My 4 month german shepherd puppy is obsessed with cars. Whenever i walk her she chases and barks after them. I punish her but she doesn’t stop she keeps on chasing the cars. And how do you train them to shepherd. We’re adapting her shepherding to moving goats from one acre of land to the other. But she doesn’t run after them until I chase them. And she’s scared of the goats but is getting braver.
•• Herding:
What you have done is akin to "training" an explosives detection dog by sending a puppy into a live minefield.
Do you even know that there are different STYLES of herding?
Keep your pup AWAY FROM all livestock.
YOU don’t yet have the necessary control; nor does your pup have enough self-control. Being attacked by goats will ruin her confidence.
Follow this thread: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly/message/9604 Yahoo hasn’t stored the photos, but the text ought to show you that you have started too young, and without a clue as to what you are doing.
That writer went to Germany to study under Manfred Heyne (the only person in history to have won the SV’s Herding Trophy outright), and to mate her bit.ch to his stud. Emma is a granddaughter of that mating. The German boundary patrolling style of herding is bred into her for generations.
In that group, Search for tales about Bria. She’s a GSD, taught to herd Collie-style by the farm’s BC. This month’s Home page pic shows her looking after a very young lamb. She also (self taught) considers it her job to: see-off a lurcher attacking the neighbour’s sheep, supervise new foals, kill crows in the fowl run, catch then bring to her mistress any fowls that escape.
(Another of my group’s GSDs thinks it is a Maremma….)
But first comes owner control-&-self-control, plus enough canine maturity to also have self-control.
You should still be rewarding her for everything she accidentally or on-purpose does that pleases you. Would you try to train a 2 years old child to control highway traffic??? Get into a training class that starts while she is 18-22 weeks old, where YOU are coached to improve your techniques; at the same time your pup learns to pay attention regardless of what other dogs & people are doing. Serious training is done ON-LEAD, so you can physically control your dog and prevent it from making an error – that "Prevention is better than cure" thing.
Your pup won’t yet have a clue about the "bubble" that it needs to stay just outside of if the sheep aren’t to be panicked into running – YOU haven’t a clue about that, either, so won’t be able to walk her on-lead around its outside edge!
Do you even know how to get a foot of slack into the leash when the pooch is trying to pull you along? Until you know THAT you have no show of convincing a pup that pulling on the leash is not worth it. THAT is part of why you need to be in a training class very soon. Preferably one run by BAGSDS, GSSCC, USCA, or WDA.
And then there’s your pooch – I’ll bet there isn’t a professional sheep worker in her pedigree!
•• Cars:
She will be obsessed with anything running away from her – cars, bikes, children. Part of the cure is to sit somewhere that has LOTS of activity – cars, skateboards, etc. Ignore her lunges after them – shut up & let her strangle herself a little (I hope you do at least know how to use a light-weight straight-link slip-chain). Praise & pat-or-rub her when she comes back to you, especially if she decides to just lie down and watch things happening. Most GSDs ARE intelligent – so give them a chance to work things out for themselves, then reward them when they make a right guess.
When she relapses while you are walking her, first let her have the length of the leash then, just as she reaches the end, turn at a sharp angle and use your arns & legs to DRIVE away from her – preferably have a grassy surface for her to fall onto as she is spun around off her feet. Whether she falls or manages to keep her balance, give her just enough time to get control of her legs before you continue in YOUR direction. Make sure you pat & praise her when she catches up. If she ignores you, repeat the treatment. A GSD should always have one ear cocked to hear what its owner is doing.
• Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser’s Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as feeding, vaccinations, clubs, weights, teething, neutering, disorders.
• Join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group’s Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Most allow you to include photos so that you can show what your pets look like.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
"In GSDs" as of 1967
Why not use a leash? Simple solution! As far as moving the goats. You need to train with a sheepdog trainer before letting her work livestock. She can cause injury to the livestock. She is too young to be working livestock at 4 months of age. You do NOT CHASE your livestock. It’s never a good idea to work dogs on livestock until they around 14 months old when all their joints and bones are matured. Working them too early causes structural damage.
Reading a previous post of your’s, why did you let your dog chase the goats. If she’s been attacked/hit by one, especially at that young age, she may be ruined as far as herding is concerned. If she’s chasing chickens, she needs to be leashed, or kenneled.
Tell me where you live, what city and state and I can refer you to a reputable trainer. It’s about $500.00 a month for in house training, and around $50.00 for lessons. I suggest that you leave your dog with a sheepdog trainer for about 3 months, then take lessons.
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enise Neri 26-Oct-2009 19:30
I have a Border Collie/Australian Mix… I rescued him from a puppy mill in June (he was 8 weeks old then), his name is Sir Nieko II … his name-sake was from a puppy (similar breeds) that I rescued last Christmas. Nieko I was only 8 weeks old I had him for 1 week and he died in my arms, he had the parvo virus:( Prior, I had the best Border Collie/German Shepard mix, named Butchy. He was the BEST! Got my slippers, opened and closed the fridge, dove off diving boards, walked our 5 acres, no leash…… he was incredible! It took me almost two years to finally get another puppy, then Nieko the first died! Man!!!! It took me six months to morn him to finally go for it, now we have Sir Nieko II! Now, heartbreaking, my mom died suddenly in 2000> she had a poodle named Tobie, I have had Tobie since momma died, he was Butchy’s side kick, best friends! Tobie was sad, very sad, when Butchy died (2007). He was one reason that I wanted to get a companion for him, hence Nieko I! Now Sir Nieko II and Tobie became "Bud’s" .. well, after 4 months together, Tobie died suddenly (heart attack) 2 weeks ago TODAY >>> OUCH!! I’m heartbroken, just Thank God for Sir Nieko II. I’m sorry for all of you who lost your "kid’s" too. I have to believe that we’ll meet again on Rainbow Bridge when it’s my time. I can only hope that my mom & brother are with Butch & Tobie
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I’d bring in a trainer for a month or two, hearding is serious business as I understand it. And as for chasing cars, conventional punishment sometimes doesn’t work. It should be positive reinforcement not punishment. I’ve seen a lot of German Shepard in security, I don’t know why; security and hearding are two separate temperments in dogs. Usually it’s one or the other.
References :
•• Herding:
What you have done is akin to "training" an explosives detection dog by sending a puppy into a live minefield.
Do you even know that there are different STYLES of herding?
Keep your pup AWAY FROM all livestock.
YOU don’t yet have the necessary control; nor does your pup have enough self-control. Being attacked by goats will ruin her confidence.
Follow this thread: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly/message/9604 Yahoo hasn’t stored the photos, but the text ought to show you that you have started too young, and without a clue as to what you are doing.
That writer went to Germany to study under Manfred Heyne (the only person in history to have won the SV’s Herding Trophy outright), and to mate her bit.ch to his stud. Emma is a granddaughter of that mating. The German boundary patrolling style of herding is bred into her for generations.
In that group, Search for tales about Bria. She’s a GSD, taught to herd Collie-style by the farm’s BC. This month’s Home page pic shows her looking after a very young lamb. She also (self taught) considers it her job to: see-off a lurcher attacking the neighbour’s sheep, supervise new foals, kill crows in the fowl run, catch then bring to her mistress any fowls that escape.
(Another of my group’s GSDs thinks it is a Maremma….)
But first comes owner control-&-self-control, plus enough canine maturity to also have self-control.
You should still be rewarding her for everything she accidentally or on-purpose does that pleases you. Would you try to train a 2 years old child to control highway traffic??? Get into a training class that starts while she is 18-22 weeks old, where YOU are coached to improve your techniques; at the same time your pup learns to pay attention regardless of what other dogs & people are doing. Serious training is done ON-LEAD, so you can physically control your dog and prevent it from making an error – that "Prevention is better than cure" thing.
Your pup won’t yet have a clue about the "bubble" that it needs to stay just outside of if the sheep aren’t to be panicked into running – YOU haven’t a clue about that, either, so won’t be able to walk her on-lead around its outside edge!
Do you even know how to get a foot of slack into the leash when the pooch is trying to pull you along? Until you know THAT you have no show of convincing a pup that pulling on the leash is not worth it. THAT is part of why you need to be in a training class very soon. Preferably one run by BAGSDS, GSSCC, USCA, or WDA.
And then there’s your pooch – I’ll bet there isn’t a professional sheep worker in her pedigree!
•• Cars:
She will be obsessed with anything running away from her – cars, bikes, children. Part of the cure is to sit somewhere that has LOTS of activity – cars, skateboards, etc. Ignore her lunges after them – shut up & let her strangle herself a little (I hope you do at least know how to use a light-weight straight-link slip-chain). Praise & pat-or-rub her when she comes back to you, especially if she decides to just lie down and watch things happening. Most GSDs ARE intelligent – so give them a chance to work things out for themselves, then reward them when they make a right guess.
When she relapses while you are walking her, first let her have the length of the leash then, just as she reaches the end, turn at a sharp angle and use your arns & legs to DRIVE away from her – preferably have a grassy surface for her to fall onto as she is spun around off her feet. Whether she falls or manages to keep her balance, give her just enough time to get control of her legs before you continue in YOUR direction. Make sure you pat & praise her when she catches up. If she ignores you, repeat the treatment. A GSD should always have one ear cocked to hear what its owner is doing.
• Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser’s Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as feeding, vaccinations, clubs, weights, teething, neutering, disorders.
• Join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with GSDs. Each group’s Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Most allow you to include photos so that you can show what your pets look like.
Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly
"In GSDs" as of 1967
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not agree with that
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You should seek the advice of a qualified trainer or dog behaviourist.
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I think this is a little severe but if different cars went by and threw out some loud noise, it would make her stop chasing cars. Firecrackers would also make her deaf but if you could possible throw out a bucket of water on the dog? It would have to be different cars to work.
I had a little dog who herded up the cows but he barked at their faces and they just brushed him aside lol lol.
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I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED IF THE LITTLE MUT TRIED GROWING A MO AND TAKING OVER THE WORLD NEXT…
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GERMAN Shepherd