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Last summer we got a German Shepherd puppy. It was love at first sight. We instantly knew that she was the one we wanted. At first, I was a bit hesitant to get her because she was
Big dogs get more of a bad rep than little dogs. We already have a Pekingese mix dog named Li, and I never really paid attention to his behaviors until we got Lola (that’s what we named her). He jumps on me, and I never thought about it until she started jumping on everyone. It got to the point that there was this little girl with mental health issues, and Lola freaked her out really bad. I knew that I had to make sure Lola was well trained because she scares people more than Li.
I am proud to report that she no longer jumps on people all the time. She will jump on the teens once in
In-Person Dog Training
We took Lola to these really great dog training classes from this company called Lead with Fun. The first puppy class was when Lola was 16 weeks old. It was more to socialize her with other dogs. It was so cute seeing all the puppies running around. Lola panicked the first day, but then after that, she
- Sit
- Lay Down
- Leave It
The second class we took was when she was a teenager. Teenagers are the same in dogs. You love them so much, but they are testing you every two seconds to see what they can get away with. This time we didn’t have all the puppies together. We had barriers between the teenaged dogs. Lola learned:
- Stay
- Leave it for longer periods of time
- Settle
- Not to jump on people
- Come even with distractions
We want to keep taking other classes, but we want until she is spayed because she will be around other dogs again.
Dog Training Treats and Toys
Barkbox was great in providing us the treats and toys that we used for Lola’s training. What was amazing is that we found out quickly that Lola is an aggressive chewer. Barkbox changed our subscription to the chewer box, and those toys were great. They were able to withstand Lola’s teeth, and we even took a couple of them with us to the dog park.
Dog Training Web Sites and Forums
I love to Google, so I searched tons trying to find how to stop Lola from pulling, jumping on people, being destructive with her toys, and other things. You should also do the same. I found one forum that has been great called German Shepherd Forums. I am learning a lot. Check around to see if there is a community for your dog breed. Even if your dog is a mixed breed, like my Pekingese/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, he/she is usually more like one of the breeds. Li is more Pekingese than Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, so I tend to look more at the information for Pekingese.
Dog Whisperer on Hulu
I love Cesar Millan. I learned so much from watching “Dog Whisperer” on Hulu. The main lesson was that a dog is not a human, and you have to treat your dog like a dog. Also, that I do not have to be so vocal to train my dog. When Lola would pull or bark at other dogs (she started this as a teen), I would wail “Lola, stop!” and keep talking. Now? I just say “Shh,” and she will stop. Confidence is the other lesson I learned from Cesar. Dogs can sense when you are not confident or are freaking out, so take a deep breathe and relax before you train your dog.
Dog Trainers on YouTube
Like I said in my last post, I watch a lot of YouTube. I have found some great dog trainers there. Here are my favorites from my top favorites being first.
Robert Cabral
Upstate Canine Academy
German Shepherd Man
Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution
Training Positive
SolidK9Training
Ruff Beginnings Rehab Dog Training and Rescue
Dog Training by Kikopup
Simpawtico Dog Training
Bound Angels
McCann Dog Training
Leerburg
Indigo Dog Training
Top Animals TV
Stonnie Dennis
You should only train for 5 minutes at a time. It’s a lot of mental work for a puppy so don’t tire him/her out. Please let me know of other dog training tools that you have used. Have you checked out the new dog training apps? If so, do you think they are worth it?
