Dont Give Up on That Dog! Raising a German Shepherd Dog: The Many Lessons Learned

Should you get a German shepherd puppy? 11 things to know

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Wait until he tugs the door open, then click and treat. Keep doing this, eventually saying, "open" whenever he tugs the door open. Click and treat every time. After your training session, he should be able to open the door at your command If your dog has mastered tug and bring it, teaching fetch will be easy. Start by playing tug. Say the "take it" command when you want your dog to pick up the rope toy, and then the "give" when you want him to release the rope.

Have your dog "give" the rope, but then toss it a few feet away. Generally, your dog should be With your dog standing facing you, walk forward toward him. When he takes a step backwards, click and treat. When he takes multiple steps backwards, click and treat.

Practice this until he understands that if he backs up, he deserves a treat. Start walking toward him less Most dogs will yawn when they are anxious. You can use that to help you catch the yawn. Look for your dog to yawn when he wants to go outside or wants a ball or toy that you are holding. When he yawns, click and treat. Because this trick has to be 'caught' with the clicker, it can be fairly difficult, and you have to Using the "Learn Names" trick, teach your dog the name of whichever object you want him to bring you Slippers, for example.

Now that he knows what the name of the object is, tell him to "Take my Slippers. Tell your dog to Take it and Bring it. If he does so, click and treat. Now, try combining all three tricks Set the leash on the floor. Tell him to take it. Click and treat when he does. Go to the door. Tell him to take the leash, bring it, and drop it in your hands. Repeat the take it, bring it, drop it action several times, saying, "Leash! Use the "Learn the Names of Everything" Trick 13 to teach him to touch his dish on command.

Teach him to hold the dish in his mouth using the "take it" command Trick Your dog may not like holding a metal dish in his mouth, but this trick is worth the extra effort. Take extra time with this step. With the dish on the floor say Get a large box or basket. Gather all your dog's toys and put them in a pile. Point to each toy and say, "Take it," then "Bring it" and "Drop it" into the basket. When he does this, click and give him a treat. After he puts all his toys in the basket, reward him with a treat, saying "Put your toys away Hold up an object that he is familiar with he knows its name and let him smell it.

Place the object under something obvious like a towel , and say "find it. Click and treat when Start out with a short distance and a good treat. Throw the treat to your dog. If he doesn't catch it, take the treat away and try again. If he does catch it, praise him and give him another treat!

German Shepherd Training Without A Professional Trainer | www.farmersmarketmusic.com

Keep doing this until he is catching well. Start saying "Catch" while he is catching them Put some scotch tape or a sticky note on your dog's nose so that she paws at it. Repeat this a few times, but add in your command. Think of a short phrase such as "I'm Ashamed of you! With your touch stick, have your dog go around your right side and stand by your left side. Keep doing this, eventually saying, "Left" as soon as he stands by your left side.

Set up obstacles, such as orange cones bought at Wal-mart , buckets, or even red plastic cups in a straight line. Start with three or four, and space them inches apart. With your touch stick, guide your dog in and out of the obstacles, starting from the left side. When he goes in and out of one or two, click and treat.

Continue to do this until he goes in and out of all of them. After getting your dog used to Hold a treat in your left hand and hold your right hand up. Here we are getting the dog to associate the speak command with the visual command of holding your right hand up. Also look your dog in the eye I look directly into his right eye.

Have the dog speak, and treat when At the end of a performance, take a bow with your dog! Start 'rough-housing' with your dog. Whenever he starts to get into the "bow" position, click and treat. Keep doing this until he starts doing it on his own. Start saying "Bow" whenever he gets into the Bow position; then click and treat. Keep doing this until he will Put your dog on the table. Ask him to jump. Your dog should stay in the same place so he won't fall off the table.

Tie the jump rope to another object. Let your dog get used to the jump rope by moving it back and forth. Give the jump rope almost a Get a bottle of soda appropriate for your dog's size and put it on the ground. Tell your dog to "Take It.

Obedience Training: Raising a Good Canine Citizen

Do this several times. Now, tell your dog to "Take It" and "Bring it. Set a tissue box on the ground. Have him continue to do this until he starts pulling them out on his own. Then, have him "Bring it" to you and "Drop it" in your hand. Using either a laser pointer or touch stick, get your dog in the habit of jumping up to touch the light switch. It is best to have him jump up with his pads on the wall instead of his claws touching the switch with his nose.

I used a laser pointer here, because I would play with it as a game, knowing that he would really go after it—even if it's on a wall. Hook up your dog's leash to his collar and use it to pull his front dominant paw up - be very careful as you walk with him - click and treat when he walks one or two steps. Keep doing this until he is successfully 'Limping' with the help of the leash. With treat in hand, coax your dog to move forward with the touch stick.

How to Train a German Shepherd to Be a Guard Dog

Make sure he does so while in the down position. Once your dog is crawling naturally, begin saying 'Crawl' before you click and treat Your dog rolls on his back and lies still to give the impression that he's dead. Take your touch stick, or with your treat in hand, slowly guide it so that your dog moves into the 'Play Dead' position. Repeat until he gets into the 'Play Dead' position without help from the touch stick. Tell your dog to limp, crawl, and play dead, clicking and treating after he performs each action. Now, give him all three commands again, this time keeping the treat until the end.

Most of these tricks and commands require several training sessions. Some dogs and puppies can grasp the idea in their first 5-minute training session, but don't expect it to do it extremely well. Let us know what you think by commenting below, or go back to the homepage for more great tips!

Fun Activities for German Shepherds

Don't forget to find us on facebook and follow our twitter feed to stay updated! Thanks for reading, recommend us to your friends! We noticed that you usually have to pay for the majority of resources out there that are really beneficial to dog owners, so we decided that there should be a place where quality content is made available for dog owners like yourself—for free.

Although we might have some paid content to keep DoggieBuddy running, all information on this site is free. Our goal is to help you grow a stronger, more worthwhile bond with your dog, a bond that will last a lifetime. Never Miss Another Post get weekly updates sent straight to your inbox! Click and give the dog a treat. When your dog looks at you, click and treat. Repeat 2 to 4 times. Say his name as he looks at you. If he looks at you Featuring Additional Training Video Teach your dog to touch the end of a dowel: Wait until he sits down on his own. Say Sit as soon as he sits. Grab your clicker and a good treat.

When your dog begins to lay down more often Did You Enjoy This Article? Stay Up To Date. Email Comments or Questions to: Trick 2 - Name Step 1: Trick 3 - Touch - NEW! Trick 5 - Down Use this trick to build more advanced tricks Step 1: Trick 6 - Stand If your dog will stand still, it makes care and grooming easier Step 1: Trick 7 - Release This command tells your dog to be released from sitting or staying Step 1: Trick 8 - Come This is perhaps the most important command to teach your dog.

Trick 9 - Stay A simple command that lets your dog know to stay put Step 1: Have your dog sit. Say 'release' then click and treat. Say 'sit,' 'stay' and wait ten seconds. Trick 10 - Heel Teach your dog to walk beside you without pulling Step 1: When your dog is close to you with his Trick 11 - Take It This command tells your dog to pick up an item you point to Step 1: After a few times of that, see if he will Trick 12 - Leave It This is not just a trick, it can save your dog's life Step 1: Trick 13 - Bring It This command tells your dog to bring you an object Step 1: Tell your dog to get a toy by using the "Take It" command.

Trick 14 - Learn names of everything Teach your dog the names of household items Step 1: Have your dog touch your hand and click treat. Trick 15 - Bell Teach your dog to ring a jingle-bell when he needs to go outside Step 1: Use a training stick to target the bell. When he touches the bell, click and treat. When he touches the bell on his own, click and jackpot. Trick 16 - Eliminate on Command Teaching this is better than spending hours outside on a rainy day Step 1: Designate a specific spot in your yard to make clean-up easier.

Wait until he finishes eliminating, then click and treat. We told him that we had. He explained that Sultan was content doing something active that she knew pleased her masters. We started looking for venues to keep Sultan busy. There was a dog park in our area with an agility course set up.

We went and met with other dog owners, some of who were German Shepherd owners, and asked them what they did with their dogs. As a side note, these games and activities also seriously helped our Australian Shepherd, who had suffered from anxiety from a young age. Here are some of the suggestions that really helped Sultan:.

We had already done a little bit of obedience training with Sultan, but we were told that we needed to kick it up a notch. She was learning, but not as quickly or as much as she could be learning. She knew all of her basic commands, but German Shepherds are smart—they can do far more than the basic commands. She learned exactly what was expected of her and what reward she would get when she did what she was asked to do or what was expected of her.

This was a serious concern, since many of my siblings were still quite young when we got Sultan, and by the time she was a year old, she was far stronger than most of them.

It would be easy for her to get away on a walk, but she never even tried once she had been leash trained. Walking a dog who is great on a leash is actually fun!

Sultan's calmness also helped to mellow out our Aussie, who could be a complete nightmare on the leash. There was a free agility course right inside the dog park in our neighborhood, and it was easy to teach her to run the course, even though she was wary of stunts like the seesaw at first. There was nothing she loved more than heading out to the park and running the agility course a few times—it was good for her and it was good for us. Dogs, just like humans, might like some repetitive games like fetch, but eventually, they're going to get bored of that and want to do something that is a little more interactive and varied.

Trying to find a game that fulfills those needs and gets both of you moving is key to a happy and healthy dog. The first time we put Sultan in water, she freaked out. She was only a year old at the time and she had absolutely no concept of floating. She knew how to swim instinctually, and she could get herself going, but if she could not feel the bottom underneath her feet, she would start panicking and climb up the person closest to her. As with most things, getting a dog comfortable in a situation is all about exposure.

The more we took her to the lake, the more she enjoyed the water. Eventually, she would swim and fetch just about anything. We kept her on her long, extendable leash while she was learning and started her out in the shallows. Once she was acclimated to the water, we started taking her out farther and giving her more leash.

Our Aussie immediately loved swimming and almost seemed to tease her by swimming out farther and faster than she could. Swimming, especially in the cool lakes around where we live, was a perfect summertime activity, and when combined with fetch or a game of search, she would be extremely happy for the rest of the day. We couldn't go as often in the fall, winter, and spring, so we had to find other activities to occupy her during those months.

We have a basket in the living room where all of the dog toys go. It is on the ground, so if one of the dogs wants a toy, he or she has access to it. As part of her obedience training, we taught Sultan a command to clean up her toys. I cannot overemphasize the importance of dogs having their own toys, and, especially for German Shepherds, getting the right kinds of toys. When Sultan was a puppy, we got her a few toys that were basically stuffed animals.

She destroyed them in hours, and strew fluff all over the yard and the house. We started looking for more durable toys, hoping to find her something that would last longer than a few hours. She powered through everything. Eventually, we started investing in toys that were made specifically for German Shepherds and other large dogs. We had a stuffed rabbit made out of firehouse material for a little over two years. It is vitally important that a dog has toys that they know are their own. These are toys that they can play with when they are bored and can field the chewing habit that most dogs, especially during their teething phase, have.

Plus, giving a dog the sense of ownership over something can make them happier. When you buy a new toy, present it to your dog so they know that it is theirs. Play with them with it so they understand that they are allowed to chew on it.

This will keep them away from stuffed animals or other stuffed things in your house that might accidentally be seen as playthings. Not all German Shepherds have to have jobs, and not all want a real job. Not all GSD owners want to train their dogs to be guard dogs, and are afraid that this will make their dogs aggressive towards all people. The truth is, however, that training your dog to be a guard dog is training your dog to be more attentive and receptive to your instincts and to social cues.

A dog can easily sense when you are tense or afraid.

Become the Alpha Leader

They also seem to have an innate ability to sense when someone has bad intentions. Police and military dogs are taught not to be aggressive, but to be disciplined, and to offer their owners protection when necessary. This could be a great option for families with young children or those that live in a neighborhood with frequent crime. The truth is, however, that most dogs just want attention and approval and plenty of exercise.

If you can provide your dog with those three things, she will be happy and healthy. Taking your dog for a long walk, a jog, a bike ride, or for play in the park, are all great activities. German Shepherds do best in active homes, so if you have one, make this a priority. Excess energy will lead to misbehavior—dogs are like children in that regard. Give them something to do, something that helps them burn off that energy, and they will be happy.

Sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites. Handling two dogs on a walk can be more difficult and if you need to go to parks for play can be a hassle. It can be easy or it can be trouble.

Is your dog a male? If yes, you'll most likely not be into much trouble.

Our first male was quite dominant so the hierarchy was always clear. We had our second one when the first gsd was around 2 years old. The second one died at age 10 and the first one became 14 years old, so around age You have to make sure you spread the love between both and that the first one is not feeling set back.

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