In this article, we are going to go over a couple crucial principles in dog training. Ready? Set? Go!
Connecting with Your Dog
You've possibly already checked out our posts revealing that bonding with your dog makes training your dog so much more smoother as well as enjoyable. Think about it from your own individual point of view, how would you feel if you were pushed to learn something from an individual you don't really know? First off, you most likely would not believe what that person is teaching you for the reason that well.....simply put, because they haven't established their trustworthiness to you. "Why should I listen to what he/she is telling me?" That's most likely what is going on in your head. Sure, in some circumstances, you have to be able to trust someone you've just came across, however if you happen to be discovering something new from someone, that person ought to be commendable so that you will listen and learn from him/her.
In a similar fashion, if you've not too long ago had or adopted your dog, you need to devote some time with your dog before you actually start training your dog. You could do this by spending at least an hour everyday with him on a six foot leash which is held by you. By doing this, it has been proven that dogs tend to be much more attached with their dog owners. This time spent together also allows your dog to notice and find out more about your practices and behaviors remember, German Shepherds, as one of the most intelligent breeds, regularly keeps their eyes out to learn about what can end up in positive consequences for them). Throughout this task, each time you sit, your German Shepherd will be set to learn that it is also time for him to settle. Also, whenever you're actively moving around, he's going to learn how to move with you. Aside from that, tethering offers for a good alternative to restricting your dog in the event that you want to keep him out of problems.
You must focus to do this exercise at the most two hours per day as German Shepherds, who are inherently productive, can get fidgety and anxious when there is little for him to do. As such, it is always a good thought to provide your German Shepherd with a toy or something to chew upon during this training.
Talking with Your Dog
Dogs cannot speak our language, but do not neglect the power of body language! Your pose, movements, facial signs, odor and touch in addition to the tone of your voice, serve as means to converse with your German Shepherd. Similar to how you can tell if your best friend is feeling happy or depressed just by noticing his/her facial expressions or mood, your dog can certainly do the same thing! Your German Shepherd will uncover the human "language" such as "come, go or no" by building links between your words and actions. Simply put, words by themselves will have no definition to your dog; it is only when you say and conduct at the same time for a consistent period of time will your dog learn to understand you.
Having a Positive Marker for Your Dog
Recall our posting on positive reinforcements? How or where do you begin? Well, you can certainly begin by incorporating numerous positive reinforcers such as toys or food with a distinguishable sound. You can think of this distinct noise as something that you will be able to utilize as means to communicate with your dog and could often be a spoken term like "Good!" or a click sound on a dog clicker which you can commonly buy at the majority pet shops. More on such clickers to come in an future blog post! Also, aside from acting as a means to communicate with your dog, a positive marker makes it possible for you, as the dog owner to help your dog differentiate between what is a desirable and what is an undesirable behavior. By saying "Good" and by giving your dog his preferred toy whenever he acts desirably, you are helping your dog make an affiliation between the word "Good," and his own good behavior. The same concept applies to any undesirable behavior.
Your Dog's Sitting Behavior
One of the things alot of dog owners (like the young me) don't know is in training your dog the "sitting behavior." One of the write-ups I've read not too long ago displayed an intriguing approach to this; that is you should only pet or touch your dog when your dog is either sitting or lying down. Believe it or not, you shouldn't have to ask your dog to sit. Instead you should only pay interest to your dog when he's sitting and when he does, be certain to make use of the positive marker word "sit." Dog owners should be aware not to state this in an excited way as your dog too might get excited and will leap right back up. Once that's completed, link the word "sit" with a soft pet on your dog.
All these essentials are excellent guidelines to train your German Shepherd; however, it is extremely crucial to keep in mind that almost all dogs learn by regular training and reinforcements, so be certain to try your best to stick to the plan even when other folks are with your dog!
Visit the German Shepherd Training Academy to find out more about how to train your dog. There you'll find many different dog training tips which will help you guide your dog one step closer to your dog training goals.
