Training your German Shepherd: Wisconsin Trainers Offer Some Professional Insight

German Shepherds are an extraordinary breed of dog. They are loyal, intelligent and can quickly learn a wide variety of commands and tasks. Even though the breed is incredibly receptive to training, teaching your dog still requires a good deal of input from owners. Here are six quick and easy tips that can maximize the success of your efforts, apart from enrolling it in dog training services in Wisconsin:
1) Start them off young. German Shepherd puppies are born ready to learn. By beginning training at an early age, you have the opportunity to guide how the animal will turn out as an adult. There are few things as satisfying as watching the personality of your puppy develop as it grows up, but if left to their own devices, they can wind up unruly and difficult to manage. By investing the time training them while they’re young, you can help ensure that your dog grows up to be a shining example of good behavior.
2) Play is an important part of learning. Puppies learn by playing. A common mistake dog owners make is being too strict with a young dog. A scared or fearful dog is a dangerous thing, since most dog bites occur when the animal is frightened for one reason or another. Playing with your puppy can be a great way to make them feel comfortable. Once they’re comfortable, they’ll be much easier to train, and less likely to exhibit bad behavior later on.
3) Look for signs of temperament early on. The way a puppy behaves can give some useful insights into the dog’s overall personality. A quick and reliable personality test is to roll the dog onto its back. This establishes you as the dominant figure in the relationship. A puppy that is scared to be on its back (with tail between its legs) might be skittish, and could need some extra socialization to become comfortable. A puppy that becomes aggressive when rolled onto its back needs to be reaffirmed in its role as the submissive member in the relationship.
4) Know when to enroll your dog in obedience school. As a general rule, puppies are the most receptive to obedience training around 8-10 weeks of age. In order to avoid confusion, only one person should engage in the initial training of the dog. The dog will come to identify this person as its master, and will learn how to interact with others based on this relationship.
5) Train your dog on a full stomach. This may seem counterintuitive, since most forms of training reward the dog with a treat, but studies have shown that dogs tend to retain lessons better if they’ve been fed beforehand. When you really think about it, it’s not all that strange. If your stomach is grumbling, that’s usually your primary concern. It’s the same with dogs.
6) Know when to stop training. Training a dog is only really effective for about the first 20 minutes. This time span is even shorter for puppies. If your dog becomes bored, you’ll inevitably see diminishing returns on your efforts, so it’s best to avoid wasting your and your dog’s time.
7) Keep things fun. As with feeding before training and stopping before they become bored, you don’t want your dog to become overwhelmed with any kind of negative emotion while training. If your training sessions are too stressful, your dog is going to take away the wrong lessons entirely. Make sure these training sessions are fun and enjoyable for your dog.
At Roche’s German Shepherds, we offer professional dog training services in Wisconsin. While these helpful hints can get the ball rolling, it is advisable that you take your dog to a professional to produce the most obedient, well-trained animal. Take your dog to Roche’s German Shepherds to receive the best dog training services Wisconsin has to offer.