Best Training For German Shepherd

How To Housebreak A German Shepherd Puppy

Its important to start house training your German Shepherd puppy as soon as possible! If youre lucky, your GSDs breeder may have already begun the house training process before you even take your pup home. But, this isnt always the case.

Because German Shepherds puppies have tiny bladders, its important to be realistic about how long they can last without a potty break. So, follow the hour-per-month rule. If your puppy is one month old, they can hold it for one hour. If they are three months old, they should be able to hold it for three hours etc. .

Here are some tips to housebreaking a German Shepherd puppy:

The Art Of Raising A Puppy

• Pages: 352

The Art of Raising a Puppy is written by the Monks of New Skete, who have become some of the foremost authorities on dog training and the animal/human bond. Much of this book is about training the German Shepherd, though it is full of theoretical information as well.

This book can completely change how you view dogs and raising a puppy. The authors have managed to pack quite a bit of knowledge into this hardback book. It is about more than just training your dog. Youll learn how to develop the best relationship with your canine as well.

Chapters include information on playing with your puppy, crate training, raising dogs in an urban area, and the latest developments in canine health.

Dont be fooled by the name. This book is also helpful if youre adopting an adult dog. It includes a chapter that talks about just that!

If you have to get just one book on training your dog, we recommend this one. It is truly the best overall book for training your German Shepherd.

• Pages: 338

If youre adopting a puppy, we highly recommend reading Your German Shepherd Puppy Month by Month. This book goes over how to raise a puppy into a well-adjusted and happy adult dog. It goes over everything you need to know to raise your puppy.

Socialization is discussed in-depth, which is vital for any book on German Shepherds. It outlines how to teach basic commands, including sit, stay, and come. Leash training is discussed.

• Pages: 364

• May be a bit too theoretical for some readers

When To Start Training A German Shepherd Puppy

Your puppy is capable and ready to learn at 6 to 7 weeks old many simple obedience commands. But you shouldnt pressure a puppy this young with perfect obedience. A 1 minutes session is long enough for a young puppy.

After a couple of weeks, your German Shepherd puppy should know to sit, stay, and down, as well as its name. Although a reliable off-leash come usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks of proper dog training.

Leash training is rather quick when you gently place the leash on your dog or puppy, use food rewards or play, and dont use the leash to jerk your dog around the house or neighborhood.

It took me only about a day to train my German Shepherd to sit using lure and reward training. This means, I use one of the best, tasty treatsto move her into the position I want, and then reward her with the food.

My GSD took about 7 days to sit and wait at doors before barging out, but

She only takes a day to unlearn this behavior if I relax on it and let her out without waiting!

A simple trick, such as spin took me only a day, but more complicated tricks could take weeks or months. Something complicated like staying in place with tons of distractions might take you at least 6 months to work up to.

Think of it this way: In school, you didnt start with calculus. You started with basic math, then geometry, algebra, and so on. Dont rush the learning or youll take longer to train your German Shepherd.

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What Products And Dog Training Equipment Should I Buy For A German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherds are a large dog breed that needs to be trained well with gentle, positive reinforcement dog training to achieve the best dog training results. Regardless of the age of your German Shepherd, whether they are a puppy, adolescent, or senior GSD, all of the following will help a parent throughout the life of your German Shepherd Puppy.

Hot Spot Pets Wireless Waterproof Dog Training Collar

Best Electronic Training Collar

Sometimes a martingale collar or obedience training isnt enough to discourage bad behavior. In that case, the Hot Spot Pets Wireless Waterproof Dog Training Collar may be the ideal choice. As long as your German Shepherd remains with an 800-yard-range, you can use the collar to give either a static shock, beep, or vibration.

Since the intensity of correction matters, there are seven different modes that you can use. Its worth noting that this collar is also waterproof so you dont need to worry as much about whatever trouble your German Shepherd might stumble into.

When you dont need it anymore, you can always recharge the collar easily .

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How To Train Your German Shepherd Puppy Not To Jump

While having your German Shepherd puppy jump up enthusiastically is cute when they are little, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. A 20-pound puppy may be unlikely to knock you over a 100-pound adult is another story.

Luckily, teaching your pup not to jump isnt rocket science. Its a matter of conditioning. The first step in training your German Shepherd pup to keep calm when they greet you is to set the mood: if you are relaxed, your puppy will learn to be relaxed as well.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep greetings low-key. Greeting your puppy enthusiastically and loudly is a great way to encourage them to jump up. Instead, come in the front door quietly and wait a minute or so before saying hello to your pup.
• If your dog jumps on you, ignore them. Resist the urge to pet them. Petting them when they jump up reinforces the negative behavior. Turning away from them when they jump will show them that jumping does not get your attention.
• Only pay attention to your dog when theyre sitting. As soon as you get in the door, tell your dog to sit, and only reward them with attention when theyve done so.
• Be patient. Because your German Shepherd pup is so happy to see you when you walk in the door, it may take them a while to realize that they will only get the attention they want when all four paws are on the floor.

Professional Vs Home Training

Home training is labor and time-intensive. It is also free and gives you more quality time with your pet. When you train your pet at home, make sure that only one person oversees training until it learns obedience.

Changing authority figures in the developmental phases is not recommended as this confuses your puppy. Stick with one authority figure until your pet has mastered its lessons.

Only then should other family members become involved with the pet for training.

Many people will find it much easier to take their German Shepherds for expert training. Trainers specialize in obedience lessons and know exactly how to teach your dog new lessons.

The benefit is that your pet becomes obedient and manageable more quickly.

Note, however, that obedience training requires your investment along with your pet. German Shepherd training doesnt occur when you are not invested in their progress.

Professional training is not necessarily better than home training your pet, and either one may be more convenient than the other.

Professional training is only better when you want your pet to learn advanced skills such as protecting you, increasing the pets skills or if your German Shepherd is meant to be a working dog.

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What Is Obedience Training

Our ever-so excited furbabies love to express their excitement through extreme ways .Without proper guidance and assistance on how to behave, your dog would not know how to function near humans or other pets. And these behaviours can even end up harming them Obedience training your dog helps in teaching them crucial life skills and behaviours to function in their human buddys world.

“Training is a great way to bond with your dog”

What Does This Have To Do With How I Train My German Shepherd

Its a fair question actually. A dog is a dog is a dog right? But knowing the context and breed characteristics might help you train your German Shepherd puppy better and understand why they do certain things the way they do.

Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

PRO TIP: If your German Shepherd puppy switches off or starts acting silly they may resort to doing what they know best nipping or barking. Shift to some play, let them have some downtime and revisit training later we want training to be associated with fun, and not something they begin to dread.

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How Big Should My Collar Be For An Adult German Shepherd

Although every German Shepherd is different, this breed tends to have a unique head shape and a thick neck. Most of the time, an adult German Shepherds neck will measure in between eighteen to twenty-four inches wide. While that specific size may vary from collar to collar, youll usually need to purchase a large or extra-large.

Catch Your Dog Being Good And Reward Them Out Of The Blue

See your puppy acting the way you want? Reward them out of the blue!

Its easy to get caught up in scolding when your pup when they are getting into trouble, but rewarding him out of the blue for being good shows them theyre doing the right behaviors .

Keep small bits of treats in jars around the house out of reach of your pup and use any opportunity your catch your pup doing good to reward them.

Here are some ideas for opportunities to reward your dog:

• If theyre lying calmly on their mat, give them a piece of a treat. But dont make a big deal of the situation or youll wind them back up.
• When theyre playing with the toys you want them to chew, drop a tiny bit of treat out of nowhere.
• If they sit and wait at the door, instead of dashing out ahead of you, reward them!

Training your German Shepherd isnt always about catching bad behaviors, but also about rewarding good things your dog does. Dogs like to do things that you reinforce, even if you dont think they worked for the reward its still part of training.

If you only worry about punishment and corrections, then youre missing out on the opportunities to reinforce positive behavior.

Aim for one of these healthy treats that are the best for German Shepherds and pick carefully to ensure your dog stays athletic and fit. Food-based rewards are very motivating when training and disciplining a puppy.

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Basic Approach To Training A German Shepherd

There are a variety of different dog training approaches trainers and owners adopt, and each provides a different set of benefits and drawbacks.

As long as you use a training regimen that relies on positive reinforcement, you should feel free to adopt the specific style or approach that works best for you and your dog.

However, harsh dog training methods, which use pain or intimidation to instill lessons should always be avoided. Such techniques are rarely effective, they devastate a dogs emotional well-being and they often saddle dogs with life-long fears and anxieties.

Most training approaches that rely on positive reinforcement work in the same basic way:

You instruct your dog to do something, and then you reward him when he does. This reward may take the form of exuberant petting and praise or giving your dog a favorite toy, but most trainers use treats as the reward .

You then repeat the process several times to drive the lesson home. After a few repetitions, you end the training session and begin anew the next day.

The hardest part of the process is conveying your desires to your dog.

Sometimes, it may become necessary to manually put your dog in the position desired, or encourage him to do so by using body language. Just make sure that you do so gently and with a positive demeanor, so you dont frighten your dog and spoil the training process.

Address Bad Behaviors Immediately

Puppies should be disciplined for things they shouldnt be doing. Not only is this undesirable in a pet but also could progress to even worse habits.

Ideally, youd have nipped unwanted behaviors in the bud before your dog gets big and strong enough to cause real damage.

Your dog might also increasingly try to challenge your leadership, so its important that you dont budge.

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How To Train A German Shepherd Puppy The Ultimate Guide

Fully Qualified COAPE Behaviourist and Registered Training Instructor with The Animal Behaviour and Training Council

In this article:

Welcome to the German Shepherd Club! Word has it youve picked up your new puppy and now youre looking for information on German Shepherd training? Well youve come to the right place, were going to teach all you need to know about how to train a German Shepherd Puppy

German Shepherds are special because theyre such hard workers! Theyre even in the working dog group, says something doesnt it? It means theyre quick to learn and easy to train, theyll relish being in a partnership with someone and enjoy clear loving guidance. Theyre known for their loyalty and bravery but are also actually super sensitive awww.

How Does A Dog Training Collar Work

Remote dog training collars work via the handheld remote transmitter. You use it to send the radio signal to your GSDs collar receiver, and itll activate the correction or stimulation youve chosen, such as vibration, static pulse or tone, to correct the unwanted behaviors and reward positive behaviors.

As you may know, you can choose the amount of intensity thats right for your dog.

The stimulation will be delivered through the two prongs present in the receiver, which touches your German Shepherds skin.

Also, make sure the collar is properly fitted. Only then itll work as intended.

If this information is not enough, check out this complete guide how does a dog shock collar work, here!

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Click More Reward Less

After several weeks, you should be able to have your German Shepherd perform several tricks before giving a reward. However, its important to continue to use the clicker to let them know that they have done correctly and a treat is coming.

If your dog starts to look anxious or frustrated, it may be that youre asking too much of them between rewards. Go back and reward for every trick for a little while to let them know that theyre doing great.

Something to keep in mind is that each of these training sessions should be 5 10 minutes in length. You want to give enough time for your dog to learn something new and repeat that trick several times but dont want to go so long that they start to get bored.

Training A German Shepherd Essential Skills

German shepherds, just like humans, can develop skills if given some time to learn them. Many of these essential skills are helpful for various tasks.

There might even be a time when a dog will rely on its skills to survive. Thats why its important to learn how to train a German shepherd puppy these skills as soon as possible.

The following German shepherd training tips will help you teach your German shepherd essential skills.

• Stay: You must show how critical it is, as well as rewarding, to stay put in a fixed position. Dont make the mistake of making them run to you once they achieve a fixed position. This might show them that its okay to disobey the command stay.
• Limit: German shepherds are very energetic, but they must learn that there are things that shouldnt be done. Teaching them the boundaries of where they can go or what they can do in the house can be very useful to avoid danger.
• Leash: Being able to naturally walk on their leash is an amazing skill in itself. It promotes the obedience and patience of a dog. It would also help you measure their trust, given that they dont know where youll be taking them.
• Come/Follow: German shepherds are naturally good at following their masters. Theres no need to learn how to train a German shepherd since this is much easier with the previous skills.

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Training Goal #: Begin Obedience Training

The German Shepherd Dogs work ethic is legendary, and you can encourage your dogs best working traits with early and ongoing training. GSDs excel at obedience, so begin teaching your puppy basic commands like sit, down, and stay, as well as loose-leash walking, from an early age. Enrolling in a puppy obedience class can be extremely helpful both for teaching these commands as well as socialization, and its not too early to begin thinking about CGC training as well.

Training Goal #: Socialization

Puppies of all breeds have a critical socialization window that closes at 12 to 16 weeks of life, and your GSD puppy is no exception. In fact, for GSDs, who by nature are protective guardians, socialization is extra important so that your puppy learns which strangers are friendly and not a threat.

GSDs are very observant, and your puppy will pick up on your cues and reactions around new people and new situations. During this critical period, having exposure to many different kinds of people in non-threatening situations will help your puppy be confident among friendly strangers rather than fearful or aggressive. And even during times of social and physical distancing, you can still socialize your puppy safely.

Proper socialization cannot be overemphasized for this breed as Adams notes, The foundation for most training is confidence. It is critical that the GSD puppy is well socialized from an early age onward. Safely exposing the puppy to new sights, sounds, and smells is absolutely critical for development. Good socialization translates to confidence.

Certified dog trainer and CGC evaluator Jacqui Foster, CPDT-KA, echoes this sentiment: I tend to lean more towards developing self-confidence in the puppy. For this I recommend short, fun, three-minute games that engage the puppy with the owner as well as in noises, weird and uneven surfaces, family members, etc., throughout the day. A confident puppy is a happy puppy.

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