German Shepherd Training Information in an easy, no-nonsense approach.

Let me start off right now with this disclaimer: I’m not a professional trainer! I’m just a dog owner who happens to find training dogs to be both very interesting as well as beneficial to the dog.

What you’ll find here is my experiences “Training a Working Dog for Dummies”. I’m going to chronicle my German Shepherd Training Information of both of my GSD’s, Sable and Zero – and so I invite you to come on in and join the ride.

If you’re looking for information on the different colors of GSDs, check out the latest page on that. Or how about checking out our great articles on dog health and diet issues, as well as training your puppy and older dog. And if you’d like to leave a comment for us, simply click on the Comment >> link below all the pages and posts.

photo credit: Sebastián-Dario

photo credit: k9centrum

photo credit: SkyWideDesign

• dog problem reviews
• dog obedience training
• dog behavior problem solutions
• etc!

Dog training can be an expensive area, especially for those of you in a multiple dog home. And those of you with puppies, that can also be such a trial! Obedience classes can run into hundreds of dollars, and while there is no substitute for on hand training, we should keep up to date and well informed as much as possible in the theory of dog training.

It’s a great site, with the sites they review organized very well. You can find the solution, or at least get a better understanding about what you’re dealing with. So I recommend that you all check those links our for a better understanding of dog training, and to keep your pooch happy!

photo credit: digitaura

I always want the best for my dogs. I know that you are like me, thats why you are here on this site, right? Well, I just wanted to remind you all about the actual costs of veternarian visits that could of been less expensive if we just plan ahead.

I mean, I should get insurance for my kids and myself, right? So what about my German Shepherds? Shouldn’t I get the best pet insurance I can for them? Not only will that give me piece of mind (and you too of course), but will allow those times when I do need to take my dog or dogs to  the vet to be much more affordable.

So please, do like me and get your dog the best pet insurance.

Here’s Schatzie, my 8 month old GSD bitch. This picture is actually about 3 months ago, but I’ll post new pictures soon!

Working in Schutzhund

Note that my dogs will be doing this very soon! How about your German Shepherd Dog?

• Achtung! (Ahk-toong’): Watch! Attention!
• Aus! (Ows): Out! Drop It! Let Go!
• Bleib! (Blibe): Stay!
• Bringen! : Bring! Fetch!
• Fass! (Fahs):Attack! Take hold!
• Fuss! (Foos): Heel!
• Gib Laut! : Bark! Speak!
• Hier! : Here! Come!
• Hopp! : Up! Jump!
• Nein! (Nine):No!
• Pass auf! (Pahs owf): Pay attention! Heads Up!
• Pfui! (Foo-ey): Shame! Stop That! Drop That!
• Platz! (Plots): Down! (Place)
• Setz! , Setzen! (Zetze’n): Sit!
• Such! (Zook): Search!
• Voran! (For-ahn): Go forward! Take the lead!
• Voraus! (For-ows): Go forward! Run out!

Not only are they “cool sounding”, but fun to use as well!

photo credit: j£wl£d.røs£

The idea of a feeding schedule is to have a dog eating at regular scheduled meal times with specific amounts of food. Young puppies under 6 months, can be fed 3 times a day. From 6 months to 1 year, a dog can be feed twice a day and after 1 year, one meal a day is sufficient.

As far as how much to a feed a dog, it is recommend to follow the instructions provided on the particular brand of dog food purchased. Most of the charts will determine the number of cups a day the dog should eat based on its age and weight. Take the total number of cups recommend and divide that by the number of meals the dog is being fed. Of course, that recommended amount can be adjusted slightly based on the dogs individual needs. For example, dogs that spend most of the day outdoors tend to need more food during the winter to maintain their ideal weight since they are burning more energy just to maintain their body heat in the cold.

During the dog’s schedule meal time, give them 3-4 minutes to eat its food. If the dog begins to lose interest and focus, take the food away after the three minutes is up and do not feed the dog until the next scheduled meal time. A dog in the wild quickly learns that food is a precious commodity. When a dog in the wild loses interest, the other dogs in the pack do not save parts of their kill for that dog to eat at a later time. The dogs will stay focused on eating because they don’t know when their next meal is going to be. This develops what is referred to as “food drive”. The same type of drive can be established in the domesticated dog through scheduled feedings.

Free feeding (keeping the your dog’s bowl filled with food and letting it eat whenever it wants to, in whatever volume) seems easy and convenient to many owners, however, p lacing your dog on a feeding schedule has numerous benefits over free feeding.

First, it is much easier to help a dog maintain its ideal weight with a feeding schedule. Dogs that are free fed often become overweight. Just like in humans, obesity in dogs can lead to numerous health issues such as hip problems.

Second, a dog that is on a feeding schedule always eats its entire meal very quickly. This is an excellent way to gauge the health of the dog. When a dog has a health problem such as intestinal worms or some other parasite, one symptom is often a loss of appetite. If a dog that is on a feeding schedule suddenly shows a lack of interest in its meal, it is an immediate sign that there is something wrong.

Third, food is a wonderful tool when rewarding a dog for a desired behavior during obedience training. When food is used as a reward with a dog with strong food drives, the dog becomes very eager and happy to train.

Lastly, feeding schedules make housebreaking much easier. A dog that eats at the same time every day will tend to have bowel movements at approximately the same time every day. When an owner knows roughly when to expect a bowel movement, it decreases the chances of an unexpected accident.

NOT Schatzie!  photo credit: cwgoodroe

I’ll officially start Schatzie’s advanced obedience training this week. She’s the new bitch I got (well, I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old, and now she’s 7 months ). So far she’s been enjoying life as a puppy, with just corrections for “bad behaviors” – and knows the typical SITZ command.

So I’ll be posting her progress weekly. Stay tuned!