Tips for training your German Shepherd Dog

Training German Shepherds is fun because they are smart dogs that learn very quickly. It’s not only a great way to bond with your dog, but also to be a responsible pet owner. German Shepherds are very intelligent dogs and they get big and strong as they get older.

Outlook:

Start early:

Training should begin as soon as you bring the dog home. The emphasis should be social skills. German Shepherd Dogs are sharp-witted and develop aggressive tendencies towards other dogs and strangers. They begin to recognize and develop a fierce loyalty and protection towards their owners and their property.

regular exercise:
Since German Shepherds are powerful dogs, they need time to exercise and play and therefore regular and rigorous exercise should be part of the dog’s training routine. They quickly get bored, restless, and can be destructive at times like these.

Consistency:
Make sure everyone who comes across your dog knows and understands your ground rules for the dog and enforces them. It is not a good environment to train your dog where some people or family members let the dog get away with misbehavior.

Establish yourself as the leader of the pack:
German Shepherds have respect for leadership. Establishing a relationship of authority between owner and dog early on creates a better position to control, handle and train the dog.

You can use various dog obedience training methods, including clicker training and other reward methods. They respond well to these methods. Dog owners train their German Shepherds for a variety of reasons, including agility, protection of their home, and simple commands. The following are methods used to train dogs.

Clicker Training:
This method uses the use of sound. The dog is taught to associate the sound of a clicker with its reward. The reward is then given in the form of a favorite treat or toy. When teaching a new behavior or agility trick, he uses a clicker as an audible sound of approval which is then followed by a reward. This is a good method for training German Shepherd Dogs as they quickly learn new behaviors.

Simple reward training:
This is a more traditional training approach where you give your dog a command and move his body accordingly. Once the dog finds the position or behavior, you immediately give him a treat with additional praise. You must be careful that the dog does not associate a second behavior with a reward instead of the intended trick.