How Train German Shepherd Puppy Obedience

Your Dog Does Not Communicate Like A Human

Your German Shepherd will respond to many different stimuli. Your body language and tone of voice being the two most important.

In time, your dog will understand certain commands such as sit, stay and come, drop etc.

But, dogs only understand single direct commands. Use language your dog will understand. Calm, simple commands and body language will make your message crystal clear.

How To Train Your German Shepherd Puppy Not To Jump

While having your German Shepherd puppy jump up enthusiastically is cute when they are little, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. A 20-pound puppy may be unlikely to knock you over a 100-pound adult is another story.

Luckily, teaching your pup not to jump isnt rocket science. Its a matter of conditioning. The first step in training your German Shepherd pup to keep calm when they greet you is to set the mood: if you are relaxed, your puppy will learn to be relaxed as well.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep greetings low-key. Greeting your puppy enthusiastically and loudly is a great way to encourage them to jump up. Instead, come in the front door quietly and wait a minute or so before saying hello to your pup.
• If your dog jumps on you, ignore them. Resist the urge to pet them. Petting them when they jump up reinforces the negative behavior. Turning away from them when they jump will show them that jumping does not get your attention.
• Only pay attention to your dog when theyre sitting. As soon as you get in the door, tell your dog to sit, and only reward them with attention when theyve done so.
• Be patient. Because your German Shepherd pup is so happy to see you when you walk in the door, it may take them a while to realize that they will only get the attention they want when all four paws are on the floor.

Use The Right Tools For The Job

Use the right tools for your puppy or adult and follow the training steps below to begin basic training with your German Shepherd. Teaching obedience without these supplies makes the work harder on you.

Dont make your life harder!

Buy the right tools.

Here are some of the best examples of great tools for your training.

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Benefits Of Obedience Training

Most German Shepherds will take to their new family quickly.

As with all dogs, they will be curious and a little apprehensive being parted from their litter and mother for the first time. But they are a breed characterized by adaptability.

Any trainer will be glad to tell you that their receptiveness and natural curiosity makes them a delight to train.

And unless you are very unlucky or, more likely, just making mistakes, they will usually take to obedience training faster than most breeds.

The advantage of an obedient German Shepherd is that they can make for an outstanding family dog.

While famed for their defensive and protective qualities, they will socialize well into a receptive family who keeps them busy and reminds them when needed exactly who the boss is.

You need to get into the habit of using vocal instruction and hand instructions early and constantly reinforce lessons throughout the day. Because a bored German Shepherd will be far more likely to become a disruptive handful.

Positive & Negative Reinforcement Is Crucial

Knowing when to praise and tell off any dog is one thing any owner should invest time in learning.

Arguably, of all the breeds out there, German Shepherds rely on this far more than most.

Reinforcement is an essential tool for communicating with your dog. The idea is that they will grow to understand when they are being rewarded and for what reason.

But how do we punish bad behavior effectively?

So how do you go about achieving this?

Teaching The Stay Step

Have your pup in their collar and a 6-foot walking leash. Begin indoors in a quiet area free from distractions.

Increase the stay time your dog is in the stay position beginning with 5 seconds and working up to one minute or more. Dont rush them to hold their stay, though.

Next, work on extending the distance between you and your dog while in the stay. Take a few steps back each time you train.

Your goal is to reach the end of your leash while your pup stays in place.

This could take many sessions over weeks or months.

Recommended Reading: When To Stop Feeding German Shepherd Puppy Food

Tip #: Stop Your German Shepherd Puppy From Jumping Now

Your cute and tiny puppy doesnt bother you when he jumps right nowwait a few more months and you will change your mind! To prevent a dog from jumping on people it is imperative to teach that same dog not to jump when he is a puppy.As you come home, ignore your pooch when he jumps and greet/pet him when his four paws are on the ground. If he jumps again, then ignore again. When I say ignore, I mean it! No eye contact, no pushing or kneeingnothing. Keep turning around if you have to.Once his jumping is under control, teach him to sit down when you get home in order to be greeted and dont forget to practice the same exercise with all your friends and family that visit!

German Shepherd Commands In German

In case youre interested in training your GSD in German, here are a few basic commands and pronunciations:

Although its a lot of fun to teach your German Shepherd tricks in German, its best to start in English. That way, when anyone else needs to ask them to do something, theyll be able to do so without you being there.

A great way to make this transition is to also teach your dog hand signals. You can use a hand signal along with the command in English and eventually, theyll respond just to the hand signals.

Then, you can start using the hand signals with German words and eventually, theyll respond to the German commands alone as well. Because these dogs are highly intelligent, theyll not only be able to learn each trick with 3 different signals, but theyll have fun doing it.

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How To Socialize An Adult German Shepherd

The best time to socialize a dog is when it is in its early stages of development as a puppy. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, and sometimes it ends up with an adult dog that has not been properly socialized and has trouble accepting anything new, be it experiences, people, or other dogs or pets.

The good news is that an older dog can still be socialized, however the dogs previous experience, temperament, and adaptability must be considered. Exposing an unsocialized adult German Shepherd to a new environment should be taken in stride to avoid any fear or aggression in the dog:

Simply exposing adult animals that have not been exposed to social situations at an early age will probably not meet their needs. These animals can benefit from individual paced intervention programs.

One way to start socializing your adult dog is to slowly introduce him to other dogs, first by taking a walk. You dont need to get close to every dog and human that passes, but if your German Shepherd greets another dog when youve been walking for a long time, he will probably have less pent-up energy, and any encounter will be much quieter.

If your shepherd barks or has a negative behavior while you are with other dogs or humans, do not yell at him or throw him forcefully. This will only excite him even more and create a negative experience that he will learn to relate to when meeting others.

How To Train A German Shepherd: 8 To 16 Weeks

At this age range, there are a number of training sessions, which you can begin for the German shepherd. They include obedience training, recalling, and impulse control.Obedience TrainingThis training session is important for all breeds of puppies. The obedience training aims at teaching the puppy to act properly at home or in other settings. This is only the way to fix bad habits, which the dog had developed before they came to you.German Shepherds are working dogs and they excel in terms of obedience. If you begin the obedience training at the right age, you can encourage their best working traits. At this step of training, you can teach basic commands like come, sit, stay, and walking on a loose leash. The following are some basic but essential skills you must teach since the puppies are 3 months old:

Controlling Impulse

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How To Socialize Your Puppy

Giving your puppy proper socialization is one of the very first things you must do. Socialization is the act of exposing your puppy to the world. If done correctly, your puppy will grow up into a confident, playful and outgoing adult dog. Done wrong, your puppy will grow up into a frightened, aggressive adult dog.

Heres how to do proper socialization:

When you bring your German shepherd puppy to socialize, it is important to recognize any negative hint from your puppy. A certain situation can give him a bad experience. This bad experience at an early age can leave a negative impression in his mind for years to come. Here are some hints that you should be aware of:

• cowering or clinging
• tail tucking
• ears down and back

When you find any of those hints in a certain situation, you should bring your puppy away from that place until he is relaxed.

Now, after reading about proper socialization above, you might have arrived at this conclusionevery experience that your puppy gets must be a positive experience.

That conclusion brings us to the next point:positive reinforcement.

Understand How Your German Shepherd Communicates

As much as well like to talk to our dogs, sometimes asking them the same types of questions that we would ask our human friends, it is important that you learn to speak your GSDs language.

Your German Shepherd is very intuitive. While he will understand singular words, and even full sentences, these are simply interpreted as cues by your dog. What your German Shepherd is really reading and understanding when you talk with him is the inflection of your voice and your body language.

Its not so much what you say to your GSD, its how you say what you say to your GSD. I have seen a German Shepherd stare blankly into the eyes of his owner and do nothing as his owner repeatedly yelled SIT! at him. I took that same dog moments later and calmly asked him to sit, which he then very compliantly did upon my first gentle and calm request.

Think of how you would respond in that situation had you been the dog. Would you be more inclined to listen to someone screaming something at you, or would you be more likely listen to that same request asked of you in a calm and respectful manner?

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Go To The Pub You Deserve It

Ah, the highlight of the week.

Going for a walk on a Sunday with a special stop at the pub for lunch is definitely one of the favourite things dog owners like to practice during these first weeks with their new puppy. Wonder why.

We know you might be a little worried for how things are going to work out, but theres no need to. Heres how were going to make sure these visits are relaxing for everyone involved:

How to do it

TIPS

Your settle mat is your puppys safe space so let them relax and be undisturbed. Might be difficult with all the cooing pub visitors, so try to sit in a quiet area and aim to go at a non-peak hour for now. Either way, dont be afraid to ask people to let him be! As long as youre nice about it, you wont get dirty looks.

How To Train A German Shepherd To Be A Guard Dog

German Shepherds will usually take to being a guard dog naturally. It’s important to train them to be obedient. Learn how here.Many dogs are natural watch dogs their bark is sufficient to alert their owner to something unusual, and the alarm they set up is a deterrent. In addition, dogs who will fight if their owner is genuinely attacked do not have to be made aggressive to do so. Training a dog specifically to be a guard dog is hazardous and potentially creates a liability for you. Misguided attempts to make a dog aggressive through abuse will only backfire because the dog will not be loyal to someone who treats them harshly, and if the dog wrongly bites someone you will be at fault. Never train dogs who are basically fearful or out of control. Such dogs may not respond appropriately in non-threatening situations.

A German shepherd dog should not be selected to receive training as a guard dog unless the dog is basically friendly, stable and clear-headed, and has been well-socialized.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

Walk your German shepherd dog on a leash around the perimeter of your property regularly to identify your territorial boundaries. Do not allow your dog to bark at people who are outside your property. Do not allow your dog to chase people under any circumstances.

TIPS & WARNINGS

THINGS NEEDED

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Letting Your German Shepherd Puppy Explore The Garden

Besides the gnomes and questionable garden furniture you may have, letting your puppy explore your own garden is a great and safe way to start showing them the sounds, lights and wonders of the outside world.

When theyre outdoors, theyll be able to experience what wind, and rain and sunshine feels like, as well as get familiar with walking on different surfaces.

PRO TIP: Gardens are the perfect toilet areas for puppies. Teach your puppy where the toilet area is in your garden, by rewarding them when they go for a pee or a poo, and also by rewarding them simply for being outside just so they get fully on board that its a fun place to be.

Know Its Not An Instinct

You might have seen a cat dig up poop and fill it with sand. However, dont expect your pup to do it!

Till puppies are six weeks old, the mother is taking care of their hygiene, just in case you are wondering why the kennel doesnt smell? The mother dog might be potty trained, but the puppy wont ever learn from her, neither will it naturally occur to your pup! This is why you need to train your puppy to poop only in a designated spot!

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Essential German Shepherd Training Commands

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Teaching your German Shepherd training commands is second only to potty training and a soft mouth’.

It should also be fun!

I’ve had several requests for a post on German Shepherd training commands in German.

So, I’ve arranged a special download for you! It’s recorded in German by my friend Anna! So be sure to read until the end

As a dog owner, you decide what commands to teach your dog. But in general training commands are standard for all thorough dog training.

An important point to remember is that we can’t expect our dogs to know what we want if we haven’t taught them. This is the essence of any kind of dog training.

I think you’ll agree when I say, you want the best out of your German Shepherd.

So first you need to understand how dogs understand training commands and how to make training commands effective.

Do you want to train your German Shepherd with love? Check out this kind, force-free training program.

Consider this study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology

Dogs don’t just perceive a command as a physical sound. But are able to recognize a relationship between certain sounds.

So how does this relate to how you teach your German Shepherd training commands?