heard that! Woof! Woof!"
The Great Pyrenees, Missy, looks at him, looks at me, as if to say, "He has a bad case of puppy brain, doesn't he?" "Yes," I tell her, "he does. He may grow out of it in time." He jumps on her and asks her to play. She refuses, but is tolerant. Long-suffering might be a better word.
So I have a lot to learn. I am a sponge, and eager for perspective from any and all who have trained this type of dog.