The Junk Train is currently in Ohio, I'll leave it to the "stationmaster" to fill in details. We're almost done with this journey of the Junk Train and the Secret Santa Exchange is waiting in the wings for it's turn on stage. I'm asking those still waiting for the Junk Trains that as much as it is in your power to do so PLEASE get the JT'09 rolling as soon as possible after you receive it. It would be great if we close it out for the year before the SSE starts! Thanks to all. Sylvia

In order to harness the instincts of A German Shep"herd" understanding the temperament of the dog you have is of the utmost importance before you start any training. With that said there are alot of all breed training classes out there that IMO are not the best choice for correct training with this breed, unless the trainer has alot of experience with GSD's. I'm going to disagree with the Monks of new skeet training...especially with a novice owner of the breed trying to train. Take my word for it, I don't know any qualified GSD trainer that would recommned half the things in their books, in fact some practices are down right dangerous. I also don't like to start a GSD in clicker training before anything else has been applied. Another thing is while learning to train your GSD correctly for his/her temperamanet it might be helpful to find out if you have an american line or a European line GSD, as each lines were bred quite differently. European lines, especially those from east Germany tend to be a lot more intense as their lines were bred more stongly from working lines and there fore you may find you have a dog quite wirey because being a couch potoato was not it's original breeding plan. A knowledgeable GSD trainer should be easily able to identify which line your dog most likely comes from. Another point for finding a Trainer well versed in GSD's is differnet lines are structurally built different as well. Someone who doesn't understand your lines body structure or proper temperament may not realize certain training problems may be not be working due to a health issue verses the dog not getting the lessons. Get the facts about your breed here...http://www.cluebus.com/holly/gsdfaq.html than decide what training you want to do with this dog/dogs. My advice is to start off with "functionable obedience" & Prevention and Problem solving type classes. This will give you a good assesment on what are you and your dog's strengths and weakneses when it comes to training. Below is a link supplied that can take you to all different types of Dog training. Find one that you are inerested in,email the person on the lnk and see if they can recommend a qualified trainer for your breed that is in close proximity to you. Also Can I suggest you check out some of the GSD dog websites such as http://p197.ezboard.com/bgsdlounge, or the AOL GSD messgae board, just to name a couple. Most people here can really help you walk through things while working with a trainer. best of luck Here is a link that might be useful: all kinds of dog training links

I thought I should inject a word about my own credentials. Over the past 50 years I have trained 7 dogs (4 collies, 2 shelties, and one mixed breed rescue dog) and 4 equines (2 horses and 2 ponies). My first two collies came to me as one year old dogs and the latter two were puppies. Both my shelties were pups and my older mixed breed was a formerly abused biter with serious trust problems when they came to me. Two of my horses and one pony were what I would call "green broke" and the other pony was an untrained 3 yr old that I took on to train & rehome to save her from the meat buyers, but who ended up staying with me until her death at age 36. My first collie was a rescue of sorts, having lived the first year of his life at the end of a chain. I trained him with methods available at that time. He embraced the task of getting out of the road when a car approached, and he would have been sadly disappointed had he learned that the only point of this task was to protect himself from injury. He would scurry over to the side of the road and look at us with self-satisfaction, as if to say "There I found a car for you! Didn't I do good!?" I trained him using old school methods, and I lament not having access to reward based training methods at the time, as it would have made him an even more exceptional dog than he was. That is not to say he wasn't lavished with praise and love, just that old style dominence methods were employed. Still he had a great quality of life and walked hundreds of miles on hikes and horseback rides. But it always eats at me that I did not have the tools available that are at my disposal today. My last collie that I trained with positive reinforcement methods passed his canine good citizen test with flying colors and earned a backpacking title from the American Working Collie Assoc, carrying a pack for a dozen miles, and another 12 miles on his way to winning another title from a different organization. I schooled my horses in basic dressage, simple reining exercises, elementary jumping, barrel racing, as well as training my mare and both ponies to pull a cart. None of them even knew something as basic as how to back up when they came to me. My sister and I conditioned our horses for a number of 25 - 35 mile competitive trail rides and placed well. I placed 3rd (actually first place, except that there was also a champion and reserve champion ahead of her) in a competitve trail drive at Green Mountain Horse Assoc. with my small pony as well. This was quite an accomplishment for a small Shetland pony competing against a field of Arabians and Morgans. My Morgan X mare and I were often in the money/ribbons every week at local rodeos and gymkhanas. As far as horse training mentors, I took my advice from articles and books written by those who wrote about "developing a rapport with one's horse" and under the tutelage of similar minded equestrian instructors, both Western and English. It is not necessary to engage in some sort of macho peeing contest with one's dog to teach him desirable vs undesirable behaviors, nor with horses. As far as horses, my favorite words of advice on the subject comes from a trainer I respected highly, a man with great expertise in training "problem horses," Dave Jones. He wrote this: "When you are starting to lose your temper with your horse, picture this: imagine that your gentle riding horse is the meanest, mankillingest son-of-a-*** under the sun. Would you lose your temper with this horse? Heck no! He'd stomp you to death!" Mr Jones' sense of humor was one of his endearing qualities, but the message behind his words spoke volumes. I developed a lasting rapport with all my horses. The proof of their trust in me was evident when my mare was willing to cross a narrow bridge that no sane horse would cross because I told her it was OK, or when I had to perform a veterinary procedure on one of them, or if I told them it was OK to allow a vet to do the same. I never betrayed their trust in me and I could trust them all implicitly. I cared for them all their lives into old age and they rewarded me with a love that is still with me now that they are gone. (It had nothing to do with the obvious fact that the human with the grain can was in charge, aka alpha.) That is the definition of rapport.

Thank you all for the great responses! you have some funny stories!! Kim okla-I'm from Okla too! Live in Norman. So glad to hear the doggy door can be a good thing. I still need to do some research on the kind of doggy door. We live in town so hopefully not too many wild animals running around. I have always dreamed of having a dog that walks and wanders around the house and sleeps in an area of his choice. Although, I can definately see the crate being a good thing also. My sister has a dog that she keeps in the crate while she is gone-and on the occasion she is out shopping or whatever, she has to make sure get gets back to let him out. It cuts down on her time away a bit. But, she doesn't have to worry about him chewing her furniture either. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, I guess. I didn't think about what he might take outdoors/indoors-could be interesting-LOL! Were any of your dogs older when you brought them home to use the doggy door, or were they puppies, or would it matter you think as far as them taking to the doggy door easily? I guess what I'll do is keep him in his crate and let him out right by the doggy door for awhile until he gets it? olliesmom