Training your dog is
very important as it will develop and strengthen the bond between you
and your dog. A well trained German Shepherd will be a wonderful
partner to have. Training should be fun for you and the dog as well as
a time to learn new things such as basic dog training
commands and obedience
skills.
In the wild puppies learn from their mother and older dogs. There will
be a leader of the pack who is the strongest and most experienced
animal.
You, as the dogs owner needs to be seen as the leader of the pack so
that your German Shepherd will listen to you and obey your orders. A
puppy will only obey someone who ranks higher than it does.
This means that although love and patience is required for training,
other important aspects are consistency, clear demands of authority and
understanding. The owner needs to make training a pleasurable activity
for him/herself as well as for the puppy. If the puppy feels threatened
or scare, it will become anxious and this can permanently harm the
relationship between the puppy and owner. Following the rules of dog training
will help prevent hurting the dog or permanenly damaging the
relationship.
As with humans, dogs are all different and this applies to training as
well. Some dogs will learn faster than others, while some will learn
their lessons slowly but thoroughly. German Shepherds are working dogs
and so they normally enjoy learning. They are alert to what is
happening around them and it is up to us to keep them busy. Keeping
German Shepherds busy and active is the only way to keep them healthy
and in good condition. If a German Shepherd is not occupied it can
become emotionally disturbed. Other side effects include becoming
irritable and possibly even aggressive and snappy.
If left unoccupied German Shepherds will eventually want to pick fights
with other dogs and so they will become a danger to anyone near them.
Ignored dogs will lose interest in life and become lazy by just lying
around a lot which will cause weight gain.
A well trained dog can be a
weapon at your disposal if need be.
Not every German Shepherd is suitable for special/advance training,
but
every dog should receive a basic education. German Shepherd's have a
need for physical activity and the owner needs to be aware of the dogs
needs and fulfill these needs with walks, excursions, play time and
interaction with the dog on a daily basis. You can go walking with the
dog or ride a bicycle with the dog running at your side.
A well trained German Shepherd is a pleasure to own and have by your
side and you as the owner will be able to depend on your dog. Another
important point about why training is so important is that a trained
dog will obey your every spoken command which will result in less
chance of the dog getting hurt accidentally such as being hit by a car.
