Training Your German Shepherd
Did you know that a well-trained German Shepherd is a pleasure to own and to be around? These dogs are very intelligent, and they can make very good watchdogs. They possess a loving temperament and are loyal and devoted friends to their family. If you are considering having one as a pet, you should consider its training needs first. It would be a pity to have a dog that doesn’t know basic obedience commands.
Your German Shepherd is a very trainable breed that learns easily with positive reinforcement and praise. What do you typically observe from your German Shepherd during training? Does it possess forward-tilted ears? Through this article, you will learn about the German Shepherd’s ear and how to communicate with your dog through its body language.
One characteristic of a well-trained German Shepherd is its pleasant behavior especially in regards to extreme shedding. A shepherd exhibits excessive grooming to reduce the threat of being flea-borne. He has an insatiable appetite for fresh and unprocessed food as well. An anxious dog will often lick its genitals whenever it feels insecure. These behaviors are normal reactions to humans and other animals, so you shouldn’t be concerned if this occurs with your German Shepherd.
The German Shepherd is a very communicative breed.
They have excellent communication skills when it comes to understanding and communicating with their owners or other dogs. In fact, they can be trained to speak English, French, Italian, and even Chinese. Their expressive vocabulary is also very impressive when it comes to communication with humans. This, however, may sometimes pose a communication problem as some dogs don’t understand sarcasm and facial expressions and can actually misinterpret your communication signals.
During its training, the German Shepherd needs to be taught that it should never jump on another dog unless it is showered. This will help prevent the animal from jumping on an unwilling handler who then becomes the object of her anxiety. Another good training tip is for the shepherd to learn that touching the other dog’s head is unacceptable.
It does not have to be a full-blown shove but the touch of the head is enough to elicit a negative response. It is the same as when children are told not to touch a ball they often do just that without realizing what they are doing. In training sessions, the handler should ignore the dog when it attempts to touch the other dog’s ears, nose, lips, eyes, feet, tail, or any other body part that is not understood.
By nature, the German Shepherd is a very playful and energetic dog.
Because of this, it can cause a lot of commotion around it. As it is very active, it is likely to experience boredom. As a result, the shepherd may become bored and begin to send mixed messages through its communication signals. These include nudging at a child, jumping on people, barking, digging holes, and pawing at the ground.
The German Shepherd should also learn how to distinguish between the various types of communication signals. It should be able to know when a command is given and understand the different kinds of verbal and nonverbal cues used to indicate different types of body and touch signals. Some of these signals include the familiar click-a-holic, the head tilt, and the wag and shake of the tail. By learning and understanding these signals, the shepherd can gain a better understanding of the social hierarchy established among the dogs.
Body Language can also be used to determine the status of the shepherd in a pack. A highly anxious or submissive shepherd would display a lot of caution, while the more fearless or confident shepherd would walk with their heads held high and tails high.
In terms of the training of the German Shepherd, the alpha male (leader) usually walks with his left ear forward and then looks to see what is going on around him. This shows confidence, while the other dogs are seen to walk with their heads down and ears forward. It is best to avoid forcing your dog’s attention on other dogs while training because the Alpha Male will likely not be interested in learning hand and arm signals.
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