The Importance of German Shepherd Training

If you haven’t had the chance to read the post on why your dog may not be following your instructions, I highly recommend that you first read the post on Why Is Your German Shepherd Not Listening To Your Instructions and Steps That Can Be Taken. The main concept conveyed in that article was that dog owners should spend some time to understand the behavior and actions of their dogs which is essential in developing a trusting relationship with your dog, making it easier for dog training. Besides, that, if you’re wondering how this article fits into the overall picture of German Shepherd training, go ahead and read The Ultimate Guide on German Shepherd Training.

Today, to provide the German Shepherd Training Academy readers some motivation to take action to train their German Shepherds (or dogs of other breeds), a simple infographic was designed to share what is known here as the “Three Pillars” of German Shepherd training success. These three pillars – sociable, happiness, and obedience – can be thought of as attributes you can observe in your dogs to once you have successfully trained them. I truly hope that this can serve as a motivation and/or guidance tool for you and your dog. These three pillars should serve as a foundation towards any dog training.

Let’s explore these one at a time!

Sociable

You see this in dog parks all the time; trained dogs are more social than untrained ones! A trained German Shepherd will be more inviting and welcoming to a stranger in your home or to another dog. I remember the time when I had been invited to a friend’s party where there were two dogs at the party – one trained, and one untrained. One of the dogs belongs to the hosting family while the other belongs to a guest who was attending the party. The untrained dog, albeit smaller in size, kept barking at EVERY guest in the house and had to be left in a room. On the other hand, the attendance of the trained dog was not only welcomed by everyone at the party as we had so much fun with it, but it also brought joy to everyone around it.

Happiness

When your German Shepherd is trained, he/she would behave in a manner which is expected from its master. In most cases, this can lead to the dog being rewarded by their owner which brings them happiness, and as a result that, your dog is more likely to have a longer life expectancy. As dogs are social animals, it is imperative that to keep them happy, they should be taken out for walks on a regular basis – perhaps to parks where they can interact with different individuals and dogs of different breeds.

Obedience

What if you told your dog to “come” but he ignores you? Or if you take it for a long walk and he/she refuses to go back home resulting in you needing to carry or drag him/her home? These are some instances where having an obedient dog will demonstrate a huge difference. In the same example mentioned, in the party, though the host family would constantly try to calm down their untrained dog, the dog would just never listen and as a result, they had to leave him in one of the family member’s room for the rest of the party.

Again, three pillars are the fundamentals to the German Shepherd training (and for other breeds) which can lead to having a truly loving family companion. For this to happen, all three pillars of the training must be present; with one or two of them missing, it can still be bothersome to the owner. This is illustrated in the infographic for areas which are intersected by two pillars. Can you imagine how frustrating it can be when your dog is not obedient? Or when it does not always seem happy?

Your goal should be to have all three pillars achieved for your dog!