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  • Is it too late – had the dog for 2 years?

    Posted by Ezekiel on May 1, 2021 at 9:45 PM

    Hello. We have a GS who is 2 years old. We got her when she was a puppy and overall, a great dog. I just finished watching “<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Video – The FIRST Things to Teach Your Dog” and feel that we didn’t give her a good foundation – e.g. our correction was off, expected too much, etc.

    Is it too late to “restart” her training and start with what Robert recommended from this video, and build it up from there?

    Thank you.

    DaftPunk@PollutionPunk replied 3 years, 4 months ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Riggan

    Member
    May 2, 2021 at 5:07 AM

    Ezekiel, It is never too late! And 2yo is still relatively young – not quite out of the “teenager” years. Depending on what the behavior is you want to correct, you might want to go back to the beginning and retrain the skill as in the video, or it might require a slightly different approach than you would use for a puppy. Or you might be able to just “clean up” the behavior you already have. You say your corrections were off and you expected too much of the pup. Those are things that you can simply start being more aware of, and your dog will quickly notice the difference! Can you tell us more about what you would like to change / improve?

  • Bill

    Member
    May 2, 2021 at 8:48 AM

    Hi Ezekiel – It is never too late to train – in fact you have the benefit of 2 years with your dog so as you identify what you would like to accomplish you know what you need to overcome or modify. It is never too late to teach an old dog (ok, 2 year old dog) new tricks😆 Yes, Robert’s videos would be fantastic foundation information and this forum would be a great place to seek assistance with any modifications/accommodations that you may want to make for your specific situation/GSD. The members here have a vast depth of experiences from which to draw to offer some ideas as you begin your quest! HAPPY TRAINING!!

  • DaftPunk@PollutionPunk

    Member
    July 12, 2021 at 3:44 PM

    I got Daft Punk from a rescue shelter. He was abused. Left on a 3 meter lead driven into the ground. He was 23 months old when rescued.

    I was approved to adopt him when he was 25 months old in February 2020. It is not too late. I started watching Robert and Goofy in April 2020. Robert’s experience and ability to share and teach have been a lifesaver for Daft Punk and me. Many trainers here were unfamiliar with the Belgian Malinois.

    It will take some time. We both still have many lessons to learn. I have kept my expectations low. I found taking him to as many spots as possible to interact with people and cyclists/runners (he wants all of them to stop and interact with him) was difficult. But, it was and still is what he needs. We’ve not been able to train him because of the pandemic. While here in Switzerland we were always able to go outside with a dog, we were not able to socialize our pets with humans or much at all with other dogs.

    Look close at one of our neighbour’s little Yorkie. They were able to play together. He did find a Weimaraner that loves to play rough. They are good friends too.

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