Advice for new GSP Owners - Obedience and Hunting Tips Training

Hello everyone!

My wife and I recently got a GSP. We've had her since 8 weeks, and now she is 6 months old. This our first dog and we are looking for some advice to tackle many of the challenges we are facing.

Some general problems we have:
-Leash Pulling: Unless we have a mouth lead on her, she is pulling. We've been giving her daily walks, and rewarding her when she doesn't pull, but we are looking for any advice on how to break her habit.
- Jumping: She loves people, almost too much. She likes to jump on people when they come in the door, including wife and myself. She also loves to jump on the counters (mostly when she smells food, but will sometimes just do it because wants to).
- Listening: There are some times when she chooses to ignore us. I can give her a command (come, sit, lay down) and she continues to do what she's doing, even if I have a treat to reward her with. I'm wondering if this is just a puppy thing and she will eventually grow out of it, or if this is something I should get help on sooner rather than later.

We are also looking for advice to get her ready to be a bird dog. I'm going to start gun training her to get used to the loud noise, and also want to take her into the field (no gun) to work on some commands and get her used to being a hunting dog. Any advice on how you transformed your puppy into a hunting dog would be great.

Some additional information about our GSP:
- She is a family dog first. I would rather her be trained to be good around my family, friends and house than be an amazing hunting dog. If I can get both, that's a bonus.
- She is crate train(ing). She sleeps in her crate at night, and stays in there while we are away.
- She is very high energy. Loves to run, loves to play fetch. Wants to be involved in everything. She could be asleep on the couch and you can walk out of the room and she wants see what you are doing.
- Not aggressive. Does play hard (especially with other dogs), but does not bite, and is very good about dropping things (I can easily pull a ball out of her mouth during fetch).
- Get's regular exercise. Goes for a 1 mile+ walk a least 5 times a week, goes swimming, plays fetch.

Thanks!

We have a 6.5 mnth old GSP and a 15mnth old German shepherd and all of the pulling, jumping, not listening are for sure just puppy issues. Just consistency is key...also we have been working on the command close...which is similar to heel and using treats and for us it is working well..He still has a mind of his own but he is getting better.. even once in awhile our 15mth shepherd still doesn't listen...ha...like any dog having them on a check cord (long rope) helps with field training as you can easily pull them back if they do not listen the first time.. we were told the key thing at this age to teach in the field is come...so the check cord helps with that...

As far as hunting specific training we are just starting with ours as well...so I am not much help..but we did introduce gun fire about a month ago..we went skeet shooting and he stayed in the truck for a few..then on leash outside the truck for a few..we did this about 6 trips and now the first shot sometimes scares him a bit but then the next ones don't even phase him. Good luck with the training! Our guy is going to a trainer at 8mnths with my husband to learn more of the actual hunting specific training.

I have a 2 year old that was very bad on a leash for some time. He had gone to hunting training already and was better off leash than on. We fixed it by fitting him with a pinch collar and doing the turn around. Let her walk out in front of you, when she gets to the end, turn and walk the other way, say heel, and let it give her a snap. At 6 months you can probably do this without a pinch collar if you personally feel those are too rough. They key is to have slack in the leash, once the leash goes taught, turn and go the other way giving her a snap. Think of it like tug of war, she's pulling on that leash to get some space for herself, you're pulling back to do the same and your'e both pulling. My dog now when he has slack, he'll walk nicely right next to me, but if I let him get out front where it's tight he'll pull. When we go for walks now if he gets his rump ahead of my knee he gets a snap. I only need to do that every few weeks but it has to be EVERY single time, consistency as the previous poster said is key.

Listening: She's choosing to ignore. They are so, so smart. My boy knows exactly which collar he is wearing and what he can get away with without correction. He knows how to open the back door, he can open the trash using the foot pedal. I have found mine to be not very motivated by treats. He'll take them, but he doesn't clamor over them. I had to build respect with mine through praise when he's good and corrections when he's not. I think it's important to "correct" and not "punish." Yelling and smacking her isn't going to do it. I do use an eCollar for hunting, but I have found the most effective correction is simply starting over. I have him trained to sit, and not eat his food (and he loves dinner) until I say ok. Same with getting in the car, he doesn't budge until I say "up" How I did it was returning him to the starting point every time he didn't wait and starting over. After a bit, she'll understand she gets what she wants much faster if she appeases you in the first place.

In terms of the exercise you're probably going to need even more if she's going to be tired. My biggest struggle right now is just getting him to calm down a bit and stop pacing all over the house, whining at the windows. He runs 3+ miles per day 4 days a week, gets 4-6 hours of hunting or off leash dog park per week in addition and is not even close to worn out 90% of the time.

What I can do with mine:
Here - this is instant, no hesitation
Sit - also instant
Wait - When I give this command he'll hold until I say ok (in the short term, up to 10 seconds or so)
He also will do the field commands basic to directing him to a given direction or area, picking up downed birds.

What I cannot do
Get him to stay for long periods of time, or Place Train
Keep him out of the trash without a brick on the lid
Keep him from running into people and things as he jogs to and fro in the house, which is constant.

Hope some of this helps!

@mbaus - it is your prerogative to use pinch collars and eCollars on your dog, but I do not think I am the only Breedia member who does not like them. Recommending such collars as teaching aids is, IMHO, punishing a dog because he does not understand what you want him to do.

I am of an age where hitting a dog on the nose with a rolled up newspaper was what was done to teach it to behave. Now there are pinch collars and eCollars - same difference. Punishing a dog for not doing what you want it to do.

That's your opinion and you're certainly entitled to it. The poster asked what worked for others and I responded with what worked for me. Honestly, by contrast you didn't offer any tips on what worked for you, you just said what I did was wrong. Maybe you could share what you've done with your dog, what he/she can successfully do after your methods so that the poster can see a different method? One that you've used? It could be quite helpful to them if they are of the same opinion as you are regarding corrections.

In over 50 years of dog owning and then breeding, registered with the UK Kennel Club, I have never hit a dog, whether with my hand or with a rolled up newspaper, and I would never use a prong collar or an eCollar.

My dogs have been taught by love. Not by pain.

If you wish to do so, it is your prerogative.

Yes, Malka I certainly understand your position, but can you share specific methods of how you teach them as you said you do? Have you trained GSP's or other sporting dogs in this way? Can you share your methods?

Also I wanted to note one more thing on the gun breaking. It's very important to do this the right way the first time because if you get a gun shy dog it's a LOT of work to fix it. Just having them around some gunfire at the range will certainly work for many dogs, but if you work up to it you'll have almost certain success.

Typically they are started with a starter pistol, using the lightest possible load. Get her out in the field having fun. (Ideally chasing some placed quail, if not, chasing a ball or toy or anything she likes will work). Start with the pistol behind your back. As soon as she shoots off chasing something she likes, shoot the starter pistol. She how she reacts. If she startles, let her keep playing a while before trying again, with the same light load. If she ignores it, try a few more. The next step (after a few times with the light load), is going to a heavier starter load. Working your way up on louder bangs. Ideally then you'd move to a .410 shotgun, then a .20, finally a .12 ga. The idea being you're getting just a bit louder each time. It takes much more time to do it this way, but it's very effective.

There are 10 dogs in my home which are 6 JRT's 2 GSD's 1 Springer Spainel & 1 Cocker Spaniel, previous dogs I have owned are PitBulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, GSD's & Cross breeds.

I was a puppy trainer for many years & have never ever used a prong/pinch collars, chokers or eCollars on any adult dog or puppy, I trained them with love respect & rewards not with pain.

No - I have never owned or taught a GSP or any sporting dog. Therefore I can not share my methods except to say that all my pups have been trained with love. Not with pain. Or fear.

Could you provide examples of your methods for us? For example how would you go about teaching the "Whoa" command in the field without using a negative correction? I am very interested.

I only use positive reinforcement methods to train my dogs, and would not want to own either an electric or pinch collar. Click and treat, (not just food, play is also a treat), methodology has revolutionised dog training, and the majority of leading trainers have found that it has resulted in dogs that enjoy learning, rather than having to be coerced into complying with the handler's demands.
I have not worked Gundogs, but I have competed successfully in Obedience, and UK Working Trials with a Lurcher, and a Beagle. The Beagle has also done a little Heelwork to Music training. A 'Stop the Dog' is one of the elements in our Good Citizen Test. It appears quite early in a young dog's training as it is an exercise which could save his life.
I would start in a hall or driveway - one method would be gently call your dog, and throw a treat towards his feet the same time you deliver your command or signal to stop. Really reward the stop. Gradually refine the exercise - do you want the stop to be in a stand, sit or a down? To stop when coming towards or going away? Then begin to change the environment, and work on increasing and varying the distance. I am sure that some of the others on here have their own methods, but this is what has worked for my dogs.

Firstly I would put dog on tracking lead & use a remote control vehicle with soft toy fasten to it, why holding lead I would set the remote control vehicle moving, then using the verbal or hand signals (which ever you use) send dog away, then halting dog again by the verbal or hand signals, once dog as stop I would praise the dog over & over, I would use this method for retrieving (using toy not the remote control vehicle) down wait so on giving praise all the time, then once dog is 100% in all verbal/hand signals I would let the dog off lead (in secure area) you will have more responsive dog thats been trained with love rewards praise then a dog that's going to have pain emitted when he/she fails to comply with a verbal/hand signals command.

Although not popular here in the UK, whether we agree with them or not ‘Prong Collars/eCollars’ are widely used in the US and other countries, because their methods are different to ours doesn’t make them ‘right or wrong’

Here in the UK it is obviously a highly emotive subject, but everyone has a right to air their views, by airing them they can then be given an opposing point of view with a 'reasonable discussion', this is how people learn but if made to feel they can't express their opinion, they will not learn and just disappear.

Thanks Carole. We have been using the clicker method, as that is what our dog trainer told us to do, and it has really worked. That along with good treats have helped solve resolve some of her more annoying habits.