Training Your German Shepherd
Over the years I have had quite a few German Shepherds, and although I’ve also really loved my Labs, I still think German Shepherds are my favorite dog breed. They are such athletic, intelligent dogs that training your German Shepherd is a lot fun to do. As you have no doubt seen they are trainable for all kinds of work, such as: police dogs, guard dogs, service dogs, search dogs, and of course as loyal and fun family pets. Because they are large, not easily intimidated, and independent minded dogs, you need to be sure of training your German Shepherd so that you are in charge of him and not the other way around. If you get your pet as a puppy, I’d recommend getting started immediately. Even if he is only a 6 week old pup, your new dog is ready to start learning. He’s at a perfect age to start by teaching the sit, down, and stay commands.
For a great guide for training your German Shepherd I use (and also recommend) click here to check it out: Secrets to Dog Training.
I’ve seen the difference in my own experiences with my German Shepherds, and I have had much quicker results by starting the training of my German Shepherds when they were still young puppies. By starting their training very young, your young dog won’t have had a chance to perhaps develop any type of behavior problems that will later be much harder to modify once they become noticeable. I found this out the hard way myself, by procrastinating my puppy’s training till I started seeing aggression problems. I was forced to finally start training, but by now I had a large headstrong dog that I had totally spoiled. Even though he was obedience trained to sit, stay, come and all the basics, the aggression problem was a whole different can of worms. So, don’t make the same mistake as I made. Read my article Group Puppy Training, to see just how important it is to get started early with obedience training and socialization of your German shepherd.
This is not to say that an older German Shepherd dog can’t be trained. Training an older dog is certainly doable. My point is it is better to just train your puppy all the good stuff you want him to learn, including the fact that you are the boss (the Alpha member of your pack) and not him. Just by knowing his place in the pack (your family) he will not feel the need to be aggressive-he knows that you have everything under control, and will listen to your commands and body language to calm down and not act aggressively. Although German Shepherds are not by nature born aggressive, any type of dog can become that way and the larger breeds merit close attention to any aggressive tendencies. It is a bigger problem when your 85 pound German Shepherd is aggressive, than when someone’s little toy poodle is yapping its head off at ankle level. Read more about dog on dog aggression and how to control it.
That being said, though, you should be training your German Shepherd at the very least through the basic obedience courses. They thrive on the training. It is obvious when you are working with them that they enjoy learning new stuff -and of course getting your praise and rewards is definitely something they love. You’ll want him to behave himself around your family and friends at home, and you also want to be able to take your pet out in public without any ensuing problems or embarrassment. German Shepherds can be obedience trained using the same proven techniques of positive reinforcement as any other breed. If you like the idea of more advanced training for your German Shepherd there are numerous dog clubs with competitions amongst the dogs for athletic and agility contests. Look up Schutzhund training to learn more about just how advanced the training and abilities of these dogs can be. They do some amazing stuff-tracking over trails, going over high walls, jumping high hurdles, all kinds of really difficult obstacles, and a protection training trial. Although it is an arduous task for the dogs just to perform the Schutzhund tricks, what sticks out in my mind as the best example of how well these dogs can be trained was that to receive the highest ranking, Schutzhund III, the male dog must ignore a nearby female dog that happens to be in heat. Sort of like a sailor having to ignore a lady of the night on his shore leave. Now is that a well-trained dog, or what?
A German Shepherd will get to love his training sessions with you. They love the praise and rewards they get from you for a job well done. Be sure to provide plenty of play time for your dog, too. After your daily training sessions be sure to provide some physical activity. They will love going jogging or running alongside a bike. If your dog is really hyper, sometimes training after the play session is better, because some of your pet’s excessive energy has been expended. Being strong and intelligent they need their fair share of stimulation. So, get the most out of being the proud owner of a German Shepherd, by training your dog how to be the kind of pet you want. A happy and well-trained German Shepherd is a joy to be around, so take good care of him and enjoy.
To get the most out of your relationship with your German Shepherd you should get started with training as soon as you can. Since they thrive on the attention and love to learn, the time you spend training your pet will create a very strong bond between. To learn the best ways how to obedience train your dog at home and solve the various behavior problems that may come up, get yourself a copy of a great dog training guide or dog training video series. Following the proven step by step advice of an expert will enable you to get quick effective results and avoid mistakes you would surelly make with this valuable information. to be found anywhere on line-Secrets to Dog Training. Please read my full review of Secrets to Dog Training.
Click here to get Secrets to Dog Training by Daniel Stevens.