German shepherds are among the most trainable breeds of dog. They are naturally intelligent, obedient and eager to please. However, German Shepherds do need thorough training in order to become the wonderful household pets that they can be. These are very bright and exceptionally physically active dogs which require a lot of activity, exercise and mental stimulation. If you are planning to get a German Shepherd, then you can choose to train them yourself or to enroll your pet in obedience classes. If you’d prefer to train them yourself, then the following tips can help.

Let your pet know that you’re the pack leader

German shepherds, like other breeds, are pack dogs. If you want them to obey you, you need to make them see you as the leader of the pack. Although these dogs are very trainable, they are also stubborn, so you need to firmly establish who is in charge here if you want your dog to pay attention to you.

Focus

Distraction is one of the biggest challenges to German shepherd training; which means that you need to teach your new pet to focus. One way to do this is to train them in a place where there are as few distractions as possible. The more of your dog’s attention you can command, the easier they will be to train.

Consistency

German Shepherd training demands consistency on the part of the trainer. These dogs have excellent memories, so when you give them mixed signals, it can be especially confusing to them. You need to give them specific cues consistently; if you do this, then you can teach your dog tricks and commands with relative ease.

Start early (but not too early)

You should begin training your German Shepherd young, but not before about eight weeks of age – if you start much earlier or later than this, training them can be significantly more difficult. Eight weeks is typically an ideal age, since they have attained enough mental and physical maturity to understand and follow your commands.

Leash train first

German shepherds are usually larger dogs, so you should begin leash training them early. The longer you wait, the tougher it will be for you to train them this way – and trying to leash train an adult dog who is not used to the leash can be nearly impossible.

You can also supplement the training you give your dog at home with formal obedience classes. These classes can help your dog learn some of the basic tricks: sitting, rolling over and the like. While it is usually a good idea to begin German Shepherd training while the dogs are still quite young, they are never too old to learn and can indeed pick up new tricks even later on in life.