You know with all my other dobies I always used the gentle leader and kept them in a heel but with all this social media and trainer videos I keep seeing the Spirit dog methods of letting your dog have some freedom on their walk so I have been doing both. The morning we do 50/50 heel and release ... once he goes poop he is completely at a heel the entire way home... I get so confused now with what to do... All my previous dogs I just loved and cared for, and they were all amazing. A few I could go off-leash with no problem. For some reason, I feel so different about raising Renzo ... I really think I watch too many videos, and it convolutes my thoughts. I really like Beckman not Cesar.
Heh. I get you on "watching so many videos", and confusion. There is SO much good info out now that just twenty years ago you would normally get from a qualified trainer (and I use qualified on purpose).
Bonnie is my first pupp in a long time, so I had the benefit of being retired to get some training for me, plus all the advice in online forums, a dozen books on dobes (not all done yet!), and of course, youtube. Then there is trying to sort out the various religious beliefs, positive only, thou shalt not on service dogs, etc...
Well...about the best advice I have gotten is "learn from the dog in front of you"...
And
Dont be afraid to try a new trick or technique if one thing is not clicking for you and Renzo.
I notice that dobes as a mix of terriers, shepherds, hunting dogs, mastiffs may express a drive or behavior thats from more than one fiundation breed, or mixed in together...it makes sense they would be more of a challenge than a dog from a long established breed with predictable behaviors to a task and motivations...that are best met by say one simple thing...
So you and Renzo just sort of have to learn together, and its ok if it takes some trial and error. Its ok to try something different.
Remember there is the idea out there that puppies go thru a couple periods where they seem to regress, so just go back a step or two to basics and rebuild/reinforce until that clicks in, again.
My very best advice has been "make it fun".
I personally think you can learn something from everyone you meet in life, if you listen, and there are some good trainers online.
I'll defer to the more dobe experienced her on who they like, but I do like the down to earth style of Donnie Stover, the thoughtful interviews by Cabral, and Beckman intrigues me with his marine mammal background and focus on using his dobes as demo dogs.
I also like anything from Leerburg, Mike Ellis, and see Kikopup mentioned a lot on Service Dog forums. There is a lot of very wise info from the LEO and MWD community in the GSD forums, thats very insightful- including from GuideDogs.
I'd most highly recommend read
@Ladydi posts on training puppies as Service Dogs, and see what you can glean from the top 3 corporate programs.
There is a lot of really interesting and results oriented behavioral science going on in that area, thats hard to get at but so useful in early socialization, calm obedience, bonding...she posted a link to a youtube channel you can review all ten lessons.
Its a great time to be learning to "talk dog" so give yourself a chance to be imperfect but just be patient and stick with it.
The one thing I have learned is dobes are a little more of a challenge but once they get their brains fully in, which in males may be later...its so worth it...
PS: there is a gold mine of info in the archives here, and you can search using the built in tools, or outside in using search engines.
What sets it apart are some of the smartest most experienced, kind and generous people in dobe and big dog world so dont be afraid to ask.
give an inch, he'll take a mile every time...
