If you have some experience on how to train a dog, the German Shepherd is one of the easiest breeds to train. We have many different types of dog training guides on our website designed specifically for this breed. The best way to train a German Shepherd is with socialization and obedience training methods such as crate training and leash training. The basic idea behind both types of German Shepherd training is to make sure that the dog behaves well. If you want to train your dog in basic obedience, impulse control, or tricks, there are many things you should consider in training your dog, especially as a beginner in dog training. We have summarized for you the 6 most important tips for successful dog training in this clear article.
1. Start training from a young age first
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In Germany, shepherds are suitable to come for training and are easier to train after they reach eight weeks of age. This is the best time to shape your dog's character and to develop a relationship with your dog; not only that, but with gradual training, it will be easy to train an adult German Shepherd;
If parents don't want their German Shepherd to see a stranger, it becomes fierce, wants to start an offensive stance, must let the young German Shepherd, more exposure to some of the various people and things, this is very important.
2. Use appropriate hand signals
If you are training a dog or puppy, you should not only use words, but also consider an appropriate hand signal for each exercise.
For example, if you want to teach your dog to stop in one place, it is appropriate to combine a stop gesture (placing the palm of your hand flat in front of the dog's nose) with a command such as "stop" or "stay".
The dog then combines not only the command with the exercise, but also the gesture signal. He learns that a basic command like "stop" or "stay" not only means that he has to stay in one place, but that if you just show him the gesture, he should do it too. Then, you can give some dog commands later without words.
3. Start with the simplest of basic commands
The first thing you need to teach your dog is to sit, squat, and lie down. At first, the dog may not understand your meaning, and not be able to obey your command, parents must be patient and train more.
4. Pay attention to your tone of voice
When training your dog or puppy, the meaning of the word used as a command is not important. Dogs do not know what words like "here", "sit" or "place" mean. You may want to train him with words like "chocolate", "cushion" or "tip".
So it's not based on the actual meaning of the words you're practicing, but on your voice and pitch.
If you talk to your dog as you would in everyday life when training him - preferably in complete sentences - he won't notice any difference or even notice the command.
However, if you train your dog very strictly and yell at the exercise, that's not good either. That would be even more negative. If you yell at your dog, he'll think he's doing something wrong and you'll get mad at him. It would be perfect if as part of your training program you used a real tone of voice in your exercises that was different from normal speech.
5. Working with food
Dogs tend to be relatively simple. They like to play, explore their surroundings on walks, and enjoy eating. You can use the latter in your dog training.
Food (in the form of treats) is used in dog training as a stimulus and a reward for successful exercise. Therefore, use dog cookies to direct your dog's interest to the actual task during dog training.
Small snacks that your dog can eat in one bite are best for training. If he has to chew for a long time until the dog cookie is gone, this will interfere with learning the feats.
Another tip: Dog training only works if your dog is interested in the food and is now hungry. If you only start training your dog after he has already eaten a lot, then your dog may not be particularly motivated to train for more food. In addition, he should be resting and digesting after a meal anyway. Therefore, you should avoid feeding your dog for 2 hours before training him.
6. Don't be stingy with praise
When it comes to playing and dog training or dog school dog training, your dog will aim at you as his leader. Therefore, your job as his most important caregiver (especially for anxious dogs) must be to provide him with confirmation when he completes his workout correctly.
If your dog does what you want him to do - no matter how long it takes - then he should get positive feedback in return. Your dog remembers just like a command, or has a snack after performing dog training correctly.
Dogs usually want to please their owners. Therefore, he is happy with any praise in dog training, so if you confirm that he does so, he will be happy to perform the required exercises. No matter how many times he sits, you should show him after each exercise that he did it right. Even if you use commands in your daily life, there should be no shortage of praise.
Introduce the puppy to the collar or harness and leash. Start by letting him get used to wearing a collar or harness and a leash. Let him wear them for short periods in the house while you are playing with him and giving him treats. The puppy should love collar-and-leash time because it represents food and fun.[1]
Other things to keep in mind:
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German Shepherds are very naughty when they are small, and when you bring them home, you should let them get used to their new environment first, and then spend some time figuring out their routine before you start training;
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When training your dog's certain habits, you should take it one step at a time and never be impatient. After teaching it something new, practice it over and over again until the next time you say the command, it can respond instantly, and we must ensure that the commands set for them are short and easy to understand;
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When you start to train your dog, remember that the training time should be good, this can be based on the dog's habits. If the time is too long will make the dog bored, too short, and can not achieve the desired effect;
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The process of training can often encourage it, so you can mobilize the dog's enthusiasm;
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If the dog still makes a mistake after doing it many times, the pet owner can gently reprimand, when never hit the dog, you need it to love your ears to listen to your words, not because of fear of you and listen to your words;
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At the end of each training, the pet owner can give a certain reward, can be his favorite food or take it out to play with, etc., so that he can feel the fun in the boring training;
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For the German Shepherd to be impressed enough with your commands, you need to develop a training cycle for him to deepen his impression.
Therefore, training your dog is definitely a long-term job that requires plenty of patience from the owner. As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, you will have a smart and well-behaved German Shepherd.
References and Resources
[1]Leash Training: How to Leash Train a Dog or Puppy to Walk on a Leash (akc.org)
