Posted By smatulewicz on 11/19/2012 8:18 AM
Congrats on your new addition! Do you plan to crate train? I would suggest a metal crate with a divider that your dog can grow into. Many of the metal styles also have attachable play pens that can be purchased separately if you wanted to try out the idea of a puppy pen (it didn't work for our puppy it just made her anxious, she did much better with less space in her crate if we could not supervise her). We ended up breaking apart the play pen and using the gating to block off certain rooms as she aged rather than having to buy baby gates.

I found the pouches that hold treats that attach to your waist or belt to be very handy in the puppy stages for training. We also used a clicker when she was a pup which worked well. Consider if you want to use the bells that hang on doors for potty training (we opted out of that as my husband didn't want her learning to paw at the door, but I hear it works great for others). We also had a 20+ foot lead for training and exploring (since we don't have a fenced yard). These work nicely for teaching retrieving and recall as well.

Our puppy loved plush toys but we found her to be a chewer (especially when teething). Get the fun plush toys, but you may also want to get a good nylabone and some teething toys. You can put teething toys in the freezer so they are cold and soothing. Baby carrots also work great (I diced carrots and used them often as a healthy training treat rather than store bought treats).

We read some puppy training books and learned some helpful ideas. You'll find what works best for you and your puppy.

If possible, ask the breeder right now to put a toy, spare blanket, shirt, or just anything they can live with parting in with the mom and pups right now that can come home with your puppy. This way, for the first couple of days your pup will have the reassurance of something that smells like his/her mom and littermates.

Be prepared for a few sleepless nights your first few days (we set an hourly alarm to let her out during the night, moving up to every two hours...three hours...then just once a night). It may not sound fun, but it is far easier than cleaning up a messy room or crate and puppy " border="0" /> It will be well worth it!! They are an absolute joy! Enjoy the puppy stage. It goes by SO fast.

Posted By smatulewicz on 11/19/2012 9:57 AM
All that and I forgot to post the link: http://www.dogkennels.com/dog-crates/wire-dog-crates/6996+6998+7010.cfm?source=googleaw&kwid=wire%20dog%20kennel&tid=modbroad&gclid=CKDh8uS-27MCFQjznAod-HQA5Q

Posted By Texas Belle on 11/23/2012 3:37 PM
So, the monks are old school and they train German Shepards. Their concepts are good though as are their insights. I use treats freely with puppies and then fade the treats later when the dogs are older. Clicker training allows you to associate the click with a reward (treat). You first train the association by clicking and treating (this is called loading). Then you use the clicker to mark the behavior you want. So at first you may mark an move in the right direction, then the full behavior. For instance, to teach come yo call your dog. If the dog looks in your direction, you click and treat. Once they do this consistently you wait for a step toward you, then treat, and so on. That example is pretty extreme as most puppies will head to you on first call, but it gives you the idea. I use this method, but do not use a clicker. I use the verbal marker, Yes instead. The concept is the same. The nice part about this type of training is it allows you to shape and perfect a behavior, and as you progress you do not have to treat immediately, but the dog knows the treat is coming.

I recommend you finish th Monks book and also get a book on clicker training. You will start see the more books you read different training methods, but also the overlaps in training methods. Develop one that works for you. With me I use a combination of many methods. I mostly use positive training, but there are times I have used negative reinforcers too. It truly depends on the dog and the issue you are dealing itch. Every dog is different, and training used for a border collie does not necessarily work for shorthairs. Shorthairs re very smart and do not do well with drilling. They are also soft and that softness and intelligence is often mistaken for stubbornness. With my dogs if they get an exercise right we move on. I also always stop on a positive and keep the training short and fun. Training is always a fun time and I mix allot of play in the training.

Good luck and have fun with your pup. If you have any specific questions ask. I train and compete with my dogs in obedience and will be happy to answer any questions. My male won high in trial in obedience this year at our Nationals in Phoenix. His older sister won high in trial at the shorthair Nationals in Denver in 2009. I am pretty proud of both of them.