German Shepherd Training Tips

Did you know that in the olden days, the German Shepherd Dog lived longer, jumped higher and further and did as it was told, always, and without any training!!! No really it is true, then of course, Germany became a free country with a democratic constitution and the amazing German Shepherd, being able to read (you did not know that did you !) said: "Free at last!!" And from then on people had to work mighty hard to train this noble and intelligent breed. And that was before Jean Donaldson came along :o

Todays training methods are fun. You can start the day your puppy comes home. Gone are the days when you were told to wait when the dog had matured (and incidentally picked up some really bad habits along the way).

Work for food. Why not. I work for chocolate all the time. Or coffee. I have lost count of the times friends have offered me dinner in exchange for fixing their computer problems. So please dont tell me working for food is cruel ;)

The main point being that you have to feed the puppy, 3 times a day at first, then twice. Which means that you have the time to train 3 times a day. Its a great way to start a good habit.

Get the pup, and the bowl filled with the kibble. Sit down on the kitchen floor. You are using 1 piece of kibble at a time. 

Teach a marker word - good or yes. The word has to be short. You will pair it with food. Good - then the food, repeat. With a little pup this may take a while to kick in; but it will

Reward for looking at you. Works without the marker word too.

Lure and reward a sit. This is a great way of teaching the pup, when it can take food, use the lure hand to guide the pup into te sit; open the hand to deliver the treat.

Practice handling paws and other body parts. Feed while you touch.

Puppy nose to your hand targeting. Put a piece of kibble between the figers, present the open hand to the pup, within easy reach. Feed for touching.

Zen, hand zen and floor zen. Not much use doing table zen, as the little bugger cannot even see the food up on the coffe table now. Put a piece of food in your closed hand - then follow Sue Ailsbys excellent instructions (bye come back soon!) . You can also use Pat McConnells "space" guarding - the pup will pick that up very quickly. Simply use your hand to block the path the pup would take to the food on the floor.

Spending time with your 8 week old German Shepherd Puppy doing this type of training will be addictive! So be careful. You will have to learn how long you can train, this is a little puppy afterall. If you start your puppy with training like this you will stand a good chance of surviving adolescence with your sanity intact ;) and the couch.

Good exercise for the body and the mind will be vital for that time in your German Shepherds life.

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German Shepherd The Infos Every Owner Of This Dog Breed Ought To Know

A.k.a. the Alsatian or German Police Dog, the German Shepherd is a young breed, having exclusively recognized as a distinct breed for nearly a century. The German Sheperd can retrace its ascendants back to an array of shepherding dogs in Germany, and a few groups tried to informally breed this dog. This attempt failed but in 1899, a recently reknowned group was established. Der Verein fur Deutsche Schaeferhunde was founded by Max von Stephanitz, who desired to breed an all purpose functional dog.

The German Shepherd came up to the United Sates in 1908 with soldiers impressed by the bravery and abilities of this dog. German Shepherds will achieve an average height of 22 to 26 inches, weighting 77 to 85 pounds and last an average of 13 years. There are an extensive mixtures of coats in this breed. Some German Shepherds are longhaired and some are shorthaired. The color is most often black and tan, but can likewise be coal black, entirely black, blue and liver and white.

The one thing all German Shepard coats have in common is that they shed extravagantly, and shed bigger during their shedding time of year. Daily brushing usually helps fight the shedding, and German Shepherds should only be bathed once in a while. Just about all German Shepherds are identified as self-confident and loyal.

German Shepherds are extremely intelligent and frequently used as police dogs, rescue dogs and guide dogs. German Shepherds can be excellent guard dogs and are very loyal to their family. They make excellent defenders, barking when someone unfamiliar is drawing near. German Shepherds do make good family pets and will protect the children of their family. They will permit the poking and prodding children are prone to do. However, they are occasionally unaware of their size and power relative to a small child and may arbitrarily bang them across.

A German Shepherd and child should always be watched to avoid this. German Shepherds can endure apartment living if given adequate physical exercise on a regular basis and given enough activities. If left alone too long or not stimulated enough, German Shepherds will get bored and destructive. They love being in the companionship of their human family but not other pets. As a working dog that wishes to delight, a German Shepherd will do alright with obedience training. German Shepherds are prone to some genetic disorders including hip and elbow dysplasia, blood disorders, digestive problems, epilepsy, chronic eczema, keratitis (inflammation of the cornea), dwarfism and flea allergies.


Source: High Quality Article Database - 365articles.com

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German Shepherd Training

What is known is that the German Shepherd is a hard working dog and the higher the drive, the more experience required of the owner and of the trainer in charge. So an appropriate
German Shepherd Training program is extremely important.

Additionally, the German Shepherd is:

• Believed to be one of the top three most intelligent breeds 
• Eager to have a purpose
• Able to interpret and learn a variety of tasks

The German Shepherd is also a self-assured breed, meaning that they usually require an equally competent and confident owner. When a German Shepherd trusts their handler explicitly, it is like witnessing two parts of the same whole. It is of little surprise that other dog owners who see such a relationship want the same for themselves. Royvon dog training cultivates this rapport between man and dog.

German Sheperd Training is not an overnight act, there is always a price for perfection and the price is putting into the dog exactly what you desire to receive and a German Shepherd that does not have their top traits nurtured may take charge of their own purpose. These are German Shepherds that become over-protective, over-territorial and quite possibly aggressive. They are also are easily bored and agitated without anything to do, which often results in displacement behaviour. This is where our dog and puppy training can help ensure your dog stays nurtured and purposeful.

As a highly trainable, immensely loyal and responsive breed, it is unfortunate too for them to be owned by those not willing to help them reach their full potential, and Royvon has more experience training German Shepherds than any other breed of dog

Breed Characteristics	Breed Awareness/Management
The German Shepherd is an intelligent, discriminating, confident, responsive breed that is willing to learn, and will learn - and do anything.	Firm, but calm and consistent obedience training is essential to maintain control of the GSD. They must be owned and handled by someone equally as smart and capable, as anything less is a waste of this outstanding breeds potential!
The German Shepherd is a powerful breed and enjoys boisterous play.	Aggressive games should be controlled from an early age as a puppy to discourage unsafe and undesirable behaviour. Dominant GSDs may refuse commands from family members who do not establish leadership over them.
Due to natural guarding instincts, the German Shepherd can be potentially aggressive with strange dogs or people.	From an early age as a puppy, socialisation of this dog is crucial. Be sure to have complete control before exposing them to social situations full of distractions.
Most German Shepherds are sociable, but can be aloof with strangers.	They are intelligent and adapt well to positive training. Although some may seem nervous in kennels, they generally cope well.
This breed has a double-density coat and copes well in all weathers.	Care should be taken when exercising in hot weather as they can overheat.
A happy, healthy confident German Shepherd is good-natured, lively, and makes an ideal family pet and guardian.	Respect and love your German Shepherd and they will return your loyalty and companionship without question.

German shepherd Training has always been a controversial discussion since they are also pretty aggressive, i would highly reccommend you to speak to professionals before implementing.

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The German Shepherd or Alsatian Dog

By Edward Linton

The German Shepherd, also known as Alsatian, is a very intelligent dog with a very noble look, he has elegant flowing lines and intelligent expression. He is an active dog and an obedient worker. He has all the qualities to make him what is considered to be the ideal dog. He has a very good nature and is a natural sportsman, being nimble and fast he makes a fantastic pet or work dog. They enjoy being around people and other animals. German Shepherds are well suited to obedience training.

The Alsatian is most often black with tan but can also have variations of coat color including all black. There are three varieties of coat, rough coated (short), long rough coated and long haired.

As a working dog German Shepherds are suited to various jobs, some of the more obvious are police and guard dog, in this role they can be used to apprehend criminals, sniff out drugs and explosives and find lost people. They are also used by rescue associations to find people trapped in collapsed building or buried alive in disaster zones. German Shepherds can also be used as guide or help dogs due to their high level of intelligence they are ideally suited to the task.

In the case of the German Shepherd its history is not very old, in fact the dogs you see now have only been around since the end of the 19th century, which came about from a breeding amalgamation between various Shepherding dogs by Capt Max von Stephanitz who is classed the father of the breed.

There are lots of famous German Shepherds in the history vaults, this is due to the popularity of the breed and the versatile and intelligence of the animal. Some have even become movie stars such as The Littlest Hobo and Rin Tin Tin who made 26 movies and at his peak was receiving 10,000 fan letters a week. Others just have famous owners such as Clipper who was president Kennedy’s dog. Over the years German Shepherds have rescued and saved hundreds of lives either by being trained to or just because they love their owners.

The German Shepherd will live for approximately 10 to 12 years and will need lots of exercise, including a large play area or garden. You will have to give extensive training in the early years, but with its high ability to learn good training is essential. They will also shed hair all the time and seasonally it will shed heavily. Brushing twice weekly is recommended but if hair is a problem in the home daily brushing is recommended. Bathing should happen rarely and at the most only twice a year to avoid removal of essential skin oils. Watch out for hip problems as this is an area where German Shepherds are prone to having problems.

Above all if you decide to have a German Shepherd as a pet or working dog you will have a animal which is intelligent, loving, loyal and will give you lots of enjoyment.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Linton

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