Breed and Training Info

What is Schutzhund/IGP?

IGP, or formerly known as schutzhund/IPO, is a breed suitability test developed in Germany, at the beginning of the breed. It is a three phase sport, consisting of tracking, obedience, and protection, with a required temperament test and obedience routine called a BH to be completed prior.

There are three levels in IGP after the BH is completed, and in order to advance you have to title in each (IGP1, then IGP2, and finally IGP3), with each level getting slightly more difficult.

In Germany, both parents must have at least an IGP1 (or an HGH) before they’re bred. We believe in preserving the working dog, and therefore all of our breeding dogs will have IGP titles before being bred. Our main goal is producing dogs capable of sport and work, while also being exceptional, stable, companions; we feel like competing in IGP is one of the best ways that we can examine our dogs' nerve strength, confidence, biddability, engagement, and so much more!

Schutzhund/IGP Resources

There are many online programs and lots of information about the sport to start learning from! Your biggest resource is going to be finding a local club! Below are some of my favorite programs and information I've found!

www.schutzhund-training.com

www.schutzhundkevin.com

www.canemodog.com

www.theempoweredcanine.com

www.germanshepherddog.com

www.leerburg.com

Link to Breed Standard

http://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/GermanShepherdDog.pdf

We strive to breed as close to the standard as we can, both in terms of conformation and temperament!

Health Information

The German Shepherd tends to get a bad rep in terms of health, but when bred responsibly they should be a very healthy and durable breed.

The most prominent problems they have within the breed are hip and elbow dysplasia, as well as DM. This is why we ensure all of our breeding dogs are certified through the SV system (Germany's X-ray rating program), as well as genetic tested before being bred.

While puppies are growing it is important to limit their exercise, especially on hard surfaces, while their growth plates are closing. Gelatin packets and walking in sand, pea gravel, and swimming, are all great ways to help loose pasterns and give puppies safe exercise while they grow.

My good friend Katie from Last Journey K9 wrote this guideline as a resource for her puppy clients, and graciously gave me permission to share!

Puppy Raising 101

Brought to you by Last Journey K9

Potty Training

When potty training, consistency and patience are key. Crate training will be imperative to successfully potty training your puppy as quickly and effectively as possible. Puppies should be able to hold their potty for around 1 hour per month old (basic guideline; not true for every puppy). Always make sure your puppy is healthy and that any consistent potty issues are not related to health issues, such as the most common ones we see: UTI (urinary tract infection) or giardia/coccidia (intestinal sickeness/parasites).

Puppy should sleep in the crate at night (in your bedroom is fine if it helps the puppy calm down and rest at nighttime) and should be crated consistenly throughout the day, whether you are home or not. The crate should only have enough room for the puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down. If a puppy has room to pee on one side of the crate and lay in the other, it likely will. I also recommend no bedding in the crate... the puppy could eat it and cause an intestinal blockage, or see the bedding as a place to absorb his or her urine.
When potty training, make sure your puppy goes outside to pee and/or poop right after every time it eats, drinks, or wakes up from a nap. Naps should happen in the crate as much as possible as well.
Puppies need a TON of sleep. When your puppy wakes up from a nap in the crate, go get your puppy calmly and take it directly outside (carrying them helps if it's a longer path to the door). If the puppy pees or poops outside, celebrate BIG with them... happy, excited, animated voice and "Good potty! Yes!!" kind of thing. I personally love saying "go potty" until the puppy does, then "good potty!!" when they go. This helps the pup understand what "potty" means, which can be extremely helpful to get a dog to go potty on command.
If your puppy goes potty outside, that is the time to bring the puppy inside and do something active with him/her for a while. Playing tug is a great way to tire your pup out, satisfy the need to bite, and also bond with them. Give your puppy some freedom, but NOT TOO MUCH. Confine them to the same room as you at all times; use a leash

even! A leash in the house is the most underrated part of helping a dog do, get, and be better!

After you've given your puppy a bit of freedom and fun, take the puppy back outside. Generally I give the puppy 20-30 minutes of enrichment and freedom inside. If the puppy goes potty, celebrate again and bring them back in for a little more fun and freedom. If they don't go potty, they go back inside and into the crate for a few. Again,

20-30 minutes, then try to go out to potty again. Rinse and repeat!

**Make sure you give the puppy ample time outside to relieve itself. Keeping the puppy on a leash (I really like a long line for this... 10-30' of space gives the puppy more room to relieve itself, OR gives you lots of leash to reel back in if your pup is distracted) helps ensure your puppy won't find better stuff to do than go potty. A leash helps drive the point home that it is time to potty, not play and adventure!**

***Also be sure that you have someone who can help you with this potty routine during the work day if you bring home a puppy. Puppies can NOT hold their potty while you're at work all day and should not be expected to do so for quite some time. DO NOT send your pup to doggy daycare, that can be extremely detrimental to your other training which I will cover later.***

Crate Training

Crate training is quite possibly the most important thing you can ever do for your dog and yourself. A crate is a place of downtime, peace, and no decision making for a dog. It gives them a quiet, safe, and dedicated space to get away from things that scare it, overwhelm it, etc. Plus, should you ever need to board your dog or have it stay at a vet, it will be crated, and the lack of stress on a dog who is comfortable in a crate will help make both situations more comfortable for your dog/puppy. Think about it this way: when the world gets to be too much for us, we can go to our bedroom and lock the door. Shouldn't a dog have that same option in a world that caters to humans, not canines?

A crate should only be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down, at least until it is fully potty trained. Once you are confident in your dog's potty routine, you can add space to the crate if you need, but regardless the point of a crate is a place for the dog to lay down, relax, and be confined. It does NOT need to be big enough for them to spin circles and run laps!
For puppies, 1 or 2 meals a day should be hand fed (I will cover that later) and 1 or 2 meals a day should be fed in the crate. All meals should be fed in the crate if your puppy is super resistant to the crate (some resistance is normal... your puppy is naturally going to want to be with you 24/7/365 but teaching a dog to be independent is extremely important!!) Scoop the food, place the bowl in the crate, and let your puppy eat in peace. DO NOT EVER get in your puppy's crate or space to pet them, stick hands or faces in their bowl, etc. It is an old wives' tale that this prevents food aggression... it can actually have the opposite effect! If you always give your dog ample time to eat its meal in peace, it is more likely to never view you as a possible competitor for that food. Food manners will also come with time as your dog grows and sees you as a respected leader.
A radio, TV, ticking clock, or other white noise can be really helpful in letting your puppy get acclimated to alone time in the crate. You can also have a blanket or towel with your scent (or litter scent) on it, but be absolutely mindful that you supervise this well so your puppy does not eat and ingest the blanket/towel and cause a blockage ($3,000+ surgery, if not death).
I like to assign a really high value enrichment toy/chew to the crate ONLY. For me, a Kong with peanut butter is my go-to... it provides mental stimulation and is high value to the puppy. This toy ONLY goes in when the pup goes in, and it comes OUT when the pup does. This will help create a really positive association with the crate! **Make absolutely sure the treat/toy you assign to the crate can not be ingested improperly or get stuck on the puppy in any way, especially if you intend to use the toy/chew at unsupervised times!!
Some puppies like the crate to be covered to be more "den-like", but again, be mindful the puppy can not pull the cover through the bars and chew/eat it!
Puppies do better crating at night if their crate is in your room. This will also help with potty training as you can easily hear the puppy stir or whine when it needs to go out. Expect to be up a few times a night the first few weeks while the puppy grows its potty training skills and bladder strength. Otherwise, the puppy should be crated in an area where it can't hear or see you (at LEAST a few hours a day), especially if you work from home or are retired. This will help create an independent puppy who doesn't need to be with you 24/7 and develops Separation Anxiety. If you work, the puppy should be crated while you work, ideally with a potty break at least once during your work day.

*A few examples of ideal crate types. An enclosed kennel such as a Vari-Kennel (pic 1), or a 42-48" wire crate (pic 2) should last your dog its entire life with proper crate training and acclimation. I also highly recommend a Vari-Kennel for in the vehicle! Both styles of crate can be found online (Amazon or Chewy) or in stores such as Pet Supplies Plus, Petco, or Tractor Supply Co.

Meals/Feeding

There are a lot of differing opinions on dog and puppy nutrition. What I believe to be best will never be the same as anyone else. Always do your own research on dog food, and feed what YOU feel is best for you, your dog, your schedule, and your budget. Remember: a fed dog is a dog living better than many!

Hand feeding meals (especially kibble) is always going to be hugely beneficial for your puppy. It helps you lure and shape new behaviors and commands, and it capitalizes on the dog's natural food drive to build a bond between you both.
If you are not hand feeding, you should feed the puppy in the crate (as stated above). This helps the puppy not only have a positive association with its crate, but also gives him or her a safe place to eat where it doesn't feel interrupted, threatened, or insecure. Again, it is an OLD WIVES TALE that touching, petting, taking food away, etc helps avoid food aggression. Quite the opposite!! The more we mess with the puppy while it eats, the more he or she will be worried about what might come next or when we might take their food away again. LET YOUR PUPPY EAT IN PEACE IF YOU ARE NOT HAND FEEDING!!!
Hand feeding is beneficial for a few reasons: resource comes from you, you can shape and lure, and you can use food to mark good behaviors that you want to see more of!
- Resources come from you: your puppy learns all good things come from you which makes you more valuable in their eyes. Remember: your puppy does not come home knowing who holds the purchase receipt. If you want to be valuable to your puppy, you must work for that!
- Shaping and luring: the art of utilizing food drive to get a dog or puppy to follow its nose for food, which in turn helps the puppy's body follow into desired positions such as sit, down, come, etc. Please feel free to follow me at "Last Journey K9" on Facebook for videos on this, or do your own searches... there are tons of videos out there on shaping and luring!
- Marking good behavior: rewarding the puppy for things you want to see more of. Can be anything from sitting when asked, giving eye contact, being calm, etc!
Ideally puppies should eat around 3 meals per day from 8-16 weeks old. Around 16 weeks/4 months, I personally like to transition to 2 meals per day. Meal sizes vary greatly depending on your dog. Some dogs, like us, have better or worse metabolisms. Feed your puppy enough to sustain a nice lean weight and not get fat. If you notice your puppy putting on excess weight, cut back the amount of food you are giving! Growth plates on large dogs don't finish closing until around 15-18 months old. Excess weight on these joints can severely affect joint health, particularly hips and elbows! This is also why it's not recommended to spay or neuter until 18+ months old, it gives the growth plates time to close properly prior to losing those hormones. Only once the dog is around 18 months old should you be concerned with putting some extra weight on so he or she can start filling out properly, but again, be mindful that your dog is not fat!
As stated previously, it's really important to capitalize on a puppy's food drive to accomplish many training feats and tricks. Hold off on buying or using "treats" for training until you have established some obedience at home with strictly their everyday food. Treats should ONLY be utilized when you need higher value rewards/distractions when you begin taking your puppy out into the real world for higher level training and socializing. Use their meals for as long as possible! If and when you start using treats, buy treats that are small, smelly, and quickly ingested. The idea of a treat is for the puppy to get the reward and move on almost immediately, not sit there chomping on a biscuit for 3 minutes until it finally finishes. We have work to do!
Safe examples of chews include: bully sticks, cheek rolls, collagen chews, chicken feet, raw bones, etc. Rawhides are NOT SAFE and should never be given.

*A few examples of my favorite training treats: Train-Me, and BilJac LittleJacs, both available on Amazon or at Pet Supplies Plus!

Socialization

Alright guys... here's a huge one. Socialization. We've all heard it and what it supposedly means, and almost all of us have done it wrong at least once in the past.

SOCIALIZATION IS: the art of teaching our puppy to be neutral to new places, environmentals, people, dogs, and things, and to find us valuable above all else.

SOCIALIZATION IS NOT: letting our puppy play with and greet every single dog or human it sees. So let's get into it.

First and foremost, your puppy should have had at least 2 rounds of Parvo/Distemper shots prior to walking around on high traffic surfaces outside of your own yard and home. This will help ensure your puppy is safe from picking up and contracting diseases that live on surfaces for a long, long time and are extremely deadly. Your puppy can still visit public places with you, but should be carried or in a cart prior to their 2nd vaccination.
Secondly, as I mentioned above, please never ever rely on dog daycare or dog parks to socialize your puppies. Many, MANY bad behaviors can and will be learned at places like these as there is not a lot of control going on, and you truly don't know all the other dogs or humans in charge of those dogs, as well as them being high traffic areas for disease. Both environments can and will cause issues such as fear, reactivity, or even aggression (trust me, I see it constantly). It only takes ONE bad interaction to give your puppy life-long mental scars that may or may not ever be able to be fixed.
Okay, so how do you properly socialize? Start at home. Remember the section about rewarding the dog with food for eye contact? That is going to be your best friend. ANY time you take your puppy somewhere that it might or will experience new people, dogs, etc, allow your puppy to look at these things. Let him or her observe, watch, and take it all in, then redirect his or her attention to you (ideally by saying his or her name) and reward with food when they look at you. Move around stores, experience new surfaces (floor types, chairs, benches, etc), and work through distractions. Practice your obedience in new environments aside from the home or yard.
ALWAYS try to work with a hungry puppy, taking a half or full meal's worth of food with you in a treat bag or ZipLock bag. These sessions can actually substitute meals at home, depending on how much food you use.
Do NOT let strange dogs approach your puppy EVER. Again, you do not know this dog and this one single, possibly poor interaction can set your puppy back SO far and create serious issues. If you have a friend with a super well behaved, mature dog whom you know will not purposely injure your puppy, that is an ideal candidate for interacting with your puppy. Grown dogs can and will teach puppies manners and that can include corrections in the form of growling, snapping, and snarling. This is pretty normal and should be allowed, unless the puppy OR adult dog pursues the situation in any way (examples: 1. Dog growls or nips, puppy barks and is very forward and in the dog's face asking for more, or 2. Dog growls or nips, puppy backs off, dog continues to stare puppy down or continues biting/snarling while puppy is giving distance). Should either dog show these signs, they are overwhelmed and a fight can very possibly follow. Leash and remove both dogs for some down time in a controlled manner, without interaction between the 2! Remember: dogs are better at teaching dogs than humans are... it comes naturally to them, after all. But WE must intervene at times and it's absolutely our responsibility to do so!
Human greetings are a judgement call, but 9 times out of 10 it’s not recommended to meet strangers, as it can lead to engagement and reactivity problems later. I like my puppies to experience strange humans in a very positive way, and I make sure I control the entire situation. If people ask to pet, I will tell them "no, sorry, he’s in training.” This allows puppy to learn that people in public are nothing exciting or anything to get worked up over.
At the vets office I leave puppy in my lap or in a crate for as long as they’ll fit. I do allow the vet to pet on puppy and feed treats as I want that to be a good place in puppy’s mind.

Obedience

I highly recommend following Dave Kroyer, Canemo, Schutzhund Kevin, etc. for sport dog raising tips, as they have a lot of videos demonstrating luring and shaping concepts! Touching back on luring which I mentioned earlier, we are going to use meal times for our puppy to lay the foundation for obedience commands. Luring, again, is the art of using the food drive and sense of smell to lure the puppy's nose somewhere, hence leading the body and butt to follow. Luring is much easier to show on video, but I will try to explain how to teach each command using luring in a nutshell here.*I don’t add verbal commands until puppy is consistently following lure and doing the behavior consistently, after a few months*

Training sessions should be short and fun! 5-10 minutes max, leave puppy wanting more!!
“Your marker word”: pick a word (or use a clicker) like “yes, yep, good, chip, etc.” and use that consistently for dog’s life to mark behavior before reward. Start with something easy like paying for eye contact. Puppy looks at you, marker word with excitement, give piece of kibble.
"Sit" - with a few kibbles in your hand, put your hand in a fist and put it to the puppy's nose so he or she can smell the food. Lift your hand up and over the puppy's head while. The puppy's butt will likely go down on the ground as their head and nose comes up. As soon as the butt is down, mark with "yes!" or "good!" and reward with the food.
"Down" - starting in a sit, food in fist, take the handful of food down to the ground out in front of your puppy, and move it slowly out away from the puppy (in front of them so they follow the fist/food). As soon as the elbows hit the ground, mark with "yes!" or "good!" and reward with the food.
"Come" - Come can be taught a TON of different ways, but all should be positive and engaging so that coming to you when called is ALWAYS the preferred option! I personally like to start really small. Scatter some kibble on the ground and while your puppy is vacuuming those up, move 6-10 feet away and say his or her name, "come!" and back up (moving away from your dog feed prey drive which entices them to chase; any time you are animated and have your dog chase you for obedience commands, you are tapping into their natural instincts to teach them things more fluidly!) As soon as the puppy gets to you, mark with "yes!" or "good!" and give the food reward.
Eye contact when you say his or her name - this, to me, is arguably the most important luring exercise you can practice. A dog should look at you when you say its name... that's half of your obedience command. A dog not looking at you is a ton more likely to blow off a command! Simply say the dog's name, wait for eye contact, mark with "yes!" or "good!" and reward with food. TONS of this until your pup clearly knows its name!!
Speaking of coming when called, here's a concept many people really struggle with: when your puppy is 8-12 weeks old, you're really all they know. They've left the comfort of their litter and Mom to come be with you and they rely on your HEAVILY to help them navigate the world and keep them safe. CAPITALIZE ON THAT!!! When you go outside with your puppy to play or train, IF POSSIBLE, do not leash them. Your puppy is VERY likely to have an innate desire to stay by you as it is, so use that to your advantage, carry food constantly and randomly pay puppy for following you/showing interest in you. If your dog is off leash a ton as a puppy, it is VERY much less likely to run away (as long as you train it) as an adult because being off leash isn't anything new or exciting to them, it's just how their life is. Again, practice recall with food in the yard as well. If you aren't comfortable letting the puppy completely off leash for any reason, a long line (15-100' leash) gives you a lot more freedom to work on recall with a safety backup.
Alternatively, your puppy should be leashed inside the home. This is a huge concept people struggle with because it seems absolutely backwards, but again... behavior issues usually start inside the home, so avoid them altogether by using a leash! A leash is not purely a restriction tool, it is a communication tool. Help your puppy make good decisions by holding it accountable in the home from day one and you are FAR less likely to have potty training issues, chewing issues, chasing other pets/family members, etc!
PUPPY BITING!! The one we all dread the most. Remember: most dogs are bred TO bite in some form or fashion, and the mouth is the only real way dogs have to play, explore, communicate, etc. That said, biting can and should be curbed prior to your puppy growing large enough to cause damage. ALWAYS keep tug toys, interesting chews, etc around so you can redirect your puppy. With sport puppies we don't like to associate biting with anything negative, so handing them what they ARE supposed to chew/bite on works really well usually. If you are using a tug toy, don't just hand the puppy the toy and expect it to entertain itself... interact with him/her! If your puppy is REALLY adamant that skin is best, it's probably crate time. Puppies VERY frequently get overly tired and in turn get really cranky and in turn, bitey... similar to an overly tired toddler. Don't hesitate to give your puppy a timeout!

Etc.

Remember your puppy isn't a puppy forever. Enjoy the process, put in the work, and raise the puppy to be the dog you truly want it to be! However, also remember you aren't raising a puppy... you are raising a DOG! Dogs are NOT babies, nor are puppies. They are opportunistic predators who don't speak the same language as us, and are not pre- programmed to understand how the human world works... we must teach them!

Never hesitate to reach out to your breeder for help. A good breeder is there for you and the puppy, and truly wants the living being he/she brought into the world to have a happy, safe, productive life! I also always recommend hiring a trainer or attending training classes if possible.
Classes are also great for puppy socialization, but be careful not to attend classes where puppies are allowed to run wild and free together. YOU are at class to learn how to teach your dog, not to let random other dogs do it for you! :)
As always, please feel free to follow me on Facebook at "Last Journey K9" where I post tons of free content, and share content from a ton of other amazing trainers who truly want nothing but peace and harmony between human and canine. And ALWAYS ask questions... none of them are stupid!!!

www.facebook.com/lastjourneydogs www.lastjourneyk9.com 269-245-9891

Katie Breslin, Owner/Trainer