Easy German Shepherd Training Guide For Perfect Obedience
You dont realize it yet, but in the next 10 minutes, you will learn how quickly this German Shepherd training guide will change your life following a few simple steps.
Imagine what it would be like if you could get your dog to listen the first time, without hesitation.
Instead
they act like you dont even exist.
But it doesnt have to be this way!
Training Goal #: Begin Obedience Training
The German Shepherd Dogs work ethic is legendary, and you can encourage your dogs best working traits with early and ongoing training. GSDs excel at obedience, so begin teaching your puppy basic commands like sit, down, and stay, as well as loose-leash walking, from an early age. Enrolling in a puppy obedience class can be extremely helpful both for teaching these commands as well as socialization, and its not too early to begin thinking about CGC training as well.
Understanding The German Shepherd
Before you can understand the basics of training a German Shepherd puppy, you first need to understand the breed.
One of the things that probably drew you to the breed was its majestic beauty. And while German Shepherds are beautiful animals, their value goes far beyond their appearance.
German Shepherds rank as one of the top three most intelligent dog breeds.
What does this equate to in real-world terms? It means that most German Shepherds learn a new command in fewer than five repetitions. They also obey the first command 95% of the time or better!
Its no wonder German Shepherds are highly valued as guard dogs. Theyre also the breed of choice for K9 police units and search-and-rescue operations. A trained Shepherds nose is at least 10,000 times more powerful than the human nose. It can even discern the difference between identical twins!
What does all this mean for you and your new puppy? Simply put, your German Shepherd is a very intelligent animal that needs regular mental stimulation. And because theyre bred to be working dogs, they thrive in an environment that allows ample exercise.
SEE ALSO:10 Best Interactive Dog Toys for Large Dogs
You need to ensure your Shepherd receives enough physical and mental exercise to keep him happy. If he doesnt have a suitable outlet for his energy, he could become bored, agitated, or even aggressive.
Read Also: When Do German Shepherds Ears Pop Up
Initiate Your Dog To Being Handled Gently
Dogs are great at giving and receiving caresses and hugs. But they also have to handle grooming which can feel uncomfortable. Your German Shepherd puppy can learn to handle this uneasiness if taught to take it when young.
You can do this by gently handling your pups ears, paws, ears, and coat. You can find out more about whether German Shepherds like to be petted in this article.
German Shepherd Puppy Training
As your German Shepherd puppy grows to become a strong, large dog, it is really important to ensure he has been well socialized with a variety of people, dogs, and other animals!
Socializing will help to ensure their sensitive nature is buffered by the confidence that comes with having experienced these things at a young age.
Their original job was a working role to help a shepherd protect the flock, so you should know your dog will generally enjoy chasing things, and being alert in their environment.
This breed tend to be family orientated and like to be close to their owners. When you start German Shepherd training, this is something you really want to nurture and encourage. A trusting relationship is key to any dog/human relationship.
Your puppy needs to know he can come to you when he is feeling insecure or respond to any requests you make of him! Using positive reinforcement techniques helps build trusting relationships and reduces the chance of him showing undesirable behaviors later on in life.
Their natural desire to be busy and active has led this breed being a crucial team member in many police departments, army regiments, and search and rescue teams! They excel at being challenged mentally and physically, so any new parent needs to be ready to keep up.
Don’t Miss: Do German Shepherds Need To Be Groomed
Why Does My German Shepherd Not Come When Called
The main reasons your German Shepherd doesnt come when you call him is because you skipped some steps in training, you called him to you to punish him, he is poorly exercised, therere too many distractions, and coming to you means you stop his fun.
Any of these reasons will ruin your German Shepherds recall and they wont come when you call them.
But, keep calm
Im going to tell you how to fix your GSDs recall problems right now.
Positive Reinforcement Produces Positive Results
Your German Shepherd will respond best to training with positive reinforcement. Yelling or physical punishment will cause this intelligent breed to mistrust you.
Reward good behavior with treats or praise or both. Its the best way to show your German Shepherd that hes doing it right and its a motivator for him to continue with this behavior.
Remember earlier when I said that your German Shepherd actually wants to please you?
Well, once your dog has mastered the behavior, you can remove the treats and reward only with praise hell relish in it all the same.
You know by now that there are heaps of different training programs. Each program has a specific focus, function, and outcome.
Well take a closer look at some of these in future posts. So, for now, lets look at two basic programs
Read Also: When Do German Shepherd Ears Go Up
How To Train A German Shepherd To Attack
German Shepherd dogs are naturally protective. If you are in any type of real danger, you wont need a special command to get your German Shepherd to help you.
Because you can rely on their natural protection instinct in the event of an actual emergency, its unwise to teach your German Shepherd to attack on command. While members of law enforcement often utilize German Shepherds to subdue criminals, both the human and the canine involved undergo rigorous professional training.
If your German Shepherd dog is simply a pet, there is no reason to train them to attack on command. German Shepherd dogs who are well-trained and well-socialized will be able to differentiate between an actual threat and a perceived threat, whereas aggressive German Shepherds will react even when the situation doesnt call for it.
Encouraging aggressive behavior in your German Shepherd can have disastrous results, and puts you, your family, your dog, and the public at large at risk.
End On A Positive Note
Always end every training session on a positive note, even if your German Shepherd puppy did not succeed in learning the command for the day. That might mean a few minutes of play or a quick walk in the neighborhood.
These five steps can be applied to all the basic and advanced commands listed earlier. Lets concretize the five steps using the examples of the come! and let go! commands.
Teaching your German Shepherd puppy the command come!
Youll use the command come! to call your dog to you when you want to feed him, go for a walk, redirect him towards you in a park, among other situations. Follow these steps to teach your German Shepherd puppy the come! command:
Don’t Miss: German Shepherd X Malinois
Use These Techniques To Get A German Shepherd To Pay Attention To You
STEP 1 Keep your special reward treat in your pocket or a treat pouch so they are quick to offer. Now, watch what your dog is doing around the house on its normal day.
STEP 2 This method is all about catching your dog at the exact moment when their focus is on you. So, dont offer a treat to them until they turn to look at you for any reason.
STEP 3 When they turn to look at you, use a verbal command when you see the behavior to mark it..
STEP 4 Reward right away after the verbal command when they are looking at you. This teaches them to look back to you whenever the cue word is used.
STEP 5 Catching when your dog looks at you requires ninja-like reflexes, as they look quickly and you must time your cue word to their looking at you. Quickly mark the behavior with your verbal command and immediately reward them.
STEP 6 Spend time each day doing this method regularly to capture getting your German Shepherds attention. Over time, your dog should respond to the cue word to look at you and listen.
How To Train Your German Shepherd For Life
Getting a German Shepherd Dog is an exciting time in both of your lives!
Use brief training sessions and practice frequently. Dont overwhelm your dog with too much too soon!
End training with a command you know your pup will perform and reward them at the end. Include the 3 Ds of dog training for reliability.
Follow this German Shepherd training guide and youll see positive results in just a matter of weeks.
Keep up your training daily for quicker learning.
And
Always look for ways to bond with your German Shepherd through everyday training opportunities.
Don’t Miss: Best Age To Neuter A German Shepherd
Add Distractions To Test Your Shepherds Training Level
Now that your German Shepherd can recognize and follow your Come command, it is time to test if he can do so with distractions.
Because when you go out, your German Shepherd will have many distractions and will struggle to follow your command.
You can introduce his favorite toys or bring him in the garden and yard and look if he follows your command when someone is walking on the footpath, or a car is passing on the road.
Important Things To Remember When Teaching German Shepherd Puppy The Basics
Recommended Reading: One Month Old German Shepherd
Be Consistent In Your Expectations And Actions
If your puppy barks for a meal one day and you say no and withhold it till he is quiet, but you give it to them while barking on a different day, youll never achieve any good results with your training.
Let your no always be no, and your soft voice always so. Otherwise, your poor puppy will be confused about what you expect and will not know how you want them to behave.
You Can Reteach A Particular Behavior If Your Dog Struggles With The English Command
For dogs that have learned to respond poorly to an English command, you can reteach the desired behavior using the German command. Your dog wont confuse it with the English command because the German word doesnt have pre-existing associations. This gives you a fresh start to train your dog with the proper response.
Recommended Reading: What Size Dog Crate For German Shepherd
Make It More Difficult
In this step, youll need to hold a treat in each hand. Close one hand into a fist, use that to lure your dog into movement and after about 5 steps, say heel. If your pup stays with you without being distracted for 10-15 steps or so, praise them and release the treat from the other hand.
Doing this will keep them from being fixated on the treat and theyll eventually realize that following your fist will still bring good things.
Gradually increase the steps after the heel command as you dog gets the idea. Once your dog can heel for 10-15 steps, increase it to 20-25 steps, and so on.
Teach Obedience To Your German Shepherd
Obedience is essential if you want to teach your GSD To be a guard dog.
Come sit and stay are the three most important words you should teach your Dog.
These three basic commands will keep your dog safe in many circumstances. For example, if there is a danger approaching your dog, you can call come, so your dog can step back and come back to you.
Teaching Basic commands will establish your leadership over your German Shepherd. If your dog understands that you are the leader, they will become your happy followers.
Read Also: German Shepherd First Heat
Your German Shepherd Is Not Getting Enough Exercise
I know how tired you are after being at work all day, going to school, or taking care of your usual personal life and family.
But your dog is counting on you to give them their daily dose of Vitamin E
No, not a pill or supplement, but actual physical EXERCISE!
Youve gotten a working breed dog with a high-energy drive. If you dont exercise him hes bound to take off running away from you to enjoy his freedom and burn off his energy.
How To Train A German Shepherd To Come When Called
Being able to call your German Shepherd back is a great skill you can achieve. Come command is essential for Your Dogs safety.
To train your German Shepherd to come on command, you should perform everything on the leash at the beginning. You should start with little steps like calling come when your dog tries to walk the opposite direction. Then you can begin more advanced stuff.
German Shepherd dogs are very smart and energetic dogs, and they often find a way to get loose.
When a German Shepherd finds a way to get out, he will run and could end up under a car on the street.
In this situation, recall is convenient and will avoid you a lot of trouble.
Come command is a basic command, but it can be challenging to teach your German Shepherd Dog because many things can distract a dog.
You must hold a strong and firm control on your German Shepherd.
Mastering the come command will allow your German Shepherd to have a beautiful day off-leash at dog parks and other open places.
Also Check: Why Is My German Shepherd So Vocal
Your Dog Wants You To Be Consistent
For dogs, everything is black and white they dont understand compromise. Remember this and you’ll have fewer bad habits to break.
Training your German Shepherd will be easier.
Heres an example of the types of mistakes owners make:
Change verbal commands from come to come here keep your verbal commands consistent throughout.
If youre trying to keep your pooch off the sofa, be consistent. If you allow it sometimes and other times not, youll confuse your dog and slow down the training.
How can you expect your dog to learn if you’re not consistent?
Simple Ways To Train A German Shepherd To Come When Called
One of the most important skills in owning such an energetic breed is knowing how to train your German Shepherd to come when called.
Its not enough to just get their attention, but your German Shepherd must be trained to a reliable recall so they return to you
without hesitation.
Dont frantically chase your GSD around while stressed and worried about the busy road and speeding cars nearby.
Instead
Learn how to train a German Shepherd to come when called every time using these simple steps.
Also Check: Pitbull Fights German Shepherd
About The Author Of This Article
June is the founder of TobysBone, where she shares her passion for writing and love for dogs. She wants to help you deal with your dogs behavior issues, grooming and health needs, and proper training. Through her blog, you can find informative and reliable posts, tips and tricks, and a lot of interesting reads that will help you maintain a close bond with your furry companion.
Crate Training A German Shepherd Puppy
Providing your German Shepherd puppy with a place to call their own in the form of a crate is a great idea. It gives them a cozy place in which to withdraw to when theyre sleepy, want some time out, or want somewhere to settle with a nice chew.
It is important not to shut your pup in the crate straight away, gradually build up the time they spend in it over days and weeks.
If you want to crate your dog overnight, a good idea is to have the crate next to you so they feel supported and not alone. This dog is a very people-orientated breed, so it is important to ensure they are taught to spend time alone gradually.
Create positive associations with going in the crate by leaving surprise treats in there to find when theyre off playing elsewhere.
You can also feed them their meals in the crate. An easy way to build up the time they can spend in the crate is by feeding their meals in food enrichment toys such as Kongs!
Over time you can extend the period they spend in the crate between finishing eating and being let out. This teaches him to learn to cope with the door being closed gradually! Avoid your puppy becoming distressed if they do, wait for a few seconds of quiet, and let them out.
You May Like: Pitbull Vs German Shepherd Bite Force