Training a fiesty pup

[HeavenLeigh]

Hi gals....I have missed ya'll.

Tommy rescued an abused/neglected pup from being put to sleep.
A bunch of druggies had it. It's a full blooded german shepherd around 6 months old. This is the 3rd day we have had her. I named her Sintay.

Anyhow, I know her breed is very smart and can be trained to do a lot of things. I just don't know how.

I tried to teach her to sit today and she became nervous when I touched her back....she must have been hit there or something. She's so big, when she stands on hind legs she's at eye level with me. It seems there's not much I can do with her.

Any ideas? I'm afraid to give her treats right now where she was starved, I'm scared she'll accidentially bite me or something.

[Sydneyp]

The Art of Raising a Puppy
by New Skete Monks

Seriously, this is the best book you'll ever read about dog training - it changed our world and made it possible for us to help the seeing eye raise pups for many years. Amazon has it for $15, or ask your local library (which is where we first found it.) Read it, you won't need any other resource (except maybe to take it to obedience school if the training doesn't go well.)

Two things about training - it's much easier to teach a dog to do something on command if it's something the dog already does (my dog walks backwards when you approach her from the front - so it would be easy to teach her to do it when I say "back," as an example. This 'trick' would be difficult to teach if the dog NEVER steps backwards on his own.
The second is that the puppy book advocates a method of establishing dominance that you will need to be careful of - because your dog is abused. Basically, you roll the dog over and hold it down until it 'cries uncle' by licking your hand or face. While it sounds a bit rough, it is how dogs establish dominance over each other when they are together. I use it all the time, especially with my neighbor's puppy -who's very stubborn to everyone else, but submissive to me. That said, I had a friend who did it with their old family dog who was long ago abused and the dog hid under the table for three days. It's good to try to work it into play time, as that's what dogs do with each other and it's not so scary for the dog.

As far as her being abused, you will certainly have to take it slow. My neighbor has a dog who was tossed from a car window in a plastic bag as a puppy. She's three years old now, and the neighbor says it's only within the last year she's not terrified of strangers - but she's still super-sensetive with yelling of any kind (even when it's not directed at her.) Dogs like that need a lot of attention and love.

For now - work on teaching dog to sit - when it is good and solid, 'sit' her, then place a treat on the floor in front of her and release her from the sit. Also, if you put the treat in your palm rather than in your fingertips she probably won't bite.

[shan]

I like to work training in with play time also, say your dog want to play fetch. I always say sit before throwing the ball/stick/etc. When she sits say good girl and throw the item. It worked really well with the abused lab I have. He would always bring a stick/ball over to me to throw and just sit there and wait for me to throw it. Pretty soon he caught on. I also like to do hand movements while training, I can command my dogs to sit,lay down, shake, crawl, and roll over all without saying a word. Once your puppy gets to know you she will be less likely to become nervous at being touched by you. The one thing to watch for is you becoming irritated or being anxious, because they can sense your feelings. My dog (the one that has never been abused) will run away from you if she thinks you are mad, and if you raise your voice she will hide in the closet. Not really sure why she hides because neither dh or I really have ever yelled around her, but a friend of ours when he comes over she hides in the closet after he starts talking. He has a really loud voice. Good luck, and every dog is different.