How Often Should You Walk A German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a large dog with an active temperament, so it will be crucial to go for a walk two or three times a day so that its muscles stay in a good condition. These walks should last about 20 or 30 minutes.
Even if you find it disgusting, you must allow your German Shepherd to sniff around whatever it wants: this is a sign that it is relaxed. Here you can discover the common things you do wrong when walking your dog for more tips.
A common problem when walking German Shepherds is that they tend to pull on the lead, but it can be easily solved. Collars are not recommended for this breed, especially not choke or prong collars, as they can lead to eye diseases especially in younger dogs. Instead, use an anti-pull harness, which will be available in any pet store.
German Shepherds are prone to hip dysplasia, a genetic degenerative disease. It is very important to not do intense exercise for hours on end.
How Long Will I Have To Train My German Shepherd Daily
Be prepared to train your German Shepherd for at least 10 to 15 minutes a day. You should practice basic obedience training, but also include fun training games to keep them interested in their training and engaged with you.
Youll want to break up the 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day to make sure your German Shepherd doesnt get bored of the same routine commands.
Aim for five three-minute sessions daily in the beginning, as a minimum.
There are exceptions to this rule since your GSD is a working breed and some GSDs will enjoy training for longer. But start with no more than a few minutes in a short session and gradually build onto each individual session longer times.
During each session work on just one or two commands so that your dog learns the right way to perform the command. You can add in another command they know if theyre struggling to pay attention and keep the session positive and interesting.
Ready to start using games during your German Shepherd training?
Then youll enjoy these fun German Shepherd games for obedience training to help your dog stay active, alert, and ready for their daily sessions.
Include Games For Fun Easy Training
Keep training fun by using games.
Make training fun so that your dog and you dont get bored and lose interest.
Instead of the same old training routine every day, incorporate interesting German Shepherd games to help teach your dogs the basics.
Games are useful training for a 1-year-old German Shepherd because they take advantage of the energy and youthfulness that your dog still has.
They also help get your dog excited about learning and create a stronger connection between you and your German Shepherd.
Train with the motto, less is more if you see your dog begin losing interest in training, walking off, or having an unusually difficult time following what youre teaching.
Take a time off, a mini-vacation day, to give him a break. German Shepherds who arent paying you any attention wont learn anything.
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Can You Still Train A 6
You can still train a 6-month old German Shepherd. Younger puppies have short attention spans, but 6-month old GSD puppies can learn much more at this juvenile stage. However, start as if they were an 8-week old puppy as you may need to undo and re-teach incorrect behaviors already learned or trained.
The First Ride Home: Making It Safe And Secure
If youre a first-time dog owner, you often forget that the dog also needs to be secured when driving in a car.
The most important thing to have with you when you go pick up your German Shepherd is a carrying crate in which to bring him home.
Heres a travel crate big enough to fit a 30-50 lb puppy, which is suitable for your GSD puppy up to 6 months:
This ride will probably be the very first ride for your pup.
And puppies tend to be known for having a sensitive stomach and a moving car might make them vomit.
And trust me, its a lot better if theyre in a crate rather than on your lap when that happens.
Another reason, for the German Shepherd puppy to be in their crate is that a puppy tends to be quite nervous and squirmy during their first car ride. They are in a strange place with a stranger who wouldnt be a bit nervous?
Accidents could occur if puppies crawl under the brake pedal, knocked the gearshift, and simply taking the drivers eyes off the road.
The ride home is not necessarily a bonding moment, the only thing that matters is that everybody gets home safe.
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Sled Dog Vs Sheepdog Genes
If they are more Husky than German Shepherd, your pup might want to run for hours every day. And may show less interest in learning games.
But if their personality more resembles a German Shepherd, they might enjoy advanced obedience classes. Or scent work activities.
Either of which will help to give them a satisfying sense of purpose.
German Shepherd training is something you will need to keep up with for their lifetime. And their mix is likely to be no different.
Whichever breed they take after most closely, they will need lots of socialization from a young age.
We are talking of at least two hours exercise a day as adults. Together with ongoing training sessions through the dogs life.
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.
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How To Train A 5 Month Old German Shepherd Puppy
You have adequately socialized and trained your dog to recognize and associate attention, toys, walks, and food as rewards. Your five-month-old German Shepherd puppy is now ready to be put to the test for general obedience and the capacity to deal with distractions. These could be other dogs, strangers, or animals like squirrels or birds.
The Key Takeaways Here Are:
- For effective German Shepherd training, you must be a good leader in your dogs life.
- Leadership is about using brains and NOT brawn to train your German Shepherd.
- Understand what your dog is not , learn to speak your dogs language, and get inside his head.
- Always be patient and consistent with your training and reinforcement.
- Aggressive methods are not effective when training your German Shepherd. You will see little to no results, it will cause trust issues and youll break your dogs spirit. Always be kind!
- Positive reinforcement and training will bring quicker, long-lasting results. And build a strong relationship of trust and love between you and your German Shepherd.
Check out this article to learn how to teach your German Shepherd not to jump on you or your guests.
The part of your article that mentioned consistency and why it matters when training dogs was definitely one part that was helpful to read. The last thing I want to happen is that my dog would be let loose thinking that they would behave and they suddenly act aggressively towards my family because we gave the wrong command. Ill make sure I focus on this aspect of training when I find a dog trainer in the area that can help me train my german shepherd.
Hi Roylena,
Im so sorry, I totally forgot to drop the link to my article on jumping here for you to check out. Here it isHow to stop a German Shepherd from Jumping on You.
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German Shepherds As Working Dogs
Since the origin of the German Shepherd breed, these dogs have been trained as working dogs. They have herded livestock, but they have also been guardian dogs and assistants to police forces, firefighters and rescue teams. Nowadays, German Shepherds are also considered excellent service and therapy dogs. The excellent disposition of this large and beautiful breed has led it to play a key role in all of these professions for many years. Of course, they can also be excellent companions for any type of family.
If you want to train your German Shepherd as a working dog, you should go to a professional dog trainer. However, remember that this breed is sensitive, and may become aggressive or suffer serious behavioral problems if you let it be trained by someone who uses punishment techniques.
Finally, we must stress that dogs shouldn’t be trained to attack, unless in extremely specific circumstances and in controlled environments – certainly not in our daily lives. Training a dog to attack will make it stressed, frightened, and likely to develop behavioral issues. If that is your intent and you don’t have professional extended experience, it’s best not to adopt a dog at all.
These are our tips to train a German Shepherd. If you want to learn more about this breed, don’t miss the following articles:
The Time Required To Complete The Training
As discussed earlier, German shepherds are intelligent and can be trained in a short time. If you train your dog regularly according to the steps and the considerations in mind, it can take your dog just 3 to 5 days to obey the hand signal to sit.
Another 7 days and it can learn to sit only on voice commands. Also, be patient and never punish or shout at your puppy. It can cause negative reactions and unwanted behavior from the dog. With a German Shepherd, your life would surely never be the same again. They are communicative, happy and full of life.
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Train Them To Attack A Person
The hardest part of the training is to transition your dog from attacking a doll to attacking a person. The most important part of this step is teaching them the command stop. This command will ensure you have control, and the dog will stop attacking when you say so.
Youll need two people for this step one person to utter the command and the other to sub in for the doll. It may be daunting to ask a friend to volunteer for this, and you can always acquire assistance from a dog trainer. They will understand how to react if anything goes wrong during the training.
Either way, ensure the other person is wearing protective gear to protect them from the attack. When choosing a protective suit, make sure it is good quality, with durable materials, and that it has excellent reviews.
We would recommend going for one like the Dean and Tyler Full Protection Bite Suit. Its French Linen composition is proven to protect against all bites and cover each part of the body for enhanced safety.
It includes Velcro straps on the waist and leather hand protectors as well. The suit does tend to limit movement, so your subject likely wont have much agility while in it. They are an investment, so make sure youre sure about the purchase and your commitment to the training.
Once your guinea pig is fully protected, you can begin commanding your German Shepherd to attack the subject, using the phrase and pointing. Now the key is the implementation of the command stop.
Train Your Dog To Fetch
If you have taken your German Shepherd to public parks and he has watched other dogs play fetch, it will be easier to teach him to retrieve whatever you throw. You can use one of your dogs favorite toys and throw it a short distance away. Your GSD may not bring the toy back to you for a second time, but he will eventually figure it out.
Over the next few weeks, you can gradually turn it into a game of fetch, rewarding your puppy with high-value training treats. Your German Shepherd will learn FETCH! in no time!
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Activate Anchors Start Recall Training
In weeks 8-11, you established anchors for some of your puppys positive behaviors. These included a clicker, whistle, clap, or saying a specific word to show your German Shepherd is doing a good job, generally followed by a well-deserved treat. Now is the time to see whether the anchors work!
You used to whistle when your GSD approached you now, you must whistle for him to start his run. You are training your 3-month-old German Shepherd puppy to associate the whistles sound as your cue for him to run towards you. This is the foundation of his recall training.
Theres no need to be disappointed if this doesnt work right away. Its a never-ending task to teach good recall. I didnt observe a significant improvement in my German Shepherds recall until she was about 12 months old. Dont try to force the dog, as this will confuse him.
If your German Shepherd isnt responding when you activate the triggers, keep re-establishing the anchors and try again after a few days.
Raising And Training A German Shepherd Puppy
When thinking of bringing a German Shepherd pup into your home, it is important to understand the responsibility you will need to take. Giving your puppy the care, love, and training it needs while it is still young is vital so that you have a well-behaved dog in the future.
A German Shepherd is not only a wonderful friend to have in the house but a wonderful alarm, as he is ready to bark at any sign of danger. But German Shepherd puppies must be taught who is in control.
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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:
Finding A Puppy Who Is The Best Fit For You
Finding a good, ethical breeder is one of the most important ways to ensure you are getting off to the right start in obtaining the puppy who will be the best fit for you and your household. Breeders observe their puppies personalities and drives and can match the right puppy to the right individual or family.
You may also wish to acquire a puppy from one of the breed-rescue organizations listed in the AKC Rescue Network currently, over 40 GSD rescues are listed, a testament to the popularity of this magnificent breed. If you choose this route, be sure to discuss with the breed rescue organization your needs and what you are looking for in a puppy they should also be able to help you find the puppy whose temperament and personality will be the best match for you.
Nadia Adams of Oher Tannen German Shepherd Dogs has been a GSD breeder for 15 years and comments, A well-bred German Shepherd Dog is highly intelligent, thriving on praise and wanting to please the owner. This combination makes them very trainable, which is one of the most appealing qualities of the breed.
This breeds high level of intelligence and strong willingness to work mean your GSD must receive consistent and ongoing training from an early age. A bored GSD is a destructive GSD. That said, states Adams, the sky is the limit, if the owner ca devote a good amount of quality time to the dog, especially during the critical first year of life.
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Be Firm And Consistent As Your Puppy Entered Teenager
A six-month-old German Shepherd is not going to be sexually mature typically that wont happen until around the age of two years old.
But you will likely start to see behaviors that are consistent with what dog owners call teenager-hood some rebellion, willful behavior, some pulling on the leash, or stubbornness about obeying common commands.
According to the German Shepherd Forum, this is the most dangerous time for your young puppys growth because it is when many owners discover their small puppy has been replaced with a powerful young dog that is not so easy to control.
If you are firm and consistent with your training through the teenage phase, hiring a professional K-9 trainer if you need to, your reward will be a well-behaved, well-trained adult dog that will guard, defend and protect you with their life.