Training Your

German Shepherd

Dog

The German Shepherd Dog truly is a wonderful

animal and not only do they make good working

dogs, they also make superb family pets. They are

however very different from other pet breeds and

need to be handled and trained with a different

approach to say your average labrador or poodle for

instance.

The GSD is a large, strong athletic dog, which needs

a lot of mental stimulation and exercise but a well

trained shepherd can learn to do almost

anything. These dogs positively thrive on

challenging activities and they are so willing to serve

their master and please. As a working dog used by

most police forces, the very look of a GSD is usually

enough to act as a deterrent but when called into

action there are few dogs that can match the

German Shepherd as an all rounder.

If you are considering becoming an owner of a GSD

then you need to consider the commitment to

training in order that you have happy, well behaved

German Shepherd dog that you can take out safely

in public.

If you haven't previously owned one of these

dogs then please do not take on a youngster

lightly. Being involved in GSD rescue I have lost

count of the number of young dogs I have had to re-

home because owners bought them without doing a

bit of research first.

As youngsters they can be very boisterous and can

easily knock over children or elderly relatives,

especially if you do not discourage the dog from

jumping up when excited. A bored GSD can be very

destructive and if left alone will trash your house

and contents with ease using their big teeth and

claws. Unfortunately these dogs don't really mature

until they are about 3 years old so you are in for the

long haul to get through the puppy and adolescent

stage

The German Shepherd needs to be well socialised

from an early age and needs plenty of exposure to

people and other dogs so that they do not develop

aggressive tendencies as they mature.

Joining a dog training class from an early age is a

good idea and most clubs will accept dogs into the

puppy classes from about 4 months onwards. This

should be good fun for your puppy and allows him to

play and to socialise but it also serves the purpose of

teaching him or her what is acceptable and

what is not. This will prove invaluable grounding

for your German Shepherd training.

When choosing a dog training class do check out a

few first as not all classes make German Shepherds

welcome and if any club asks that you muzzle your

dog, please give it a miss and move on and find

another club. No reputable dog training class would

require a dog to be muzzled. If your dog is

aggressive towards other dogs there are better ways

of controlling the dog safely such as by using a

Canny Collar which is a simple effective head collar

similar to those used on horses.

The earlier you start training and socialisation

the better as GSD's often develop a tendency to

be aggressive towards other dogs and also towards

strangers and they can become very protective

towards their owners and property.

Another important part of training your german

shepherd is to get him used to being groomed

because they shed copious amounts of hair and

although they only moult once a year, it lasts for 365

days. So be prepared for dog hair all over your

house, your clothes, in your food and buy yourself a

very good vacuum cleaner.

Training your German Shepherd should be very

much part of everyday life and is should be fun

so stick with it because it really will be worth it in the

end.

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