How To Train A German Shepherd To Sit And Stay In 4 Steps
German shepherds are inherently smart dogs and can learn tricks and commands quickly. You can start training your puppy from litter age but the best time to teach is within 12 14 months of the dogs age. The most basic training that owners want their dogs to have is following the command to sit. It is advised to start to train a German shepherd to sit early as it will make the trick quicker for the dog to learn.
Training Goal #2: Crate Training
This is also a good time for crate training, which Adams recommends as well. GSD trainer and dog sports enthusiast Alexa Hagood, LVMT, agrees: Crate breaks, even when brief, can help the puppy become acclimated to going in the crate and having some alone time. She notes that this can help reduce the risk of a puppy developing separation anxiety, and recommends beginning with using the crate for feeding times , and at times when the owner needs to do daily chores.
Age Matters Or Does It
Im about to give you two conflicting statements but bear with me. Age matters when it comes to training a German Shepherd. But age also doesnt matter. Heres why.
Theres an old adage that states, You cant teach an old dog new tricks. The meaning of this is that once someone or something reaches a certain age, theyre no longer able to learn new behaviors. This stems from the incorrect assumption that older people and animals will be stuck in their ways.
While it can be difficult to train an older dog , its not impossible. Unless there is a physical reason why an older dog cant do a specific trick or task, there is no reason why they cant learn it.
That said, its definitely easier to train most puppies. This is why early intervention is important. A young German Shepherd will be primed and ready to learn. They will have lots of energy and be ready to please you.
But that doesnt mean an older German Shepherd is impossible to train. It just takes a little more time, effort, and a few extra tricks.
The bottom line on age is that it matters only in the way youll train your German Shepherd. Just dont give up on those older GSDs!
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Introducing A New Dog To Your Household
Whether you choose to get a puppy from a responsible breeder or adopt a German Shepherd dog from a rescue group, the first two weeks for you and your new dog are a critical period of adjustment.
If your dog had a previous owner, this time could be particularly stressful for him or her. Here are some tips for a smoother transition for new dog owners.
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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The Ultimate Guide To Obedience Training Your German Shepherd
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Training a puppy may seem like a daunting task. A little education for yourself and your puppy can go a long way. By reading this guide you are taking the most important step! Youll learn different ways to train your puppy, different commands to teach him, and what proper manners he should have.
Keep in mind, I am not a licensed dog trainer or a veterinarian, so its in your best interest to consult a professional for serious issues involved in training your German Shepherd.
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Potty Training A German Shepherd Puppy
Potty training a large breed puppy is one of the first things you will want to start with. Big puppies have the potential to create lots of mess! You also wont be able to pick up your puppy up as they get big quickly!
It will be important to make sure you are taking your German Shepherd puppy out regularly to avoid having accidents indoors. Although they might be a large breed and grow quickly, puppies still dont have good control of their bladder.
Remember to take your puppy out after:
- Waking up immediately!
- Eating as this will stimulate their digestive system
- Playing for any period of time
German Shepherds are spirited pets, so dont be surprised if they initially look like they are more interested in playing in the garden than relieving themselves!
Each time you take your pup to the garden, wait them out, and supervise them so that they go to the toilet!
Once he has completely finished, you should instantly reward him. For a German Shepherd, throwing a favorite toy or having some fuss with you will be a great reward !
Remember that this breed is very sensitive to any form of punishment.
Avoid telling your puppy off if they do have a mishap they will only learn that you are scary to be around when theres toilet evidence and will usually hide to go potty instead. If there is a mishap, simply tidy it up with a biological cleaning agent .
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Training Your German Shepherd To Stay
The stay command is one of the most useful skills that you will ever teach your German Shepherd puppy.
You can train your pup to stay in his bed or in a specific place while you greet guests, watch television, eat dinner, do a quick chore, prepare your pups food and for many other reasons.
- Begin with placing a few treats in his bed or the area you would like him to stay.
- As he eats his treats tell him to sit. Reward him for this behavior with a treat or verbal praise.
- Take one step back and use the verbal command stay. If he stays, reward him. If he leaves the area,;bring him back and start again.
- Each time you tell him to stay, take another step back. Your goal is to take 10 steps away from him and have him continue staying in the spot.
- Repeat the steps until your pup understands what is required of him.
The next time you watch television and you dont want him to be on the couch with you or be roaming around the house without your supervision you will want to use this command. Placing his bed or a soft blanket in your living room and telling him to stay while you watch the news, a movie or your favorite television show is a great example of using this command.
Dogs Stick To What They Have Learned
If you have a second thought about investing your time and resources on your German Shepherd puppys good training, then this fact will make you decide in favor of it.
Research testing the tendency of dogs to go with the crowd revealed that dogs would stick to what they have learned and not conform to other dogs behavior even under different manipulated situations.
This means that the good training you give to your German Shepherd puppy will stick with him, and you can expect your dog to portray good behavior in any situation.
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Why German Shepherds Are Easy To Train
German shepherds have a long history of herding. It is used as a working dog and protects herds of sheep.;They are intelligent dogs and very loyal to their owners and family members as well. German shepherds are quick learners. Teach a German shepherd anything is sure it will pick within a short period of time
German shepherds are strong energetic dogs. This translates into their work ethics.
German shepherds are used as watchdogs. Their protective instinct has made this used in police work as a protection dog.;
They have also been used in search and rescue missions.;These attributes of German shepherd are what makes them easy to train.;
There is no doubt German shepherds are very popular dogs all over the world.;
How To Define Task For Your Gsd
Defining any tasks to your pet can be the hardest thing for you. It could be difficult for you to train your German Shepherds as they are big, strong and tough.
Although German Shepherds are known as the most intelligent breeds, it, however, makes difficult for you to give commands as they will acquire stubbornness at times and will become an alpha dogs.
You should make them understand by showing them the demo to make them understand it more clearly. Like, when you command them sit hold a hand out and say Sit. Repeat it several times until your dog does it on his own. Do it with every command and reinforce them with treats and love.
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Where To Start The German Shepherds Puppy Training
The best place to start the German Shepherd puppy training is your home. It all starts in your home and with you. Until they reach the right age to get formal training, your home is the best place for a GSD puppy to get trained.
However, your puppy trainer would take them to the dog parks or at your home if it has a big back yard. Training in a large area makes your trainer easy to train since they can train and play games like Frisbee, balls and fetch games when bored.
Taking your GSD pup to puppy kindergarten and enrolling them to obedience classes could help you the most. They would learn quickly and would get easily socialize with other dogs and other animals.
Understand That Your Dog Does Not Communicate Like Humans
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.
Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy To Stand
To teach your puppy to stand, start in the sitting position and hold a treat out in front of your puppys nose.; Take a step back, enticing him to stand up. While you step back and he stands up, say Stand!.; Then praise him and give him the treat when he does so.
After he seems to master it with the treat, try moving the treat to your other hand.; But still use the same hand to command Stand. When he stands to the hand with no treat, reward him with the treat from the other hand.
Interactive Dog Toy Recommendations:
- Feed EVERY meal inside an interactive dog toy
- Use interactive toys with your German shepherd when he is left alone in the house. Make sure he has plenty of toys so he won’t get bored when you leave. Interactive toys must be filled with something SUPER yummy, to teach your puppy that staying alone is OK.
- Use interactive toys when you need some quiet time . Kong dog toy’s are the best, you can fill them with something soft like cheese or peanut butter and let your puppy lick it for a while. Even better…freeze it!
- Below you will see some of my favorite interactive dog toys available on Amazon:
Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy To Go Potty When Told
You dont need to actually use the words go potty.; You can choose whatever words feel right to you. Some people use park, relieve, or flow.;
What matters is the consistency in the words you use; you dont want to say go potty this time and park next time.
You want to be consistent in how your dog does his business every day as well. This means when he goes, where he goes and what language you use to encourage him to go.;
Keep a consistent schedule
Its best to put your dog on a potty schedule, much like potty-training a child.; You will want to encourage your puppy to go potty at the following times:
- When he wakes up in the morning
- Ten to thirty minutes after eating
- Ten to fifteen minutes after drinking
- After being in the house for 20 minutes
- Immediately after napping
- After being crated or kenneled for any reason
- Before bed
Designate a space for elimination
Its also recommended to designate one area for your puppy to do his business, and always bring your puppy to that area.; Like I said above, I want Greta to learn to relieve herself in our woods.
However, the woods are a long way from her crate. She cant make it that far without peeing!; She sometimes cant even make it out of the garage without peeing.;
So, in circumstances like that, its best to pick your puppy up and carry him to the designated area, to discourage him from relieving himself on the way over there.
Train Your German Shepherd To Come
There will be times when you will call your pup to come over to you for a variety of reasons. These reasons include to eat, drink, go outdoors, go for a walk, searching for him in the house, calling him away from danger, calling him to come to you in a large park and many other reasons that will arise throughout his lifetime. Train your pup to come to you by following the steps below.
- First, fill one of your hands with small treats.
- Go outdoors in your yard where there is open space but it is a fenced in area. If you live in an apartment, you can just go to another room.
- Hold both of your arms straight out so that your body resembles a similar figure to a cross.
- At the same time you hold your arms out, say the verbal command come.
- When your dog reaches your feet, quickly give him a treat and reward him verbally or by gently patting him on the head.
- Repeat the process until your pup understands what his proper reaction should be.
The reason you are using such a large hand signal for this specific command is because if your dog is far away from you in a park or down the street, he may not be able to hear you. But most likely will be able to see your large hand gesture from a far distance.
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.
Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy About Surfaces
Teaching your puppy to walk on different surfaces is a pretty good way of teaching them some confidence for when theyre ready to go outside.;
Exploring different surfaces exercise
Basic Commands You Can Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy Right Now
You dont need to tackle all of this right away.; That would be overwhelming to both dog and master.; Its easier to teach your German Shepherd puppy a few commands at a time.;
In order to move into more advanced training, however, your German Shepherd puppy should have these basic commands mastered by six to 12 months of age.;
Teach Your German Shepherd Puppy To Leave It When Out Walking
Leave it tells your dog that whatever he is checking out is off limits.; This command is useful if you are out for a walk and the dog sees something on the side of the road that he wants to investigate, such as a dead animal, and you want him to ignore it.
Teach your dog to leave it during your day-to-day interactions.; In the above example, if your dog tries to sniff at the dead animal, say, Leave it! in a stern voice.; Immediately praise your dog when he ignores it.
You can also add come as a second command, to gather your dog back to you.