German Shepherds are loyal, brave, and one of the most intelligent of all dogs. But puppies are still puppies and they need training. If you have a German Shepherd puppy then congratulations! You and your puppy have a great life together ahead of you. Here are some tips on how to train your German Shepherd puppy.
1. Your German Shepherd puppy will likely be a lot smarter than most young puppies (no offense to other breeds). That means that he’s going to learn things very quickly, both good things and bad. You will need to be careful what you teach him early on. If you don’t want him to get up on the furniture, then don’t let him when he’s a puppy. If you don’t want him to jump on you when he weighs 80 pounds, then don’t let him jump on you as a puppy. Set good rules now, while he’s young, and stick to them.
2. Your German Shepherd puppy will probably be easy to house train so set a good schedule for him with his meals. Feed him at the same times each day. Take him outside to relieve himself as soon as you wake up in the morning. Take him out right after he eats each meal and after every nap. And take him out right before bedtime at night. If you take your puppy out at these times and any time he seems to be looking for a place to relieve himself, he should be housebroken very quickly.
3. German Shepherd puppies can start learning obedience commands when they are six to eight weeks old. You can teach your puppy to Sit, Lie Down, Come, and to walk on a loose leash. The easiest way to train your puppy is usually to use treats and praise. For example, you can hold a treat over your puppy’s head and, as the puppy raises his head toward the food, he will probably lower his body into a sitting position. Once he sits, you should praise him and give him the treat.
Do this several more times and start adding the command “Sit!” as you do it. Your puppy will quickly learn the Sit command this way. You can do the same thing to teach your puppy to Lie Down. Simply hold the treat near your puppy’s nose and lower it toward the ground. Your puppy should lower his body toward the ground, reaching a lying down position. Once your puppy is lying down you can give him the treat and praise him. After doing this several times you can start adding the command “Lie Down!” to his repertoire. If you repeat this exercise enough, your puppy will learn the Lie Down command.
You can teach your puppy to Come by attaching a long leash or rope that is about 15 feet long to his collar. Let him roam around your yard (preferably a fenced yard) until he has forgotten about the rope. Then crouch down and call your puppy to you using the Come command and your puppy’s name. Use a sweet, encouraging voice. Wiggle your hand to get his attention. Most puppies will be happy to run to you. When your puppy comes to you, you should praise him and give him a treat. if you do this many times your puppy will learn the Come command. However, it takes a great deal of practice before a puppy or dog is fool-proof at this command so don’t try it without the rope. If your puppy is reluctant to come to you, you can tug slightly on the rope, but keep using your sweet voice and be encouraging. You want your puppy to always think that coming to you is something positive. Do not punish your puppy or yell at him if he doesn’t come. Keep things positive.
These are some of the things that your German Shepherd puppy can learn at a young age. These puppies are very smart and they crave training and learning. The more you do with your puppy, the better he will like it.
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