scomona Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Hi- I am looking for resources on "putting pressure" on a dog and training. We are bringing it into our training and I want to read up on techniques etc.... Shiloh had a great session with the trainer today. He is great with his downs, stays and recall....but still pulls on the lead a bit. He is also in play mode all the time and we were directed to have more structured "work" time while practicing using pressure and release as training and reward. Also- we decided to wait until 9 months or so for the big snip. Our trainer just said to watch his behavior- but that waiting until 9 months+ could be helpful for his health. So we were wondering what kind of behavior we should watch for. I am a first time BC owner- so I don't really know what to look for in regards to behaviors linked to testosterone production. And if I do notice these behaviors should we just be correcting them- or should we move the operation up? Oh- and the best news is that we start herding classes in 2 weeks! So exciting! Thanks very much for the help- Simona and Shiloh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 To let a male pup mature physically (and mentally, too) so that the skeleton has finished its growth, I'd wait until at least 12-14 months and personally prefer to wait until 18 months or so. Of course, undesirable behaviors might make me aim for the lower end of the range but, as long as that wasn't an issue, I'd prefer to wait until 18 months. You can find a lot on this subject if you do a search, because pros and cons have been discussed often here! Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 How old is Shiloh? If he's six months or less that's a bit young to start any real stock training, unless he's a real prodigy. Like Sue said, I prefer to wait closer to 2 years to neuter a male. That gives time for them to mature physically. That said, if you think you would have trouble preventing unwanted breedings with an intact male, then it won't actually hurt to neuter at a younger age. Oh, pressure and release: pressure can be as simple as your physical presence or your voice correction. For example, if I call my puppy and he doesn't respond because he's doing something far more interesting, applying pressure might be something like giving a voice correction ("Hey!") and a stomp of my foot for emphasis. If he looks up, then I back off (release) and switch to a happy voice (release) and give the recall command again. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scomona Posted November 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Shiloh is just over 6 months and apparently is a "natural"- but we certainly aren't! So I think we will be just taking things slow and spreading it out. I think just a class a week to learn commands at first- I don't actually know much until we start in a few weeks. The neuter part- we agree and want to wait as well. But I was actually wondering what "behaviors" to look out for. It may be a bit of a dumb question- but we have never had a male dog. Everyone makes it seem like he will be crazy aggressive after 6 months. So I would rather get some insight into how his character may (or may not) change, if corrections are a good way to deal with it and if there would be any behavior that would mean that we should neuter him sooner. Thanks again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Behaviors: marking and posturing or aggression toward other males are probably the two biggest. If he's not a particularly dominant/pushy personality now, he's not likely to become one once the testosterone kicks in, although there are always exceptions to the rule. If you've already trained him to accept verbal corrections, then you can just correct any unwanted behaviors as they arise. FWIW, most of the folks I know (me included) who train dogs for stockwork don't start out with commands. We start out letting the dog learn to feel its sheep and control them. Commands come later once the youngster has a good feel for balance and control. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scomona Posted November 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Thanks Julie- I appreciate the help. It looks like "pressure" is just what we have been doing all along and now I know the name! As for the commands with the herding- I am probably just wrong, that's just what would have made sense to me, which is why I need more training. -Simona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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