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German Shepherd Training/Obedience

The German Shepherd is an intelligent dog that loves to be trained and being a working breed, requires a task to stay happy. German Shepherd training is not difficult as this type of dog picks up things very fast and is an eager learner. German Shepherd training, if properly followed, will result in having a well mannered dog that will not have any behavior problems and in this respect it is essential to teach it to respect the owner. The German Shepherd lives much like other dogs and thus may not easily associate itself with what occurred a few seconds ago.

Enjoy a Well Mannered Pet through Training/Obedience

Intelligent and Quick to Learn

German Shepherd training is easy as they are keen as well as intelligent and enjoy learning. Therefore, giving them basic obedience training should not pose much of a problem as many German Shepherds are even adept at learning tricks. One would be surprised at how well and quickly it can pick up what is taught and one should make it a point to reward it for good behavior as it may make a connection between accomplishment and reward even though it is not always easy for the dog to do so. Food acts as a bridge in understanding what is desired from the dog.

 

Socializing the German Shepherd is an essential part of its training regime as it will ensure that one gets the best out of its breeding traits and also ensures that it will be comfortable with the owner. Behavioral training will rectify bad habits such as jumping, car chasing, begging, climbing on furniture as well as chewing. The German Shepherd should be dealt with firmly and consistently when training it and one should prohibit it from activities that are simply not allowed. Being ambivalent would only confuse it.

 

German Shepherd obedience training is also essential and making the dog understand commands such as ‘sit’, ‘no’, ‘stop’ are essential and can be performed in various locations so that the dog gets the hang of it and generalizes its behavior as well as enhances its learning curve. The timing of the obedience training session should be frequent though not too long as extended sessions can easily bore the German Shepherd. Ideally, one could spend ten to fifteen minutes twice or thrice a day teaching it commands such ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘heel’ and ‘come’.

 

German Shepherd potty training is essential and it should be taught to keep its crate clean and go and eliminate outside. This will take time and requires a great deal of patience. The best time for German Shepherd potty training would be when it is young since puppies often relieve themselves six times a day approximately and so, need to be taught where to eliminate. Potty training requires that it be taken out immediately after meals and there are several other methods of potty training it and one can choose whichever they feel is the most convenient for their lifestyle.

 

It is also necessary to teach your German Shepherd outside training so that it does not make enemies of your neighbors. A barking dog can be a nuisance and one may need to use special collars that eliminate excessive barking in the dog as they give mild electrical stimulation every time it barks. German Shepherd obedience training is also a very important aspect of the dog’s training program and the owner should learn as much as possible about it.

German Shepherd Obedience Training:

Teach According to its Genetic Makeup

The German Shepherd is your friend, partner and defender and so you owe to him that it gets training worthy of its devotion and status as a loyal companion. There are a few steps required from the teacher when imparting obedience training and one should make a sound beginning by teaching the German Shepherd the easiest command possible such ‘sit’ or ‘look’ and then gradually try out newer and more difficult commands.

A Few Helpful Tips

One should consider the genetic makeup of the German Shepherd; for instance teaching it things such as personal protection should be easy as it has in its genes to protect. Initially, one should use commands such as ‘sit’ and if it responds by sitting, albeit even for a second or two, one should reward and then release it. Slowly, one may increase the time that it should remain seated. In German Shepherd obedience training, one should ensure that it is comfortable during the training exercise and remember to release it from a command/session if it seems stressed as short and brief teaching sessions are most fruitful. The session should also be ended on a positive note.

 

A new command should be taught in an area where there is no other distraction and this could be in the home or in the yard and once the dog begins to respond reliably one can increase the level of distraction to further test its obedience skills. It should respond well even when it is being distracted as this will further inculcate the obedience skill in the dog. Distractions could include bouncing a ball, throwing a ball/toy, squeaking a toy, running around your dog etc.

 

When imparting German Shepherd obedience training one should start by teaching a command with the dog very close up and gradually increase the distance till it reaches as far as 30 feet. Also, in case the German Shepherd is three feet away and a good distance from a squirrel, flock of pigeons etc, there is a greater likelihood of getting the dog to respond than if it were at a greater distance away from you and closer to the distractions. Only after it has reliably learned to obey will it be possible to decrease the distance between the objects of distraction and the German Shepherd.

 

One also needs to realize that a dog that responds obediently at home should also learn to recognize the command in other contexts such as on a local dog run. Varying locations while teaching your German Shepherd obedience training. While obeying commands is important, it is also important to try out the commands in urban as well as rural locations. One may also need to practice the commands on different object surfaces such as chairs, tables, low walls and logs.

 

Sometimes, the German Shepherd’s obedience training program may turn it into a patterned trained creature that expects one specific command to follow another specific command but this is not recommended and the commands should be given in different orders and be comprehended and obeyed by the dog without any difficulty. One may also intersperse the timings when to practice giving commands and this may include doing so in the mornings or evenings.

 

To check its obedience level one should try giving commands when in different positions. One may also need to vary tone as well as volume of the voice when giving commands so that it can obey in different tones of voice and at different volumes. Having taught the German Shepherd to obey commands one should proceed with German Shepherd potty training as the next step.

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