Dog Age Chart: How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years
Randa is a writer & former assoc. digital content editor at the American Kennel Club. Sheâs also mom to 1 Corgi & 2 orange cats.
- Randa Kriss
- Best Dog Breeds For Kids
Its common knowledge that one year of a dogs life is equal to seven human yearsor is it? If this is the way youve been calculating your dogs age, dont worry youre not alone. However, the truth is that this method isnt entirely accurate.
Historically, its very likely that the one dog year equals seven human years method was created to simply show that dogs age faster than humans. Today, scientists and researchers have developed a more precise method of calculating a dogs age to human years.
Lets dig in
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Do German Shepherd Puppies Grow Out Of Biting
If you find it cute that your little German Shepherd puppy is biting your hand, think again! GSDs grow-up to become strong and muscular dogs. If you encourage them when they bite or make aww sounds, it will adopt biting as a habit. However, once a GS pup grows, its biting habits are not cute at all.
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Why Your German Shepherd Is Disobedient
If your German Shepherd is being disobedient then youre probably wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will give you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might be disobedient and some things that you can do to stop it.
So, why is your German Shepherd disobedient? The most likely causes are that it is not getting enough exercise and that it needs to be trained more. Other possible causes include boredom, fear, being slightly disobedient by nature, being in a new location, having a ruptured eardrum or because you have been rewarding the behavior.
And, what can you do to stop it? Y oull want to start by giving it lots of exercise since it can curb a lot of unwanted behaviors. Youll also need to spend more time training it starting with the basics such as sit and then building up to harder things like getting it to stay with people around.
Before trying to get your German Shepherd to be more obedient it actually helps a lot to take the time to consider why it might not be behaving the way that you want it to.
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If You Have Other Pets Do Encourage Your Gsd Pup To Play With Them
This will expend your dogs energy and make her less prone to biting. By doing this, you are also socializing your puppy with other animals an essential skill to learn for a well-rounded behavior.
That being said, do not completely write off playing with your puppy! Playtime is still an excellent opportunity to bond with your dog, but make sure to keep it safe and fun by establishing boundaries.
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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!
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Practice And Reward Desired Behaviors
Perhaps the most important step of the process is practicing and rewarding the guarding behaviors you want to see. Of course, its best to catch your dog in the act of guarding naturally and then rewarding her handsomely, but thats not likely to happen all that often. Instead, many pup parents stage a trespassing situation in which they have a stranger approach their home, self, or dog and then reward them, of course!
Training your German shepherd to be a guard dog is time-consuming and requires some hard work, but its benefits last for life. Since this breed is so highly motivated and intelligent, your dog probably will help you with the training just as much as youll help her. Could you ask for more in a loving, protective companion?
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Why Your German Shepherd Isnt Listening To You
There are a number of reasons that your German Shepherd might not be listening to you that I will mention below.
Fear
When your German Shepherd misbehaves it might be tempting to punish it for doing so. Logically, you might think that punishing your German Shepherd for misbehaving would reduce the behavior.
However, what youre actually punishing it for often wont be the same thing that your German Shepherd thinks that youre punishing it for. If you punish it for running away then it will associate the punishment with the last thing that it did which is coming back to you.
There are also other problems with using punishment as a training method. It can lead to things like depression, aggression, destructive behavior and can cause it to become distrustful of you.
Instead, a better approach is to use positive reinforcement training where you reward your German Shepherd for behaving in the right way. By doing this you will be able to reinforce its good habits while preventing bad ones.
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You havent trained enough
Your German Shepherd might not be listening to you because it doesnt know what you want it to do. If you havent taken the time to teach it to come on command then it wont know that when you tell it to come to you it means that you want it to go to you. This is why its important that you take the time to train your German Shepherd since it will teach it to listen to you when you tell it to.
A lack of exercise
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Socializing Your Dog Is Important
Socializing your dog is going to be very important. Those that are not properly socialized can become anxious, fearful, and aggressive around other dogs as they grow older. This is especially true of the German Shepherd, who is naturally protective and will want to protect your pack from outside influences if he is not taught that there is no need for alarm.
Once he has had all of his vaccinations, it might be a good idea to start taking him to a local dog park, where there are other, friendly dogs that he can play with. Learning that other dogs and people are friendly will help your dog be better adjusted in the long run.
Socialize your dog with other animals.
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How To Stop German Shepherd Puppy Nipping And Biting
- Move your hand calmly and slowly from your puppy.
- Show them what they can chew, instead, such as their favorite chew toy.
- Have plenty safe chew toys to grab nearby to give your pup when they get wild and decide to bite you.
- Dont participate in rough play using your hands, as this encourages nipping and biting.
- Always use toys that your puppy can chew and bite to play with pick from this list of German Shepherd Chew Toys to Prevent Boredom so you have a safe puppy toy that can take their bites.
This teaches your pup you dont like biting and nipping while offering them a positive alternative.
During play, work on the signal easy when your pup plays too rough. When they stop biting or nipping reward them with verbal praise and pets.
If they are still too rough, use a toy to show them whats acceptable to bite or remove yourself from playing for a few minutes. Return later to try playing with your pup again and repeat the procedure.
Read this information for more helpful tips to stop your German Shepherd puppy from aggressively biting and nipping you.
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Video Answer: How To Understand And Train Your Crazy German Shepherd Dogs 101
The breed was actually created by the cross breeding of working sheep dogs from rural Germany by an ex cavalry officer called Max von Stephanitz whose aim was to create a working dog for herding which could trot for long periods.
The breed was actually created by the cross breeding of working sheep dogs from rural Germany by an ex cavalry officer called Max von Stephanitz whose aim was to create a working dog for herding which could trot for long periods.
When Should I Start Socializing My German Shepherd Puppy
Puppy socialization is most critical within their first six months of life and is most impactful around the 3-month mark. Nevertheless, adult GSDs that lack early socialization arent hopeless.
With proper handling and careful exposure to different experiences, they can still undoubtedly learn how to enjoy and interact with their surroundings.
So, it doesnt matter whether youre getting a puppy from a breeder or are adopting an adult from your local shelter. The best time to start socialization is as soon as you take them home.
Just make sure theyve completed their vaccinations to make sure theyre protected from preventable canine diseases.
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How Do I Get My German Shepherd To Listen
Something that is colorful, smells interesting, or has a squeaker can all be good traits for a toy that can grab your dogs attention. Your German shepherd is much more likely to pay attention to you if youre energetic and all over the place. Jump up and down, make some high pitched noises, and get your dog excited.
What Are Good Rewards For A German Shepherd
Always keep a stash of motivational rewards on hand for your training to motivate your dog to listen to you and pay attention.
Some good rewards for a German Shepherd that really improve your dogs hearing are:
- Tiny pieces of real, cooked chicken
- Pea-sized bits of cheese
- A special rope tug toy
- A toy that crinkles or squeaks
- The Ferrari of dog treats freeze-dried liver
- Food treats that are highly scented to get their nose really worked up
Be sure to choose a snack that is healthy for your dog!
Your dog is sure to love one of these healthy, highly scented training treats for German Shepherds.
Dont forget that you can use a special toy if your dog isnt food motivated.
Or even praise through your words and pets.
And always be sure to account for the extra calories your dog eats during training so you can reduce their regular meals a bit.
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Activities German Shepherds Love
Try playing a variety of games with your dog, or feel free to take him with you on fun outings for activities like:
- Hiking German Shepherds love spending time on the trail and will happily trot alongside you while you take in the fresh air.
- Running German Shepherds are very capable runners and are fast enough to outrun even the most well-trained sprinter. Take your dog along for a run, and they will prove themselves as the perfect running partner.
- Fetch Playing fetch with a ball, toy or your sisters shoes is a fun way to add some cardio to your pups day, even when you dont have the energy to run around with them. Find your dogs favorite itemand the rest is simple! You throw the ball, they catch it, bring it back, rinse and repeat!
- Nose work games Sharpen your dogs senses and flex their mental abilities by treating them to some nose work games. They will love using one of their most powerful senses to problem solve and will be even happier after receiving their reward! Nose work is as simple to set up as putting a favorite food of theirs in a box or container, creating a scent trail for them to follow, and then hiding their treat!
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.
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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Training A German Shepherd Puppy At 8 To 12 Weeks Old Yes You Can
A GSD pup of 8 to 12 weeks of age or older still needs positive reinforcement for the best behavior changes. Disciplining your GSD should not involve hitting, kicking, slapping, intimidation, or yelling. But you can and SHOULD start training a German Shepherd puppy when they first arrive home with you.
Do you want your German Shepherd puppy to stop their unwanted, bad behavior and turn into the sweet angel you want them to be?
Then follow these easy disciplining and training tips thatll keep your relationship with your dog strong, while still overcoming bad behavior. You can easily learn how to train a German Shepherd puppy if you work smarter
Not harder!
Is Your Dog Being Stubborn Is Your Dog Ignoring You
So whats happening when your dog seemingly ignores you, and what can you do about it?
We ask and expect a lot of our dogs, sometimes even expecting a new dog in the home to understand all of the house rules and boundaries on the first day!
Even with our language skills, you or I would need time to settle in to a new environment. Dogs need time to settle in as well. It doesnt mean they can do unwanted things like knocking trash cans over it means we need to be patient as we begin showing the dog his new home.
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Training Your Dog Commands In German Step By Step
When training your dog using German dog commands, youll want to:
Depending on the age of your dog, learning the commands may be easy or slow. If you have an older dog that already knows basic English commands, you may want to choose other commands to teach or work with your dog to transition from English to German.
How Training Will Boost Your Dogs Confidence
When faced with something scary our dogs have a tendency to focus on that scary thing and ignore everything else. Im the same way. If a big scary scorpion lands on my desk Im getting up. Im not going to finish watching that funny cat video, not until that thing is gone.
Our dogs do the same thing. The scary thing becomes their focus, and until you can shift their attention that big scary thing is going to be the only thing theyre focused on. Its our job to help show them that the scary thing isnt so scary after all, and one of the best ways to do that is by redirecting their attention.
The more skills your dog learns, the more positive things your dog will have to focus on distracting her from dwelling on the things she previously feared. Start by teaching Sit, Stay and Down very useful commands that will also help the dog gain a sense of accomplishment and have something to do to earn your praise. Help for the Shy & Fearful Dog, Paw Rescue
When you give your dog something to focus on rather than the scary thing , it gives them something else to concentrate on, rather than just being afraid. And the more they see that nothing bad happens around that scary thing, the more confident theyll be around it.
Desensitization to scary things take time, and success wont happen overnight. Fear is an emotional response, and that can be challenging to overcome.
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