New and Improved How to Train and Understand your German Shepherd Puppy or Dog

The first 2 to 6 months give a German Shepherd puppy the foundation for living Don't expect your dog to know what the word “no” means. Exercise for 10 minutes every hour or so is better than 2 hours at a time. . There are many things that tempt your dog when you're out for a walk, like new smells and other animals.
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Or does he just know her from meeting at the fence or seeing her around? Has he been introduced to kids at all? Rosemary, Thank you for getting back to me. The little girl and my soldier were introduced not long after we brought him home which was about 2 mo ago. Her dad and myself right there. What concerns me the most was she was just standing there and said hi to me and to soldier and he went crazy. Socialization is definitely an issue because of the Giardia. He goes back in a wk for retest fingers crossed I will finally get him started in the class. Nothing that would cause added stress OR anxiety, what he has been doing and alot is mounting almost anything we thought at now 4mo alittle odd.

But he was doing that alittle bit when we got him then it stopped. I figured stress new home at first because it stopped. It might just have been a one-off reaction. It could be that Soldier was having an off day and not feeling well. And also try to remember that our dogs pick up on our feelings too. And since you and Soldier are so close he could become stressed too. The best advice I can give is to ignore the behavior. I understand your husbands concern. And yes, as you say the Giardia does play a role both in the limits it puts on socializing and also how Soldier feels within himself.

Health issues really do affect them too. Please keep me posted. So, I am 14 years old and my mom and I own a full grown 1 year old German Shepherd. Now, I started walking my previous german shepherd who was very large and very old around 10 years old. Now, our dog trainer is telling me that I cannot walk her. If I could have another perspective that would be great. Is my trainer right? If your dog has issues like aggression towards people or other dogs, or if your dog is anxious.

Any of these can cause situations you and your dog might feel overwhelmed in. Wanted to let you know. Thanks for letting me know about Soldier. Which is awesome news!! Rosemary, Thanks for trying to be positive, Soldier started showing symptoms last night,?. Rosemary, Unfortunately soldier has become symptomatic again?

Become the Alpha Leader

Ideas and suggestions would be great. How are you feeling when he acts this way? Finally we end up crating him. If he wakes me up to go out very late he wants to bark at 3. Can you make a video, upload it to Youtube and send me the link? Our 7 month old female is so full of energy it is hard to satisfy her daily need of exercise. She has chewed the carpeting on our staircase, chewed the wooden frame of a recliner, chewed 2 pair of eyeglasses and chewed a hole in the cushion of a love seat.

Have had shepherds and labs but never one like this! Rosemary, Hope you had a great vacation: I will try to do the video, it may be awhile , I injured my right shoulder and sprained 2fingers on my left hand. We are going to be doing a GI profile test on soldier in early May. Will touch base soon. You could try training him with one visitor at a time. He might be overwhelmed by several visitors at the same time.

So if you could ask your friend over for a coffee and then practice her entering while he sits. Thank you , for getting back to me. The shoulder is frozen with impingement from a fall, and Soldier got a little too carried away with the lunging and nipping and I went to put my hand up to stop a lunge and hit the knuckle side under the coffee table I thought I broken them again. Yesterday although my adult grandfather that lives with us was sitting in the living room just talking to soldier and it was like someone flipped a switch he started barking and lunging hair up , for no reason.

I will definitely let you know what profile test says I hope it will give us some kind of answer if anything else is contributing to the Giardia issue. Just checking in to find out how your shoulder is. And progress on treatment? Soldier unfortunately is still dealing with the Giardia, the GI profile test results say no other parasites presents and it tested for 9 different things.

He still has it. We all love soldier, Deena. Also, watch the video on how you can quickly show Soldier what a clicker means. You can pick up a clicker at just about any store or on Amazon. So once you have the clicker you need some treats. Stick to something bland so as to not flare up his tummy. Maybe something like seared steaks or boiled chicken breasts.

Now set out 40, 50 or 60 small pieces of treats — these are going to last you the entire day. Now every time you see Soldier doing something you like and want him to continue doing, click and reward him on the spot. Instead of trying to put him in to a formal training session which seems to be backfiring. But I really think you should start this as soon as possible. My husband asked me that. So speak in an excited voice make kissing noises etc.

Calling him and running in the opposite direction also works. Or you can use your voice. And I use the word yes. If you want to go that route then you need to charge that word like you charged the clicker. My husband and I have a german shepherd that is just shy of 1. We are at a complete loss with her. She is a beautiful girl, and I know she is smart.

But she is so high strung. She jumps on us all the time, and gets so excited when seeing us that she wets the floor all the time. If I turn my back to her she will just jump on my back. When we wake up in the morning she does this to us also. Aggressive in the sense of loud reprimands and we have at times reached our peak and have physically pushed or smacked her back from jumping on us.

I know that we need to make some changes in our approach and she probably needs more activity. She is smart like I said, and has learned her name and to sit. But when I try to train her with anything, her attention is high strung and distracted. Do you have any suggestions or should we take her to a professional trainer? I think we need training as well as her. Obviously we need some guidance and help. Thanks for your questions. Have you explored the idea of clicker training? I do recommend refraining from physical punishment because long term it will instill a sense of fear and distrust.

There are a bunch of great games you can play with your girl indoors. Mental stimulation will actually tire her out more than physical exercise does. And mental stimulation can be achieved through regular training and also mental games. Both which can be done inside. And a quick run around outside each day will help too. I usually encourage people to train their own dogs. Dogs see any reaction to a behavior as attention. And they jump because they want attention. I just stand dead still.

Once I wanted 20 minutes for a dog to get the message and stop jumping. But that is an extreme case. Another thing you can try is to keep some food rewards on you and when you walk into a room where she is start dropping a few on the ground as you go. And as you walk just drop a couple here and there near you.

This will teach her that having all 4 paws on the ground means good things happen. Why is my dog not listening. I use the program for my dogs and I highly recommend it. My German Shepherd is 12 months old and a female. I just love to play fetch with dog. She a sweetheart who wants to please you. She has a lot of energy and sometimes she annoys me to no ends.

When she was younger, she used to jump on me when I was sitting on the couch. She would nip at me really hard. I seem to always be frustrated with her because of this behavior. I used to have a Bernese Mountain, not the same breed, I know, but she was my baby. Is it too much to ask? Just this morning I was having a chat with some friends in a private FB group about our naughty dogs. Yes, I have one of those exceptionally busy dogs!

All dog owners feel frustrated with their dogs at times. Also, it might help for you to know that the GSD breed matures very slowly. Charley is 9 years old this year but she was ripping and chewing stuff in my house when I adopted her at the age of 6. They have their quirks, their moods and personalities. Helping them develop is a life-long journey. I really recommend starting with clicker training. Then for the barking, I recommend reading this article. I am looking into a GSP, how long does it take to train one?

Also, how long does it take to train it to be a farm dog? Can it be trained to be a farm dog? Does it have to be a puppy when you train it to be a farm dog? When is the best season to train a GSP to be a farm dog? But the length of time it takes to train them depends on you and your dog. Which training methods will you use?

Are you going to train daily? Regular training makes a big difference in terms of progress. You can successfully train a dog of any age. Even to be a working dog. Especially since the GSP is bred to work. Also keep in mind what the breed was originally bred for. But keep in mind that their working genetics play a role too.

So for example my German Shepherds might not make the best hunting dog since they are bred to guard and herd. Because seasons have nothing to do with training. You can start training at any time. Thank you so much for sharing this. Aside from my dad, Nathan bites me, mom and my sister. I know we lack something and I hope you can help.

German Shepherd Training: The 7 Golden Rules & Basic Commands

I also want to mention that my parents have different ways on handling Nathan. But when it comes to me and my mom, Nathan would just stop if we call our dad or something. I hope you can give me some tips on this. Thank you so much! So firstly, the Malinois and the GSD are both very high drive dogs. Yes, part of the reason Nathan is so full of energy is because he was confined in his previous home. Using a clicker is the key to successful force-free, kind training. I recommend you read my article on how clicker training works. You can pick up a clicker for dirt cheap but you can also use one of those clicky pens to begin with.

Follow the steps I shared in the article to get started. Also, be consistent, so I recommend doing at least 3 to 4 5 minute sessions per day. But make sure you stop before Nathan gets bored. Now training will also tire him out which is a good thing. But he needs physical stimulation too. Taking into account his age and his breed he needs a lot of stimulation. My 2 young ones want at least 45 minutes in the morning and at a minimum 30 minutes at night.

Teach him to play fetch so that you have a way of working him physically. Being mentally and physically stimulated will definitely make him calmer. And yes, Nathan will be afraid of your dad because of it. What I do suggest is, that you start training Nathan with a clicker and exercising him through play. And hopefully your dad will see how amazing the techniques are and want to get involved in this kind of training.

Now in terms of the biting. Nathan should already have been taught bite inhibition by now. But since his previous owner had no time Nathan is a little behind. It just takes more work to train an older dog. So, check out the games I recommend for teaching bite inhibition. I recommend you start with the build-a-bridge game first. And once Nathan has mastered that then you can move on to some of the other redirecting games. But you must start by using the clicker training method. And I recommend you sit on a low stool when working on the build-a-bridge game instead of on the floor.

Simply because Nathan is already a big boy. You and your mom should both work with Nathan on this game. Let your mom read the article on clicker training too, if she wants to. By the way, you can teach Nathan to respond to his name with a clicker too. And then lastly, read this article on how dogs learn. The best way to teach them is to use science and psychology. I have an almost one year old male GSD. We were not prepared for the built in added protection feature that comes with this bread. Quickly hiring an experienced trainer and discussing with the vet pros and cons of neutering sooner than later months we opted for earlier due to his high propensity towards aggression.

We have socialized him from a very early age.. Recently we had an incident where a stranger came up to him and without asking thought it was ok to pet.. I have a second trainer lined up to begin soon. He has the basics down. So why should our dogs? My 9 year old GSD Charley is like that. Of course, you want to avoid getting into any kind of legal trouble if someone tries to pet him without asking — which by the way is bad etiquette in the doggy world! Any kind of aversive training techniques where a dog has to do or not do something to avoid punishment, in my opinion is cruel.

The 7 Golden Rules to German Shepherd Training

If you were to use an e-collar to try and train him to stop snapping it will almost guarantee to make him more aggressive. I strongly urge you to not use these kinds of collars. If you want to get a behaviorist in find someone who uses only force-free, positive reinforcement. Thank you for your response! We have continued to socialize and use positive reinforcement while keeping our stress level in check. Old all she wants to do is play. Xena knows all of her commands but I have to sometimes say them more then once, we have passed the stage of reward by treats.

She trust me but head no respect for me she thinks I am her okay toy and she is AlphA female hoe do I fix that. I try to do everything with her and she is frustrating me and making it hard. I really want to learn how to train her like the video I saw. I need serious help please. The first thing you need to change is to make yourself the MOST exciting thing around. This will help Xena to want to focus on you. But use high value treats, higher than you did before.

And you should fade them as soon as possible. You need to get her excited about responding to your requests. Secondly, there is no scientific proof that dogs see humans as part of their pack and therefore try to dominate them. This is based on outdated studies done in the 30s and 40s. Also, this article goes into great detail about the psychology behind how dogs learn. It also has a section on how to use food and how to get Xena to show you which treats she values highly. This will be a great help in your training. I am happy to have found you and look forward to using all of your articles to help in training.

I hope to bring her to Service Dog standard. Please, let me thank you and God bless you for the work you are doing; it is sorely needed. We all share pictures, videos and advice on the group. The siblings romp and play and have a great time, wearing each other out before flopping down and resting affectionately together, and her other 2 dogs an old lab and a shitzu often join in. Buddy is perfect in almost every way, has responded well to training and obedience, and we have great respect and love for, and trust in, each other. There is one major problem however.

While on our walks and as we meet others, he is accepting of and friendly towards most people — but he takes an instant dislike towards almost all other dogs. He barks aggressively, hackles raised, strains against his leash trying to get to them, and in all respects acts in an out of control and embarrassing manner. As I control him he acknowledges my presence but will not settle down, barking like crazy but almost always wagging his tail at the same time. He has never gotten loose, and never been in a fight, but being a GSD he scares the living daylights out of most of the other dog owners we encounter.

When the other dog owners and I have agreed to let our dogs approach each other under tight control, it has always resulted in much wagging of tails, sniffing, and attempts to play. Most people however shy away from us with looks of fear, disdain and contempt. He entered confident and friendly and eager to play, but was quickly surrounded by about a dozen other dogs sniffing and attempting to be dominant, mounted by 2 or 3 of them, and ended up backed into a corner for protection and almost pathetically looking to me for help.

Arguments with the other dog owners ensued I was very angry! So, the experience Buddy had with those other dogs probably has some kind of influence on how he acts towards other dogs now. It sounds like you already have a good relationship with some of the other dog owners you regularly meet on walks. And then when you meet dogs on the road ask for a focus first — which will make him calm down. Over time, he should become more and more comfortable, even with complete strange dogs. The first is to mark and reward Buddy every time you find him looking at you.

This is called capturing and happens randomly during your daily life. The other way is in a formal training session. I wrote about how to do this in this article on triggers and thresholds. I have a 7-year old german shepherd that only listens when he wants to. I am going to start following these rules and understand that he is not a human.

Thanks a lot for this. And perhaps also the psychology behind how your boy learns. You might also like to join out closed Facebook group. I noticed the comment about how your dog reacted to your worried state and wonder if you can give me any tips. I have a beautiful 5 month old — not my first GSD — but all the others have been bitches. He is well socialised, calm and already very advanced in his training.

He shows fear aggressive behaviour at random to people — because it is rare and he comes into contact with people on every walk — joggers — bikes -kids — men — women etc — it took me awhile to realise I am the problem. The first time was with a young couple on a picnic blanket — I was on guard and gauging the situation because of the food around. My focus was on the guy and Milo showed fear aggressive behaviour to him — would not let the guy touch him — but licked and acted all puppy to the female.

Another time I gave too much attention to a woman walking with a man — I could only see their heads over the long grass and was on guard for a possible dog being with them. If a dog is on a lead — I always put my pup on one just in case the dog is not friendly. Milo showed fear aggression to the women — but was fine with the man. At times — particularly in the park and he is off the lead his recall is great , I will be on guard and need to gauge potential risks.

I do not display worry or unease — just greater attention and focus — which pup is interpreting as danger.


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Is there any training I can do to signal that there is no danger? Except for these few occasions, he is good with everyone and will turn and ask me if he can go meet a person. Our puppy is about 4 months old and he gets very excited and bites. I have been trying to curtail it but we all have scars from his sharp little teeth.

How to Train a Dog to Pay Attention (leondumoulin.nl)

Any suggestions on breaking this bad habit of biting? Un-adoptable because of his hip dysplasia and he is pretty wild getting better on that. We have 3 lab mixes that are mellow and older, a pit bull and another intense breed. We do well with training dogs — all these older dogs have gone to training and get along well. He sometimes nips visitors — and it is definitely a nip.

He is very loving and likes most people and all dogs he meets. He was obviously neglected and mistreated. We try to get him to meet a lot of people. Most of the time it is great and he is friendly. But as an example, he nipped my neighbor through the fence who was petting our pit, and he ran up and nipped another friend when they were leaving with my husband. May be males … not sure of course. In what way is your dog being anxious? Because anxiety is so specific, it would be great if you could share a specific situation here.

Is it when you leave home? Is it during the night? I have a GSD American flat back want to train him as my service dog. He lays on my feet and when he lays in front of my chair he like when I put my feet on him he sits and gives my his right paw and when I ask him if he wants to go inside or play even when i ask him if he wants his food. Smoke sits and pick up is paw and bring it down as please that is even I give in.

Can you help me. So the first thing that comes to mind is that you need to teach him all the basics of obedience. I also recommend an online training program called Brain Training for Dogs. But for it to work they need to have mastered the basics like I mentioned above. My elderly parents, who live with me, adopted the 2 year old dog while I was away on a trip.

I came home to find this highly intelligent, constantly shedding all black shepherd and broke down and cried. For two days I tried to think of how I could persuade them to find another home for him. There are no words to describe how badly I did not want to have this dog. I had nothing against the animal, but I had previously owned an amazing doberman and new that without training this working dog would not be happy and neither would we.

We also live in a hot, humid climate and the dog was brought from Germany. I began observing Onyx with my parents and saw this breed for the amazing breed it is. We have an electric gate that leads to a busy street. Onyx was told 1 time not to go out the gate and in the year we have had him he has obeyed. I watched the dog in the worst months of humidity walk beside my 79 year old Father, without being told to do so, as he went about his gardening and yard work.

He never left his side til Dad came in. What a faithful, protective friend. What an amazing dog; a loyal friend!

How to Train a German Shepherd to Be a Guard Dog

Of course, as I anticipated, the other side of the coin is that Onyx is not trained and as a result can be quite wild, dig anywhere and everywhere and is not enjoyable to play with as he takes his toys but will not bring them back so my parents do the fetching [I refuse to] so he gets very little play time. Finally today I decided that it was time for me to get involved and get busy training him so he can be all he is meant to be and so we can thoroughly enjoy him. I read the 7 golden rules and went outside to begin preliminary training.

Immediate response from Onyx. The biggest gain was realizing that his wildness needs my patience. He needs time to settle down and then we continue. First day; already progress. Once a GSD creeps into your heart they are there for life! And Onyx is lucky to have someone like you and your parents in his life! I had to laugh about how your parents invited Onyx into their lives while you were away on a trip! Dogs are working animals. Hello, I just took in a year old white german Shepard.

I do not think his last family did much with him. I have had him for 2 weeks, my main issue is I have 2 huskys. The oldest of the 2 does not tolerate him, the younger one is ok until he becomes relentless about playing and biting. Then she gets mad. I know he still has a lot to learn. He knows sit, and I am working on down he is doing ok with that.

But not sure how to deal with his crazy obsession with the you get husky. It sounds like your boy is over his threshold and might training work on focus. Which makes sense when you think about how he probably got zero training or stimulation in his previous situation. My advice is to really work with him on focus.. And then you can start working with him inside the situation and show him what behavior you do want. To give you a better idea, check out my article on triggers and thresholds and how to work with them.

What a great article. My 14 month old can be very unenthusiastic and worried about things even when praise is offered lavishly. Almost to quickly since if I do anything wrong it takes 10 times the effort to fix it. I can relate to your experience. I found a few things worked for us. I try make myself more animated. I want to be the most interesting thing in his environment. So I try to use my voice and body posture to keep him engaged in the training session.

Your girl is a worrier so you might have to read the situation. If it makes her more stressed then it might not be a good fit. Also, his sessions are much shorter than the sessions with my other dogs. If I keep going too long for him he totally checks out of training.

And I try to make sure I stop the session before he checks out. Always end on a high note. My German Shepherd puppy is now 7 months old and he jumps up on you repeatedly when you come outside.

How to Train a German Shepherd to Be a Guard Dog | PetCareRx

He has learned his name , sit, without treats and stay for the most parts with treats. Can you give us any suggestions on how to make him stop jumping up on us? I have 2 methods for dealing with jumping. Make like a tree. This means literally standing dead still. No eye contact, no speaking, no attention whatsoever.

But the one that works for most folks is making sure their dog keeps all 4 paws on the ground. This is much easier than the first method. The theory is that to enjoy the treats he must be standing on his 4 paws. But if he does jump just do the tree method until he stops and then drop the treats. What can I do? Should be published by tomorrow. How do people who are able to spend their time with their dog also have healthy relationship where the dog can get on fine without them? You can work with him on this yourself or you can get a positive dog trainer in to help you. Hi, I need urgent help.

Our German shepherd — Zizi — is 4 years old. She is a wonderful family dog and we love her very much. We are however having problems with her over-protectiveness. Our family is made up of myself, my husband and two small daughters 8 months and 3 years. She adores our children. However, the moment anyone else tries to come close to our house she goes mental. She barks terribly and I do fear that she will bite our visitors.

We live on a farm in Namibia therefore we constantly have people moving around. There are two houses in the Farm yard, ours and then my in-laws. She therefore barks and threatens people she sees daily and knows very well — but only when she is at our house and they enter her territory.


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    • I have tried several methods, treats, getting her to sit, even throwing sticks for her to fetch, telling her to lie down in her bed but it seems like she feels the need to protect me and the girls when my husband is not around. We have even tried to get the Farm workers to walk around with treats so that she will rather go to them and sit for a treat rather than bark.

    Lately I have even put sticks around so that they can play with her as they are doing their work. She follows all commands easily when the kids and I am alone with her. When my husband is around her behaviour is completely normal. Ever since our first daughter was born she has been protective but it seems much worse now that our second daughter came home. Like I mentioned earlier, when she is with us at home she has the most gentle temperament. It seems to be that she feels a huge sense of having to look after us and that puts her on edge.

    How can I help her and improve the situation. As you already know the GSD is very territorial and protective. Some more than others. But there are things you can do to try and minimize this tendency. With dogs there are triggers and thresholds that play a role in how well they are able to calm down and listen. Please check out my article on these triggers and thresholds. This kind of training does take time but it works well to curb barking behavior. Another way is to get visitors to engage in a game with Zizi and not just give treats.

    I detailed the steps in an article I wrote. The article is actually about a training program I reviewed but in the article I give the step-by-step process of teaching the nose touch game from the training program. Just scroll down to Lesson One — Targeting. I also included a video I made with my dog Zeze on how to teach this game. Once Zizi knows this game, you can encourage your visitors to engage with her in this game when they arrive. This could be a big help to get her mind calm and off her focus on feeling the need to be so protective. The other option you could consider is working with a professional dog training on a one-on-one basis.

    I hope this helps. We have a 17 month old female GSD, we all love her very much but we have a huge problem. When my husband comes home she becomes angry, nips and growls at everyone but him. My first thought is to have her checked out by her vet. If this started happening after her first heat there might be some underlying health issue. The second thing to understand is that the GSD is ultra loyal. But you can also try and work with your dog…. Usually I recommend one person to train a dog.

    Which is happening in this case. But I also recommend that other members of the household work with their dog. This is important so that your dog can build a bond with you and your son. Building a bond with her will help her look to you for guidance and that will set her at ease. When I say practice, I mean setting up training session and making them fun and engaging.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that dogs feed off our energy. Like I detailed in this article about dogs being a reflection of us. Check out the situation I had with my dog Charley to get a better idea of what I mean. If you especially you are tense or anxious when you hubby is around, your dog will feel that and react to it. So work on being confident but of course still kind and loving. Get a dog behaviorist in to work with your dog in your home one-on-one. She protects my husband but is aggressive with my son and I when my husband is home…..

    A large female german shepherd came up to our house. She was injured and we took her in. From what you describe, she likely suffers from separation anxiety which comes from her past. She might have been locked in a crate or a room for way longer than she should have. Hence the reason she wants to break down your door. And the trainer, Adrienne is one of my dog training idols.

    Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The owner of this website, GermanShepherdCorner. Your Dog is a Reflection of You! Your dog must master these basics first. I Respect and Guarantee Your Privacy. Rosemary Reply Hi Michael, Ha! I can totally relate! Sorry I wrote a damn essay! Rosemary Reply Hi Miles, Thanks for your comment! Alice Schaffner Reply I just adopted a 1year old German Shepherd she has no training took 2 day to get her walking with lead comfortable she has learned to sit but how do I get her into the down position she not understanding any advice.

    If you have other questions, just drop them in the comments. Marietta Marston Reply morning, It was an informative article. Rosemary Reply Hi Marietta! Thanks for sharing your comment here! Train him so he can be a part of the family. Socialize your dog with people and other dogs. Make learning fun for your dog. Spend plenty of time with your dog and give him exercise every day. Be patient and your dog will reward you by getting the message. It's important for puppies to learn to control their bites. This is best taught at a young age. Carefully watch your puppy for signs that he is about to grab your hand.

    Before he can do that, give him a soft toy or a Kong as an alternative. If puppy bites you before you can give him a toy, make the squealing sound a littermate would make when it is bitten by another pup — "eek" or "ouch". Then quickly redirect the puppy to an appropriate toy that is "chew safe". When a puppy can't be supervised he should be safely in his crate or an exercise pen with Kongs or other dog-safe toys that can't be chewed up and swallowed.

    Also, a tired puppy is a good puppy. Exercise for 10 minutes every hour or so is better than 2 hours at a time. Puppies need naps just like babies. Start training at an early age in a good puppy class in your area. Puppies of all breeds get your puppy used to other types of dogs. Use Google to search for 'puppy training' in your area. Look for local classes that are affiliated with the AKC's S. Also look at our Regional Club listings to see if there is a club that offers puppy classes in your area especially for German Shepherd puppies.

    Our job is to alter that natural instinct and teach them to walk nicely on the leash. It takes time but patience and practice will work perfectly. The best approach with a young puppy is:. Puppy will soon realize that tension on the leash stops forward movement and as soon as he approaches his handler, the tension is released and he gets to move forward again. Your German Shepherd is the right weight when you can tell there are ribs without them being obvious and there is a slight 'waistline' behind the ribs, before the rear legs.

    How do I stop him from barking at strangers? Barking is natural for dogs. They are doing their job by alerting their family that someone is coming. The key is that he should learn to stop barking once you have identified the issue and taken charge. Here are some specific steps you should take:.

    By practicing this, puppy is learning that his bark will get you to investigate then you will take over the situation so he can relax. No matter where you live, owning a dog is a long-term emotional and financial commitment and it's important to take your neighbors into consideration. Your dog will try to get where he wants to go, even if that means pulling you along with him!

    Whether you choose to get a puppy from a responsible breeder or adopt a German Shepherd dog from a rescue group, the first two weeks for you and your new dog are a critical period of adjustment. If your dog had a previous owner, this time could be particularly stressful for him or her. Here are some tips for a smoother transition for new dog owners. Introducing a New Dog to Your Household. Have you ever trained your dog to come when called, and then when you call him, he completely ignores you?

    You are not alone! There are many reasons why your pup is not responding to your command. Puppies expect to be "paid" for good behavior. Praise in a happy voice and small treats are the best form of reward for good behavior. Training for a few minutes several times a day is better than a longer training session. Even though we feed our dogs plenty of food and treats each day, by nature, many of them will defend or guard their food. Here are some tips prevent food guarding from developing in your pup. You will generally want to feed the diet your breeder recommends and increase the portions as needed for a healthy body shape.

    You want to be able to see that the ribs are there but not extremely noticable. How can I stop my puppy from pulling me when we go for a walk? Consider why puppies pull when they are walking: The best approach with a young puppy is: Stop walking as soon as puppy starts to pull which results in a puzzled puppy who will look at you As soon as puppy looks at you, take a few steps back and engage puppy to follow you through kissy sounds, small bouncy steps and relaxed shoulders not by pulling the leash; As soon as puppy comes towards you, reward with a treat or a kind word and immediately continue walking.

    Overfeeding is NOT a sign of love. Quality foods have good protein sources and few fillers. Quality foods cost more but you will feed less because your dog will get more nutrition for the food. Good food will decrease your daily pickup chores. Keep the water and food bowls in the same place every day. If you have more than one dog, make sure each dog has its own food and water bowl. Stainless steel is a good choice. Unless instructed by your veterinarian, your dog should only need two meals daily.