Austin German Shepherd Rescue
Education, Referrals and Other Links
Training Referrals
Southern
Star Ranch Boarding Kennel and Dog Training
11701 N. Hwy 183,
Florence, Texas 76527
P (512)868-5810 (800)979-K9HQ
Mention you adopted your German Shepherd from AGSR and receive a 15% discount!
Joyce
Morgan Dog Training
Good
Dog Austin
Exmoor
Pet Kennels, Grooming and Training
Lara's Canine Solutions, larascaninesolutions.com, 305 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels, Texas 830-904-4863, info@larascaninesolutions.com
PetDoors.com, America's Finest Pet Doors - Patio Pacific, Inc
Book Recommendations
A Dogs Mind: Understanding Your Dogs Behavior, by Bruce Fogle
The German Shepherd Dog in Word & Picture’ by Max v. Stephanitz
Dog Training for Dummies, by Jack & Wendy Volhard
The Dog Listener, by Jan Fennell
The Other End of the Leash, by Patricia McConnell
Help for Your Shy Dog, by Deborah Wood
I Love My Dog But..., by Joy Tiz
Fundamentals of Learning and Motivation, by Frank Logan
Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson
Positive Perspectives, by Pat Miller
How Dogs Learn, by Burch and Bailey
Bones Would Rain from the Sky, by Suzanne Clothier
Schutzhund Obedience Training in Drive, by Sheila Booth with Gottfried Dildei
German
Shepherds Require Human Interaction
GSD's are highly intelligent, and thrive on human contact. If you don't make your GSD a part of the family, you will not have a well-behaved GSD. DO talk to your dog, DO pat, hug and show approval, DO make most of the house dog-friendly, DO expect your GSD to come into the bathroom and bedroom when you're in there, DO have as much interaction with the GSD as possible. A bored GSD can be destructive. DO NOT crate a GSD for more than 4-6 hours at a time. Do expect your dog to lick you, you're the leader of the pack, and your GSD shows deference to you in this manner!
Socialization
It is EXTREMELY important to socialize your new GSD, regardless of age. After you've given them a week or two to settle in to their new home, take your dog with you as often as you can. Trips to buy pet food, hiking, the park (ALWAYS ON LEASH!), family gatherings, and quick errands to any store that will allow your dog access. Teach others to always ask permission before petting your dog. Some dog are more social than others and there is no rule that says they must allow strangers to pet them. As long as they're well behaved in public, that's all you need to ask of them. We DO NOT recommend "dog parks" as a way of socializing your dog.
Obedience
Training
DO take your dog to a training class. You can drop your GSD off for a week to be trained, and then spend a few hours with the trainer learning how to handle your GSD when you pick him up. For some this is ideal. But we HIGHLY RECOMMEND that both you and your GSD attend a 6-8 week basic obedience class. Not only will this be a real money saver, but more importantly, nothing can replace the loyalty, respect and knowledge you and your dog will walk away with by training your own dog. We believe this to be a very important part of the bonding experience. After that, practice, practice, practice... a well-trained GSD makes for a happy human and home! (*See a list on page 7 for trainers and training facilities we have used and recommend.)
The keys to house-training the puppy/dog are judicious use of confinement (when indoors) and scheduling. Confining the puppy/dog in a small area such as its crate or a part of the kitchen will encourage it to "hold it" until taken outdoors. Keeping it on a regular schedule of feeding, watering, and walking outside will make it much easier for the puppy/dog to keep clean indoors. After the puppy has successfully completed its business when and where it is supposed to, it can be allowed some freedom to play inside before its next period of confinement.
Confinement works because dogs, like wolves, have a natural instinct to keep their own dens clean and to go outside the den to defecate. Until training is completed, the pup/dog should be confined whenever it is in the house, except for those times immediately after it has done its business when you can be fairly sure an accident won't occur.
When the puppy/dog does make a mistake in the course of training, harsh methods of correction are not necessary. If you catch it in the act, merely say in a disapproving tone, "Wrong" or "Nuh-uh-uh" and then bring it outside and show it where he or she should have gone. If you find the evidence after the fact, just clean it as soon as possible, but not in the presence of the dog. Be sure to use a product available at pet stores that will remove all the odor from the spot so the dog is not attracted to go in the same place again.
Following each feeding, don't merely turn the dog out, but rather take the dog outside yourself and stay with it. When he or she does its business, always say the same designated word (example, "potty" or "do it" ) that he or she will learn to associate the word with the act. Later, when you take it out or go for a walk and say the word, he or she will know what to do! When he or she does what he or she is supposed to, don't forget to show it how delighted you are by telling it in ecstatic tones what a good dog he or she is!
The above suggestions will work, even if you work outside the home. While a dog may remain in your fenced yard during working hours, very young puppies will probably have to remain indoors. Crating a puppy for 8 hours is too long — the puppy does not have this much physical capacity. Instead, confine it in a small area such as a bath or laundry room. (Make sure that you "puppy-proof it for safety) or buy an exercise pen (small kennel). Next, place a box or large dishpan in the area and fill it with cedar shavings. Wipe up a small sample of the puppy’s urine and feces with a paper towel and place in the cedar box so the smell will attract the pup and give it the idea of what to do there. The box can be cleaned by scooping out the dropping just as a box of kitty litter is cleaned.
Later, as the puppy matures, and you want to teach it to go outside, take some of the smelly cedar shavings and place them in the area of the yard that you want the puppy to use. During the evening hours when you are home and on weekends, carry the puppy outside to prevent it from going "on the way" and follow the steps outlined above for training.
For an excellent pet resource center, check out http://peteducation.com
Crate
Training
DO
crate train your dog, even if you don’t intend for the dog to stay or sleep in
it. There very well may be an
occasion where your dog will need to be crated and it's best if you've made it a
rewarding and pleasant experience. Ideally,
crates are not always designed to be used permanently, but
more as a training tool until your dog is house trained and has become accustom
to your home and its new environment. Some
dogs may always require crating when left alone and others will learn or mature
and not need to be crated. Every
dog is different and requires a different approach.
We
believe as long as they are not crated any longer than 6 hours at a time,
there is no harm done. With
puppies, you can base the time they can be crated on how many months old they
are (3 months, 3 hours, etc.) Check
out the following Internet site for some tips!
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/cratetraining.htm
DO
NOT use the crate as punishment.
By the time you get the dog to the crate, they will have no idea what
they’ve done wrong, but most importantly, being placed in a crate should
ALWAYS be a rewarding and pleasant experience for the dog.
Best-case
scenario:
Use the crate as a tool to
house train your dog.
After you’ve had your dog a few weeks, work in 5 or 10-minute
increments, leaving your dog alone to see how they behave when you leave the
house. Do
this gradually when you have time to work with the dog.
DON’T make a “big deal” out of leaving and IGNORE the
dog for about 5 minutes after returning, no matter how much attention they are
vying for. Over
time, most dogs will become trustworthy to be left alone in the house. As with
learning any new behavior, it takes PATIENCE, CONSISTENCY and TIME.
In
cases where your dog may need to be crated when you’re away, please make sure
the dog gets PLENTY of exercise BEFORE and AFTER being
crated. If you must leave your dog
crated while you are at work, make arrangements to come home during lunch to let
the dogs out for a break and to run around. If you’re not able to, maybe have a neighbor or hire a pet
sitter to come by once a day. YOU
and YOUR DOG will love you for it!
We are not totally opposed to the dog being left in a SECURED (fence well maintained and a lock on the gate) backyard while you’re away. BUT… PLEASE bring the dog inside anytime you are home. Always allow the dog to sleep inside, preferably in the room with you (crated or not… your choice!) Always keep in mind that dogs are pack animals, regardless of how human we want them to be or behave. Keeping that in mind at all times will lead your dog to become a loyal and faithful companion.
Chewing
Chewing
is an instinct for GSD's. A bored
and lonely GSD can be a chewing machine. Buy them chew toys or raw (never
cooked) bones (see below) so they are not tempted to chew on the
furniture. Show them how to use the chew toys if they're baffled, and use
appropriate training (crate, behavioral, sprays, etc.) to modify behavior.
Toys
NO tennis balls (yes, they can choke on them), NO rawhide (toxic gut), NO Nylabones (they shear enamel off the teeth). Hard rubber toys are OK, Kongs, Tug Toys, etc. Watch the toys and if they begin to look frayed or broken throw them out or the GSD's will eat the pieces and could get sick. Raw knucklebones seem to be a favorite of most GSD as well. These can be purchased at your local butcher's market. If they don't have them displayed, ask for them and they should be able to supply you with fresh or frozen.
Jump
Greetings
DO train your dog not to jump on you, your children, and your visitors. One approach that works well is to turn you back from them. Repeat as necessary to remind the GSD not to jump. REMEMBER to use the word OFF and not DOWN so as not to confuse the dog on what you are asking them to do. As soon as they stop/sit… praise them like crazy! If they start jumping again, stop and turn your back to them again. They’ll soon get the idea!
Another approach is to have a helper that will come to the door and pretend to be a visitor (with a tasty treat in hand!) You answer the door, the dog jumps... give a correction. When the dog sits nicely, praise and have the visitor offer the dog the treat.
KEEP YOUR DOG ON HEARTWORM preventative YEAR ROUND
For more information... American Heartworm Society
MICROCHIP your DOG!
PLEASE KEEP YOUR contact information CURRENT.
Collars and Identification
It's important that your dog always have on his or her collar and an ID tag with your name and contact information. These tags can be done (by you) at any Petsmart, Petoc or you can order them online (http://www.akc.epettags.com/, or many other online pet stores.)
A Study on Prong Collars - Germany
(And why we support using a prong collar and NOT a choke chain collar.)
* 100 dogs were in the study. 50 used choke and 50 used prong.
* The dogs were studied for their entire lives. As dogs died, autopsies were
performed.
* Of the 50 which had chokes, 48 had injuries to the neck, trachea, or back. 2
of those were determined to be genetic.
The other 46 were caused by trauma.
* Of the 50 which had prongs, 2 had injuries in the neck area, 1 was determined
to be genetic. 1 was caused by trauma.
The numbers seem to speak for themselves.
(Information about this study taken from an Anne Marie Silverton Seminar)
Here
are two good links for further information:
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/prong.html
http://www.cobankopegi.com/prong.html
So you want to breed your German Shepherd
Does your dog possess the following?
For more information on being a responsible pet owner, visit the AKC website
Additional Reading
Think It's Safe to Leave Your Dog Outside Unattended? (PDF File) (Acrobat Reader Required)
Introducing a New Dog to a Resident Cat - From PAWS
A Moving and Emotional Link to Bright Star Rescue of New York... why we do what we do
German Shepherd Dog Bulletin Board
Rescues
Other Rescues we work closely with
