German Shepherd Training

Let me quickly tell you how I got involved in German Shepherd training: When I was about 10 years old, my best friend gave me a German Shepherd puppy for my birthday.

I was so happy - you know how kids get so excited about the smallest things? Well this was a real live puppy!

We named him Rex and from that moment I was hooked! I spent just about every spare moment with him - he was the most loyal, playful, furry-ball-of-energy there was...

Oh yes - energetic! We soon found out just how energetic he was, because as he started getting older he somehow got it into his head that he needed to explore every other house (one house in particular, because that's where the ladies were!).

Unfortunately, none of our neighbors took the same kind view of his escapades! You see, we hadn't known anything about training a German Shepherd puppy when we first got him, so in the end, we had to find him a new home :(

Now there is a point to that story: Even though German Shepherds are probably the most intelligent, loyal and protective dogs you'll find, it's so important that they get proper German Shepherd training as soon as possible. The earlier you start the easier it is!

1. Training a German Shepherd puppy is easier, but remember that they have a shorter attention span than the older dogs. You can still train an older dog - you just need to have a bit more patience.

2. You'll want to get him used to a leash as soon as possible - this is a gradual process. First you need to get him used to wearing a collar (even if he resists at first), then get him used to dragging the leash around the house (with your supervision). Lastly, holding the leash, have him walk to your left when he needs to go to the toilet or if you're taking him outside.

3. When you're doing your German Shepherd training, make sure you're in a calm and quiet environment. You don't want her getting distracted during the lessons. Also make sure you're calm and allow her time to follow through with the instructions.

4. Treats can be very useful in training. Use them as a reward when your German Shepherd does something correctly. You want a treat that your he likes, but not one that he's crazy about!

5. A bored German Shepherd is an unhappy German Shepherd - remember, these dogs were bred for working, they need activity. That's why they love the time you spend training them.

6. More information on German Shepherd training.

So there you have some basic tips you can start using before you get a complete German Shepherd training program.

When I got Tyler about a year ago I knew I was going to need to start training him as soon as possible. I looked at a lot of different courses online, but there are two that I really like:

1) German Shepherd Training Course 1 - I really love this audio course, it gets straight to the point and only asks for 15 minutes a day.

2) German Shepherd Training Course 2 - This e-book goes into a lot of detail - it has everything you need to know.

Now both of these courses work really well, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely choose the audio course.

I guess it depends on what kind of person you are, but I knew it'd be much easier for me to learn this by listening to someone teaching me, than having to read pages and pages of information.

I did get round to it in the end, but if you want to get started straight away, I'd recommend the audio first.

So I hope you've learned something valuable from this. Remember, with German Shepherd training the most important thing is to have fun!