When I got Shasta, a magnificent long hair German Shepherd, I wanted her mainly as a family pet and companion to my handicapped son, Sterling. She turned out to be a perfect buddy to Sterling because of her sweet disposition and her gentle, tolerant personality. 

Her father was a working police dog in Germany. Because we live in a big city, I wondered if Shasta could be a good candidate for training in personal protection. When I inquired, some professional trainers warned that if I trained Shasta in bite work (personal protection), she would no longer be a good family pet. In other words, I couldn't have it both ways. 

I decided to take the chance and began training sessions on a weekly basis with Neil Berkow. I knew him to be a professional personal protection licensed trainer with years of experience. Working with Neil, I found out that he did not take the dog from me to train her. Instead, he worked with me and taught me how to train the dog myself. We worked together as a team---me, Neil and Shasta. 

The first thing Neil taught me was to do good obedience training with Shasta. Good obedience training is important for the dog and the owner. This is also neccessary for safety reasons.

Because of Neil, training sessions were a lot of fun for both me and Shasta. I learned to train my dog in motivation mode, meaning that she is eager to please me and do a good job. I also learned how to correctly praise her for good accomplishment and how to administer proper correction.. A bite work session with Neil can vary in length to prevent the dog from tiring or being bored. We always finished the training on a strong bite to give Shasta a win that she'd done a good job.

I feel very safe now in the big city with Shasta by my side all the time. I never leave the apartment without her. She is fiercely protective and instantly acts (attack) on command. Because she is very well trained in obedience and will instantly stay put on command I have no need to keep her on the leach when I take her for a walk. Shasta is very friendly and playful with other dogs and she has also remained a perfect family pet. Her sweet disposition and gentleness with my handicapped son and with people and children in general has not been affected by the personal protection training. With Shasta, I do have it both ways!

I continue to see Neil a few times a year for "tune-up" bite work sessions which both me and Shasta enjoy.

Shirley 

Note: I would never board my dog in a kennel for personal protection training because:

1. I believe that the separation can cause a great deal of stress and grief to the dog, not to mention the owner.
2. Some dogs may experience a change of personality at the hand of rough and bad trainers
3. I believe that best results are achieved when working together as a team - you, the dog, and the trainer

• Holistic Animal Health: 
• Why RAW food?
• What's in Pet food?
• Natural Animal  Health
• Homeopathy for animals
• Rearing healthy pups & kittens
• Saving Shasta's life: a holistic approach
• Shasta's sample RAW diet recipe
• Toxic environment and your pet's illness
• Alternative to antibiotics
• Testimonials of amazing animal cures: the drugless approach
• Preventing & Healing Animal Cancer
• Holistic Health for Horses
• Feline Holistic Health
• Natural diet for pet birds
• Vaccinosis: chronic dis-ease caused by vaccines
• Nosodes: alternative to conventional vaccines
• List of holisitic veterinarians
• List of commercially prepared pet health food
• Managing flea bites and hotspots naturally
• Improving your animal's health with kelp
• Books & video: holistic animal health
• Training Shasta for personal protection
• Important animal rights issues

How I cured my dog's severe health problems: a drugless approach When I got Shasta at age 2, she was in extremely poor health with a host of chronic symptoms: severely emaciated and weak: chronic diarrhea; massive wax discharge from her ears which were continually irritated and inflamed; ongoing eye and nasal discharge and skin eruptions.Soon she developed miosotis of the jaw bones (very painful inflamation of the muscle) and the vet suggested that I put her to sleep because "nothing could be done to ease her suffering or to cure her" Instead, I turned to holistic health and she completely recovered her health. Learn how I saved her life.

Looking for a HEALTHY German Shepherd puppy? Riveriene Farm puppies are naturally reared on natural nutrition. Riveriene Farm has experienced the positive effects of wholistic care and feeding since 1989. All their dogs are presently reared and maintained successfully on their explication of Dr. Ian Billinghursts BARF program (BARF = bones and raw food). Riveriene Farm consults and teach alternative feeding methods for dogs (and cats). Their German Shepherd puppies  have apptitude for training in Schutzhund, competitive obedience or as a top companion.

For additional listings of  German Shepherd dog breeders using holistic health & nutrition, please visit the NATURAL REARING BREEDERS DIRECTORY  which is dedicated To Dog and Cat Breeders Using Holistic Health Care For Their Animals. This directory is a compilation of breeders who care and pride themselves in the health of their animals. These special people have chosen to learn and incorporate natural health care methods for their animals. Some are at the beginning of their education, but are committed to giving the best health care possible. There are a few who have chosen to be included in the directory, although not breeders, that can offer guidance for the breed.

"Sit Means Sit" Radio Talk Show Fred Hassen is a world renowned dog trainer. He is a member of the N.A.P.D.(National Association of Protection Dogs). Fred can be heard on his radio talk show, which airs every Friday at 11:30 am. You can tune in to Fred's "Sit Means Sit" dog training show at KLAV 1230 Las Vegas, on your (am) dial or you can hear his show on his web site with RealPlayer by going to the Talk Show .

From the Foreword by Dr. Michael W. Fox, Senior Scholar, Biothics, The Humane Society of The United States, Washington, D.C. "This wonderful book will help break the cycle of animal suffering caused by wrong-mindedness and harmful training methods. [The nonviolent process] helps us develop our empathy and understanding, making us more humane-and more human-and thus more deserving of the company of dogs whose virtues we so often fail to live up to."

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"Brian Kilcommons shows very clearly how to train a dog to obey your commands. Basics such as "come", "down", "sit", "leave it" and many other commands are taught in a simple and easy to learn manner. Nothing confusing about this video. This video is for the family dog, not for showing or jumping. My wife and I highly recommend this video for basic behavioral training." an amazon.com reviewer
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An amzon.com reviewer: "Good video! Saved me a lot of time and money by showing me how to do everything myself. My Pomeranian, Lab, and Cockapoo were following commands after just a few days! Also, some of the training aids from the video are such a relief! My lab learned to ring the little bells when he needs to go out, and with one squirt of the sour spray has learned not to bark at strangers- I would recommend this video to anyone! Terrific, fast and helpful!" Laura Macland from Roswell, GA USA
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A professional dog trainer based in New Hampshire, April Frost offers some no-nonsense advice on training a dog in this instructional video. The system Frost advocates proceeds in logical steps, with the dog being given lessons in a specific order. Among the major commands covered are sit, heel, come, down, and stay, and lessons on how to get a dog to behave when guests come to the door. 

"I've seen a bunch of tapes, and this is by far the best. April really knows how to explain things from the dog's perspective, and that makes the training much more than the usual 'do this, do that'. The other thing I love is how the material is organized and indexed: you just do one thing at a time, move on to the next lesson when you like. This is an absolute winner!" an amazon.com reviewer

The tape is appropriate for dogs of all breeds and ages. You also will learn grooming and bathing tips, how to look after your new puppy, how to correct your misbehaving dog, and feeding and health tips. Plus a demonstration by "Treasure Chest," a gentle giant whose fantastic athletic achievements raise thousands of dollars annually for terminally ill children. In addition, as a pleasant surprise, you will enjoy the friendly opening and closing comments by one of Pam's many celebrity clients. Your Dog will learn to: Walk nicely on the lead Sit by your side Sit - stay - recall Down - stay - recall Stand - stay - recall 
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Teach Your Dog to Behave : Simple Solutions to over 300 Common Dog Behavior Problems from A to Z by Bashkim Dibra

"As a professional dog trainer I am frequently asked which books I recommend. This is one of them! It is a very good book for solving problem behaviors. It is set up like a dictionary with the behaviors listed in alphetical order. It is a good companion to a good training book. Do a search of Amazon for "monks of new skete", to see what training books I am talking about. Good Luck!" an amazon.com reviewer
 

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, bestselling author of The Dog Who Loved Too Much--praised as "the most important book on dog behavior of this century" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas--has written the book every dog owner has been waiting for: an authoritative and practical A-to-Z guide to understanding canine behavioral problems and what we can do about them... Dogs Behaving Badly.With wit, wisdom, and compassion, Dr. Dodman gets us inside the minds of our pets to learn what makes them do the crazy things they do. From aggression to zoonosis and just about everything in between, he tackles such common problems as nipping, tail chasing, excessive barking, and garbage scavenging, as well as more difficult conditions that often defy explanation--not to mention treatment.
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• Alternatives to steroids, antibiotics, & ear tubes
• homeopathy for Children & Infants
• health hazard and adverse effects of vaccines
• do you know what happens during circumcision?
• children with special needs 
• calming hyper kids with herbs
• Dispelling the fear of spoiling your baby 
• Attachement parenting & much more..
• enter holistic health for children

Natural Health for Women:

• Candida: Conquering Yeast Infections: The Non-Drug Solution
• Treating Menopause Naturally - Estrogen's Deadly Truth
• Lifting the Curse of PMS
• Beating Breast Cancer with Nutrition
• Natural treatment for acute or chronic infection of the urinary bladder
• Myths of Osteoporosis
• Natural progesterone v/s synthetic progesterone 
• Enter Holistic Health for Women

Natural Health: Men's Sexual Functions:

• Optimal Prostate Health & Prevention Measure to prostate enlargement.
• Prostate Cancer Cured: a drugless approach
• Homeopathic approach to impotence, bladder infections, prostate problems etc.
• The Male Andropause (like menopause)
• Male Herbs for Impotence

& more...Enter Holistic Health for Men

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