German Shepherd Training: 7 Golden Rules. I’m sure you’ll agree when I say: A well trained dog is a pleasure to have around. If you own an untrained pooch you know the frustration it causes. Whether you’ve just brought home your first German Shepherd. Or if you’ve finally decided it’s time to teach your old dog new tricks. ![]() They need a firm hand and an smart approach to their training. Training your German Shepherd is exciting. But sometimes dog training can seem overwhelming if you don’t even know where to begin. So here’s the deal: You’ve got to get inside your German shepherd’s head. In the case of the GSD the breed specific function is herding and guarding. German Shepherds also make excellent sniffer dogs and excel in search and rescue. ![]() And in the wild each member of the pack understands their duty to work for food and water. Your dog still understands that today. The bottom line is: Your German Shepherd wants to be busy. Training is like killing two birds with one stone. You have a polite and obedient dog while your pooch gets the stimulation and work environment he craves. Your Dog is not a Person, Your Dog is a Reflection of You. Your Dog is a Reflection of You! As humans we personify everything we love including our beloved dogs. Because I was tense and worried. You may be wondering what you can do to encourage your GSD to respond to you in a positive way. Which brings us to the next golden rule? ![]() See that old dog that needs to learn new tricks? They look to you for guidance. Your body language and tone of voice being the two most important. In time, your dog will understand certain commands such as “sit”, “stay” and “come”, “drop” etc. But, dogs only understand single direct commands. Use language your dog will understand. ![]() Calm, simple commands and body language will make your message crystal clear. Your Dog wants you to be consistent. For dogs, everything is black and white – they don’t understand compromise.
Remember this and you’ll have less bad habits to break. Training your German Shepherd will be easier. ![]() Here’s an example of the types of mistakes owners make: Change verbal commands from “come” to “come here” keep your verbal commands consistent throughout. If you’re trying to keep your pooch off the sofa, be consistent. If you allow it sometimes and other times not, you’ll confuse your dog and slow down the training. How can you expect your dog to learn if you’re not consistent? Get Your German Shepherd’s Full Attention. You must have your dog’s full attention before he’ll learn anything. Pick a quite place, with little or no distractions. To begin with, your back yard is the best place since the smells are familiar and so also the surroundings. If you were in a park for instance; you have no control over the distractions. Like other dogs and their owners, the scent of other animals, children playing or a Frisbee whizzing by. ![]() ![]() Once both you and your dog are confident in the training, then you can step it up by moving it to a place with more distractions. Positive Reinforcement produces positive results. Your German Shepherd will respond best to training with positive reinforcement. Yelling or physical punishment will cause this intelligent breed to mistrust you. Reward good behavior with treats or praise or both. It’s the best way to show your German Shepherd that he’s doing it right and it’s a motivator for him to continue with this behavior. Remember earlier when I said that your German Shepherd actually wants to please you? Well, once your dog has mastered the behavior, you can remove the treats and reward only with praise – he’ll relish in it all the same. You know by now that there are heaps of different training programs. Each program has a specific focus, function and outcome. We’ll take a closer look at some of these in future posts. So for now let’s look at two basic programs. Socializing, house training and basic sit, stay and recall commands will fall into this category. Obedience training is essential to avoid the development of behavior problems early on. It’s also the only way to fix bad habits and behavior that have already developed. ![]() What is trick training and why your dog needs it? After you have established engagement in training and your German Shepherd has the basics under the belt. You should consider stepping things up with trick training. This beautiful little girl is a 4 month old female German Shepherd Lab mix. She is super friendly and loves just about everyone and everything she meets. Trick training will boost your dog’s confidence. It is also a great motivator and builds a strong bond between owner and dog. Trick training will stimulate and challenge your German Shepherd. Remember, a German Shepherd has the capacity and intelligence to do just about any trick you can imagine. Just check out this video: Let’s look at three of the most important obedience skills you should teach your German Shepherd straight off the bat: Without these three skills, you’ll struggle to train your German Shepherd. Master these and the sky’s the limit. Once he reaches you, lavish him with a treat and praise – make a fuss and tell him what a good boy he is. Whether he’s prompted to come or if he comes out of his own, he learns the association. So saying the word “come” when he is approaching you just reinforces the behavior you want. In the event that your German Shepherd resists coming when he’s beckoned, you’ll need to enlist the help of a long leash. Take him outside on the leash and allow him to wonder a little distance away from you. Then kneel down and call his name. As soon as he gives you his attention say the word “come”. Aging in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) varies from breed to breed, and affects the dog's health, physical ability and life expectancy. How to Take Care of a German Shepherd. Do you have a German Shepherd dog and need to know how to take care of him/her? This article sets out a practical and detailed. Give the leash a gentle tug and repeat the command if he doesn’t respond. But be careful not to be too forceful. Be patient and keep trying until he gets the message. Again, once he arrives offer a treat and lavish him liberally with praise. Keep practicing on the leash until the desired response becomes routine, then try it again off the leash. Remember, the recall command is the most important thing you can teach your dog. It may save his life one day.“Sit!”: To start out you’ll need treats for training your German Shepherd to sit, once the behavior has become second nature you won’t need the treat anymore. Keep reading to see how. If he jumps up, you’re holding it too high – lower your treat hand. Your German Shepherd will keep eye contact with the treat at all times and you’re going to make use of this focus. Now move your treat hand as though you’re going to move it over your dog’s head towards his tail but be mindful to keep it in line with his nose. The natural response will be for your dog to drop his behind so that he can keep eye contact with the treat. As soon as his butt hits the ground, give him the treat and liberal praise. At this point of the game, you won’t be adding the word “sit” just yet. Keep practicing this without the command and only introduce the word after a couple of days. Soon your dog will sit for food, treats and love without you even having to say the word “sit”. A note of warning here, I do not recommend pushing your dog on his back or tail area to teach the “sit” command, for two reasons. With this new understanding your pooch will be well on his way to a reliable and well behaved dog. The key take aways here are: For effective German Shepherd training, you must be a good leader in your dog’s life. Leadership is about using brains and NOT brawn to train your German Shepherd. Understand what your dog is not (a human), learn to speak your dog’s language and get inside his head. Always be patient and consistent with your training and reinforcement. Aggressive methods are not effective when training your German Shepherd. You will see little to no results, it will cause trust issues and you’ll break your dog’s spirit. Always be kind! Positive reinforcement and training will bring quicker, long lasting results. And build a strong relationship of trust and love between you and your German Shepherd. How to Choose a German Shepherd Puppy (with Pictures)Make sure you can afford a German Shepherd. German Shepherds can live 1. The ASPCA estimates that in the first year of owning a large dog like a German Shepherd, you will spend about $1,8. These numbers include medical costs, food, grooming, equipment (crates, toys, leashes), training, etc. If you cannot afford to properly care for a dog, you should wait until you can before adding one to your family. You will spend some money up front, but more money invested will save you in vet and other bills in the end. Buying a quality puppy ensures the support of a reputable breeder. For more information on the pricing range in the USA, visit the German Shepherd Dog Club of America website.
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