German Shepherd Dog Training Methods

German shepherd dog training is enjoyable because German Shepherds are intelligent dogs that may be taught behaviors easily. They respond well to most any type of dog obedience training whether you use clicker training to teach commands, or other reward methods that may be more suitable to the time and effort you want to put in. So whether you want your German shepherd dog training to be about agility, simple commands, or training him to guard your home, here are a few tips that may help you make that happen quickly and easily.

Clicker Training

Clicker training is a method of training a dog that encourages the dog to associate the sound of a clicker with his reward since it is quicker than producing a feeding a reward. It is a great method for German shepherd dog training because the breed is so quick to pick up new behavior. The way it works is that when you teach a new behavior or agility trick, you use a clicker as an audible approval sound that is followed immediately by a reward of some sort (a treat or a favorite toy). The reasoning is that the clicker gives the instant approval to bridge the time between the behavior and the production of the food or toy.

Simple Reward Training

If you do not have a clicker for your German shepherd dog training or simply think the idea is silly, you can use a more traditional approach. Try giving your Shepherd a command and moving his body for him accordingly. Once he has found the positions or behavior, reward him with praise and a treat immediately. Do not delay, because with smart breeds like German Shepherds, they may begin to associate a second behavior with the reward rather than your intended new trick.

German shepherd dog training is not difficult, but a little knowledge of how to train a dog is useful. Your Shepherd should be able to learn a number of commands in a matter of days if you use the methods above consistently and are persistent in your pursuit of a well trained and happy German shepherd.