German Shepherd Dog Training Essentials By: MS du Toit

The German Shepherd Dog is a very noble breed with excellent working abilities. These dogs are capable of performing long hours of physical exercise without showing signs of extreme exhaustion. They are often used as police dogs, guard dogs, search and rescue dogs and also therapy dogs. The German Shepherd Dog is one of the best examples of a perfect working dog.

The German Shepherd Dog is also one of the most popular family and pet dogs because of its many good properties. Owning a German Shepherd Dog comes along with a great responsibility to train the dog. It is very important that the owner shall at least do basic obedience with their dog. That includes sit and down on command, sit and down stays and loose leash heeling. The recall command is probably the most important command of all for any dog, but even more so with the German Shepherd Dog.

German Shepherds are very strong dogs and you do not want to be dragged around the block when you take it for a walk. You need to be in control. When you have visitors, you do not want your German Shepherd to jump up against your friends. It is essential that you start training your German Shepherd puppy the moment it arrives at your home. From day one you should establish the packing order. Your puppy should not for one moment get the idea that he must fulfil the role of alpha.

Things your German Shepherd puppy should not be allowed:
�,� Your puppy will be very cute and beautiful, they all are, but he should not be allowed on the bed or on the couch.
�,� He should not be allowed to play bite any human. If he wants to bite your hand, say NO” in a growling voice and give him a chewable toy.

The most essential thing you should do with your GSD puppy:
�,� Your puppy should be well socialized especially the first few months of its life, but preferably for the rest of its life. Take him with you wherever you go. Let him meet other dogs, people and especially children

German Shepherd Dogs are such clever dogs and easily trainable and so willing to please their owners that it is really sad when owners do not train their dogs.

There are so many disciplines in which their dogs can excel for example:
�,� Obedience
�,� Tracking
�,� Protection work
�,� Agility
�,� Therapy work (depending on the temperament)

Which method should be used for training the German Shepherd Dog?
It is wrongly believed that because the GSD is such a strong dog, that you should use strong and harsh methods to train the dog. Actually it is just the opposite. GSD’s are sensitive dogs and so clever that they learn very fast when you use positive reinforcement methods with lost of treats and praise. Clicker training is ideal for training any dog but also the GSD. You still have to be very firm especially when it is a male dog going through his hormonal phases, but the key is consistency and patience. If properly trained your German Shepherd will be a joy and companion for many years.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
MS du Toit has been training dogs for ten years. Please visit her Dog Training Page at http://www.dogtrainingtipsforfree.com

Find More

Dog Training working dog German Shepherd

Using Dogs for Protection By: Gerry Ronson

Some individuals like to have dogs to protect their home. If you are looking for a dog that will guard your home while you are in absence and even when you are home you will have a few different breeds to choose from. There are some dogs that make really great watchdogs, but are not so great at being guard dogs. So if you are interested in having a guard dog you will want to choose from some of these breeds below.

The Doberman pinscher is one of the most popular guard dogs in America and perhaps in other countries as well. One of the reasons the Doberman pinscher is such a success as a guard dog is their intelligence and the willingness to be trained for active duty. They are also a fierce looking dog when you see them as guard dogs. They have a small head with pointed ears and a lean muscled body. This sleek body enables them to jump a good distance and to run for quite a distance helping in the pursuit chase if one does occur; however most individuals choose this dog because they are fiercely loyal to the owner. These dogs tend to choose just one master in a family. They will be obedient to this person and will train well with this person. The train needed for guard dogs is often full of activity and requires a lot of time. The dog must learn first to be obedient and then they must be taught to stop a thief, but not to harm. In other words most guard dogs are meant to act fierce.

The next type of dog that is really good as a guard dog is a German shepherd. While most often the German shepherd is seen as a police dog they are also really good at guarding as well. You will find that with German shepherds they have a high intelligence above most dogs that’s what makes them so good at many of the different tasks like a police dog, seeing- eye dog and many other occupations. They are extremely trainable when you consider all jobs that they have. This means that training for guard duty will be easier for this breed and they will stick with the job at hand.

Another dog breed for guard duty is the Rottwieller. The Rottwieller is a very fast dog. They are extremely well muscled dogs. This means that they have the sped to chase as well as the muscle for the duration. While most people hope never to use this lean dog as a guard dog they will also find this dog has a fair intelligence. This makes them easy to train also. For training of this guard dog you do have to be careful in obedience training. They can display a stubbornness that can make the first few times of training a little difficult, however once they understand who is master they will be great with the training and eager to learn.

You will find that with all guard dogs they are going to be easily trained after the initial obedience training and asserting who is master. Training must be firm, but done with a gentle hand. In other words you never want to use harsh words even for guard dogs. Like all training these dogs need to have affection along with their training. You will need to seek a professional training facility to help with training your guard dog to ensure they have been properly trained.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Gerry Ronson writes articles for the website dog beds.

Find More

guard dogs German shepherd professional training