Training a German Shepherd Puppy
In regards to training a German Shepherd puppy, here’s a great quote from an old-time dog trainer:
“If you want to know what’s wrong with your dog, go look in the mirror.”
Let’s talk about positive training and why it is so effective. Positive training means rewarding your dog for a desirable behavior. When your dog exhibits a behavior you like, you show your dog that you like that behavior by rewarding your dog. A reward is anything your dog enjoys, such as food, throwing a ball, a game of tug, or praise. Rewarding your dog will encourage them to repeat that behavior. By repeating the behavior, your dog will get good at practicing it until the behavior becomes learned.
Correction-based training in my opinion isn’t training at all. It is not based on intelligence or compassion. Jerking a dog’s neck or shocking a dog into “submission” will only serve to cause a dog to become fearful. Pain and discomfort decrease your dog’s ability both to learn and to play. Positive training sets your dog up for success by teaching them what you would like them to do, so there is no need to punish or to get angry. Through positive reinforcement, you will teach your dog how to behave in new environments and perform behaviors you want. It’s truly amazing to see how positive reinforcement strengthens the bond between you and your dog, builds their confidence, and teaches them to trust.
Positive Reinforcement While Training Your German Shepherd Puppy
Here are ways to bring positive reinforcement into training your German Shepherd puppy:
Start your training the moment your puppy comes home with you.
Always give your dog a treat when you call them to you.
Train before meals or when your dog is relaxed and hungry
Your German Shepherd puppy was bred for extreme trainability, so limit your training to under 5 minutes (short and sweet).
A daily routine builds good learning habits.
Always end on a high note. When the puppy has done what you asked, give lots of praise.
Do not overtrain. Your puppy will lose interest and not retain what it learned. And they may go into avoidance. If they go into avoidance, stop all training for a week or so until they solicit you to play.
Praise, Praise, Praise.
Training up until a year of age is all motivational. We start with food. Vienna hot dogs cut into little pieces. There are many training treats available at Pet Markets too. Just make sure that whatever you do get, it must be in tiny pieces for the training, or your dog will be so busy eating the biscuit that you won’t have time for the training. You want your puppy to eat the treat quickly, then immediately look at you afterwards for more.
Hold your treat up by your face so that the puppy will learn to look you in the eye. If you don’t have your puppy’s attention, your puppy will not learn.
Tips for Training Your Puppy
Always use a quiet area with few distractions or interruptions.
Only one person at a time should train. Qualified children should always be supervised by a knowledgeable adult, since your puppy can get confused easily.
Consistency counts. I will spend 2 weeks alone on Sit, twice a day, for a few minutes. After the puppy is good with Sit, I will turn my back, call the pup, and generally the puppy will come around to my front and sit directly in front of me.
Stay and Down are negative commands, and I generally don’t work on them until the dog is older. However, you can teach Down easily with food, so it is not associated with negative training.
Heeling can be taught by holding a treat/toy in front of the dog’s face as they walk on the left side of you. The dog will associate you with food/toy and keep their eyes on you instead of everything else that is out there.
Never hit or shout at your dog for not obeying a command.
Harsh corrections can result in fear and aggression – both are counterproductive to learning.
If your dog misbehaves, they should be reprimanded consistently and immediately. A firm, verbal rebuke is enough. Don’t rebuke your dog for doing something you didn’t see at the moment.
Teaching Sit:
Hold the treat so the dog looks up to get it. As the dog tips its head up, it will automatically sit. Consistency of working this way with Sit will produce the response on command.
Teaching Down:
Command your dog to ‘Sit’, then sit down in front of them. Hold a small piece of food in front of their nose. As you command ‘down’, move the food down to the ground so their nose follows it. If they need help, put your hand on their shoulders and guide them down. When they are lying down, praise them and give them the treat. You can also push the treat between your puppy’s front legs — as they try to follow it, their back end will slide into a down position. Praise and reward them.
Teaching (Here) Come:
From the very first day you bring your puppy into the house, they should be given a treat every time you call them to you. After your puppy learns Sit, you can combine the ‘come’ with the ‘sit’ and then give the treat/reward. And always lots of praise and excitement when your dog comes to you. Never, never call your dog to you for punishment. Never use their name negatively or during a punishment phase. I would prefer that you take time out for yourself to regroup before considering a punishment phase for your dog.
If you instill in your dog from day one that it is exciting and rewarding to come to you, they will sail through their teenage stage eagerly wanting to please you. This could also save your dog’s life to know that they are 100% on the recall.
I recommend that once you have these commands working smoothly with your dog, you join a local obedience club. Obedience clubs work on putting all of your training together into a routine so you and your dog can be a team. This is usually after the teenage stage, at about 13-14 months of age.
Crate Training:
We crate-train all puppies from the day that they are weaned. My advice to you when you start is to put the puppy in the crate and then take the whole family for an outing so you won’t have to listen to their temper tantrum. Your puppy will adjust quickly to their crate. Do not take the puppy out if they are throwing a fit, as it will allow them to manipulate you whenever they want.
I always try to let the puppy out when they are quiet or asleep. Once your puppy gets used to being crated, you will be able to tell when they have to go to the bathroom… their cry will be much different than that of a temper tantrum.
Interested in adopting a German Shepherd puppy? Contact Vom Cronje Haus today!