Playtime Hyper Excitement In German Shepherds

Playtime Hyper Excitement has got nothing to do with aggression or any other behavioral problem.

Playtime excitement is quite common in the German Shepherd Dog breed. Hyper excitement during the playtime is also not very uncommon in these dogs. The roots to the creation of the GSD as a breed is directly from the sturdy working sheep dogs and hence the natural energy level is higher than most of the other dog breeds. GSDs are powerful dogs too. They require exercises a lot more than many other dogs to attain a content and balanced playtime.

For German Shepherds that exhibit hyper activeness or over excitement during the playtime needs to be handled in a little different ways during the time of exercise. Firstly, being the alpha member of the team (team composed of you, as the leader and your German Shepherd as your follower), you need to establish a set of rule and ceilings in order to prevent him from taking the advantages of the playtime. The ceiling here denotes a particular type of play that is correct and is desired and your German Shepherd should follow you as the pack leader. All you need to do is to show him how to fetch the ball or how to catch the frisbee. But how to?


Well, this is not a rocket science! And this is highly possible. Make sure that you will not skim the frisbee in the air or throw the ball until he comes to you and calms down to a comparatively cooler state and sits, waits for the throw. Throw the ball after he waits for it and gives you an eye contact, which is a sense of respect towards you – his leader. This way you can frame boundaries or rules of play. But prior to that there are certain steps to be taken, else you will not be able to set up the rules and put him into that.


There is nothing like playing frisbee or fetching a ball with your GSD in order to get his energy drained out. But before you start playing with your hyper active dog, it is recommended that you get a part of his energy exhausted to a little extent. This is important for the process of putting him into your established rule. A long walk accompanied by occasional trotting for few minutes in between the walks can be a great option of drive out some amount of his energy prior to the play. After the walk get into an fenced yard and allow him rest for a while. Then let him play with the ball by himself – rather not involving yourself into the play. Finally give a twist to this entire exercise regime by throwing the frisbee or the ball for him to fetch. Throw it as far away as possible and allow him to fetch.

Also allow him to play with the ball or the frisbee alone when at his room or in the garden. This will gradually degrade his sensitivity to the toys and make the toys less attractive to him eventually.


Most often this kind of overly excited playtime behavior – especially towards the toys are misrepresented as aggression. That's NOT aggression. Many dog owners confuse between play-time over excitement  and aggression. This playtime hyper excitement is nothing to be worried about and there’s no reason for it to be associated aggression. It is just the extra level of excitement and energy that he exhibits through exhibiting hyper sensitivity towards certain toys or certain place (for example a large open lawn or many be your yard) during the playtime – especially the toys that he loves the most.


Remember this entire process is just a package and you need to repeat the whole process as explained over and over until your German Shepherd start behaving in a desensitized way during the play time. However, in such situations it is required to put him into good volume of exercises as explained above throughout the dog's life, until the time he can play well. Volume of exercise must be optimized based on his age and health.

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German Shepherd Puppy Training Tips

Step-by-Step Training Tips For Your German Shepherd Puppy

Shoulds and Should Nots

So you are planning to bring your GSD puppy home! I assume you understand that dog ownership is a life-time commitment, which is not only a commitment of money and effort, but also a commitment of time and relationship too. The German Shepherd puppy is going to be a part of your family and will continue to grow with different requirements – nutritional, activities, space and socialization.


Training your GSD puppy involves building desirable habits that includes everything - starting from feeding and potty habit to desirable play behavior. German Shepherd puppies are very intelligent and grab new tricks quite faster. However, that's not always a fact though! With growth, the puppy will have a desperate need for daily exercise accompanied with ongoing training in order to check all kinds of negative puppy behavior. For a successful and effective training, the puppy should be put to right socializing process. To start off with, your puppy should be socialized with other animals from a very early age, for instance 4 months age.


First time outdoor: Take your puppy outdoor for the first time after the first set of vaccine shots are fully done. Keep him in the fenced area and let him explore the entire external world that he can see for the first time ever. Allow him to sniff out the leaves and grasses, and chase the butterflies, moths and birds. Let him run, play and experience the sounds of the falling leaves, chirping birds and other sounds. This kind of socialization is considered as the most significant part of the beginning of an effective dog training.


Introduction to the training session: Gradually! Your GSD puppy should be introduced to actual training session gradually and in a progressive manner. Start off with potty training your puppy. After each meal, lead him the way outdoor where you want him to defecate. Control him through the lead and don’t let him go else where until he is done. It requires a lot of time to potty train your puppy, because sometimes GSD puppies are typically headstrong.



Crate training: Crate training the puppy is important. Make sure that his create is just big enough for him to turn around and lie freely inside it. Note that while starting with the crate training your puppy will exhibit behavioral problems with continual whining. I suggest not letting him out until he stops whining. However, it is advisable to crate him in for smaller time span to begin with. As soon as you unlock his crate, make sure to chain him and lead him outdoor without any delay and take him to the place you want him to urinate and potty. It is suggested that you always follow the same and most feasible route to that place. Taking different routes will make training ineffective, as it will confuse the pup.


Introduction to verbal command obedience training: No age is too early or too late, and right time is to start today and now if he has crossed three months of age and properly vaccinated. Vaccination is very important because you may need to take take him outdoor if you think inside your house is not the right place for him to be trained. Moreover, training outdoor has its unique effectiveness provided you choose the right time when there will be no disturbing element that may deviate his attention. Early in the morning and during the night are the two suggested times. Better start off with the command “COME”. Let him play enough to be a little tired and will want to sit. Let him sit, while you move away to a distant. Be sited yourself and deliver the command “COME” while encouraging him, showing him a piece of cookie. If he denies, repeat the command, lovingly and encouragingly. Offer him his tidbits when he comes to you and praise him lavishly. The trick is to let him know which sound associates with which desirable action and if he makes you happy he will be getting his favorite tidbits. Firm voice and strictness won't work at this age.

Most Important Puppy Training Tips

Your training will be successful if you make your puppy feel that training session is just a play session and a fun! 

Transition from one command to the other – “COME” to : This is the most delicate point and chances are there that your puppy will get confused with commands and action. Consistency, repetition and patience are the key to the success story. The best command that should be chosen after “COME” is “SIT”. After he is well acquainted with the sound “COME”, stop offering him his cookies when he comes. Start with teaching him how to sit with the Command “SIT” now. Sit before and hold the cookie run your hand slowly over his nose and head and towards his loin and gently press the loin region and deliver the command softly yet firmly “SIT”. He will automatically sit while following the cookie in your hand. One he sits offer him his cookie and praise him. Repeat the whole process again and again starting from “COME” to “SIT”.


What’s next: The best lesson to teach him after “SIT” is the command “DOWN”. Once he is quite well with “SIT”, start with “DOWN”. Teaching the “DOWN” command to your puppy requires additional patience. More importantly, you need to first establish yourself as the ALPHA member (leader of the pack, where the pack mates are you and your puppy). Sometimes, teaching “DOWN” command is typically tough because the puppy will associate the action of lying down to the sense of submission, and he will try not to be submissive too easily. What is desirable to be achieved with the down command is to make your puppy cool and get down to the laying position, with the belly touching the floor, and his front legs extended in the front.

Related Read: Technical Suggestions for Effective Dog Training.

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Rehabilitating Shy & Unsocialized German Shepherd Puppies

Socializing Your German shepherd Puppy

If your German Shepherd puppy is gradually getting aggressive towards other animals and strangers or strange situations or if he exhibits unpredictable behavior and shies away when your friend approaches him with a friendly gesture, then you should admit that you have not socialized your dog properly when he was young. It is your fault - not your dog's, although there are instances about shyness being genetically instilled into the progenitors from their parents.

There are many reasons why some German Shepherd puppies grow different and shy away and try to attack other animals and strangers. Many a times novice owners pick puppies from their dam or separated from the pack before they reach at least 2 months of age. It is a must to keep the pup with its damn and newly born pack members, because of four major reasons:

a) It gets the total nutritional benefits of the mother's milk

b) Keeping it with his pack members until at least 8-10 weeks of age will help each puppy to learn how to mingle and behave with other dogs

c) Keeping it with another adult dog (its mother), each puppy learns certain skills, gains confidence that make each of them naturally social by birth

d) Being with an adult dog (its mother) helps each puppy to get groomed up with special skill to resolve conflicts


Shyness caused by Social Deprivation

A German Shepherd puppy that is separated from his pack before at least 2 months does not learn adequate skill and confidence to handle a strange situation which they face from time to time.

Another reason why of dogs becoming fearful and unsocial even though they were picked after they reached two or two and a half months of age is Social Deprivation. Social deprivation during a puppy's grooming phase (early years) is commonest cause for the puppy (irrespective of breed, class and gender) growing into an unsocial adult. If they are kept away from the external world - enclosed in a hall or kept in a backyard where they hardly get to encounter with various sounds, situations, incidences, animals and people. Consequently, when they are brought to the world outside their enclosed territories, they get nervous and tend to shy away when people or animals approach them or they face situations that is strange to them. They begin to consider every single stranger or strange situation and incidence as a threat. Treating shyness caused by social deprivation can be tough and a time consuming process, and in worst cases sometimes fixing the problem seems impossible and requires serious intervention of professional canine behaviourists.

You have an immense responsibility, if you want to handle things by yourself. First off, always keep in touch with a knowledgeable professional who can guide you in this process. Establishing yourself as an alpha member is of prime importance. Once you've done that successfully, things will become much easier and controllable. You need to control the way your dog interacts with other people who are stranger to him and Vice versa. As soon as a person, who is unknown to your dog, approaches him he will shy away due to his normal instinct. Ask the person to ignore him totally and not to proceed further and touch him. Also the stranger should not make any eye-to-eye contact with him... means nothing that can make him feel unsecured. "Ignoring" him is the way you can make your dog feel that people who approach him do not have any wrong notion, and should not be considered as threat. And your dog will relax from within his mind. This is a training process (Socialization) and is not as simple as it reads here, rather needs a rigorous daily practice. It may take a few months to even a year to get your dog socialized with strangers. The key to the success story is to adopt a non-treacherous, docile and very thoughtful method to make him understand that the world beyond his territory is not a threat to him. For sure you will be glad to see one fine morning he will start coming closer to people. Let him sniff a new person. Even now it's not the right time to touch him! Discourage a person to touch your dog, even if your dog is smelling the person and exhibiting a slight wagging. "Slight wagging" (wagging with slight breaks or not in full swing) indicates that your dog still have confusion and doubts in his mind about strangers. He is yet to open up for a better interaction. Be patient!

Start Socializing Your Puppy at The Early Age

Some German Shepherd puppies are stubborn by birth and this trait gets instilled into them genetically from their parents. Pushing them to do something will never be fruitful. Although characteristics that are genetically influenced cannot be easily manipulated, yet a certain level of repetitive practice of socialization will definitely help. For instance, if he shows stubbornness and signs of attacking or misbehaving with other dogs and strangers in the park, consider taking things more seriously. Talk to your friends who have dogs with balanced mental configuration. Tell them that your dog is in a training session and you need their help. All you need to do is to go for walk together and in the process do force your dog to befriend them instantly. Notice your dog and keep in under strict control, so that he doesn't exhibit any kind of wrong behavior to strangers and other dogs. Let him feel that everyone in the pack (including the human) is trustworthy and he will gradually realize that going out with them will be safe. Doing this almost everyday, if possible, will make things easier and bring your dog in the main stream faster.

Socializing Your GSD Puppy With Sound

Socializing with sound is another important thing. Sometimes honking car, thunderclaps, or other noise may scare him. He may consequently exhibit sudden fear-behavior, and will try to get into a safer place. Don't try to comfort him instantly. Ignore it, and continue moving forward. Being the leader of the pack, guide him towards focusing more on his confidence, and walk forward, without giving a halt. Addressing to his nervousness will help in nothing, but his nervousness will be encouraged.

"Rehabilitation" is a word used for dogs that have not been properly socialized. Putting your German Shepherd puppy to a session of socialization will stimulate the five most important senses in him that can make him a balanced dog. "Socializing" your German Shepherd puppy is getting him introduced, exposed and desensitized to the five distinctive situations that include smells, sight, sounds, touch and feelings that he may come across in his day-to-day life.

Related Read: Puppy Socialization Checklist

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Understanding German Shepherd Puppy With High Prey Drive

Understanding a hard German Shepherd puppy with very strong Prey Drive

Hard puppies can be made easy with strategic handling and appropriate corrective measures

A lot many of our readers have emailed us seeking for advice on how to raise a GSD puppy with very high prey drive. A high prey drive puppy is often a hard puppy, and the owners usually face real challenge to teach them the meanings of the commands. High Prey drive GSD pups have often been returned back, as handlers consider them to be problem pups. Fact is Prey Drive in German Shepherd (also called Booty Instinct) is one of the most important in instincts typical to this breed, and a need for the pup to grow up as perfect working dog. Please understand that Prey Drive is highly desirable in correct degree in German Shepherds; Excessively high level of Prey Instincts makes the puppy hard to train.


Understanding Prey Drive

It is important to know what actual Prey Drive or Booty Instinct means. This is the drive that stimulates your German Shepherd puppy to chase a moving object and bite. This is a genetically inherited instinct, which is not too commonly found in all German Shepherd puppies. It is a genetic instinct by which the dog tries to experience the nature’s moving objects like a running squirrel, flying butterfly and hopping grasshopper and seizes them. Higher Prey Drive stimulates your puppy to chase the fly until he gets hold of it, and until he seizes the moving object he cannot pay attention on other things going around.


What’s There in This High Prey Drive That Makes Your German Shepherd Puppy Hard

Candidly speaking, raising and training a puppy with high prey drive is not every one’s cup of tea. The reason is that not many of the dog trainers possess adequate basic skill that he or she may require to handle a strong prey drive puppy. Very high level of patience with a calm and assertive energy, enough time and technical knowledge about correct implementation of Positive Reinforcement Training approaches are the basic needs that a trainer should have to handle a puppy with Higher Prey Drive.

An experienced trainer will want to strengthen the prey instinct and at the same time train the puppy the desired skills. He will understand that the temperament and behavior of the puppy is governed by his/her drives that are:

i) Naturally expressed through his instincts
And
ii) Stimulated by Positive Reinforcement Training methods

High Prey Drive in a German Shepherd puppy can make it a hard specimen. If not channelized correctly, in the right direction, the puppy’s High Prey Drive may develop into undesirable behavior towards his surroundings, making the puppy unmanageable.


What is Most Challenging in a Puppy With Very Strong Prey Instinct

A lot of people have not got opportunities to handle very High Prey Drive GSD pups, because they are not very common. Do not get confused with puppies having prey drive and puppies having very high prey drive. While it’s too common for all working line German Shepherd to have adequate and desirable degree of Prey Instinct; It’s not very common to find a pup with this instinct in a very high degree. The challenge lies in the fact that a puppy with very high degree of this instinct usually:

i) Remain aloof to other happenings and even remain aloof to commands
ii) Have very very short attention span
And
iii) Easily rebounces back to his own activities (that not desirable at a particular moment) even after corrections


All these three factors merge together to make it a hard puppy that gets corrected, but immediately turns back from corrections and get back to his own unique form.

Another most important thing that makes it really challenging to handle a hard puppy is handler’s inability to understand whether really his puppy has very high prey drive. If you think that you are raising a high prey drive puppy because he is hard to train, you may not be thinking right. Chances are there that your puppy is genetically stubborn. Some puppies are born stubborn which makes them hard to train – that does not mean that they have high prey drive. Stubbornness and Prey instincts are not same.

May be your puppy has high prey drive, but with correct handling and Positive Reinforcement Training approaches he can be easily trained. Not all hard puppies have very high prey drive, but most of the very high prey drive puppies are hard.


Is there anything that is good about a puppy with higher degree of this drive?

Yes… obviously every cloud has a silver lining! If you really have a hard puppy (hard due to very high prey instinct) you should feel lucky. Such puppies are usually not influenced by minor handling errors. Softer puppies can be easily trained because they can be easily influenced and better influenced compared to their harder counterparts. Minor handling problems due to low handling skill set can lead a normal puppy in the wrong direction, thereby developing problem points in the future.

What does it take to raise a Strong Prey Drive Puppy?


Handling

Strategic handling accompanied with Positive Reinforcement Training approaches is the most important method of handling. As discussed above, as a leader of the pack you need to be assertive, confident, patient, understanding, compassionate, and at the same time you should have zero-tolerance for all undesirable behaviors in your puppy.


Treatment

Treat him like your human child. If you are being asked to choose a teacher for your child, what kind of a teacher will you choose? I am sure you would want your child to be taught by someone who is patient, understanding, and teaches at a speed that your child can easily follow. I am sure you will not like the teacher to punish your child suddenly for small mistakes.



Consistency

Raising a hard puppy demands more dedication that raising their softer or normal counterparts. While “consistency” is the key to all types dog training, but for a hard puppy “consistency” should be a way of life – not just an option. You need to be consistently firm and strict as long as your puppy becomes a fully correct specimen. Corrections Punishing a Strong Prey Drive Puppy doesn’t work much, because he would instantly rebounce back from  punishment mode and go back to his natural form (as discussed above). Corrections should not be in a punishing mode. You need to be firm, calm and with a positive attitude (Must). The moment you go impatient, the entire endeavor will go waste. However, very strong and firm shakes and several shakes by the neck’s nape may be necessary for a hard and Strong Prey Drive puppy to bring him back to desirable mode.



Myth

If you are among those who consider firmness in a handler's attitude and firmness with repetitive in the corrective shakes as abusive training approaches, then you are probably wrong (Myth). You have to have a different temperament as an owner and take different corrective actions to train a puppy with strong prey drive. Without firm handling and strict corrective measures a hard puppy can grow into a big menace very shortly. If you believe that being too strict in handling a High Prey Drive puppy will destroy the working ability of the dog, you are probably wrong again (Myth again). Strategic handling comes to play here. Strategic handling involves conditioning the “Drive’s redundancy” to gradually fade out the undesirable behavior that generates due to the redundancy and at the same time developing the Drive/Instinct to use it more productively.


Starting Age for Correction

Starting off at a very early stage of around 8 to 9 weeks is appropriate.


Exercise

One very important factor in Prey Drive that plays in favor of the handler is that , the effect of this instinct (excessive chewing, excessive chasing etc.) eventually gets diminished as the puppy gets tired. A correct amount of exercise (proportionate to the age) is a must to diminish the effect. The motive is to letting the excess energy go out.

Related Reads - Understanding German Shepherd Basic Instincts 

  

Basic Instincts of German Shepherd That all Breeders Need to Understand

Using Motivational Factors in Dog Training Techniques For Your GSD 

Points of Confusion:

1. Not all chasing behaviors are stimulated by Prey Instinct. Chasing driven by behavioral issues is not related to this drive.
2. Strong Prey Drive puppies have biting tendencies. Not all puppies having biting tendencies necessarily have Strong Prey Drive.
3. Abusive training approaches and too firm training approaches are not same. Handler need to be very strict and firm to correct a Strong Prey Drive puppy

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Using Motivational Factors in Dog Training Techniques For Your GSD

Positive Motivation Dog Training Techniques With Corrective Measures

One of the undeniable aspects in dog training techniques is motivational dog training. Whether for your German Shepherd Dog or a Chihuahua positive motivation dog training techniques should be adopted by trainers. A handler can only be considered as a good trainer if s(he) has learned the art of using motivation in his/her dog training endeavor.

At the very beginning, it is important to let know that any reward based dog training techniques cannot be considered as positive motivation dog training, although both are considered as positive dog training methods. Many dog trainers – both freshers and experienced – are found to confuse reward based training with motivational dog training.


Reward Based Dog Training Vs Motivational Dog Training

Reward based dog training and motivational dog training are both positive dog training techniques, with very subtle conceptual distinctions - Semantic Deviation. Reward based dog training techniques are designed to positively reinforce and facilitate the development of the desirable behaviors and actions by offering them reward. Motivational dog training, on the other level, is one of the evolving positive training techniques in which your German Shepherd needs help to perform as desired, and this can be done though effective inputs of all motivational factors that stimulate the dog to learn what is taught.


Reward Based Dog Training

Reward based dog training is a positive training technique where the dog is allowed to succeed, followed by rewarding for successfully performing the desirable action –Positive Reinforcement. Reward based training method is a form of teaching, which is fundamentally called Classical Conditioning, though which connections are set to form between the event (what the trainer tries to teach while showing the reward - treat) and the subject’s reflexes (involuntary emotional responses in the dog – drooling). The reward is given when the dog does what is desired and is refused to be given when the dog doesn’t do what he is required.


Motivational Dog Training

Positive motivation dog training techniques involve creating the friendliest environment for your dog. This environmental engineering to optimize your dog’s performance level is aimed towards helping your dog to get rid of all fears and shyness and gain confidence, which help him to effectively trying to understand what his handler wants from him.


How to motivate your German Shepherd During Training?

The challenge lies in setting up the methods of motivating the dog to learn new tricks. The first step to creating the motivational environment for the dog, is helping him to:

a. Trust his trainer (building trustworthiness)
b. Get rid of fear (strengthening nerves)
c. Gain confidence in every experience related to training (diminishing shyness and gaining mental strength)
d. Choosing a place that the dog likes (a zone friendly to him)


These 4 steps are critical for effective positive motivation dog training. You absolutely cannot start off with training a dog that doesn’t trust you or that is fearful and shy or that is not confident about his safety. Once your dog is happily confident and trusts you it will become easier to build a strong relationship with him which is again essentially necessary. Remember strong trainer-dog relationship acts as one of the most potential motivating factors for the dog.

Following the above important ways to creating motivating environment for our dog, there are next set of methods that should be viewed as the connecting steps. Connected to the above factors, the other ways to motivate your GSD to learn new tricks is Positively Reinforcing Your GSD To Act Desirably By Rewarding Him, which means motivating him by giving rewards for each of his desirable actions. Here are how you can motivate him:


a. Motivating your shepherd by using food as a reward
b. Motivating your shepherd by using alluring toys as a reward
c. Motivating your shepherd by lavishly praising him as a reward
d. Applying force as corrective dog training techniques - Using force to make the dog do what he is required to do


Using Food as Reward in Positive Motivation Dog Training Technique

Using foods to get things done by dogs is one of the most traditional methods, and has been into practice probably since when man started domesticating dogs – a few thousands of years ago. This is hence quite commonly known to any dog owners, and even to those who have never stayed with a dog. What is challenging here is to master the art of presentation and timing of rewarding your dog with his favorite treat when he does what is desired. Remember, the treat is used as a reward to trigger motivation and drive to perform an action when desired. This is an art that gets mastered over time and with experience. The food based training is considered as a successful positive motivation dog training endeavor only when it motivates the dog to perform the desired action, and not just motivate the dog to participate in the training session. If the food motivates the dog just to participate the training session, then the trainer may have applied the process incorrectly, and the dog requires vigorous corrective training.


Using Alluring Toy as Reward in Positive Motivation Dog Training Technique

Not all, but a few dogs may refuse treats, and they become tough to be positively motivated by offering food. Alluring toys comes to play one of the most important roles here. But if the dog doesn’t have adequate prey drive, which is one of the basic instincts in the German Shepherd breed then even alluring toys doesn’t work good as a potential reward. Prey Instinct or Booty Drive may be genetic inherited by your GSD. This instinct stimulates the dog to chase a moving object. If this instinct is present in your dog then you can be pretty sure that your dog has ability for Schutzhund protection work. Prey drive in GSD starts becoming prominent as the puppy reaches 6 to 7 weeks of age. The trainer can enhance the instinctive quality of Prey Drive starting from the age of 8 -9 weeks. If a puppy is born with Prey Drive, it is important to strengthen it through optimal practice and drive building exercise, else the drive will be naturally diminished. Most of the dogs naturally lack in extreme Prey Drive, but many of them will have it in an adequate degree so as to put this instinct effectively to motivate it in the training as a reward.


Using Lavish Praise as Reward in Positive Motivation Dog Training Technique

When you are training your GSD for a new trick make sure you always praise lavishly for any good job done. Handler’s praise is crucial as a motivation factor in positive dog training technique. However, praise doesn’t work alone. It needs to be combined with other factors of motivation – like food and prey factors (toy). Another most significant component for “praise” to work well is a strong and positive relationship of the dog with his handler. Without a good dog-handler bonding praise will turn to be a big flop. Building relationship is a time consuming process. And building relationship that will be fruitful for “positive motivation dog training” is more challenging as it is required to be supported by trust and leadership (Alpha Membership); hence for “praise” to work really effectively as a motivational reward is not something that can happen within a fortnight. Establishing alpha leadership in the pack is an art and requires understanding of your dog's psychology.


Using Force in Positive Motivation and Corrective Dog Training Technique

‘Force’, which may sound weirdly awkward when it comes to dog training, is something that should be a part of positive dog training techniques, as long as ‘force’ doesn’t become abusive. Corrective dog training techniques requires the handler to allow the dog to do mistakes by its natural instinct, and then correcting it by firm handling.


However, applying force and being firm to a dog that is under a rigorous training session sounds easy; unfortunately it’s not. The challenge lies in understanding how much force to be applied and on what situations may be dog be forced to do what is desired. Many so-called professional dog trainers have been noticed to have applied force even to a degree that compromised the relationship. Such ‘force’ contributes to the decline in dog’s confidence and trust on the handler, accompanied with an increase in the degree of shyness, which merge together to end up with all trash, making the dog even harder to be trained.


While using any of these rewards as motivational dog training techniques do not forget to counter-conditioning the related behavioral issues. Subtle behavioral issues linked to good work done may be enhanced to bigger shape if rewards are given without conditioning the issues. Your German Shepherd may be intelligent but he doesn’t know that he is being rewarded only for the good work minus the behavioral issues.

The motivational dog training method requires the handlers to communicate with their dogs in a prominent, positive clear and compelling way. It is hence most important to establish a strong bonding between the handler and the dog. A strong positive relationship with the dog, building trustworthiness, strengthening nerves and helping the dog to gain confidence are the foundation of positive motivation dog training.

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Puppy Socialization Checklist For your German Shepherd

Socialization is an inseparable component when it comes to raising your German shepherd puppy and should be started as early as possible preferably at an age of 4 to 12 weeks. Proper socialization can make your dogs life balanced and calm, because through an extensive process of exposing your dog to a wide range of situations, sights and sounds your dog gains experiences and learn to consider such situations as harmless and not frightening. Socialization is not just for puppies. A dog can be socialized to different situations throughout its life. By socializing your GSD puppy you will help him/ her to respond to the entire range of unusual situations in a friendly manner with a calm temperament.


Why Socializing your GSD puppy?

The main purpose of socialization is to teach your dog how to accept and respond to certain situation that he may or may not come across to frequently in his day to day life. The aim is to develop confidence in your dog so that S(he) doesn't react fearfully in specific situations.

How to socialize your puppy?

Applying force to put your puppy in a situation that daunts him/her is a big NO! Force can only worsen up the thing. If your puppy has already reached the adolescent stage or even over, and yet not been properly socialized you need to technically put him/her into a rehabilitating session to help develop confidence. Very importantly, the process of socializing your dog should be consistent and spontaneous, and it is all about helping him gain confidence not forcing him to stay in situation which s(he) doesn't like or is scared of. It is about exposing your puppy to a wider range of situations. There's not limit wider the range of situations, better it will be for your puppy to lead a balanced life. Socialization is a strategic process to help your dog gain confidence.

Here is a checklist for socializing your German Shepherd puppy

Known and Unknown People

• People (new born, toddlers, children, teens, adults and senior citizens)
• People (males, females and children with umbrellas, helmets, masks, hats, glasses, strollers, wagons, parcels, sack)
• People with disabilities (people on wheelchairs and crutches)
• Men with mustaches and/ or beards
• Bikers, cyclists, skateboarders
• People with unusual movement (drunk and people with disabilities)
• Men, women, teenagers and older children in uniform
• Children playing and running around
• People whom your dog have to meet quite frequently (friends, relatives, family doctors, veterinarians, gardeners, plumbers, electricians, tutors etc.)
• People from different races and ethnic groups

Social and environmental situations

• Huge crowds and gatherings
• Automatic gates and Elevators
• Crowd dancing
• Jammed traffic
• Moving vehicles
• Falling things (broken branches of trees, dried coconut leaves etc.)
• Other animals (other pets, livestock, fowl)
• Water mass (pools, ponds and rivers)

Sound

• Thunder claps and sound of storm and heavy rain
• Huge crowd making noise
• Sound high fidelity speakers
• Honking vehicle horns
• Noise from vehicle engines
• Noise from machines
• Sounds of cracker
• Noise of other animals (larger dogs, cows and buffaloes)

Others

• Stairs
• Terrace
• Vacuum cleaners
• Hair dryers
• Movable electronic toys

These are just a few common situations, sights and sounds, which you should consider socializing your puppy for. There is actually no end to the list. You may consider exposing your dog to as wider range of situations as possible to develop confidence. Socialization is essentially important for many reasons and one of them is dog-bite prevention. Many incidences of dog attacks and bites have been critically scrutinized by canine behaviorists. Lack of socialization has been found to be one very common reason behind most of the unpredictable attacks and bites.

Related Read: Rehabilitating Shy & Unsocialized German Shepherd Puppies

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Can Reinforcement Backfire With German Shepherds?

"Behavioral Intervention" is the right phrase to be used when it comes to positive reinforcement to correct undesirable behavior in your dog. German Shepherd is a power breed and any kind of behavioral disorder, however mild it be, needs to be corrected at the very early age.

What is "Behavioral Intervention"?
Behavioral Intervention is a systematic plan engineered for a particular dog to teach the dog to change his or her specific behavior(s). Behavioral Intervention strategies are masterfully designed to target the modifications of specific habits, and simultaneously positively reinforcing the alternative desirable skills in your dog.

Positive Reinforcement, as we also call it Positive Motivation Training is a highly effective and scientific method to shape and/or re-shape your dog's behavior. It involves including a motivational item - "Reward", as we call it, into the training process to motivate the dog to act as desired on command. Canine behaviorists have noticed that food acts as a better motivator than any other motivation factor in a rewards based training process.

In Positive Reinforcement training methods , as a rule of thumb, the reward is presented  to the dog after the dog shows the desired behavior, thereby ensuring the particular behavior more likely to be exhibited by the dog in future for same situation(s).

The Behavioral  Intervention + Positive Reinforcement have to be very strategic and hugely demands a professional's attention. The reinforcement training methods can immensely backfire if implemented wrongly and unplanned.  There's a popular belief that too much of dependence on reinforcement by rewards gets quick results, but not long lasting. This is, however, a myth. Reward based reinforcement training has an everlasting effect if correctly done. 


However,  Reinforcement Can Backfire

Yes, with novice hands reinforcement training can immensely backfire, leaving your dog with reinforced undesirable habits. Novice trainers and newbies usually fail to identify the most significant points required for an effective Behavioral Intervention Plan. This will certainly backfire and adversely affects your dog’s learning process.

Most importantly, as a trainer you must identify the specific "behavior(s)" that actually need "intervention". In this process many new trainers mistakenly confuse with which specific behavior(s) should be intervene, and how should the Reinforcement Plan be formulated. Thus, many trainers have been noticed to have ended up with reinforcing wrongly, leaving the dog being reinforced on bad behaviors only.

Important points here...

Point - 1: Praise Only Those Accomplishment That Have Been Consciously Accomplished - Not Accidentally Accomplished.

Point - 2: Praising at The Right Point of Time is Important. Dogs Live on Time. Rewarding Your Dog a Few Minutes After The Desired Accomplishment May Have a Different Implication. Therefore, Trainer's Attention is a Mandate. 

Point - 3:  Motivator (Reward/Praise) Should be a Real Motivator. If The Dog Doesn't Get Motivated With The Reward Used, The the Reinforcement Training Process is Bound to Backfire. 

Point - 4: Priorities and Preferences Are Important. Not Every Behavior Needs To Be Treated As Undesirable at a Give Time.

Point - 5: Consistency is the Key To Success. If The Trainer is Inconsistent and Non-Repetitive in Rewarding, Then Reinforcement Won't be Effective, And May Even Backfire, as the Inconsistent Behavior of his Pack Leader (Trainer) Will Confuse Him.
  
Point - 6: Its Important to Consider Exercises and Socialization as Integral Part of Reinforcement Training. Socialization is Not a Separate Process.


Antecedents and Behavior

The two most significant areas of understanding for a trainer in the process of developing a "Behavioral Intervention Plan" for his subject are:

i. Antecedent(s): Antecedents are the stimuli/stimulus that triggers a specific behavior or a specific set of behaviors in your dog. These stimulus can be certain situations, any specific event(s), any particular person or any indecent. An antecedent can stimulate the dog to exhibit bad as well as good behavior. Therefore, it is important to identify the Antecedent(s) prior to creating a Behavior Intervention Plan. Wrongly identifying the antecedents may lead to incorrect reinforcement in the training process, thus resulting to backfire. 

ii. Behavior(s): Behavior is what the dog does being stimulated by an antecedent. An assessment of specific behavior is of utmost importance, because the reinforcement training starts off with identifying the particular behavior that needs to be intervene. A trainer should target one specific behavior at a time rather than targeting a set of undesirable behaviors. This makes Reinforcement Training by Behavioral Intervention more effective and easier. In this process of modifying one single behavior of the dog, a trainer may have to address a set of undesirable behaviors that are collectively responsible for the particular single undesirable behavior, and modify each of them.

Therefore, followed by identifying the Antecedent(s), it is important to identify the other behavior(s) that may be responsible for a particular behavioral issue. Failing to identifying all these correctly the entire Reinforcement Training session may adversely backfire.

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Top Two Myths And Facts About German Shepherd Dog Training

Hi... I will not be talking about the importance of training your GSD - especially when it comes to "Obedience", because the GSD owners seem to have become far more aware of it these days. What I have come across recently while discussing with some of the community members is again a few more shocking stuff. While some believed that not all German Shepherds are trainable even with rewards, because they are genetically stubborn, others said that using food as rewards may not be the best option, because finally you will want your shepherd to act on commands without food.

Knowing that there are still some myths prevailing about dog training, I thought of publishing this post on Facts and Myths About Training German Shepherds.

Read on…

First

Myth: Some German Shepherd Dogs are genetically stubborn, which makes them tough to be trained well.  

Fact: Admitted that some GSDs may be more dominant than others, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot be easily trained. There is no suit-to-all dog training strategy. All dogs are different – and this is universally true and natural – just like human kids. Something that can work good for my puppy may not work at all for yours. A professional dog trainer tries to understand the specific traits that make a dog more dominant than his/her mates. As soon as he understands them he would be able manage the dog efficiently. Rewarding a dog for any good thing he does and refusing a reward for undesirable things will work good for almost all dog while training. But dominant dogs usually have tendency to disobey command. It is important for a trainer to establish the alpha membership (leadership) more effectively and train him/her in a separate area - away from animals and people. A dominant subject usually requires more time to learn tricks – but it’s not impossible.

Same problem may arise with puppies that are born with overly high prey drive. Very high prey drive will result in higher degree of distraction, which compromises the puppy’s attention paying ability, making the training little tougher. However, even in this case training is not impossible. An “All-Positive” GSD trainer will try to avoid environmental distraction elements while training. Usually the distraction elements for a high prey drive puppy are anything that moves – may be a butterfly, a passing by animals, a flying bird and even the weathered/ falling leaves from the trees. So now you know what it primarily needs for you to train a dog that are genetically dominant or having overly high prey instinct.

Second

Myth: Using “food as a reward” while training your German Shepherd may not be the right option, because the dogs has to finally act only on command and without treat as a reward.

Fact: Although many GSD owners still believe that their dog may become completely dependent on food to act, but this is a prevailing and most common myth about dog training. Food based reward training is a part of a very new concept, called Motivation Dog Training. Most of unsuccessful “food based reward training” results have occurred because of the fact that the trainers have been unsuccessful in using the food correctly while training a dog. Many dog trainers were noticed using the food as a bribe for an action to be performed. The rule is to use the food as a reward for the dog’s successful accomplishments of an action, which will motivate the animal to repeat his good work and NOT to wait for the treat (primarily) and work (secondarily).

Another most important step is to make the dog’s habit of getting the food reward eventually fade out, simultaneously letting the dog know that he will be highly praised for all of his great works.

Without applying the Motivation Dog Training rule properly please do not expect your German Shepherd puppy to work for you on command and not for food. Here is a great read about the basic rules of food based motivation dog training.

 Most important of all... your dog should never be left with a novice hand for training. Newbies and amateur dog trainers can be a real nightmare. Without professional knowledge Reinforcement Training can Severely Backfire.

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Importance Of Treat Reward For Successful Dog Training

Training German Shepherds seems to be comparatively easier than some of the stubborn breeds like Shiba Inu, Chow Chow, Pekingese, Borzoi etc. Yet wrong techniques can make easiest things tougher. Even with the most intelligent breed like GSD, training may be incredibly challenging if not proceeded correctly. However, abusive training methods are a big ‘NO’, and ‘NO’ for ever, and ‘NO’ for any and all animals – irrespective of breed, group, class and species.

Importance of reward based training finds its role to play here.

What does a reward have to do with training? 

Let’s start off with asking ourselves: “why should we need to train a dog at all?” Well the answer is simple… we train our dogs because we want them to behave the way we want, which means we want to modify their behavior to suit best the way we live and mingle in the society. Rewards can really do the trick.

For dogs, the punishment (traditional and primitive way of teaching tricks for example leash jerks, shock from the collars, hitting, and using prong choke chains) works just temporarily and on a surface level. Training based on rewards like lavish praises, treats etc. is a better, safer and smarter alternative that gives desired outcome more effectively. The reward-based dog training (positive training) methods has drastically won over the traditional discipline-based training methods. Most contemporary canine behaviorists and trainers are relying on the effectiveness of treat reward training systems. Reward based training system emphasizes on praising and rewarding on correct actions of your dog, rather than not rewarding and accompanied with punishments based corrective measures when your dogs behaves incorrectly. Years of experimentation and study of canine psychology concluded that “not rewarding and accompanied with punishments based corrective measures when your dogs behaves incorrectly” works less effectively compared to “praising and rewarding on each and every correct action of your dog”.

What the reward based dog trainers stress on? 

Most modern reward based trainers believe in eliminating the undesirable behavior by gradually replacing them with desirable ones. And that can be done by rewarding your dog when he does what you want and refusing praising or rewarding him when he does what you don’t want. The new behavior that is the one that you want him to act like is called “incompatible behavior” (good behavior - not compatible to the current situation, and needs to make them compatible), which can be eventually induced through Positive Reinforcement – rewarding. Food like cookie tidbits yield awesome results in a Reinforcement Training. However, with wrong identification of the specific behavior to target, the reinforcement training may backfire.   

To conclude with I should be pointing that the most important thing about reward based, positive reinforcement training is “Attention”. Attention is the best reward for your dog when he does something good and another important thing is that training should be a fun for both your and your dog. Proper exercise in the form of play is the best source of stimulation to ensure physical and mental well-being. Just came across CollarsAndTags.co.uk-kong-dog-toys an online shop for pet toys offering a good assortment of fun and indestructible dog toys. A content dog (the one that usually adequate exercise and play) is mentally more stable and more focused which make him a better student for any experienced trainer.

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Why Isn't Your German Shepherd Coming When He Is Called?

The answer is very simple! You are right if you guess that the dog is not properly trained to come when called. If your German Shepherd is unresponsive to your command, then the fact remains that you have not able to teach him learn the trick. However, while breaking up the reason there could be found a series of factors playing underneath your pup's ignoring tendency.

The training is insufficient for your dog to act off leash. Training on the leash should be continued effectively until your pup is properly groomed up to act on command off the leash. The basics are still weak. It is important to understand that your German Shepherd are wary of strangers and won't effectively learn your tricks amidst the mob. Your German Shepherd is quite intelligent (more intelligent than many of the other dog breeds), but correct training procedure demands not to overwhelm him with fussy noise; nor to forcing him giving you attention. The trick of effective training lies in making the training session easy and enjoyable for your dog.

Booty drive is German Shepherd's one of the basic instincts. When your GSD pup is exposed to the nature and if he finds any moving object like a butterfly or a squirrel he would instantly chase it. If he is not coming back on your command you are loosing the competition with his instinct that is reinforcing him to ignore you. This is happening because his instinct is stronger than your way of training him, which in turn means that your training is not effective enough to win over his attention. It is important that you know this breed first and then you know the specific subject that you are dealing with - your dog.

Establishing the 'Alpha' membership is a must. If your German Shepherd pup's apprehensive of coming to you when you call him, the reason is "You". You have failed to establish yourself as an alpha member of your pack. Remember that establishing yourself as the leader of the pack doesn't mean yelling at him or punishing him to prove your strength. It is important to be sweet and cool with him, yet you must have a strong and powerful character to prove your dominance.

Very weak or no reinforcement from your end encourages your pup to ignore you next time. This is another very important factor that contributes to your pups tendencies of ignoring you when you call him. When you call you dog and he comes to you it is most important to reward him with lavish praise and prove that you are happy for he listened to you. Remember that German Shepherds are intelligent dogs and will be ready to make you happy by doing what you want. 'Praise', here acts a very strong reinforcement factor that encourages your dog to come to you when he is called.

Your GSD pup is smart enough to understand what you may want him to do! Your dog understands that you may want him to get inside, while he still wants play. This means he is not yet fully exhausted. Remember a tired dog is a content dog; and well bred German Shepherds have high level of energy. Full-fledged exercise is required to make him content. A long time free play will help him exhaust his energy and he would be happy to go inside readily. However, this is situational. It is not always that you may want him to go inside. It is, hence, important to analyze the situation and try to understand what might be going in his mind.

Praising him always when he makes you happy is the best trick ever!

This post is a part of awareness of correct dog training rule, hosted by dog training collar store. Visit dog training collar store 

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Innovative Dog Training Tools

Before you buy a puppy make sure you will have to train it and socialize it. Crate training is of utmost importance in the first phase and unique dog furniture like premium wood crate can act as a great tool for the training session.

Quick Tips on Crate Training

• Your dog can feel trapped, frustrated and will bark and whine. Shouting at him won't help. 
• Don't use the crate for punishing him. The effect of training will get diluted. 
• Don't use a crate when your dog is scared and fearful. This will make the dog consider the crate as an abusive tool and he will not enter it any longer. 
• Don't keep the dog in the crate for too long time; human interaction is very important. 
• Don't crate you puppy who is under 7 months of age for more than 3-4 time daily for 1-2 hours each time. Let your puppy urinate outside.

Wooden dog gates are another tool to teach your dog his boundaries. For apartment dwellers the wooden gate - especially the highlander ones are very important if you want to naturally home train your dog. The highlander wooden gates for dogs don't use any nails, pins and screws, keeping in mind the safety aspects. They are made of made with mortise and tenon.

I found some good information about these wooden training tools at www.wooddogcrate.com

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Basic Principles of Dog Bark Collar Training

Dog bark collar has created a good buzz in the market and is used by many professional trainers who train their dog to bark or stop barking on command. The device works in a very simple principle where a Sound Impact Sensor detects sound vibration as the dog start barking and generates a ultrasonic sound as the mode of correcting the undesirable barking. As soon as the dog perceives the ultrasonic sound from the collar worn around his neck, he stops barking and this is what the trainer encashes while training the dog not to bark or only to bark on command.

Dog bark collar training is based on 3 basic principles:
 
First - Determining the reason(s) of barking is the most important phase of bark collar training... This helps the trainer address the root cause of the problem.
Second - Deterring nuisance barking... In this phase the trainer uses the bark collar. The device helps in making barking a bitter experience for the dog because it generates the ultrasonic sound which is unpleasant for the dog. By this, the barking itself becomes unpleasant for the dog. Plus the trainer doesn't reward the dog for barking.
Third - The dog gets rewarded for stop barking. when the dog stops barking the trainer praises him and reward him with his tidbits, which encourages the dog not to bark.

Technology based dog training methods have never been so easy until such devices was invented. You can find more information on dog bark collar here: http://www.dogbarkcollar.com

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How to handle an Overly Aggressive German Shepherd Dog

If you are a lover of German Shepherd Dog breed, chances are that you have always liked to meet new German Shepherd owners and mingle with new dogs. By doing so, I am sure that you have, at least once in your life time, met shepherds with strange behavior. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dogs are menace to not only the owners but also the other animals and friends of their owners they meet. The fact is it’s due to the lack of knowledge of the owners that many shepherds become aggressive. Well, aggression is a genetic trait that stimulates the protective drive of the breed. Over aggression in German Shepherd Dogs is a psychological imbalance and a serious fault in the breed, being a deviation from the standard of GSD behavior.

Now this topic is all about tips and tricks to handle an overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog. The piece includes some points that may help you make your German Shepherd Dog learn good habits. The process of teaching should start at the very young age, but since most dogs start displaying aggressive behavior in the later age you need to be well equipped with the technical know-how of teaching good things that can be applied at any point of time in his/ her life. Remember German Shepherd Dog is a very intelligent breed and has the tendency to please their master. This is a very important thing to understand. Make your dog please you and show that you are pleased when he shows desirable behavior. Most GSD owners, I have come across, cannot understand how to get their overly aggressive shepherds to learn good habits. Dogs are not humans and understand things in a very different ways. So often, when an untrained trainer is training your German Shepherd Dog he is actually contributing to the behavioral problem, thereby making them worse! My first tip to solving this problem is to find the right trainer, who knows how to communicate with and train a German Shepherd Dog with all full proved techniques.

Here are four German Shepherd Dog training tips to give a try before making the decision to have them put down.

1. Most important problem area: Unscientific breeding is the most important problem area that needs to be spared a serious thought over. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog all through his life shows warning signs that it is not like the other friendly canine companions. Choosing the right German Shepherd Dog breeder is very important. Both the fear based aggression and dominant aggression are due to poor breeding, while territorial aggression and predatorial aggression in German Shepherds are normal and desirable to a certain degree.

2. Training sessions: To start off with you need to boost up the confidence and make your dog feel the sense of security while setting the training session. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dogs usually have some kind of fear psychologically week with low degree of hardness trait in their character. With lack of confidence and psychological resiliency to unpleasant and strange situations you cannot solve such behavioral problems. I would suggest you to create a perfect environment around the training zone. You can invite a few friends of yours whom your dog knows well. With the gradual passage of time you can invite a stranger along with your friends and go on for stroll in the park with them and your dog. Gradually increase the number of friends and stranger. This is a very important socialization technique and should be a slow process. By making slightest haste in this you may unknowingly contribute to your shepherd’s behavioral problem instead of solving it. This will pull down his stress level and make him feel comfortable.

3. Mingling with other dogs: Most aggressive dogs cannot tolerate other animals within their vicinity, which makes them show aggressive behavior towards them. This problem in the German Shepherd Dog personality can be solved, though not a very easy task. Mingling session has to be at as soon as possible. Keep your dog on the leash in a region having a few other more confident and calm dogs. Hold the leash tight and as soon as he shows signs of aggression, just give him a jolt with a sharp “NO”. Repeat it whenever he shows signs of anger. Keep a constant eye on him and you can predict how he will be behaving on a specific situation a few seconds prior to he actually shows the aggression signs. As soon as you can predict his behavior, give him a jolt with a sharp “NO”. It will take a lot of time to socialize your German Shepherd Dog with other dogs. You need to be patient and consistent and handle him correctly.

4. Keep your dog away from other aggressive adult dogs: Remember dogs are pack animals and they live a pack life. Their specific behaviors are usually the resultant products of staying together within the pack, which is very natural. If they do not consider their owner as the pack leader they will take it upon themselves to become the leader of the pack which tourn out to be quite detrimental. If you have a new addition to your kennel, keep the new dog or puppy away from the other aggressive members of your kennel. Studies have shown that dogs and puppies that are in contact with the other aggressive mates usually become aggressive as times pass by. Get the new dog surround with cool tempered, confident, well mannered, playful dogs with positive behavioral traits.

To conclude with I would like to say that your aggression towards the dog will never solve the problem of aggression your dogs. So don’t lose your cool on your dogs. You have to be patient and tactical enough to handle a overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog. A German Shepherd Dog who have been battered can turn out to be overly aggressive at to humans. Here's how to help battered German Shepherd Dogs regain confidence.

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How to Help a Battered German Shepherd Dog Regain Confidence

Helping a Battered German Shepherd Dog gain Confidence

My Experiment with Rani

Rani was a German Shepherd Dog whom I had rescued (purchased) from an owner who tortured her. Rani (3 years old female) hailed from a good bloodline, as her pigmentation and structure suggested, but did not have the essential mental and behavioral traits of a pure bred GSD. She was little bit too difficult to handle, owing to some behavioral problems that she had developed - probably because of mistreatment. She was shy and sometimes too aggressive to humans. She used to bark continuously when kept alone, while couldn’t tolerate other dogs when kept together. She was highly unpredictable. These were probably due to the fact that she had lost trust in human beings - quite simply natural in most abused dogs.Most German Shepherds that have been abused often becomes too difficult to be handled. I spent hours and days with her to understand the root of her problem, and after a detailed study of her behavioral aspects, I was pretty much sure that she was actually suffering a sheer lack of confidence, that eventually made her a "Difficult Dog".

Read out my article: How to Deal with Difficult Dogs.

Dogs losing trust on humans often turns out difficult, and can't be treated the way you treat other pets. And that had what exactly happened to Rani. She even couldn’t stand other dogs and puppies. I adopted certain tricks to win back her trust on us humans and good news was that I succeeded! Those were just my experimentation and I want to share those tricks.

Regaining Confidence While on Play

In my program of helping her gain confidence there were certain simple steps. First off, I allowed her to succeed. I released her with other dogs, Rex and Reva and threw a ball that was instantly chased by Rex and Reva. Rani attempted to run, but didn’t go far and stopped at a short length with a submissive action. She was scared of running, which implies that she used to have good slashes while trying to run. I started running with her. When she ran I patted her, loved her and made her feel that it was a game and I would love to see her chasing the ball. She was intelligent and could grab things faster – as all German Shepherds do. This time I was her competitor in the fetch play, instead of Rex and Reva. And I wanted to lose the game before her, as this was the way I chose to help her regain confidence while on play. Soon she learned that play was a part of her life. It took me not more than just a r two to regain her confidence while on play.

Regaining Confidence While on Work

Whenever I called her, she always came to me with submissive action setting her tail between the legs, bowing and ears carried backwards. She refused to come too close to me. This implies she had been battered whenever she refused to carry out the owner’s “COME” command. I decided to call her softly, not by standing before her… rather by crouching down in front of her. I did this because I knew that shy dogs will never readily come with confidence near standing humans before him/her. My actions confused her at first as she had never come across such actions of human beings. Soon she identified my actions to be safe and started gaining confidence on me. After continuously practicing this exercise for a while, she started responding on my COME command... She started coming on calling but stood a couple of feet away from me - without her tail tugged in. For the first couple of days I stepped towards her and praised her lavishly. Gradually she started closing the distance! She was then taught to “SIT”. While teaching things to dogs – especially German Shepherd Dogs, physical force doesn’t actually work. Physical tortures are the root to all submissive behaviors in dogs. Yelling at them and forcing them to do something by physically torture will always interfere effective learning.

Regaining Confidence outside the home

I found this to be really crucial for Rani, but that doesn’t mean you’ll also find this hard with your subject. Certain things vary from dog to dog. This is actually socializing. When I took Rani out for strolls, her movement showed that she wasn’t confident while dealing with the external world and different situations. She was scared of sounds and couldn’t stay aloof from many external things that happened around her. This proved that her previous owner never socialized her to situations, sounds, smells and the likes. I used to take her on stroll almost every evening and used to talk softly with her constantly. She was allowed to sense and smell things and experience different actions of nature such as falling leaves, hooting vehicles, running buffaloes, rushing bikes, falling dried branches and even rain.

After some days she started pulling me, and that was a good sign. She was allowed to take me wherever she wanted. She took me to different corners of our locality and I used to go there with her. After reaching her desired place, I used to play with her for some while – not off leash though!

Regaining Confidence While on Bath

Bathing was something that Rani was not happy with. My other shepherds have always liked bath. She never used to come eagerly while bathing. The first day I remember I forced her but didn’t batter her physically. From the next day onwards she was rubbed softly, rinsed softly and I started playing with her with water. I used to start wetting her from legs, and not directly by pouring water on her body. I started out from her legs and then gradually rinse her coat throughout her body. I preferred watering her from her front, so she could know what was happening. Soon she learned that bathing was just like fun, and not something painful.

Gaining Confidence in Swimming

I took her to the pond for the first day and she was loath to give a dive. I don’t know swimming so I couldn’t take her deep. I released Reva before her as she has always been a great swimmer. Then I threw the ball, as she had already learned to chase the ball. Excited, Rani gave her first dive the water.

Rani gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about the breed. Sad part of the story is yet to be revealed. One of my friend asked Rani from me. Rani was then like other GSDs; she could eat well, run to fetch things, pull like other show dogs, and could walk with full confidence, and was not scared of humans any longer. I gave Rani to my friend for free as he promised me to take care of her. Bad news was waiting for me the following week. The guy rang up to me and said that Rani fell down from the 35 ft high terrace while casing a cat. She was alive, but badly injured, with right front limb broken. I went there to see her and found plastered. She crawled towards me and laid her head on my lap and slept. I found tears floating her eyes. That was the last day I met with her years back. After that whenever I called that man he was never reachable. Now his number doesn’t exist. I went to his house, but neither could I find that guy, nor Rani. I don’t know where she is these days and how’s she doing. I miss her a lot!

Read out:
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG TAIL POSITIONING
and
BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG BREED

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How to Establish Your Alpha Position in The Pack

Hey... here's something that every German Shepherd dog owner should know. I call these the rule of thumb that you should follow to ensure that your dog know his position in the family - the human pack. If your GSD gets aggressive when you touch his food or growls at anyone in the family, these rules should be followed strictly. Remember, our dogs are the most lovable member of the family, but they should have a clear rank in the pack and they should know that perfectly. Dogs - especially the dogs like German Shepherds, Rottweillers, Dobermann Pinschers etc. that lack in this clear order are the most unhappy member of the pack and might even become nightmare for you. You need to understand your German Shepherd Dogs and it can be done by seeing the way way he carries himself!

Sometimes, your German Shepherd Dog might not be showing signs of aggression, however the dog might suddenly start showing signs of separation anxiety, such as destructive behaviors when you get out of your house. If your German Shepherd Dog steals food from your hand or from your friend's, this gives an indication that your dog has no respect for the human, and doesn't see them as the leader of the pack. Unquestionably, your GSD shouldn't be the alpha member of the household pack. Such dogs (irrespective of breeds), who questions his place in the household pack are sure to become destructive, because he is confused and tend to take his anxiety out on you or whoever comes in his way. Just on the contrary, if your GSD knows his place in the household pack is a happy companion and would never exhibit undesirable behavior.

If you are a responsible GSD owner you should follow the rules mentioned below to ensure that your German Shepherd Dog knows his place in your human pack.

• Teach your GSD to Heel: One most effective way to make him understand that you are the Alpha member of your pack is to take him for a walk... not the type of walk that you mostly come across. Make him heel not to lead you, but to be led! Don't allow him to pull you and to sniff or eliminate where ever he wants, but where you allow. Sometimes trainers will prefer your dog to pull hard. Don't allow this until he is for show.
• Feeding: Eat before feeding your dogs. If you have to feed your Shepherd before you, you can do so, but do not forget to keep him away from you when you eat. Do not allow any member of your family to feed your dog any table scraps during your meal time. Feedings must be at a scheduled time.
• Rushing through doorways: Do not let your GSD go through any doorways first. Or up or down the stairs first. Your Shepherd must always go through the doorways or up and down the stairs following you or other human member of your pack.
• Act of Ignorance: If you were away for a long span of time your dog will be anxious to see you back. This is the power of love. But still when come back in the room, ignore your beloved boy for a minute or two.
• Obedience Command: Simple obedience commands such as “Sit” and "Stay" must be taught well. Commands should be given to obey before any pleasurable interaction with your German Shepherd Dog. Before all play sessions, feeding, walking, petting your German Shepherd Dog should be know to be quite. Your dog should take the treat from your hands gently.
• Higher Pack Position: During the time you are establishing your higher pack position (Alpha Membership), don't hug your dog, nor pat your dog.
• Eye Contact: Make sure your dog should avert his gaze first when you establish an eye-to-eye contact with him. If you avert your eye contact first this reinforces the dogs higher power position. Do not allow your kids to participate in the staring contest with your dog. If your children avert or blink first, it will make your dog think "He" is the Boss.
• Fetching Games: Games of fetch, pull or play with toys should be started anf ended by you and not your dog.
• No tug-of-war: Tug of war is the game of power. In case you lose the war, it may reinforce your German Shepherd to come to the conclusion that he is more powerful than you and if this happens consistently, your dog may develop a dominating tendency.
• Teach him "Release Command": It is mandatory to teach your German Shephersd Dog to release things. Just teach him the one word command - "DROP" to release things. Any objects your dog has in his possession should be able to be taken away safely by you and othet members of your family.
• Don't Leave Your Kid and Dog Unsupervised: Kids should never be left unsupervised with dogs. This doesn't hold good only for your children but for anyone who cannot maintain leadership over your dog, especially if he is a dominating dog.
• Don't be scares and Avoid anxiety: There's actually no reason to fear your dog, but fear sometimes come if your dog has a highly dominating nature. When you are around your dominating dog avoid emotions like fear and anxiety... also do not be harsh and rude to him. German Shepherds Dogs are highly sensitive and can sense these emotions more effectively than many other dog breeds. If he senses these emotions he might consider you as a weaker member of the pack, which will escalate your problem.
• Physical and Mental Exercise: Most of the people tend to confuse happiness with excitement in your German Shepherd Dog. The most successful way to maintain your Alpha position in the pack is to humanize your dog's behavior, although it's not everyone's cup of tea. Putting him to training session is essentially important! If your German Shepherd Dog runs around insanely excited, then he is lacking in physical and mental exercise. Take him to regular exercise - play session. But make sure you should make him practice the "Sit" and "Stay" activities in the middle of the play. This way you can ascertain your leadership by giving him "Sit" and "Stay" command.

These are the rules that are not confined with German Shepherd Dog breed, but most of the other powerful, stubborn and intelligent breeds of dogs. By incorporating behaviors your dog will consider you to be the leader of the pack - Alpha over him! Obedience exercises simply works like magic while maintaining your Alpha position. Click here to know how to deal with difficult dogs and also find some Frequently Asked Questions about German Shepherd Dogs!

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Schutzhund – The Breed Evaluation Test: Developed For German Shepherd Dogs

Developed around the turn of the century, 'Schutzhund' is the German term of “Protection Dog”, while it actually refers to a test in the form of sports by which some essential traits in dogs, which makes the dog more useful to the owner, are evaluated in a highly systematic way. This test helps to determine the most desirable characteristics of the German Shepherd Dogs. A German Shepherd with all the desirable characteristics is an excellent and the most reliable companion of its owner. The Schutzhund test has been formulated to separate the breeding stock (a high quality dogs with all the desirable characteristics) from the stock with the undesirable characteristics. The “characteristics” here refers not only to the psychological characteristics but PHYSICAL/ STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG as well.

Schutzhund was actually started with a view to put the German Shepherd Dog breed to test. When the SV started off with their operations, decision was taken make an attempt to find a place for the shepherd dogs in two branches of the military services that was existed then. Keeping in mind the small number of service dogs needed for those couple of departments in Military service, the SV advised the shepherd dog keepers to secure a scope of regular training for them as protection dogs. And this was how the Schutzhund was originated.

Schutzhund qualified dogs are obvious to get good, secured jobs in the police and rescue departments. This is because the test focuses in developing the necessary traits like Intelligence, Courage, Willingness Capability to work, Ability to scent, and physical and mental soundness. All these are the most essential traits for these two departments.

The Schutzhund test is an elimination process through which the GSDs incorrect drives and temperament are straight way eliminated from the German Shepherd Dogs with correct traits. Naturally, the puppies of a Schutzhund trained Dam and Sire is expected to be of high quality — having most of the desirable characteristics of the breed.

Now-a-days, the dogs of the other breeds are actively taking part in the Schutzhund test, but the sports of Schutzhund was specifically developed solely for the Deutscher Scaferhund i.e. German Shepherd Dogs. Read more about GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG INSTINCTS AND BEHAVIOR.

This breed evaluation process has come to a great help to the modern breeders. It has become easier for the breeders to select an apt bitch for an apt dog and vice versa to produce good quality puppies with desirable characteristics and balanced physical structure.

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Tid Bits of German Shepherd Dog Training Tips

I am not a professional dog trainer, nor a canine behaviorist. I am just a regular person like you guys, who love dogs - any breed, but especially GSD is what I have always dreamed of! Having stayed in close relation with this amazing breed, I got to know more about the breed. It's out of my undying hunger to know more about German Shepherd Dogs that I have mingled with professional dog trainers, German Shepherd breeders, and canine experts since when I started falling in love with shepherds. I have heard people saying that German Shepherds are one of the toughest breed, while many says that he's quite intelligent and easy to handle. Both these school of thoughts are correct! German Shepherd Dogs are really tough for novice dog owners, but can be the most loved companion for those who knows how to make the most of their intelligence. You should not even think of adopting a German Shepherd, if you don't have that urge to upgrade your knowledge every day. If you are a German Shepherd owner you should know tid bits of some German Shepherd Dog training tricks. Here are some German Shepherd Dog training tips - I better say 'tricks' that you may find really valuable.

#1 Never yell when you are training German Shepherd: Remember, punishing, scolding and yelling at your German Shepherd puppy will end up with making him even more harder to teach things. Scolding and yelling at him will make him lose his confidence on you. This in turn will make him more confused and chances are that punishing and shouting at them may backfire with this breed!

#2. German Shepherd Dog is the third most intelligent canine breed: They have special intellect that is much above most of the other dog breeds in the world. This helps them to grab new lessons faster. Use their own intelligence during the training session.

#3. German Shepherd Dogs have unique instincts: Read out the BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS. Remember, most successful trainers use the basic German Shepherd Dog instincts while training. The key to the success story is to master the art of using the dog's own instinct for training him.

#4. Don't confuse him with too many words: Use one symbol word - either "YES" or "GOOD" for all his desirable actions and "NO" or "BAD" for all undesirable actions. Don't forget to reward him with pat or a treat for any desirable action without a symbol word.

#5. 4 training sessions per day: Wondering? That's really possible! Well, you know that you need to start off with training your dog at an age as early as 8 weeks. This is a stage when you need to feed him at least four times a day and teaching by treating is an excellent way to train your German Shepherd Puppy. So you will have four opportunities a day to teach him newer lessons or make him practice pre-taught lessons. More the practices the better.

There is actually no thumb rule technique for training dogs. A specific technique that works like gangbusters with your Rover may turn out to be a flop with my Rex. Just one method that works well with all the German Shepherd Dogs in the world is to avoid harsh methods. All you need is to think of a way that suits the best with the personality of your dog. There's nothing wrong in treating him for each of his desirable actions. Let me be very candid, I've always expected a cup of coffee after the successful accomplishment of each assignment in my work place. If you are serious about it, I am sure you'll find training your German Shepherd puppy really addictive and fun. But be careful... with wrong techniques you can unknowingly spoil your child. This is where a professional dog trainer finds his real worth. So there's no way you can deny the value of a professional dog trainer, even though you are following the above tips on training German Shepherd Dogs.

Please check my friend Rachael's website on training dogs. Rachael is a Dog Trainer & Behaviourist - Canine Ambitions.

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