How Long Does It Take To Train A Police Dog
The training process of a police dog can take anywhere from just a few weeks to several years.
The amount of time depends on the breed and the experience, as well as the goals set for the individual dog and handler team.
A few weeks may be needed to train an aggressive dog, whereas a team seeking assistance with narcotics detection might opt for more extended training periods.
Once the decision has been made about what type of actions will be required from this particular working model, then there are other important factors to consider.
These include equipment , compatibility with dogs of different breeds and levels, availability in terms of timing and location, temperament , resources , etc
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How To Teach A German Shepherd To Sit:
You can phase out your spacing of the reward so youre not rewarding for every sit, just occasionally.
Work on having your German Shepherd sit in different areas of your home, then move to an area with more distractions, such as your backyard.
Finally, while they are on their lead, practice in even more distracting areas that dont stress them and while they are safe.
Vary Your Dogs Training Setting
Once your dog masters a command in a quiet environment, try training them in a more distracting environment.
This could mean that you turn on the TV or radio, have your family in the room, or move near a window they like to look out.
They must learn that the place they initially learned the commandyour quiet, comfortable home isnt the only spot where you require them to follow your commands.
Ultimately, your dog learns that you still expect them to obey you, no matter the location or environment.
Recognize they wont learn as swiftly in challenging environments.
Sometimes it will take time to adjust to the idea that a local park is a place for learning too. Keep working with them and stay positive.
As you practice, your dog learns to tune out the distractions and pay more attention to your training and you. Remember to practice having your dog perform the command from different distances from you so they learn the command is the same, no matter your distance or location from them.
Keep working through the command list for your German Shepherd to ensure youve worked all the commands in a variety of environments.
And always, always, always
Make sure your dog is safe!
Keep them on a short or long leash when outdoors! And stay aware of your surroundings, including busy roads, bicyclists, children playing, and other obstacles to avoid.
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Hello Kate,Is pup aggressive when people approach or simply over-reactive?If pup is only barking and is not otherwise aggressive toward strangers, I recommend the following video to help desensitize pup.https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop& v=LXCELHDT2fs& index=11& list=PLXtcKXk-QWojGYcl1NCg5UA5geEnmpx4aIf pup is also aggressive, additional training will be needed with a lot more safety precautions to ensure no one is bitten â in that case, I would reach out to a professional trainer who specializes in behavior issues like aggression, and works with a team of trainers who can practice being âstrangersâ to practice around pup carefully with the skills needed to help pup.Best of luck training,Caitlin Crittenden
The Best Way To Phase Out Treats
Its unwise and also unhealthy for your German Shepherd to expect a treat after every successful performance.
This means you its better to phase rewards out from your training exercises once they have a specific command down.
A positive way to phase out rewards once your dog has mastered a distinct command is to present the reward as part of the training of a new command.
Once your dog has mastered down, instead of providing a treat after giving them the down, offer them a lesser treat, verbal praise, or petting instead of their usual expected reward.
Your GSD will probably notice the reduction of the normal treat and let you know theyve noticed.
This is a good time to move on to your next command where theyll receive a tastier reward for performing a new skill.
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First 4 Commands To Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy
German Shepherds are a medium to large sized working dogs, and they were originally bred for herding and guarding sheep. According to the book The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren, the German Shepherd dog is easy to train and can quickly learn various tasks only after 5 repetitions and is third for their intelligence right after the Border Collie and the Poodle.
German Shepherds are eager to please and have a strong will to learn. If you want to have a happy well-trained GSD , you should start your training as early as possible. Its best to begin at around two months of age.
German Shepherd Training Tip: Start Small And Build Up
Its a smart idea to have a list of German Shepherd obedience commands that you can refer to.
Using a training command list for your German Shepherd allows you to identify the commands that you need to work on.
Place the list where you will see it often daily as a reminder to continue and work through your training.
This allows you to understand where your training is and to begin the next, more advanced steps with your dog. While you may not use all the commands or need them, its a good reference tool to have at hand.
Start with the beginning obedience items and keep adding a new command, preferably at a consistent pace. Once your GSD masters the new command, keep building on their training by adding in the next command.
When practicing your German Shepherd training commands dont rush your dog.
Your German Shepherd is one of the worlds most intelligent breeds, but they still need to have the commands broken down into their smallest steps in order to have success.
Keep your training sessions short, around 5 minutes long.
And practice multiple times per day. 3 to 4 times daily is a great start to teach your GSD their commands.
Some handlers and trainers use a different version to those on the German Shepherd training commands list to train their dogs, but you can use whatever command works best for you and your GSD. Just remember to stay consistent with your command word.
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Imported Purebreds Might Come With A Language Advantage
If you are importing purebred dogs from Germany, the training will also be fairly smooth. This is because German Shepherd dogs, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and several other working breeds may already be trained in the German language. The biggest challenge will be that you will have to learn how to pronounce the commands correctly. Don’t worryyour dog won’t judge you if you mispronounce things a bit at the very worst, he or she may simply hesitate and tilt their head!
The Ultimate German Shepherd Training Commands Guide
Do you know why German Shepherd training commands are essential for successful dog obedience?
Without knowing the training commands, you could unintentionally miss basic commands or worse
Confuse your German Shepherd, making your training harder and more stressful!
But with this essential list of German Shepherd training commands, you and your German Shepherd will have a smoother experience.
Lets get started.
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Watch A World Championship Dog Trainer Working With A German Shepherd
This amazing routine on YouTube taken from the 2018 World Cup showcases what is truly possible in terms of training a German Shepherd in a working K-9 role.
While you might never need to train your GSD to this advanced level, there is no reason why your dog cannot learn to be just as responsive to the basic commands you need them to learn.
This is ultimately for your safety, for your dogs safety, and for the safety of others in your community.
Two Different Types Of Training Signals
Different dog trainers may have different theories on whether voice signals or hand signals work best with different dog breeds.
Voice signals tend to be the most popular choice because they can be used even in low light. But hand signals may work better when your dog is farther away, especially if you have a naturally soft speaking voice.
You may also choose to combine voice and hand signals to reinforce the command and make sure you have both options available to communicate with your dog in different situations.
Okay, so now that you have a basic overview of the most important things to know about training a dog, lets dive into an overview of the most commonly used canine training commands starting from the most basic level on up.
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Training Your German Shepherd To Sit
This is a crucial command that will assist your dog to become well-mannered and obedient.
Step 1 : Wait for your dog to stand or sit in front of you. Hold his favorite treat in your hand and then flash it before his eye and make sure he sees it. This should get him excited and grab his attention. Step 2 : Slowly hover the hand holding the treat over his head towards his rear side. All the while, ensure the treat stays in line with his nose so that he can sniff the treat to fuel his excitement. Step 3 : Your dog will automatically drop his rear to the floor in a sitting position to maintain eye-contact with his favorite treat. Once, his behind hits the floor, hand him the treat and praise him for a good job. Step 4 : Do not use the word sit at this level. Instead, practice this exercise until he can sit on seeing the treat on your hand. Only introduce the word sit after a few days of practicing. Step 5 : Have the treat in your hand and then use the word sit. If he is not able to respond by sitting on the ground, gently press his coup down and then repeat the command. Do not reward him with the treat until he can respond to the command. Keep practicing until your dog can sit even without treats.
Teach Your German Shepherd To Be Quiet On Command
This command is more important than the barking one. If your dog continues to bark and does not want to quite, it can become a big problem.
After you have practiced a lot with the barking command, you have to teach him to stop barking. Some German shepherds are natural barkers, and it is difficult to stop them, but if you train them from the beginning it will be effortless.
When your dog is prepared to listen to your bark and quiet command, that means you are doing well with the training.
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Reasons Why German Dog Commands Are Helpful For Police Officers
There are several reasons for why the German dog commands are used in police dog training here are some of those:
Uncommon Language: Most countries do not use the German language that well other than Germany. This is a massive plus for those countries. Criminals can sometimes influence the dog however, if the dog is trained with German commands, it can be challenging for them to do so.
There are several cases in which criminals have easily stopped many English thought police dogs.
Uniqueness: Many cops like the essence of the German phrases. Because of this, many of them stick to the German dog commands.
What System Of Training Commands Should You Use
If you are training a working dog breed like the German Shepherd for the very first time, you may not be aware of how many different training systems exist for dogs today.
One of the most popular systems is called Schutzhund. The word literally translates to mean protection dog.
With Schutzhund, temperament is everything. Typically a dog is identified in puppyhood as being a potential candidate for this military-grade protection dog training regimen.
As VonLotta Kennels explains, the whole Schutzhund training regimen is also designed to bring out the best in your German Shepherd.
All of the following breed qualities are enhanced and emphasized with Schutzhund:
But you dont have to use Schutzhund to train your GSD. In fact, one big difference between Schutzhund training and many other training systems is that the commands are traditionally issued in German.
There are lots of different training systems, however, including some like MondioRing that is integrated into canine athletics competitions.
These types of programs serve a dual purpose: they provide great exercise and enrichment for your smart, energetic GSD and they also offer a great training foundation with common commands.
You may want to just start with basic training commands, however, and decide later whether you want to enroll your German Shepherd in a more formal program of canine athletics or K-9 protection dog training protocols.
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Teaching An Old Dog New Commands
Because it takes older dogs longer to learn new tricks and commands, be patient. It may take more time and more repetition, but you can teach your old dog to respond to German commands. If you teach an old dog a German command for an English command they already know, you will want to use both the English and German commands together. Then slowly eliminate the English command to see if the dog responds to the German command correctly
Dont lose hope if you want to teach your old dog to respond to German commands. Exercise patience, love, and lots of repetition, and your old dog can learn too. Once your dog understands its new commands, youll be able to impress your friends with your bi-lingual dog.
Rogue Pet Science recommends using their all-natural pet treats to help train your dog. Rogue Pet Science makes natural, high protein, and nutritious dog treats that improve your dogs health and overall happiness.
References:
Fun Gsd Training Commands
There are many other things you can teach your dog other than your daily essentials. These might be purely for entertainment or to give your dog a job to do.
Either way, these 12 training commands will give you something fun to do while providing excellent mental stimulation:
1) Shake Hands
Shake or shake hands is a fun way to say hello to strangers or introduce your friends to your dog. But beyond a greeting, this is a good way to teach them to offer their paw for inspection or grooming.
2) Rollover
The rollover command isnt really useful in many situations, but it is a challenging trick to learn. It is also a fun part of your repertoire when you show off to guests.
3) Army Crawl
The army crawl is an even more advanced trick that requires them to move forward while their body is flat on the ground.
Outside of working and military applications, there might not be many uses for this command, but its an excellent way to stimulate your dogs mind.
4) Hugging
Although hugging is a common way for us humans to give affection, dogs arent natural huggers. Nevertheless, you can teach your dog to hug for times when your mood needs a little pick-me-up.
This is also especially useful for dogs providing emotional support.
5) Kissing
Its a sign of affection but not everyone will welcome a slobbery kiss from a German Shepherd. Nevertheless, its a fun trick that will surely have you in stitches every single time.
6) Play Dead
7) Take a Bow
8) Fetch
9) Get Your Leash
10) Clean Up Toys
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German Shepherd Training Commands
Training your German Shepherd isnt just about obedience. It is a means to establish communication cues that enable you to understand each other and develop a bond. Additionally, trained GSDs are more confident and have lower tendencies to develop behavioral issues simply because they know how to interact with and respond to their environment.
German Shepherds are one of the worlds most intelligent dogs. And because they are always so eager to please, theyre incredibly fun and fulfilling to train.
Read on to learn some of the most useful German Shepherd training commands you can teach your dog.
How Loud Is A German Shepherds Bark
They are also quite vocal. According to a test conducted on 26 dogs from different breeds, the bark of a German Shepherd was found to be louder than the sound of a moving truck which emitted 86 decibels of sound. Other tests revealed that some German Shepherds can even make sounds as loud as 106 decibels.
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Training Your Dog To Respond To The Command Stay
This command will help you to stop your dog from chasing after your neighbors cats or squirrels.
Step 1 : Before you start teaching this command, make sure he understands the command down. Step 2 : Now, teach him to stay in the down position with his palm over his head, when you say stay! Step 3 : Maintain eye contact when you deliver this command during the time you want him to stay put. Repeat the command if he tries to get up or lift his head. If he obeys, give him a treat and praise him to let him know that you are happy he is following your command. Step 4 : Repeat this exercise, while gradually increasing the time of the stay.