02/04/2025
Millie - the adorable 6-month-old German Shepherd.
We covered a lot of pointers in our session to help give Millie's owners some tools for their toolbelt.
- Teaching a marker, like the 'Yes' word. This is an excellent tool to use, as it's a clear communication to your dog that they have done the correct thing and reward is coming right their way.
- Food management in the house. Free feeding can make building food drive difficult, especially for dogs that are picky with their food (which a lot of GSD'S can be).
We talked about getting Millie used to working for her food. Instead of putting her biscuits in a bowl, portion out her daily ration and use that food throughout the day in training. Save the high value food for more challenging environments outside of the house.
- Structured walking time.
As Millie is still young, we want to avoid any serious corrections and also allow her to build her confidence up to be able to handle our world. So, we need to introduce structured walking sessions to actually teach her how to walk nicely on a lead. For young dogs, shorter sessions are best to start off with. Help them succeed and reward heavily for where you want them to be (right next to you!).
Other walks on a long line can still allow them to sniff and explore the environment. Make time to separate training walks from 'fun' walks.
