How to make this puppy YOUR dog
You have to earn your dog’s 'respect.' Many people mistakenly believe that merely feeding a dog will make them its master. However, dogs are far more intellectually developed creatures than that. You need to establish authority in their eyes, and your influence should carry weight. When we correct them, we are essentially offering our opinion on how they conduct themselves, and their reaction is a direct result of their regard for our opinion.
Though humans are somewhat different, consider this: Do you like steak? Personally, I love steak—it's the best! The aroma of steak can lure me anywhere. Would I value the opinion of a great steak cook about my views? No, because he is a steak expert! His role in my life is to provide me with steak, and that's it! Now, think about the college professor who teaches a class I am taking. This person makes me think, opens up new horizons, and presents ordinary things or events from unexpected perspectives. This is a person who significantly influences my views. If he ridicules my opinion, it may be enough to dramatically change it; if he praises my response, it may be enough to motivate me to do much more.
Now, back to dogs. Who do you want to be for your dog: a steak cook or a college professor? Dogs are not primitive creatures. They crave mental stimulation, especially intellectual breeds like German Shepherds. Be that college professor for your dog! Don't settle for just being a steak cook, a couch buddy, or a ball thrower. Expand their horizons! You don't need to buy expensive toys—like pricey puzzles your dog can solve on its own. Do things with your dog! Teach them new things, challenge them to take a step further, explore new smells, walk on unknown ground, solve problems, and discover new things. Guide them through these tasks! You don't have to spend a ton of time! Just 15 minutes a day of training your dog to do something new will elevate you from the steak cook position in your dog's life to a college professor, and it will make a difference!
So, when you correct them for simple undesirable behavior, your dog won't just pretend not to hear you. They will value your input!
P.S. Steak is the best food ever! So, if you give your dog great food, you're the steak cook. If the dog food you choose isn't that great, you might be a McDonald's or gas station junk food dealer for your dog. Now, try upgrading to a professor from this point!
You have to earn your dog’s 'respect.' Many people mistakenly believe that merely feeding a dog will make them its master. However, dogs are far more intellectually developed creatures than that. You need to establish authority in their eyes, and your influence should carry weight. When we correct them, we are essentially offering our opinion on how they conduct themselves, and their reaction is a direct result of their regard for our opinion.
Though humans are somewhat different, consider this: Do you like steak? Personally, I love steak—it's the best! The aroma of steak can lure me anywhere. Would I value the opinion of a great steak cook about my views? No, because he is a steak expert! His role in my life is to provide me with steak, and that's it! Now, think about the college professor who teaches a class I am taking. This person makes me think, opens up new horizons, and presents ordinary things or events from unexpected perspectives. This is a person who significantly influences my views. If he ridicules my opinion, it may be enough to dramatically change it; if he praises my response, it may be enough to motivate me to do much more.
Now, back to dogs. Who do you want to be for your dog: a steak cook or a college professor? Dogs are not primitive creatures. They crave mental stimulation, especially intellectual breeds like German Shepherds. Be that college professor for your dog! Don't settle for just being a steak cook, a couch buddy, or a ball thrower. Expand their horizons! You don't need to buy expensive toys—like pricey puzzles your dog can solve on its own. Do things with your dog! Teach them new things, challenge them to take a step further, explore new smells, walk on unknown ground, solve problems, and discover new things. Guide them through these tasks! You don't have to spend a ton of time! Just 15 minutes a day of training your dog to do something new will elevate you from the steak cook position in your dog's life to a college professor, and it will make a difference!
So, when you correct them for simple undesirable behavior, your dog won't just pretend not to hear you. They will value your input!
P.S. Steak is the best food ever! So, if you give your dog great food, you're the steak cook. If the dog food you choose isn't that great, you might be a McDonald's or gas station junk food dealer for your dog. Now, try upgrading to a professor from this point!
Train your puppy
German Shepherds need to be trained. They are very easy to train because they are eager to please—this is a key factor for successful training. It's often said that it takes around 5 repetitions of a command for a German Shepherd to learn it. While this seems to be true, don't forget about reinforcement. German Shepherds are smart, akin to velociraptors, and will test you for consistency.
It's best if you can train your dog by yourself. This forms a great bond between you and your dog. We post videos here that we find essential for new puppy training. We record videos with our puppy Drogo as he grows. Enjoy and follow along with your puppy!
It's best if you can train your dog by yourself. This forms a great bond between you and your dog. We post videos here that we find essential for new puppy training. We record videos with our puppy Drogo as he grows. Enjoy and follow along with your puppy!
Teaching puppy their name and start training recall (come when called)
Sit, Stand, Down
This is a great exercise to start with your puppy as you bring them home. Notice how easily the puppy learns three different commands at the same time? Make sure to transition from using a lure to offering a reward. The difference is crucial: with a lure, the puppy follows his nose and gets rewarded immediately; with a reward, he follows your command even though he expects a reward.
As you continue training him, be sure to increase the time between the puppy demonstrating the behavior you ask for and you giving him the reward. Remember to keep puppy training sessions short—around 5-10 minutes—and change the activity or stop altogether. That's a lot of work for a puppy! You'll achieve much better results with 2-3 short sessions every day than from one long training session once a week. Even a grown dog has the mind of a 3-year-old child, and a puppy's brain is even younger!
This is a great exercise to start with your puppy as you bring them home. Notice how easily the puppy learns three different commands at the same time? Make sure to transition from using a lure to offering a reward. The difference is crucial: with a lure, the puppy follows his nose and gets rewarded immediately; with a reward, he follows your command even though he expects a reward.
As you continue training him, be sure to increase the time between the puppy demonstrating the behavior you ask for and you giving him the reward. Remember to keep puppy training sessions short—around 5-10 minutes—and change the activity or stop altogether. That's a lot of work for a puppy! You'll achieve much better results with 2-3 short sessions every day than from one long training session once a week. Even a grown dog has the mind of a 3-year-old child, and a puppy's brain is even younger!
Leash training - Release the pressure
This is the single most useful exercise to help with your dog's leash training. It doesn't take long—just 5-10 minutes of practice a day for several days—and you will see magic happen. Note that this exercise is for dogs who do not have pulling habits yet. It’s a perfect conditioning/training exercise for new puppies.
Puppy nipping stage
How to deal with puppy biting - here are a few tips and tools to survive the German Shepherd puppy shark stage. I want to emphasize that when you scream to let your puppy know he hurt you, make sure it's a scream of pain, not a 'you're in trouble' scream. There's a huge difference! The puppy is playing with you, and you just need to help him understand what play is fun for you and what hurts you. If your scream is more of a scolding type, conveying 'you're in trouble,' the puppy may get confused: he comes to play with you but gets scolded for it. Avoid sending your puppy mixed messages. You love playing with him, but biting hurts you. Please, do not wait to do this training! Puppies do not 'outgrow' this stage; there is no specific age at which a puppy stops biting. The myth that the puppy nipping stage is over at the age of two is not true, so don't believe it! If you do not teach the puppy 'no teeth on skin' now (absolutely no teeth on the skin in any way, shape, or form!), the puppy will grow into a large dog with big teeth and a 238psi bite power, not understanding that his bite hurts. Feel free to reach out to us; we can come over and conduct some training sessions with your puppy if you need help.
How to deal with puppy biting - here are a few tips and tools to survive the German Shepherd puppy shark stage. I want to emphasize that when you scream to let your puppy know he hurt you, make sure it's a scream of pain, not a 'you're in trouble' scream. There's a huge difference! The puppy is playing with you, and you just need to help him understand what play is fun for you and what hurts you. If your scream is more of a scolding type, conveying 'you're in trouble,' the puppy may get confused: he comes to play with you but gets scolded for it. Avoid sending your puppy mixed messages. You love playing with him, but biting hurts you. Please, do not wait to do this training! Puppies do not 'outgrow' this stage; there is no specific age at which a puppy stops biting. The myth that the puppy nipping stage is over at the age of two is not true, so don't believe it! If you do not teach the puppy 'no teeth on skin' now (absolutely no teeth on the skin in any way, shape, or form!), the puppy will grow into a large dog with big teeth and a 238psi bite power, not understanding that his bite hurts. Feel free to reach out to us; we can come over and conduct some training sessions with your puppy if you need help.
Leave It
Okay, this is a must-do training for every dog, especially for GSDs. You will not believe how great it is to walk around D&B Supplies with all their low-stored, unpacked treats and see your puppy dog pay no attention to them! We have lived this experience and can attest that it’s amazing! We will post videos here, so please practice each exercise for multiple days. You will notice that your dog is learning not just 'Leave it,' but also 'Focus on you,' 'Impulse control,' and just general obedience. Do not rush through! Take your time; it is worth it!
When should you train your dog? Every day! Don’t exhaust yourself and your dog. Five to ten-minute happy sessions that you both enjoy will be the best investment in the great companion you can make!
Building “OFF” switch
This is an absolutely awesome exercise, and it does not require much 'designated' time. You can do it while watching TV, reading a book, or supervising your children on a playground.
