- Socialisation
- Start training immediately
- Train for five to 10 minutes, twice daily
- Do not train heavy handedly
- Be firm
- Reward your pup
- GSD are born to serve; they love to perform a task for their owner
- Use your voice
- Use your pups name often
- Only use your pups name positively
- Have a negative sound
- Avoid giving your pup commands you can’t enforce
- Train around the house, garden or yard first
- Mealtime are great to start training your pup
- When your pup misbehaves, avoid giving him lots of attention
- Give your pup attention when you want to
- Timing is crucial
- Start as you mean to go on- rules and training
- Stick to the same commands and rules
- Don’t give up during the adolescent phase
- If you’re struggling, get professional help
1. Socialisation
Socialising your pup is important as it has a huge impact on your puppies wellbeing. This introduces your pup to new sights, sounds and experiences, it helps them to get used to the world and encourages them to become confident in themselves and their surroundings.
2. Start training immediately
Start training immediately as German Shepherds are fast learners and they have good focus from an early age. Daily repetition of basic commands like “Sit”, “Come” and “down” will stay with him if reinforced periodically throughout life.
3. Training Time
Train your pup for five to ten minutes per day, twice a day every day; as your pup grows you can increase the training time. Something that is important is to end the lesson on a possitive so your pup looks forward to the next session.
4. Positive Training
Do not train your pup heavy handedly as aggression breeds aggression, training sessions should be kept positive and fun but short so the whole experience is enjoyable for both you and your pup; end the lesson on a high and reward your pup.
5. Be Firm
Your aim as a trainer is to establish authority over your GSD in a calm manner, use a reward based training method and be confident in training him; Do not be nervous or timid around your dog/pup as they may take advantage of your weakness.
6. Rewards
Reward your German Shepherd when they do something correctly as this will reinforce the good behaviour.
Find something that your pup enjoys, this can be a treat, toy, ball, game or praise. This is really helpful for the pup beacause as this becomes a repetative action your GSD knows “if i do this, i get my reward” so the will perform possitively.
7. Purpose of the GSD
German Shephers are extremely loyal and love to perform a task for their owner, they are born to serve and this makes them perfect for service, protection, search and rescue, military missions and many more including being a beautiful addition to your family.
8. Use Your Voice
Your dog should learn to understand your language therefore your voice is a very important training tool.
You should use commands in a calm, authoritive voice- not shouted.
Praise with a happy encouraging voice, and disipline in a stern voice but not in a harsh shriek; this applies even in the beginning if your German Shepherd is unresponsive.
9. Use Your Pups Name Often
Use your pups name all the time; he won’t know what it means at first but when you call him, encourage him and reward him when he responds as this will reinforce the action and he will begin to understand.
10. Use his Name Positively
Only use his name positively, he should believe that when he hears his name only good things follow; using his name to reprimand could encourage him to switch off when he hears it.
11. Have a Negative Sound
Have a negative sound like “Ack” or “Bad Boy/Girl” in a stern voice (not shouted) or use a growling sound as this is what his mother would have done if he was misbehaving in the pack.
12. Commands you can Enforce
Avoid giving your pup commands that you can’t enforce; when you give a command that you don’t enforce repetively your pup learns that the command is optional. Give your pup one command (no more than two if necessary) then gently enforce it. Don’t repeat or nag him as this will make your GSD tune out.
Telling your pup “Sit, Sit, Sit” is neither efficient nor effective; give him a single “Sit” command and gently guide him or place him in the sit position then praise him.
13. When to start Training
Begin your training around the house or garden as this helps to control behaviours outside the house; If he doesn’t respond well at home he will not respond well out the house as there are plenty of distractions like other dogs, cats, people and unknown scents.
14. Teaching your Pup Manners
Mealtimes are a good time to train your pup to growm manners; teach him to sit and stay at breakfast and dinnertime, initially he won’t understand so take a treat, move it upwards and back over your pup towards his tail at the same time as saying “Sit”, as soon as he sits praise him by giving him his food and saying “Good Girl/Boy”; do this repetively and he will soon get the idea.
15. Giving Him Attention
Dogs like attention but don’t give him any when he misbehaves; most pups get into the habbit of jumping up you, if he does this push him away and command “Down” or “No jump” and then ignore him, but dont switch between commands stick to one.
16. When to Give Attention and When not to
Give your dog attention when you want to, not when he wants it; If your pup starts to jump up you, nudging you constantly or barking to demand your attention, don’t respond, just ignore him until he has stopped demanding your attention.
You then can give him a stroke but if he doesn’t stop remove yourself of your pup from the room.
17. Timing is Crucial
When your puppy does something right, praise him immediately, if you leave it too long he wont know what he has done right; same as when he does wrong, correct him instantly. For example if your pup relieves himself in the house don’t shout at him and certainly DO NOT rub his nose in it; use your “Ack” sound, pick him up and place him outside using the toilet command. When he performs correctly praise him so he knows he’s done right. If your pup constantly relieves in the house you’re not paying enough attention to him to see the signs.
18. Start as You Mean to go on
It is important to start as you mean to go on when training and the rules you wish to be followed. Introduce him to your house rules from the beginning; if you don’t want your pup on the couch, bed or to jump up people when he is an adult, train him not to do it when he is a puppy.
Don’t have rules that are different when he is a fully grown GSD as this is confusing and he wont understand.
19. Same Commands and Rules
Every one in the house should stick to the same commands and rules; use the same words and what he is not allowed to do must be reinforced by all members of the family, otherwise he wont learn what’s right and wrong behaviours.
20. The Adolescent Phases
During the adolescent phase GSDs may try to impose their will on the household, don’t give up during this phase, he may need extra training time to reinforce training he has “forgotten” as he pushes the boundaries. That’s all it takes.
21. Professional Help
If your GSD is not picking up your training sessions or rules there is no shame in seaking professional help; a few sessions with an expert can help to build a better understanding between you and your pup.
We would be more than happy to help and offer you some professional advice so you get the best out of your German Shepherd.
Written by Libbie Yates.