Bonding Advice??...

Hi all

I just want to check with those of you with a LOT more experience with puppies than me but especially those of you with GSDs, I am probably being a bit overboard but I just want to make sure I am getting this right

I've read so much about how much GSDs have eyes only for their owners and I know I may be expecting too much or too much too soon?..

I am just wondering about the time it takes to bond with your pup? I know its not set in stone but is it weeks or months? I have had Keira for 4 weeks now, I have Summer so I know that means she focuses on Summer as well as me but she seems more aloof, again I know this is good as I've succeeded in making sure she can be independant but now we're starting training I am struggling to get her to focus on me, she can take her treats/ toys/ praise or leave them depending what mood she's in, I have taken to sqeezy cheese when we're out to try and make her come, she won't go far from me (she's attached to the lead at all times but I long line her to allow her to have a run around with Summer and she's only allowed to go play with Summer when we've done a bit of recall training and she has some back several times, I do have to pull her back while I'm calling her but as soon as she comes back willingly thats when I let her go play) but getting her attention can be difficult, any advice or do I just need to chill out and wait for the bond to become stronger in time and just persevere as I am with training?

I know you may all think I'm mad, I kind of know you are all going to tell me I'm nuts and the bond will take a long time and just persevere but recall is something I have never been able to perfect with Summer no matter what I did, clearly something I was doing and not doing but as I never worked out what it was I was doing wrong I'm bothered about not perfecting recall with Keira??

xx

Bonding and recal are different things the world is a big interesting place

However
It would be better I think for you to be walking them seperate so you are her comfort and her focus - not exciting playing about

also pup and grown dog need totaly different exercise so I would spend far more time walking them on their own

Do you play with her?

GSDs love toys, and so by now she should be very keen on her ball or whatever if you are playing with one. They LOVE to play so use that to your advantage.

GSDs love to chase and hold balls.

Thanks Ben

I am walking them seperately mostly but I want them to get used to being out together as well, for the first few walks after her vaccine kicked in I walked them seperate every time but yesterday and today I did all their walks seperate except for once, this is only a 15-20 minute walk so we did 'walking nicely' one on either side of me which they were pretty good at (if you dont count the few times Keira tried to get to Summer and I nearly broke my neck ) then we did a little recall which is where we struggled, as soon as she came back without being pulled I give her lots of lead to play for 10 minutes, I just noticed such a difference that I thought I'd ask, I'm trying to chill out but I so want to make sure I get the recall right and wasn't sure if it was because she just isn't interested enough at the moment what i'm doing?

They have 4 walks each a day (I should shift some weight now!) Keira has around 15 - 20 minutes each time, Summer has 45mins - and hour as well as ball chasing, that girl needs LOTS of exercise

Is it too soon to be doing any of their walks together?

xx

She wasn't interested at all in balls or toys, she is getting better I have taught her to play and she is just starting to twig the game is fun but she still isn't really bothered when we were out, I did try and she just looked at it then went the other way

I'm hoping she'll get better as she is starting to love her toys, maybe I'm not making it interesting enough, I'm going to try playing hide and seek with her ball tomorrow, I'll get Dan to hold her while I show her where I put it then get her to 'find it' xx

Your pup is 12 weeks old? that is a lot of exercise a day for such a young pup imho.

You say I give her lots of lead to play for 10 minutes what and who does she play with?

If she is getting all her feedback from mooching around sniffing that is what you will get; a dog that prefer to look elsewhere for fun rather than at you.

You develop a bond by playing with a dog so that it learns that YOU are the source of all fun, a walking slot machine if you will.

Do you think you are making the mistake a lot of people make ie training is "serious" and play should be fun? When in fact all training should be and can be fun?

But you get the dog interested in the HOUSE first where there is nothing more interesting, you restrict access to toys so they become more valuable and they are only available to play with YOU.

Be careful if you start to hide a toy; that your dog does not really care if it finds it or not. Basically, you know when your dog is sufficiently interested or not, when you have to hang on to the collar so the dog is straining to get it.

If your dog is not at that stage yet, I would suggest you do not hide the ball.......yet.

The 10 minutes long lead is only when I'm with Summer once a day SB, the other times and its just me and her where I do make sure I play with her, we walk for about 10 - 15 minutes then play so her walks per day are:
8am (ish) 20 minutes out, 5 minutes walk to park, 10 miutes playing ball, recall, chasing me while I run around like a nelly then treating her for 'coming' to me.
12 (ish) same as morning
4.30pm (ish) Drive to field with Summer where I know she can go off lead, we then walk 5 mins to the place I can safely let Summer off lead, I do some recall with Keira then let her have a long line to play with Summer for 10 minutes, this is when I tried to play ball and she just looked at it then walked the other way 5 minutes walk back to the car both on lead.
9pm (ish) 5 minutes walking around the estate, 5 minutes of her chasing me, chasing ball then 5 minutes walk home.

I am trying to keep the actual walking to around 15 minutes as thats what I was advised while she's still a pup xx

Yes I'm sure you're right I need to make her more interested at home, I do keep the toys seperate that I play with her with, I will just chill myself out and play some more at home with the ball, might go back to walking them seperately for a while longer, I have really chilled out about everything else as I know it will all come in time, I just want to make sure I get the recall right I know I am going OTT I'll give myself a good talking too and remember she is still a 12 week old baby

I know what you mean about straining SB, I am smiling as my lab does exactly that, the ONLY time I have her FULL attention is when I have meat in my hand or her tennis ball

No you are not going OTT recall is ESSENTIAL, but if you play with your dog and follow my recall article, you cannot go far wrong.