I really appreciate your input as well. It's always good to see and learn from other peoples perspectives based on what they have experienced.
[/B]
My dad was a GS breeder and trainer and he supplied the local police force. I am neither a breeder or trainer and claim no expertise but can relay some of what I learned from my dad and my own experience with the breed.
My current pups are 10 months old. I have done all their training off-leash and without any treats or training aids, clickers, collars, crates or bells on doors etc. All was done with positive reinforcement and voice tone. There were a few occasions where I had to control them by the scruff of the neck, like their mother would have done. I have focused on association, repetition and distraction training.
Every place we go, park, woods, upstairs, in the car etc we repeat the words over and over again until they associate it. Also with objects like ball, frizbee, go-slide, lazer (they love to chase the laser pointer beam
) etc. I actually get in trouble when I say "later" in a sentence. They think its "lazer", they jump up, get all excited and start staring at the floor, at my hand, at the floor and after a bit start barking when there is no lazer.
Now all we need to do is say, "in the car", "lets go to the woods' etc. and they will get very excited, run to the car etc. Or "go slide" and they will climb the steps and run down the slide.
House training was very quick. We took them out very often, repeated the word "outside" often so they would associate it. Whenever they went in the house and we caught them in the act we would say "No" in a firm tone, not screaming but firm, said "go outside". took them outside and then praised them when they did their business. There was no discipline if we did not catch them in the act other than pointing to it and saying "No".
In my neighborhood we have no fences in the front yards so I had to train them not to go in the street. I walked them to the edge very often, made them sit and then I would walk into the street. If they followed I would tell them "no!" and put them back on the grass. Eventually they would walk with me and stop without a command at the street. I would praise them much. Then I focused on distraction training. I would run into the street and ride my bicycle into the street. Also when the kids came off the school bus and when other dogs walked past. They were trained in only a few weeks. People cannot believe that we do not have an electronic fence.
It was actually a challenge to get them to go into the street when I first started walking them.
They would walk to the edge, sit and not follow me, just like they were taught. So I had to work on the "come" command. I had to actually put my arm around them to get them into the street when I said "come".
With walking, the female just naturally heeled but the male did not. I would just use two fingers and pull him back by the back of the neck. Now they heel when walking, running and when I am on the bicycle. I would walk them past other dogs for distraction. The male took off once to play with another dog without a release command and would not come back. That was the one occasion that I had to grab him by the collar, other arm around his chest, say "no"and drag him back to the other side of the street, make him sit and then continue. There are many open grassy areas and wide public grass areas along the road here. When I walk them in the street they have to heel, and I never cross the street without stopping and waiting first. When we get to a grass area I release them with a "go" command and let them run free. They learned very quickly.
What amazed me was that even though these areas were foreign to them initially, they would not go off the grass into the street, just because of the training at their home. They run ahead and stop when they get to a street. Also at friends houses. It is very interesting to see peoples' reactions when I walk or cycle down the road with these two pups without a leash.
The only issue that I still have is that when they are surprised, e.g. when someone appears unexpectedly close and they did not see them approaching from a distance, e.g. when I open the front door and there are people right in front of the yard, they will bark and run towards them. They will stop at the edge but it does startle some people, understandably so. I scream "No" but that sometimes adds to the peoples' apprehension, so I need to work on that.
So anyway, I am sure this is common knowledge to most people but I do see so many people being too overbearing, strict or harsh with their dogs and the dogs become either stubborn or too timid. A more positive approach works better IMO. But I only have experience with German Shepherds and a few other easy to train breeds.
I have no experience with Pitbulls but there is one at the beach where we take our dogs. That Pitbull is the most timid dog on all the beach. She is actually in the program where their owners take them to hospitals or clinics to visit patients who pet them etc. She is a really sweet dog. Nature vs. nurture, I don't know but I think nurture has much to do with it.
