Training a German Shepherd Dog

Training a German shepherd requires a lot of time and attention to the dog.

There are several key things that need to happen when a German shepherd is a puppy to help it become the calm, balanced and adult it should be.

Firstly you have to aim at making it socialized with other dogs. You can achieve this by taking it to a puppy dog park or arranging play dates.by so doing the dog will become a much friendlier animal to live around.

The other thing is to avoid being too harsh on the dog especially when it is a puppy. You should avoid yelling or hitting the puppy. German shepherds that are abused as young dogs tend to imprint with more aggressive behavior as adults.

Finally, it is important that your puppy learns to recognize you as its master. Being firm, quiet, and praising good behavior, all go a long way in helping a puppy learn how it is to respond as an adult.

You should establish your leadership role at an early age by for example teaching your puppy to walk and make sure that it follows after you through doors, as that is a sign of the respecting your role as pack leader to let you go first.

Provide puppies with chew toys and make sure they get plenty of exercise to help them work off their orneriness.

NOTE: dogs are best trained when they are young so at their tender age it is when you can instill all that you require in them.

 German Shepherds training tips

The dog should be fed before training. Dogs respond to food as a reward after the training as well as before the training. If you tell a dog to sit and reward him with a treat, he will learn it, however, you will need to reinforce this many times. Dogs seem to remember and respond better to training after he has been given food. The training seems to sink in and stick more readily after food rather than before a treat.

Begin your training attempts with a German shepherd puppy. If you start out with a puppy, you have the opportunity to shape and mold its personality and develop that trusting relationship. You never really know what an older dog has been through in life and how that might affect his temperament.

Then play with your puppy. You will want a puppy that is playful and not fearful.

While doing all this one should try very much to ensure that the dog recognizes that you are the boss and it should take up commands from you.

The training sessions should not spend more than 20 minutes. Spend even less time for younger puppies. This is because their attention span is short; they get tired; your patience will be worn thin trying to train an over tired puppy. Training has to be upbeat and happy in order to get the maximum response from the dog.

You can also enroll your German shepherd puppy in a basic or puppy obedience class. Your puppy should be 8-10 weeks old for this first class. One person only should give the commands, regardless of how many people are in your family or will be living with the dog. German Shepherds will acknowledge one master and will respond to that one person. Later, as the dog grows older and learns the hierarchy, he will take orders from all members of the family.