I just got drake off the vet today and have noticed somethings I would like the house to enlighten/shed light on.

1. Drake doesn't bark! I tried all I could to even hear the barking sound but the best I heard was his moaning.


2. While walking him this evening, he did as if he didn't notice other barking dogs that saw him as threat. He didn't even look at them twice

3. Drake likes sniffing the ground alot

4. He pulls the leash while I draw him back trying to be domineering.

5. The dog has no major training so I would be dedicating 1 hour daily to train.

6. Drake is sensitive to sounds and appearance. 2 strangers got into the compound today and he immediately stood erect with ears up. No barking nor attack though.

7. Flies are perching the ears to cause injury - solution needed

8. Drake likes food and behaves in a funny way when he sees food. Lol


Ok ok. . . Those that are familiar with gsd should share what I could find useful as I update my success with this baby!


PS. Drake is my first gsd but not my first dog.

Jcob: 1. Drake doesn't bark! I tried all I could to even hear the barking sound but the best I heard was his moaning.

What did his previous owner say when you asked him whether the dog barks? When I got my dog, I was told that the dog doesn't bark during the day but barks a lot at night. After I started locking him up whenever a visitor came around, he started barking during the day as well.

2. While walking him this evening, he did as if he didn't notice other barking dogs that saw him as threat. He didn't even look at them twice

That's what is called a calming signal. By ignoring them your dog was telling them that he is no threat to them. Your dog is socially smart.

3. Drake likes sniffing the ground alot

Maybe the ground in your home is far more interesting than the ones in his kennel. Most kennels have cement floors which are boring.

4. He pulls the leash while I draw him back trying to be domineering.

Don't make that mistake. He's not trying to be domineering. Dominance theory has been discredited by scientists. Dogs pull on the leash because, to them, we walk very slowly. We are excruciatingly slow walkers to them. So they literally have to learn to walk in slow motion. Imagine if a tortoise was taking you for a walk. You would be very frustrated to walk at the same pace as the tortoise. The fact that the dog is pulling in the same direction you're moving shows that he is following your choice of where to go. He just wants to get there faster.

5. The dog has no major training so I would be dedicating 1 hour daily to train.

Not bad. But you have to break the hour into many short sessions. A dog will get bored if training for a whole hour without a break.

6. Drake is sensitive to sounds and appearance. 2 strangers got into the compound today and he immediately stood erect with ears up. No barking nor attack though.

It's too early for the dog to start defending your compound. He is not yet established in the home; he does not yet recognize it as his territory.
If you want him to bark when he sees strangers, then you need to make sure he does not see strangers normally inside the compound.

7. Flies are perching the ears to cause injury - solution needed

Kill the flies in your compound bro. Consider examining that ear to make sure there's no open would that the flies are feasting on.

8. Drake likes food and behaves in a funny way when he sees food. Lol

Good. A dog that likes food is a dog that can be trained

Wow. . . .smart answers Seun! As per the barking, the vet said the dog barks normally.

he sounds like a very sweet dog, what about biting and growling, does he do any of that? this main dog fit pass SPCA test in flying colors Lol.

Never growled nor bite. Instead he moaned when I tried forcing a basic command this morning after teaching him 30 times.

--

He obeys faster with food in hand. Sleep, Sit, Down. . .

Once no food he only responds at his own pace. lol

Jcob: He obeys faster with food in hand. Sleep, Sit, Down. . .

Once no food he only responds at his own pace. lol

I wonder what his reaction Wld be when you try to move his food arnd after serving or interrupt his feeding with your hand moving his mouth away

henry007: I wonder what his reaction Wld be when you try to move his food arnd after serving or interrupt his feeding with your hand moving his mouth away

I didn't hover my hand around the month when eating but I instructed him to sit and leave the food. He did immediately but his body was vibrating like a phone. He only calmed down when I instructed him to go eat.

Jcob: He obeys faster with food in hand. Sleep, Sit, Down. . .

Wow, you taught him all that in 24 hours? Please we need you to describe how you did it! When I taught my dog the second command "down" he got confused, and started lying down when I said sit. I have since been trying to teach him the difference between the two. Please post tips!

Jcob:


I didn't hover my hand around the month when eating but I instructed him to sit and leave the food. He did immediately but his body was vibrating like a phone. He only calmed down when I instructed him to go eat.

where did you get him from again?! do they have more?

The main method is to stop on the road every 10 minutes when walking him. . .I make sure I teach him a command or else we won't proceed.

We spent about 30 minutes walking yesterday and he was able to pick somethings.

also the love for food also hastens things up. He tried jumping once and immediately I frowned at it by pressing his back to the ground he stopped.

@henry I got him from a vet. by the way what do you think of the pedigree?

Jcob: The main method is to stop on the road every 10 minutes when walking him. . .I make sure I teach him a command or else we won't proceed.

We spent about 30 minutes walking yesterday and he was able to pick somethings.

also the love for food also hastens things up. He tried jumping once and immediately I frowned at it by pressing his back to the ground he stopped.

@henry I got him from a vet. by the way what do you think of the pedigree?

its what i like to call Nigerian GSD

Jcob: The main method is to stop on the road every 10 minutes when walking him. . .I make sure I teach him a command or else we won't proceed.

We spent about 30 minutes walking yesterday and he was able to pick somethings.

also the love for food also hastens things up. He tried jumping once and immediately I frowned at it by pressing his back to the ground he stopped.

@henry I got him from a vet. by the way what do you think of the pedigree?

U get the pedigree tree from the vet doc u bought it from but I doubt if it is a purebred.

dude has been behaving smart though. love his alertness.

Trying to teach drake how to shake for some hours but wont oblige. I got a piece of titus fish and gave the instruction again . . . . .surprisingly he obeyed. I dropped the fish in his place and while tearing into pieces i instructed to sit but he didnt listen. i immediately changed the command tone and he surprisingly left the fish and sat. Then i push the plate to him to continue. So far so good, have been impressed. Going for 30 minutes walk soon!

Sir that's the not the best way to trained your dog tiping him with food ... Means if you don't tip him with food he won't obey your comand ... You're the owner and you're the one to dictate for the dog and not the other way round .

I disagree with your postulation on item 4 seun. You are the leader and so the dog should follow your lead and hence pace. Where is the dog running to when you know where you are taking it to. My first dog was always pulling on the leach until it learnt he is to follow and keep pace with me. When i run as in jogging it will...when i walk it will walk beside me. When walking the dog and it tries to pull to lead. Stop. Calm it down and start the walk again. Reward it when it keeps pace with you rather than pulling and trying to lead . Repeatedly done and positive behaviour is reinforced with treats it will get the message and and keep pace with you.
The scenario above needs patience and consistency. Pulling on the leach while your dog is trying to tear away is only feeding that particular drive. So stop. Disapprove of the behaviour start again and reward correct desired behaviour.

Drake has been too silent for me so i released him this evening to pursue some fowls in the compound. Without any sound he got hold of one and pinned the fowl down with the teeth. He was at the verge of eating the dead fowl when i took him back to his house and quickly cleared the mess.

So i now know this dog is a silent attacker!

So drake barked 3 times some days ago . . . since then nothing. dunno why this dog likes been silent.

Please help! Got waste indomie mixed with fat and calcium for my dog. But he won't just eat. Tried all I could. . . .He would just smell and leave. What can I do

Jcob: Please help! Got waste indomie mixed with fat and calcium for my dog. But he won't just eat. Tried all I could. . . .He would just smell and leave. What can I do

I don't blame him. You were giving him fowls to hunt and now you want him to eat waste products! Not fair bro! What about protein? Try rice and boiled Shawa fish instead. Rice is easy to digest and Shawa fish is cheap and very good for carnivores. Or mix the 'waste' with corned beef.

Your early success with training your puppy motivated me to start training my dog again. He now knows the difference between 'sit' and 'down'.

Seun:
I don't blame him. You were giving him fowls to hunt and now you want him to eat waste products! Not fair bro! What about protein? Try rice and boiled Shawa fish instead. Rice is easy to digest and Shawa fish is cheap and very good for carnivores. Or mix the 'waste' with corned beef.

Your early success with training your puppy motivated me to start training my dog again. He now knows the difference between 'sit' and 'down'.

What about mixing the indomie with Shawa? Very good to hear about ur dog knowing the difference between sit and down. Trying to teach mine the tug game. . . .but he would just drop the object once I pull.

Jcob: What about mixing the indomie with Shawa?

If the goal is not to waste the already bought Indomie, mix a small portion it with corned beef. It's not so great for them, but no dog rejects it.

Trying to teach mine the tug game. . . .but he would just drop the object once I pull.

Try a sack (apo). The type that's made of woven nylon. When your puppy bites it, it will make some interesting sounds that I think dogs like.

Thanks bro. Will try by the next training session.

I REALLY LIKE THIS...

Lesson 101 on dog training, quite informative.

Drake is somehow choosy when it comes to feeding. He prefers raw food like chicken and fish. Security wise, I love his alertness but my big problem remains . . . .this dog no dey bark!

Jcob: Drake is somehow choosy when it comes to feeding. He prefers raw food like chicken and fish. Security wise, I love his alertness but my big problem remains . . . .this dog no dey bark!

Lol..@bolded; seems your dog hasn't seen a reason to bark yet; no security threat.

Nice diary, enjoyed every bit of it; makes me wanna fulfill my dream of having a pure-breed GSD.

Will get there soon shaa.

You may try socializing it with other dogs and the barking will come with time when it becomes comfortable and it knowing barking is ok. The gsd belongs to a group of dogs i describe like they like to announce....I'm here ooo ...I'm coming to get you if don't move away ooooo..with their barking. Although i had owned a monster of a gsd many years ago which i got as an adult. It only winces but will not bark. But bring food and a dog on heat and it will show its colour. So on a lighter note as you see how drakes barking comes along you may try noticing it's strong points too.

Jcob: Drake is somehow choosy when it comes to feeding. He prefers raw food like chicken and fish.

Dogs can be choosy when they know they have options. My dog rejected his morning fish day before yesterday, so I just waited for him to get over it. He reluctantly ate it in the evening, day before yesterday. By yesterday when I brought his next titus in, he was excited over it.

Security wise, I love his alertness but my big problem remains . . . .this dog no dey bark!

You can hire a stranger to act as a bad guy and provoke the dog in order to encourage him to bark. This is called "agitation" and it's important for security training. Some silly children have been doing this for me free of charge. They bang our gate just to annoy my dog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0FMhh1LBA