Where do you get your dog training advice from?

[Marsalimay]

I'm becoming more serious about getting a German Shepherd puppy, but it's about 17 years since I last bought one and 5 years since I last owned one (I had two together for most of the time).

17 years ago I was relying on books and what I'd grown up with for how to train a dog. It feels as though things have really moved on, so I'm wondering what places on the Internet you would recommend for training a puppy. I lean more towards a calm, kind and respectful approach, if that makes any difference.

Gundog trainers, mostly so perhaps not relevant to you.

I have been listening to podcasts by obedience trainers who talk a lot about building resilience, and conditioning a young dog to the lead so it's really happy with it and thinks of a tight lead as a positive signal to return to your side and be rewarded.

I went to some training classes from a registered behaviourist.
Also watched a lot of YouTube

I have two German shepherds and if I can give one piece of advice it’s to look for one from a line of nice dogs. Don’t touch anything from ex police/guard dog line if you want a nice well rounded family pet. If the bitch is in any way nervous WALK AWAY

My mum is a very experienced dog owner bred Australian shepherds and her dogs are all amazing and well trained and my sister is a guide dog trainer so lucky to have great people on hand for tips and advice when I get my puppy in 6 months sadly our golden retriever died on Friday but he was amazing. I found just being positive with him, no negativity when he did something wrong and being calm he was such a chilled dog. Gsd are beautiful we had a guide dog pup who was a gsd and she was amazing and very bright and is now a very good guide dog for a lovely lady who sends us pics and updates.
Enjoy your pup when it comes,

www.facebook.com/groups/374160792599484/?ref=share

That’s a decent group...

We went to training classes for a year - positive ones.

I also watched a lot of Kikopup!

Kikopup is excellent.

Dog trainers that are members of accredited organsiations that require adherence to the science of reward-based training.e.g. IMDT.

How Dogs Learn by Mary Burch is an excellent foundation in the basics of behavioural learning theory - not exactly a training manual but gives you the science

Better Together: The Collected Wisdom of Modern Dog Trainers
by Ken Ramirez is also excellent and gives you viewpoints on dofferent aspects of dog training

The facebook group Dog Training Advice and Support is brilliant. Loads of articles you can read to give you some basics and great advice in the posts.

I also watch people with dogas whose behaviour I like. I watch how they interact with their dogs and the kinds of things they encourage, ignore and discourage and how they do it. Universally, I find they are calm, even tempered, patient and fair types of people.

My brilliant dog club! All of mine do the canine good citizen awards - great fun!

Positive training classes locally from 16 weeks until lockdown put a stop to it - pup is now nearly 11 months. They do the kennel club good citizen scheme and emphasise rewards-based training. I looked around for local classes and discounted a holistic one (included dog homeopathy?!) and a boot-camp style one as didn’t think I’d like my puppy being shouted at by an ex-army bloke.
Also, the Facebook group Dog Training and Advice, and a book called Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy, and another book called Total Recall. I really need to read the recall book again and do some more of the exercises though!