German Shepherd Dog Training
05 Sep 2009
The one dog that has the potential to do just about anything is the German Shepherd. A well trained, correctly bred German Shepherd can turn into the kind of dog that you are looking for; a wonderful pet for the family, competitive obedience dog, or a trained attack dog, you name it and they can probably do it. All around working skills is what this breed of dog was designed for. German Shepherd dog training will need to be taught to make all of this happen.
As early as seven weeks of age these wonderful dogs can begin learning. By this age the pups’ brain is able to take in some of the simple commands, their bodies are going to take quite a bit longer to catch up though. Teach your puppy games that he will enjoy for years to come.
Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise because this will help improve him both mentally and physically. Teaching tricks is fun and enjoyable. Training your dog makes him more self assured. Teaching your dog new commands and signals will be helpful throughout his learning. Offer your dog treats while teaching tricks. As your puppy matures doing some tricks for some praise will be very exciting for him.
German Shepherd training is best done with positive methods. Training your dog without hurting them is the best way. Positive reinforcements are used in positive training to reach the desired behavior. Using positive training doesn’t allow your dog to do whatever it wants to do. Acceptable behavior allows them to get their reward. Positive training produces a dog that is happy and eager. Your dog will obey you out of trust. This method will make the two of you a team.
Leash Training
In the beginning, while walking your dog, they might want to carry the leash in their mouth. Chewing isn’t allowed while carrying the leash. Try to keep the dog on your left side and hold the leash in your left hand. The dog should always be trained with short lessons. Remember, things don’t happen over night, it could take some time.
The Sit and The Down
The basics for teaching a dog to sit. When teaching the sit it’s best to use treats. Take a treat and hold it in front of his nose, lift the treat up and back. This lets the dog fold his legs under himself for the perfect sit. You’re your using the treat to get him to sit, don’t forget to say “sit”. When the dog sits give him his treat.
You start in the sit position, when teaching the down. Slowly move the treat down and forward in front of the dog. This will get the dog to lower the front legs for the down. While lowering the treat don’t forget to say “down”. After the dog lays down reward with the treat and lots of praise.
In Closing
The careers of German Shepherd dogs depend on training or lack of it. It’s an exciting and enjoyable experience to train these dogs. Your well trained German shepherd dog will feel you’re your “Gift of a lifetime”.
