As a breed, German Shepherds are known for their intelligence, agility, stability, and their strong work ethic. These capabilities allow them to do some rather amazing things. These same capabilities can also create problems if they are not handled correctly or sufficiently.
That’s where training comes into play.
Most, if not all, German Shepherd dogs will need some type of training.
GSDs are a breed that will benefit greatly from good, solid training. They need to understand their boundaries, what is acceptable, and what is not acceptable. While this is true of all dogs, it is especially important for one of the world’s most well-known working breeds.
GSDs can be aggressive toward unknown dogs. This is a part of who they are; after all, they were bred to protect sheep from predators – four-legged and/or two-legged predators. Training helps them understand that lunging, snarling, growling at random dogs/people is unacceptable.
Like other working breeds, German Shepherds can be territorial of their home/turf/family, protective of the same, and suspicious of strangers. Again, this can be directed towards both strange animals and strange humans. It’s normal! Do not get a GSD if you’re not willing to accept this. However, training can constructively channel and mold these distinctives into something acceptable. Training also helps to produce a dog that will remain under control of its human even when these natural, normal reactions surface.
Of course, the human partner of these amazing dogs must also be educated in training. Humans need to know how to corral the dogs’ instincts – which has made them world-famous – into something acceptable and positive. Owner training can certainly help to accomplish this. And it also should probably be stated that many GSDs are smarter than their human. 😊 This creates problems in obedience training (the dog outsmarting the human to get his way) as well as when “life” happens: the stray dog entering the yard, the visitor coming to the door, or the child who gets “herded” by the dog. Human training helps you to handle the dog in these situations with confidence and competence.
Whether it’s agility, protection work, herding, scent work, or any number of the many competitions available out there, the GSD should be given something to do to express his genetics, energy, and ambition. To squelch these is to produce a frustrated dog that often expresses that frustration through destructive behavior or some form of aggression. Of course, it takes training to help the dog understand how to perform the jobs that we give him.
We’ll be glad to help with training your GSD. Conifer Canine has several training packages available, both for pet training and working dog training. Give us a call at 800-795-4201 or send us an email at info@conifercanine.com and we’ll get you on our training schedule.
Or if you’re looking for a healthy, temperamentally sound German Shepherd puppy or dog, we just may have what you’re looking for; we have been breeding/training these remarkable dogs for 30+ years. Check out our For Sale page for availability.
And, most important…get out there and enjoy your German Shepherd dog.
