Dog Obedience Training.Tips And Guides On Dog Obedience Training

As we said earlier, German Shepherd obedience training is only part of the equation. Read on and follow some helpfull tips.

Always pick a German Shepherd that matches your lifestyle Many people choose German Shepherds that are “cute” or “funny”. Or purchase them on a whim. But that is not a good way to choose a pet. A German Shepherd, depending on the breed, can be a 15 year relationship. You want to be sure that the temperament of your German Shepherd matches your lifestyle. So do your research and be honest about what kind of activity level you have in your life. Don’t get a German Shepherd that needs a lot of activity because you need a reason to take a walk and lose some weight. You and the German Shepherd will end up frustrated.

Always try to devote 10-15 minutes every day to training. This is all it takes to train a German Shepherd. Any longer and your German Shepherd will become tired and resentful. Any less and they will not retain the information as well. You need to have a light balance when it comes to German Shepherd obedience training.

There can only be one trainer. Dogs are pack animals and take direction only from the pack leader. A pack animals only have one leader. Determine who will be responsible for the German Shepherds training and do not let anyone else teach the German Shepherd anything new until they have mastered the basics.

Name your German Shepherd with a practical name. The experts say that a German Shepherd’s name should end in a vowel because it is easier for them to understand. Don’t make it too fancy or long or the German Shepherd might not know you are talking to it. Short and sweet is always the way. Use the German Shepherd’s name often when you are patting it and when you are feeding it. Do not use it as part of teaching them a new command or they may associate their name with that command instead. Only use their name when attention is required. Train them to look at your face by saying their name and gently turning their face up toward yours. Ey contact is important. When you are training it is important that they have all their attention on you. Calling their name should mean “look at the pack leader”.

Once you have established your expectations with the German Shepherd, they need to be reinforced by everyone consistently but again, no one except the “pack leader” should ever train the German Shepherd.

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Your first training should be learning to sleep in a crate You may think it’s cruel but in fact, German Shepherds are den animals. They actually enjoy sleeping in a crate. When they are German Shepherd puppies, keep the crate very small so they cannot relieve themselves in it (animals generally will not relieve themselves where they sleep or eat). As they become housebroken, get them a crate that is comfortable and place it somewhere near where the family is. Keep the crate wherever the designated “pack leader” sleeps. Forcing a German Shepherd to sleep away from his “pack” confuses him and makes him think he has done something wrong. Do not let the German Shepherd sleep in the bed with you until you have fully trained them to sleep in a crate. Breaking a German Shepherd of sleeping on the bed, once they are in that habit is almost impossible. Train your German Shepherd to use the crate by putting them in there for a few minutes at a time several times during the day, gradually increasing the time they spend in there until they are assured that you are eventually going to come and let them out.

Second lesson should be how to walk on a lead/leash This is important,especially if you do not have an enclosed yard. Your German Shepherd should understand that when they go outside, they are expected to behave while on the leash. There are many books and videos on training German Shepherds to help you learn how to do this.

The third training lesson should be “whoa” or “stop” or whatever you want to use as a command for your German Shepherd to stop moving. This command is VERY important as it could save your German Shepherd’s life. Do not rely on calling their name as a command to get them to stop. There may be times when you do not want them to come to you but instead stay right where they are. If you call their name, they may think you want them to come. Some sort of stopping command should be taught even before “come”. There are many videos and books that can help you with this training.

Keep in mind that all German Shepherds have different temperaments Just like kids, different breeds learn differently and at different rates. Some German Shepherds are stubborn and will challenge you at every turn. Others will just about bend over backwards to please you. You may need to adjust your training techniques to meet the need of your German Shepherds temperament. This is another good reason why you should research a breed before you purchase or adopt a German Shepherd to be sure you can

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