Hi everyone!  My girlfriend and I will be getting a male GSP puppy in the near future and I was just wondering if you guys could recommend some good training resources.  Websites, books, etc.  We don't plan on hunting with him, and I'm mainly looking for obedience training.  Obviously, a solid recall is a must and I plan on using a whistle since he'll be running around in some big fields.  

Also, what treats do you find these guys love?  I'm looking for something that he'll go nuts over to help me with training.  Any other training aids you would recommend?

Thanks!

Thanks for the replies! I'm the original poster, but I changed my username. We definitely plan on crate training. It's a must for us since we'll be away from home during the day. smatulewicz, do you remember the name of the nasty, smelly jerky treats? We've thought about obedience class. Do you think it is more effective than taking the time to train the dog myself?

Does anyone know of a good method to train the dog to respond to whistle commands? I'll definitely be researching online about good dog training methods. I was just wondering if anyone had a system that worked well for them that they would recommend.

I make my own training treats and the recipes for what works best with my dogs are on my website. If you want a good store bought training treat the Bil Jac is a good option. Most dogs love it. I also only use those special treats for training which helps make them high value. The high value part is important which is why I don't use their everyday kibble in training. Other good high value treats are hotdogs, cheese, cooked fajita meat as long as it isn't too spicy, popcorn, Cheetos, lots of choices out there. Also use play with toys as a reward. The play as a reward helps keep training fun and exciting for the dog, and helps eith focus. Whatever you use for play it too needs to only be used when training. Each dog is different in what motivates them, so as a trainer you have to try different things until you figure it out. You also need several things in case they for whatever reason loose interest in one of the rewards.

I like the obedience classes for several reasons: socialization, training the handler which is more often what is needed even with very experienced trainers, giving you several options for discussing training techniques and working through problems, keeping you motivated to progrees your traingping and doing homework, etc. I compete in the obedience ring and have for 9 years, but I still go to classes for all of the above reasons and more. As for one training technique I on't recommend any one single technique, but much prefer to pick up different techniques from different trainers. As I said before what works for one dog may not work for another. Also, most trainers that write books are using labs, goldens, shepards, border collies, but not shorthairs. If you trainer a shorthair like a lab or golden ( and I am only talking about obedience training) you will loose them fast. They will get bored and not like the training. They are too smart for all the repetitions. Shorthairs do best in training once they understand the exercise if you start throwing problems (variations of the exercise) at them and letting them figure it out. Rewarding effort is also important even if they don't get it quite right. That is basically the same method as clicker training where you are shaping behavior. I do like the concept behind clicker training, but I have modified it a bit and use a verbal marker. I also do not do as much shaping initially, but instead use more luring and then marking.

All of this is why I recommended both class and reading obedience training books. I would even recommend reading some of the competition obedience training books as you will pick up ideas to incorporate in your training even if you never compete. Also, be careful of what you read on the web as anyone can claim expertise and post information. Some is good and some is not. The more you read the more you will be able to separate out what you want to use. Don't be afraid to try things and change your mind. Shorthairs are very forgiving of their trainers.