Do you want your German Shepherd to heel predictably, sit motionlessly or stay on your direction? Obedience training for your German Shepherd puppy lets you to control your pet verbally instead of by force. When you obedience train, you will also be able to end your dogs unwanted but typical habits such as biting, chewing, jumping or barking. You can attend an obedience training class or do your training at home with a training DVD.

Note that these outcomes depend on you. How you act will drive the changes in your puppy’s behavior. Your puppy’s natural disposition has a role too, but you are the most important participant in successful obedience training.

There are specific training phrases you need to learn to train your puppy. When you’re training your puppy, your instruction must to be consistent. Your dog will learn to respond to simple instructions. Treats are a good motivator.

Besides using the same directions each time, you must learn to respond to inappropriate behavior. With young dogs, correction is done by restating the instruction. Not giving the puppy a treat can be correction enough. Do not be aggressive when teaching a young dog in obedience.

This is what your German Shepherd puppy ought to learn in obedience training. You can start obedience training as soon as your pet is weaned. These commands are appropriate for puppies between two and four months old.

“Focus” – Make eye contact and keep watching you
“Sit” – The puppy’s bottom is on the ground and its eyes are on you
“Stand” – Standing on the ground and not up on its hind legs
“Stay” – Being still in the current pose until released verbally
“Down” – Laying down with head up and paying attention
“Come” – Move immediately to the trainer
“OK” – Relax
“No” – Cease doing what it is doing

This is a lot to be taught so do not try to teach your dog too many commands at once. Teach your pet a couple of commands at a time. It is best to master each instruction before trying to add more.

When your puppy has learned the basic instructions, it is time to go on to the next level. These commands are not as simple to teach. It will be far easier if you get instruction on how to teach these skills to your pet.

* “Go” – Walk in the direction where you point
* “Stop” – Stop and wait
* “Off” – Get down from jumping
* “Back” – Move back
* “Heel” – Stand at and walk at the trainers heel

You can teach your pup the commands below during house training a puppy or crate training, and when you are correcting puppy biting.

* “Potty” – Go potty here
* “Kennel up” – Get in the crate
* “Gentle” – Pick up something in its mouth without nipping the person holding it
* “No bite” – Do not bite
* “Drop” – Let go of an object and step away
* “Leave it” – Move the dogs attention back to you from another dog, person or object.

Your dog should continue to learn new skills. Puppies are naturally active and curious, and they enjoy the attention you give them when training. You can continue beyond obedience training your dog. Your pup can learn tricks like how to play dead, how to speak, and more. If you focus on obedience training a puppy, your puppy will have fun, and you can be proud of your well trained dog.

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There may be secrets in the basic puppy training approach to training German Shepherds, but Dove Creswell covers it all in her online puppy and dog training package.

Secrets of German Shepherd Training

Training a German Shepherd can be as simple as it can get challenging. The training is no different from what is imparted to other canines. The German Shepherd learns quickly and is generally very alert…

German Shepherd training secrets involve teaching the canine to display a certain code of conduct around environment, circumstance and established responsibility. The animal is known to make a good watch dog and adapts easily to indoor or outdoor dog kennel arrangements. The German Shepherd responds easily to command. This particular breed reciprocates well to certain methods and combinations of methods to learn obedience. German Shepherds take to herding, tracking, retrieving, hunting and guarding easily. They are agile and alert by inherited nature.

Secrets of German Shepherd Training:

German Shepherds are taught basic ‘dog obedience training’ through commands, tricks, leading and rescuing techniques and hunting. The canine is known to respond to instinctive behavior at appropriate times. Though the specific behavior pattern of the German Shepherd may differ from that of other canines, the underlying principles are not very different. The trainer has to take on the ‘alpha’ role prior and while training the animal. German Shepherds are best trained young, since their natural instincts favor cooperation early. The instincts and the training get refined through the formative years of selective behavior. The German Shepherd is popular as a domestic dog not only because of its correct interpretation of training techniques, but also due to the breed’s natural ability to respond to signals promptly.

The secrets of German Shepherd training include:

Develop a common language: The German Shepherd is naturally endowed for advanced training and service for intended purpose. It is very important to ensure that the pet dog understands commands. Like other canines, German Shepherds too do not figure out the ‘obedience’ on their own. They have to be trained and like other modes of animal communication, training a German Shepherd too calls for the development of signs and commands that the dog can understand. The underlying principle of the communication should be simple – reward good behavior and ignore or correct the undesired.

Get the basics right: The trainer should endeavor to get the basic pet obedience training commands right before getting over-ambitious. The common commands of ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ and ‘loose-leash’ should be practiced first, and thoroughly. The animal should be able to execute the basic commands ‘by ear’. The first two weeks of a German Shepherd puppy’s life, or the neonate period is excellent for training. The pups learn from simple associations. They show amazing capacity to sense and learn. The pups soon enter the socialization period, when play, investigation, mock fighting and body contact helps to developing strong social relationships.

Reward desired behavior: German Shepherds love to be rewarded. The pups respond well to rewards in the form of praise and petting, pet food treats like bones and biscuits and play. In fact, failure to reward the canine only makes training more difficult. Rewards also help the animal to differentiate between safe and dangerous situations and behavior.

Correct undesired behavior: Correction should never involve physical force or violence. This kind of behavior by the ‘alpha’ only results in a loss of enthusiasm, stress and show of aggression. The German Shepherd responds well to a light jerk on the collar. The best alternative to physical correction is to deprive the canine of a preferred location or an activity.

Co-ordinate hand-sound commands: German Shepherd puppies begin learning commands and tricks early. It is preferable to consider the pup’s stamina and then build on concentration and desired physical coordination. The hand-sound co-ordination should be simple and such that the animal is able to relate to one without the other at times. The command ‘sit’ with a wave of the hand should be thorough and in the absence of the dog trainer, the canine should be able to sit on verbal command.

The secret of dog training lies in timely application of reinforcing techniques. It is very important for the canine and trainer to be very comfortable with one another. German Shepherds should be socialized regularly. Training the animal will take time. It should be a natural process that is interspersed with vaccinations, socialization and domestic and outdoor fiasco.

By Gaynor Borade Published: 2/3/2009

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Posted under Puppy Training Classes

Training German Shepherds may need some extra basic puppy training skills, which is adequately covered in Dove Creswell’s dog training package.

German Shepherds: Training a German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherds are friendly dogs. Here are a few tips to train a German Shepherd dog.

German Shepherd Dog is also known as GSD, Alsatian or Schferhund. Germany is its country of origin. The breed German Shepherd is fairly a new one and dates back to the late nineteenth century. Originally, these dogs were trained as shepherd dogs for herding sheep. Later, these dogs were recruited as police dogs because of their intelligence and obedience. It is one of the most favored pet dogs around the world, due to its protective nature and loyal behavior to its master.

A German army officer Max von Stephanitz, first bred this dog. In 1899, he established a German Shepherd Dog Club and coined various strategies to market the breed German Shepherd. Here we look at the various tips for training a German Shepherd.

Tips for Training a German Shepherd

A German Shepherd pup is a bundle of energy and very playful. It belongs to the category of large breed of dogs such as Great Dane, Labrador, Mastiff and so on. As a pup, a German Shepherd needs a lot of love, affection and care. It would be wise and easy to impart training to a pup than an adult dog. The training should be imparted, when the dog is around six weeks of age.

While imparting training, you may use food to reward the dog if it performs well. For instance, if you are training the dog to bring your morning newspaper, roll the paper and ask the dog to hold it between its teeth. Ask him to bring it to you. If he does it well, appreciate him using phrases such as “good”, “well done” and so on. This training can be continued, till he does it perfectly. At the end of the training, reward the dog with his favorite food.

The first and foremost thing to teach your German Shepherd is the “sit down” command. There are many ways to train a German Shepherd to sit. One of the ways is to hold a few dog biscuits in your hand and bend slightly towards the dog. Place your hand (the one with biscuits) over the head of the dog. When the dog tries to see where the biscuit is, it is most likely to sit down. Now you should clearly the say the word ” Sit” and repeat this exercise ten to fifteen times. Train the dog to get up only when you issue the command “come”. Do not allow the dog to snatch the biscuits from your hand. You need to keep in mind that a young German Shepherd pup gets tired easily and has a short span of attention. So keep the training short, say for 5 to 6 minutes.

While training your German Shepherd, keep the surroundings calm and quiet. Avoid a surroundings that could cause distraction to the training program. The dog must be given ample time to understand and grasp the new commands without being disturbed. You can reprimand the dog, if he misbehaves. However, never use a stick to implement training. This could have negative effects on the dog. As the dog grows, you could increase the length of the training period. As the owner of a German Shepherd, if you feel you cannot impart training yourself, enroll it in a good dog training class.

By Maya Pillai Published: 11/20/2008

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