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Do You Need German Shepard Training Tips?
German Shepard training is unique. They are a different type of dog. They are very active, smart, bold and determined, and it needs lots of attention and exercise. German Shepard training is essential because this breed of dog tends to be very dominant and you must learn the techniques for controlling it or it will control you. Consistency is the key to effective training. You cannot underestimate the time it will take you to train a puppy so you do need to spend lots of time with the dog and have lots of patience. Since all dogs are natural pack animals in that they travel in packs, your family will become that pack. You have to show the dog that you are the leader and take over the role of the Alpha Male. You do have to realize that all the dog's actions are governed by its instincts. You can establish a balance between the instincts and using conditioned training to show the dog the boundaries that it can and cannot cross right from the time you bring it home. Use feeding time as the time for training. Puppies need to be fed three times a day so you have three training periods a day. Using food as the positive reinforcement, you can start by using this as a reward for doing certain things. However, you shouldn't use it as a punishment by not feeding the dog if it doesn't do as you want. All puppies need to be potty trained. Crate training is the most commonly used method because dogs will not use the toilet in the same area in which they sleep. If you keep the puppy in a crate and when you let it out you immediately lead it to where you want it to go potty, when it does its business, you can then reward it with praise and a treat. Then you can lead the puppy to where the food and water bowls are located and play with it for a while.  It won't take the puppy long to know where it needs to go when it has to urinate or have a bowel movement and will come to you for a treat or words of praise. You also have to train your German Shepard dog to respond to commands. These dogs have traditionally been known as guard dogs and for this reason some people are afraid of them. When you have a really friendly dog that jumps up on people, you have to train it to respond to commands that will bring it to your side and away from others. The common command words are sit, stay, down, come, stand and off (for getting the dog off the furniture). Take each word and teach the dog to respond to that command before you introduce new ones. Just like children, dogs have to be taught what a word means. Clickers are really effective in doing this because they teach the dog to associate the word with an action for which it received a reward. Suggested Reading The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.
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