Getting a dog, any tips?

[JL]

I'm no expert as the lady mostly takes care of them... but we did puppy classes and YES they are a great idea!! Take lots of notes...



Training a dog is one of those things where there's probably a hundred effective ways to do it but the main thing is to stick to whatever system you pick, since the consistency seems extremely important otherwise they just don't catch on. I like dogs I just hate the chores...



You will probably need two kennels, one for training that is just big enough (like Dave says) for potty training and then once that's taken care of, something they can grow into until they are fully grown. Also one of the best thing they said to us at puppy classes was the first 'tricks' to teach your dog... like how to stay put, drop something, come when they are called, pay attention when their name is called, manners if you are eating around them, not what you usually think of as tricks but very important for having a dog you can live with!

[paulg]

Everybody makes good points!



We got our dog a year ago from the rescue shelter, she is a Bull mastiff\German shepard cross about 2yrs old.

She had some issues when we got her, that we knew about, but she was just to cute to leave there...



Consistentcy and showing them who is the boss or Alpha is pivitol!

We use a combination of positive reinforcement and corrective training, when ever they do something that is good, you treat or reward sorta thing (could be food or favorite toy or tummy rub).



Also NEVER call the dog to you to then discpline it, this will build a negative association, and if they are ever off leash and do something they shouldnt you will have an impossible time getting them to recall.

On of the keys to an good recall is to make coming to you more rewarding than anything else.



She went from being off the wall crazy and dog aggressive to the biggest sweetheart. she will sit 3 feet from a cat and try to not look at it until she is allowed to.



You will find that if you are consistent with the training methods, once the dog learns how to learn, teaching it things will be very easy. we can teach ours a trick in one evening...



It definetly helps to work with a trainer, as they will see your mistakes and how they affect the dog, and that is KEY.