Dog Training For German Shepherds

Questions To Ask Before Any Training Session

Preparation and planning are vital before diving into any training session with your German Shepherd.

And these are the 3 questions I encourage all my clients and students to ask themselves

What are you looking for? decide what you will be observing to mark.What rewards will you use? challenging behaviors need higher-value rewards.What’s your event marker? clickers work best for precise behaviors.

Differences Between Training A Puppy Versus An Older Gsd

You can successfully train a German Shepherd no matter how old they are. However, youll need to adjust your expectations based on their age.

Its generally easier to train puppies because youre starting from a clean slate. Theyre not yet set in their ways and will be more open to looking to you for guidance and leadership.

Nevertheless, you shouldnt worry if youre getting your GSD as an adult. Your training might have to involve reversing some bad habits.

Additionally, it might take longer for them to respect your leadership. However, if try your best to understand them and give them a reason to trust and follow you, training a German Shepherd as an adult is definitely possible.

When Should The Training Process Begin

The training process should start as soon as your puppy comes home. This is because the first 16 weeks are the critical socialization period of their life, where they are less fearful and more open to new things.

If you leave their socialization or training too late, it drastically increases their chances of developing behavioral problems in adulthood.

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Week 8 Training Your German Shepherd Puppy

Its the final week of our guide on how to train a german shepherd puppy two months already! Lets teach them some new tricks.

• All about Joggers and Cyclists and no they shouldnt be chasing them
• Generalising exercises and behaviours in different places
• Searching and using their nose
• Not to worry about nail trims

Your Gsd Is Not A Human Your Dog Is A Reflection Of The Training You Give Them

As humans, we tend to personify everything we love including our beloved dogs.

And in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that, with a few caveats

Our dogs operate on instincts.

If we don’t provide them with the training to make good choices, they will always revert to their instincts.

Our dogs are not people pleasers.

I come across many people who believe that dogs should behave because they love us.

In dog training circles, we call this a Disney Dog.

Disney Dogs only exist on the Silver Screen!

And in reality, dogs do what’s reinforcing for them. And this is reflected in their training or lack thereof.

Our dogs can and do react to our behaviors.

Dogs are masters of body language and visual patterns. And they have an uncanny knack for picking up on the most subtle changes in our demeanor and behavior.

Let me explain with an example

The story starts several years ago in 2015 when my now departed GSD Charley attended one of many therapy sessions after her hip surgery

And a Staffie named Apollo also had his sessions in the same time slot as my Charley.

Charley and Apollo were never fond of each other for some mysterious reason. And they’d often exchange stares or the odd growl.

One day Apollo strolled past her massage mat. And within a split second, Charley, who has just had hip surgery, jumped up on all fours and started barking madly.

She responded to my tension, change in body language, and likely even my breathing and it wasn’t positive.

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Specialist German Shepherd Training Club

Meeting every Sunday in Calverley, Leeds, we are the area’s only specialist German Shepherd training club. We offer expert tuition on how to train a German Shepherd of all ages and abilities.

We are a very friendly and welcoming club, focused on having a lot of fun with our dogs and learning in a relaxed setting. We also organise enjoyable activities and social events throughout the year, including an annual trip to Crufts, group walks, fun days, BBQs, member workshops, camping trips and social evenings.

If youre looking for a well-trained family pet and want to meet like-minded German Shepherd owners for fun and friendly dog training support, join the YGSD Training family. Membership costs from as little as just £18 for the whole year.

Why not come along for a cup of tea and a chat and take a look at what we do?

From 9 Months To 24 Months

Dogs of different breeds and sizes mature at different ages, and while one year of age is commonly considered the end of puppyhood in general, a German Shepherd Dog may not reach an adult level of maturity before the age of two or three . So continuing to work on impulse control, improve obedience skills, and advance to training in more focused activities like tracking, scent work, protection work, agility, and herdingall of which are capabilities of this breedmust continue throughout this period and then be reinforced as your GSD reaches adulthood. This is also a good time to transition from puppy food to a large breed dog food.

Keep in mind that this is a breed that thrives on constant and consistent work and training, and loves to have a jobor many jobs!to do. If you can provide your GSD with outlets for their intelligence and versatility, both you and your dog will reap the rewards.

Yasmine S. Ali, MD, is a cardiologist and writer based in Tennessee, where she lives with three Canine Good Citizens, including an AKC-registered German Shepherd Dog.

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Suggestions For Choosing A Veterinarian

Ask friends and neighbours who their veterinarian is.

Ask your breeder for his/her recommendation. You may find many that they all rave about the same one! Call the veterinarian you select before your German Shepherd puppy arrives in order to book an appointment for the day following his arrival.

Reputable breeders will encourage you to take your puppy to the veterinarian and will give you a record of any vaccines, wormings, and other health clearances that may have been performed.

YOUR CATDO Introduce them right away and understand that your puppy needs to learn to respect the catDO Have your cat in the same room as the rest of you when puppy arrivesDON’T hold one animal up to the otherDON’T intervene between their greeting – unless things are going very poorlyYOUR DOGIf you have a dog-friendly dog, DO have them meet on neutral territoryDO keep the older dog on a loose leash during introductionDON’T leave puppy and older dog unsupervised until the puppy is much olderDO ensure puppy is learning his boundaries with your older dogDO watch for signs of stress and control the environment when you need to

German Shepherd Protection Dog

This breed is moderately active and very self-assured, which is why so many people choose a German Shepherd Protection Dog. Theyre well known for their willingness to learn, enthusiasm to please and eagerness to have a purpose, so a role that demands your dogs natural protective instinct is perfectly suited.

Well begin the German Shepherd training with basic obedience, including sit, stay, down, food refusal and recall. Once they have mastered the key components of the obedience course, well move onto more specialist training to prepare them for their future role. Early socialisation is imperative for the German Shepherd to prevent unwanted aggression and shyness when out in public spaces. They also have a bite force of over 10,060 newtons, unlike a humans of 380 newtons, so its crucial to train them to bite only when commanded to.

If youd like to discuss our German Shepherd training in more detail, complete the short contact form below and well be in touch soon.

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What Makes German Shepherds Such Good Service Dogs

To answer this question, we must first find out what a service dog is and does. Service dogs are working dogs that have been specially trained to help a person or group of people with a disability or specific needs. German Shepherds are one of the most popular choices as service dogs because the essential characteristics of this breed line up with the requirements of service animals of any kind:

Obedient

German Shepherds were bred to listen and obey any command given to them without hesitation. Obedience training wouldn’t be a problem for them either.

Protective Instinct

German Shepherds protective instincts make them excellent guard dogs and ensure that their owner stays safe.

Strong and healthy

German Shepherds are large enough to help with physical disabilities, where a person may need to use the dog to aid mobility. Besides, most German Shepherds are healthy dogs, which gives off a strong presence.

Active and athletic

German Shepherds require lots of exercise for their physical and mental well-being and love to keep busy, which means they are always ready to work.

Intelligent and hardworking

This breed is a highly intelligent companion and an outstanding worker. German Shepherds are eager to please and put their best paw forward, so they always get the job done.

Approachable and well-socialized

They trust anyone their owner trusts. They are also comfortable and confident in many different environments, surrounded by many other people.

How Can I Find Out If A Dog Trainer Is Considered An Essential Covid

Guidelines on essential services are constantly being updated by local and federal government agencies. To see which services qualify as essential COVID-19 service providers, start with your city or states government website.

A reliable list of federal guidelines is available on CISAs Identifying Critical Infrastructure During COVID-19 webpage. However, not all jurisdictions follow CISAs definitions of critical infrastructure. .

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Tip #: Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy To Use His Mouth Properly

You may have noticed that your German Shepherd puppy likes to chew on your shoes, toys, boxes, carpets, pillows, your handswell, pretty much everything! Before you loose your mind let me tell you that this is normal puppy behavior. At this age dogs explore everything with their mouths and even though annoying, it is a great time to teach your pet what is appropriate for his mouth as well as how to soften the bite. The reason German Shepherd dog puppies have sharp teeth is because they are capable of learning how much pressure to apply when biting different things. This is good news! It means you can actually teach your pooch that when biting human skin they need to be absolutely soft and tender. To train a German Shepherd puppy to do this follow this link!

How Long Does It Take To Train A German Shepherd

It takes anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks to train a German Shepherd to learn basic obedience commands.

Usually, most 20 week old German Shepherd puppies are house trained, crate trained, and understand a few basic commands if youve trained them correctly.

Crate training will take about a week to introduce slowly and have your dog or puppy go into the crate on their own to relax. But if your dog has had a bad experience with the crate it could take months.

Keep in mind that if you have an adult Shepherd who has already lived with another owner then you may have to undo improper training or behavior problems. This means that you have many months ahead of you of training.

Some GSDs are aggressive or reactive and it may take years before they learn to relax around other dogs in a calm manner.

While other German Shepherds have excellent dog social experiences from the start and can mix in with other dogs on a whim and quickly pick up their training basics.

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What About Dog Food

The first 5 ingredients listed on a dog food label are required to be listed in order of their pre-cooked weight. So the first 5 ingredients in dog food are the most important and should never include: Corn, Wheat, Gluten, Artificial Colors or Byproducts

“When evaluating any dog food youre always looking for a high quality, digestible meat-based protein as close to the top of the list as possible. So, if you havent found quality protein in those first few ingredients whatever the number its game over for that dog food.” Dog Food Advisor

The best way to choose a food for your new puppy is to read the ingredients on the dog food label and discuss the food with your breeder.

• Protein should be the top ingredient in any dog food.Good protein comes from meat ingredients, but not just any meat ingredients. Good dog foods have specific meat sources, like beef, chicken or turkey, eggs & cheese. Bad protein ingredients include byproducts, like “chicken byproduct meal,” or mystery meats, like “meat meal,” which can include road kill, diseased animals from slaughterhouses and even euthanized dogs and cats.

• AVOID foods that rely on corn products as the main protein source.

Why Is German Shepherd Training Important

It is critical to train a German Shepherd because their sheer size and strength can result in disastrous situations if they dont know how to behave properly. However, avoiding hospitalization or lawsuits isnt the only benefit of training a GSD.

Here are some of the most crucial reasons why you need to take the time and make the effort to train your German Shepherd:

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When Should I Start Training My German Shepherd

Ideally their training starts with their breeder and is continued with you from the moment theyre home.

If theyre a rescue or finding the transition particularly stressful, you can of course give them a couple of days or a few weeks to allow for decompression. But training should happen seamlessly thereafter.

How To Train A German Shepherd To Be A Guard Dog

German Shepherds will usually take to being a guard dog naturally. It’s important to train them to be obedient. Learn how here.Many dogs are natural watch dogs their bark is sufficient to alert their owner to something unusual, and the alarm they set up is a deterrent. In addition, dogs who will fight if their owner is genuinely attacked do not have to be made aggressive to do so. Training a dog specifically to be a guard dog is hazardous and potentially creates a liability for you. Misguided attempts to make a dog aggressive through abuse will only backfire because the dog will not be loyal to someone who treats them harshly, and if the dog wrongly bites someone you will be at fault. Never train dogs who are basically fearful or out of control. Such dogs may not respond appropriately in non-threatening situations.

A German shepherd dog should not be selected to receive training as a guard dog unless the dog is basically friendly, stable and clear-headed, and has been well-socialized.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

Walk your German shepherd dog on a leash around the perimeter of your property regularly to identify your territorial boundaries. Do not allow your dog to bark at people who are outside your property. Do not allow your dog to chase people under any circumstances.

TIPS & WARNINGS

THINGS NEEDED

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Choose Your Learning Environment Wisely

Like you, in order to learn something, your GSD will excel in an environment that is conducive to learning. Ideally, you would not go to the food court of a busy mall to sit down and study for an upcoming exam. Instead, you would choose a quiet room in your home, or perhaps a library or coffee shop. Why would you do this? Because there are no distractions.

Similarly, you must choose an environment that is conducive to learning for your German Shepherd in order to give him the best chance for success. What this means, practically speaking, is that you want to choose an environment such as a quiet room in your home, or even your own backyard. The idea being that it must be some place that your GSD is familiar with and that will not lend itself to distractions.

You should not consider training your GSD around people that he is unfamiliar with or in a new or busy environment, such as a dog park full of other dogs competing for your GSDs attention.

Tip #: Train Your German Shepherd Puppy To Ask For Permission

Dog commands and fun and useful and you can probably find hundreds to teach your GSD. This one though – Ask for permission– is technically not a command, because you will not ask your canine to do it every time, instead you want to teach him to do it on his own every time the occasion requires it. For example, wouldnt it be great if your puppy would look at you for approval before running after another dog or kid? Take time to do this with your puppy, it will be worth it!

This is another one of the most important German Shepherd puppy training tips because a dog that asks for permission is an obedient and safe dog.

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Which Dog Training Method Is Best

The best type of dog training for both you and your dog depends on the outcomes you hope to achieve. If you want your dog to learn agility training, go to someone who specializes in those techniques. Regardless of whether you want your dog to learn basic behavior or competitive-level tricks, the majority of dog training is actually about training the owner how to communicate with their dog. Most professional dog trainers agree that a model of training based on positive reinforcement breeds a happy, healthy, well-adjusted dog. The alternative to positive reinforcement training is using force or aggression techniques like physical punishment or shock-collar training to get the dog to do a behavior. While the dog may learn how to behave as you direct, it is also learning to communicate with force and aggression, and will in turn use those behaviors on other dogs that are smaller or weaker than it is. Before signing up with a dog trainer, meet with the trainer and ask for references. Watch the trainer interact with your dog, and make sure they treat your dog with patience and firm kindness. Ask them questions about their training methods:

• What type of training methods do you use?
• What is your background and training, and how did you become a dog trainer?
• How long do you expect that we will work together before we achieve the results Im after?

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