German shepherds have a long history of working alongside their human companions in a variety of different jobs, from working on farms to with the police, so we know they’re an intelligent breed with a high level of trainability.
Training your German Shepherd won’t always be straightforward, so today we’re going to look at some tips and hints that will make training your German Shepherd puppy a cinch.
Absolutely! German Shepherds are powerful dogs with a high degree of intelligence that will make your life very difficult if they aren’t given obedience training early in their lives.
They should be made to understand the pecking order in your home from a young age so they have an understanding of what constitutes acceptable behaviour.
New German Shepherd owners may find it difficult to take a hard line with an adorable GSD puppy but trust us, consistent and sometimes firm training is in both of your best interests.
The German Shepherd dog is intelligent, adaptable, and loves to please making it an excellent student for training. They are good at picking up on cues and understanding intuitively what you want from them.
That being said, they will need you to be a firm trainer who asserts themselves as they are wilful and will need to be led properly.
Positive reinforcement or reward-based training will yield the best results whenever you’re training dogs and this is especially true for German Shepherds, who are soft at heart and will not respond well to training delivered aggressively.
Reward them with heaps of verbal praise and one or two treats when they exhibit good or desired behaviours and they will pick up on what you want from them at a much quicker rate.
The mess and smells associated with a dog who hasn’t been potty trained is probably the least exciting part of getting a new dog, but an efficient potty training practice as part of your puppy training should have them trained in no time.
Most puppies will be ready to go to a home at around 8 weeks old, at which point they’re developed enough for you to potty train them.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’ve put down many pee mats around your home to prepare for any unwanted surprises that are sure to happen as your puppy learns.
Regardless of their breed, dogs are creatures of habit so it is important to establish a particular spot as their toilet.
Take them outside to this spot regularly, typically around once or twice an hour, and stand with them for a few minutes. If they successfully go to the toilet prepare to give them lots of praise or a treat.
As you begin to establish your routine you can gently increase the periods between taking your dog out to the toilet.
Increasing the time roughly by one hour per month of age until they’re waiting for an hour before they need the toilet is optimal.
Dogs learn anything better if they’re able to associate good behaviour with a quick, easy-to-understand verbal cue. You can use any word you like, just remain consistent with it.
Crate training a German shepherd gets them used to spending time by themselves in a kennel or crate, honing their overall obedience and making them more comfortable when they’re left alone.
Crate training will make your dog a more agreeable housemate which is especially important with a big dog like a GSD.
Their toilet training will benefit from learning to use a crate, as no dog wants a messy sleeping area and they will learn to hold their bladder for longer while they’re in their crate.
It will also make them feel safe and gives them a sense of control over their own special space, as well as making travelling much easier.
As with any training practice, the sooner you start the better. German Shepherd puppies will be intelligent enough to begin crate training as soon as you get them home.
Introduce them to it with an upbeat, curious tone of voice. The aim is to get them into the crate voluntarily. Some curious dogs may enter with little coaching while others may need more time and encouragement.
Once they’re going in and out of the crate by themselves you can try giving them one of their meals inside it. Start small if they’re not taking the bait immediately and try breaking their meal up over short periods to prolong their time inside it.
You will soon be able to close the door once they’re used to eating in the crate. Try keeping it closed while they eat to get them comfortable with the door being closed, this is the purpose of this stage.
The aim is to get your dog comfortable enough to sleep in the crate, so once you’ve normalized the crate in your home it’s simply a case of increasing their time in it, sometimes offering them treats to reward long stints, until they’re at a point where they’re comfortable sleeping in it or staying in there for extended periods.
Crate training is important but can create some negative side effects if approached poorly.
German Shepherds enjoy a higher level of trainability, picking up on subtle cues in human language and body language exceptionally well, with an ability to understand instruction to a level of great detail.
With a similar approach to obedience training with positive reinforcement and consistency, you can teach them any number of tricks.
Consistency is number one when you’re training your dog. They are more habitual creatures than us and simply by teaching them to expect the same thing every day they will happily fall into the routine of it.
Build self-confidence in your dog by ignoring bad behaviour and by not reacting negatively. You will find that a negative approach to training can increase problem behaviours. Treat them with love and patience and you’ll both have an easier time.
Using a clicker or simply positive praise can be enough to train a dog, as relying too much on treats might see them only displaying good behaviour for food and isn’t ideal for weight maintenance.
Clickers are especially prevalent in dog training and teach the dog to expect a reward when they hear the clicker, eventually leading to them being happy simply when they hear the click. This method is great for working dogs like GSDs.
German Shepherd training is a rewarding experience and while it may be challenging to bring this wilful, intelligent dog to heel, with an efficient and consistent routine you can coach these dogs to be models of patience and good behaviour who can respond to an extensive list of verbal and physical commands.
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