Bringing Your Puppy Home
- Coming home: Encourage your new puppy to lie down and sleep to lessen the shock of the car ride.
- The vet: Take him to the vet within 24 hours of bringing him home, even if he has passed a vet’s inspection at a shelter.
- Potty training: When you get your puppy home, take him or her to the right place for dogs to relieve themselves. Praise the puppy highly when he goes in the right place. Keep using that place for toilet training and use verbal commands. Small puppies have small bladders. They will need to go outside to try and toilet every two hours until they are about six months old when they can start holding their bladders for seven hours. German Shepherd puppies usually walk in circles sniffing when they need to go. When a puppy has an accident, he is not trying to be bad. He often just can’t hold it. However, once they learn, it’s learned.
- Getting spayed or neutered: You can help the training process along by getting the puppy spayed or neutered. Mentally, neutered dogs stay more like puppies and are more comfortable letting you make the big decisions. They also avoid a lot of health problems this way.
In time, with lots of patience, daily handling, and attention, your German Shepherd puppy will be a canine ambassador. Your friends, neighbors, and even total strangers will appreciate you for taking the time and responsibility to train your dog well.
The Key Commands In Training Your German Shepherd Puppy
Most dogs will need obedience training in basic and advanced skills. But obedience training levels can be further broken down to basic, intermediate, advanced, and behavior correction.
Heres Zak again on how to teach your new puppy 3 easy things his name, and the commands, sit! and down! This particular video went viral and has over 11 million views!
A German Shepherd puppy will be initiated in the basic obedience training, but it doesnt hurt to know what the other levels of obedience training entail.
- Basic obedience training is usually done on a leash and involves the very first commands that your German Shepherd pup should learn.
- Intermediate obedience training entails the removal of the leash to teach the same basic commands.
- Advanced obedience training involves teaching obedience commands to your German Shepherd puppy at a higher level and in situations that may include distractions and the effort for greater concentration.
- Behavior correction obedience training is meant for dogs with behavior problems that the owner may sometimes find hard to correct . For example, if your dog is biting other than during normal puppy teething, check out this article on how to discipline a German Shepherd for biting.
Your German Shepherd puppy will need training in the following 15 and other basic commands:
With time, as your German Shepherd puppy advances into adulthood, hell need training in the following eight and other advanced commands:
Train Your Dog To Stop Attack
Now, you want to train your GSD to stop attack on your command. Again choose a word for stop that nobody else can easily use.
As your dog responds to the stop command, give him treats.
Next, let your dog practice the attack and stop commands on a large padded doll or object.
Remember to reinforce his cooperation with treats!
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Keeping Four Paws On The Floor
Puppies jump up for many reasons. Life is good, what can they do? Its perfectly normal and natural behaviour but its not something we want to encourage since it wont be so cute when they do so as adults.
How to do it
TIPS
- Lets prevent jumping up by asking your puppy to sit when you know its likely theyll jump up. Do it just before, just like youre beating them to the jump.
- Dont get cross or punish them if your puppy jumps up, theyre just trying to show us that they love us! Its kind of lovely they like to do that to be honest.
- Heres an important tip. Remember that everyone in your household MUST do this, otherwise its confusing for your puppy and they will keep trying to do it!
How To Train A 6
To train a 6-month old German Shepherd, start by socializing the dog by exposing him to new sights, sounds, people, and other dogs. Use short training sessions of 5-10 minutes to avoid disinterest, and work on one command at a time. Avoid distractions and always use positive reinforcement.
Start with basic training, crate training, and leash training, or you can follow my German Shepherd puppy training schedule.
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Why Won’t My Dog Come When I Call Him
Have you ever trained your dog to come when called, and then when you call him, he completely ignores you? You are not alone! There are many reasons why your pup is not responding to your command.
- More training is needed. Your dog might not be ready to be off the leash in wide, open spaces and needs more systematic training. Go back to the basics and try again.
- Competing reinforcers. Your dog might be perfectly well-trained to come to you when you call him, but other creatures & people can win in the competition for your dogs attention. It is important for you to know your dog, and that includes knowing when you need to leave the leash on.
- No reinforcement. When you call your dog and he comes to you, it is important to reward him. No reinforcement leads your dog to not wanting to come to you. You can use a food treat or plenty of praise.
- Not understanding the dogs needs. Sometimes your dog will not come when called because you are rushing him. He may need to run, sniff around a bit, or search longer for a good bathroom break spot.
Puppies expect to be “paid” for good behavior. Praise in a happy voice and small treats are the best form of reward for good behavior.
Start by teaching your puppy his/her name. By 4 months, they should know sit, down, come, go out, and wait/stay. Be consistent & patient and reward good behavior. Training for a few minutes several times a day is better than a longer training session.
Recall Outside Using A Lead
Ooh, time to practice outside.
Let us give you a disclaimer: The outside will bring huge distractions to your training especially for an inquisitive puppy!
But its nothing you cant handle. Were sure youre even turning into a pro now.
How to do it
TIPS
· Your puppy may find it very distracting with all of the smells, so try to make your voice sound extra cheerful and happy to get their attention.
· Use your come cue when your puppy is actually looking at you. That way you can make sure theyre actually starting to learn what the word means.
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What To Do About Potty Training Regression Or Setbacks
Puppy training regression is something that can happen no matter what you are trying to teach your dog. If you house train your GSD pup and he seems to be doing well within the first month or two, you should still be prepared that regression could happen.
We already know how to deal with accidents when you house train a pooch, but regression is something different. Its almost as if your pop forgot what to do.
Not all dogs will go through regression, but what should you do if yours does?
American Kennel Club Overview
The first impression of a good German Shepherd dog is that of a strong, agile, well-muscled animal, alert and full of life. It is well balanced, with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter. The dog is longer than tall, deep-bodied, and presents an outline of smooth curves rather than angles. It looks substantial and not spindly, giving the impression, both at rest and in motion, of muscular fitness and nimbleness without any look of clumsiness or soft living. The ideal dog is stamped with a look of quality and nobility – difficult to define, but unmistakable when present. Secondary sex characteristics are strongly marked, and every animal gives a definite impression of masculinity or femininity, according to its sex.
There are many reasons why German Sheperds stand in the front rank of canine royalty, but breed experts say their dogs most important attribute is character: loyalty, courage, confidence, the ability to learn and retain commands for an amazing number of specialized jobs, and the willingness to put their life on the line in defense of loved ones. Well-bred German Sheperds of proper training and socialization will be gentle family pets and steadfast guardians eternally devoted to their human flock.
That’s a great description of an ideal German Shepherd.
Mental exercise is even more important for German Shepherds. This is a smart, thinking breed and his intelligence is often wasted in a home that simply wants a casual pet.
Behavioral issues
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The 5 Steps Of Training Your German Shepherd Puppy
Its important to indicate from the onset that there is no one size fits all rule when it comes to training your German Shepherd puppy. Every dog is unique, and youll have to adapt to your dogs individuality.
Nonetheless, some training basics are universal, as shown in the following five steps of German Shepherd puppy training.
Training Goal #: Impulse Control
Learning to control their impulses is important for all puppies, and for the GSD, it can be one of the most important ways to curb problem behaviors to which this breed is prone if allowed to become bored: behaviors such as excessive barking, digging, aggressive chewing, and inappropriate chasing .
The key to impulse control is getting your dog to focus on you. This will have beneficial effects for all the rest of your training efforts, especially in AKC dog sports like Obedience and Rally.
Require that your puppy sit before getting food, playing with an exciting toy, going outside to play, or any other favorite activity. As your GSD puppy advances in obedience training and knows more commands, you can require more advanced commands or tricks in order to receive treats or play.
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Why Are German Shepherds Easy To Train
Lets take a look at what makes German Shepherds so easy to train
They Are Highly Intelligent
German Shepherds are the 3rd most intelligent dog in the world according to Canine Psychologist, Stanley Coren. Their intelligence and versatility are why the highest percentage of police dogs in the world are German Shepherds!
Their high level of receptiveness and ability to quickly identify threats in their environment makes German Shepherds easy to train if done correctly. They can learn to do almost any task given to them one familys German Shepherd has even learnt how to do chores!
They Thrive off of Positive Reinforcement
German Shepherds are incredibly loyal and obedient. They are great listeners and love to please their owner by following commands once a relationship is built.
GSDs learn well from being encouraged and rewarded when they perform well. They are naturally determined dogs and are motivated to prove their loyalty to their owner, who they often attach themselves to. This makes them easier to train compared to other dogs.
A Utility Breed
For years, German Shepherds have been bred to carry out an array of different jobs, and the breed has attained many skills as a result.
When used for herding, German Shepherds could perform with little to no training or by responding to a few simple commands. It was their job to look out for threats whilst watching and gathering livestock, demonstrating their ability to listen attentively and be observant of any threats.
When You Should Call Professional Trainer
You are trying to train your German shepherd puppy yourself. But, how do you know that it might be time to call a professional trainer? If you have the patients, you can train your puppy yourself, but if you dont have lots of patients, you will not be successful with the training. And, you might want to call a professional.
If you have tried to learn your puppy German Shepherd, and you have failed. If you dont succeed with training hiring a professional will do the trick. They know exactly how to do this correctly. The other reason when you might want to hire a professional is if you want to teach your dog more than just the most essential commands. The more difficult commands can be much harder to teach, so this might be a great opportunity for your dog to be introduced to a professional trainer.
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List Of German Shepherd Training Commands
Clicker training can be used to teach your German Shepherd a vast variety of commands. In fact, the options are almost limitless! However, its generally best to begin with the basics.
Here are some of the basic commands you can teach your German Shepherd along with some steps you can take to train them using clicker training:
When You Should Start Train German Shepherd
The first thing that you should know, is when you should start to train your German shepherd. Some are saying that they are only learning from the age of one year. While other people are saying that you should train your German shepherd as soon as possible. What is the correct answer?
The correct answer is that you should train your puppy as soon as he arrives at your home. This will normally be from four to eight weeks old. The sooner you are teaching him to obey you and to know some commands, the easier he will learn some of the other tricks that this breed can do. The longer you are waiting, the harder teaching the dog will become. You should not spend hours and hours training with a small puppy. Just a couple of minutes a day is all that the puppy can handle. Playtime is just as important as training time.
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Show Your German Shepherd The Border Of The House
It is important to take a walk every day around your property to show your German shepherd the areas he has to protect and also teach him not to bark to strangers or friends outside the property. For example, if someone is simply walking on the road in front of your garden or house, your dog should not Bark on him without any reason.
Your Dog Is Not A Person Your Dog Is A Reflection Of You
Your Dog is a Reflection of You!
As humans, we personify everything we love including our beloved dogs. And in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that.
As long as we remember that our dogs operate on instincts. And our emotions affect those instincts.
For example
There’s this Staffie names Apollo that has hydrotherapy on the same day as Charley.
Now, Apollo and Charley hate each other. None of us are sure why though!
So, a few weeks ago Charley was at her weekly hydrotherapy session when Apollo strolled past her massage mat.
The moment I saw him I tensed up. And within a split second Charley, who has just had hip surgery, jumped up on all fours and started barking madly.
She’s never had a problem with any of the other dogs around there. Even the owners 2 Jack Russell’s hang around her with no problems.
Both myself and the therapist never saw it coming. But looking back now, I should have known
Charley was reacting to her instincts.
But
My emotions played a big role in her final reaction. Charley was responding to me, but the results were not positive. Because I was tense and worried.
You may be wondering what you can do to encourage your GSD to respond to you in a positive way.
This brings us to the next golden rule
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The Essential Guide To The Gerberian Shepsky
Looking for a perfect mix of high energy and intelligence? Perhaps the idea of a German Shepherd mix crossed with a Husky is just the right combination for you.
The Gerberian Shepsky is a favorite of both Husky and German Shepherd lovers for good reason. Hes alert, intelligent, and playful all rolled into one!
Heres what you need to know about the Gerberian Shepsky to give yourself a head start on living with their larger than life personality.
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