Five Easy To Follow German Shepherd Training Tips
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German Shepherds are one of the most beautiful and one of the smartest breed of dog. If you are going to have a great relationship with your German Shepherd, you need to train him properly. An unruly and poorly behaved dog can be difficult to deal with. Also, it can be difficult to bond with a dog who is not well behaved. If you are going to take on the training responsibilities rather than hiring a professional, there are a few things that he needs to be taught.
Teach Him the 5 Most Important Words
When your German Shepherd is still a puppy, he will need to have a 5-word vocabulary. The words he needs to learn include:
- Sit
- Stay
- Down
- Come
- Heel
If your dog is able to understand these words he will be able to follow your commands, making him an obedient dog. Some people believe that “come” is the most important word that he needs to learn. This is not true. He needs to understand each word if he is going to be truly obedient. Once he has mastered the five basic commands, you can move on to more advanced commands, such as “roll over”, “play dead”, “speak”, and “shake.” While it is great if your dog can understand these commands, he needs to learn the 5 important words first.
Use Treats With Only One of the Commands
It is not a good idea to give your German Shepard a treat when you are teaching him commands. He should be learning them because you are the leader of the pack and not for a reward. The one command where he can have a treat is when you are teaching him to stay. Staying in one place for even a few seconds seems like forever for a dog. If you tell him to say and he does, he should get a reward for his hard work.
Praise is Better Than Treats
When it comes to rewards when you are training your dog, praise is much better. When you praise your dog, not only will he want to learn more, it will also help you bond with him. Most professional trainers will tell you that giving your dog praise will actually help him learn faster.
Be Consistent
Not only does your dog want you to be consistent, he needs you to be. With dogs, everything is black and white and there is no wiggle room. For example, if you start training him to follow the command, “come”, and you start using “come here”, it can be very confusing for him. You also need to be consistent with the rules. If he is not allowed to be on your bed, you don’t want to allow him on the bed sometimes and not others. This will confuse him. He won’t be able to understand your thinking and he won’t know when he should be on the bed and when he shouldn’t.
Make Sure You Have His Full Attention During Training Sessions
If you want your dog to learn what you are teaching him, you need to have his full attention that is free from distractions. A good place to do your training is in your yard. This is a place where the smells and the surroundings are familiar, therefore, he won’t feel the need to explore. If you try training your dog at the park, you will have no control over distractions. Children, other dogs, and even unfamiliar smells can make him lose his focus, which would make his training session useless.
When you adopt a German Shepherd, you need to train him properly. Once you get through the 5 basic commands and he understands them well, you will have a well-behaved dog with whom you have bonded with.
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