3 TIPS FOR TRAINING YOUR GERMAN SHEPHERD

[@carissagoldsmith1787]

Thank you fantastic video

[@rhianabrooke]

My 8yo GSD walks on loose leash, but if my kids are with me especially, she has to be in front. She doesn't pull, she doesn't go after other dogs, nothing. She listens very well and has since a puppy. Very smart. It's just that one bit that she will not listen to.

[@warpdriveby]

"Following ahead" aka when a GSD is a few feet ahead but frequently looking back is very very common. My guy does it instinctively as well, and the only way to change it (without aversive techniques) has been with a front ring harness. He will go directly back to it on his agitation or fur saver, it's a pretty hard wired trait.

[@rhianabrooke]

@Warp DriveBy I cannot use a front ring on her anymore with the amount of arthritis she has. I've had to tell the kids if they want to come with me, they have to stay behind with me. No bikes. No scooters. She'll be 9 in a month and a half. So it's light walks and exercise. But there are times where she will play rough with her toys still. It's hard to slow her down because it makes her so happy. We just recently recovered from a "right forearm" strain which is the same side as the bad hip. Her left side? Looks like a totally different dog thru x-rays. This is getting hard with her aging.

[@warpdriveby]

@@rhianabrooke I'm sorry, I've been there with two of mine as well, its hard keeping them from the ways they love to play. One of my goldens broke his shoulder jumping off a table, and as he was nearing 10 he could barely walk on it some days. The other was my basset who had spine/hip osteoarthritis.

[@hyxoz537]

Nice vid 👌👍!!

[@cheesybreadsticks9423]

I recently (2 weeks ago.) got a 8 month old gsd. They didn't have much of a puppy life because their previous owner got sick and couldn't take him for a walk. (Meaning its possible he got near to no socialisation.) as they grew older they began to become very very reactive on a leash and just in general, (Barking and lunging at anyone who walked past them on the street, if someone came into the house, he would bark and lung at them; which made it so the prev owners almost never had people round.) and this made the owners extremely anxious and scared of him and this anxiety transferred over to him. They eventually had to give him up because his reactive behaviour was beginning to be directed to their kids (He would bite and bark at them.) I've been watching your videos even before I got him so we were prepared to deal with his problems and its gotten so much better but there are still some bad behaviours that have stuck but i didnt expect it to clear in 2 weeks anyway, (He is off and on with barking and lunging but is especially bad when inside a building (with people passing, especially small children.), his barking at people who come round is only until he greets them and he walks well, admittedly still has times were he pulls and he hasn't gotten to the point where he walks next to us. his recall is going really well. and he hasn't once bit anyone.) The one problem just wont go away and that's its hyper focus on other dogs and people. He doesnt bark or try to get close when they are far away but if they get close, he will go into full defence mode, but like i said, its a coin flip. Sometimes he is fine, smells them and moves on, other times he just barks and lunges and there are even times where he greets, smells and when they leave he goes and lunges/barks at them. This makes walking him on the streets stressful and as a person with anxiety already when it comes to being outside the house, it certainly isnt helping. Example of his reactivity would be with the vet visit today, we got him weighed, There were dogs and people walking around and close and all he wanted was to greet and play but then a family came in with their hamster, passed by and as the small kid passed, he went crazy, barking and lunging at him. Then I was kicked out of the vet. (We have a collar and a leash which in bright yellow says 'Nervous.' and I know i should have made better care at making my dog calm and maybe I should have told the family to pass with care as they did get really close to him and ultimately overwhelm him but I just don't know how when I become irrelevant and his fear and excitement controls his actions. and just like him in the situation, I became overwhelmed. While trying to teach him recall on a long lead, I threw the ball he went after it, saw another dog as he grabbed the ball and ran the opposite way and went running for it, I wasn't expecting it and gripped his lead and got a very nasty leash burn on my hand. He listens just fine if we are in an empty field and knows all the basic commands and in any other situation, he looks up to me for guidance and direction. How would you go at fixing this behaviour? (Not listening when he sees another dog or person and how do I teach him to ignore other dogs when off leash?) any tips are welcome. I just feel alittle worried that I wont be able to fix his behaviour before he becomes an adult and that he might hurt someone or even a child.

[@warpdriveby]

It's not going to be an easy journey, but you have my admiration for taking it on! I have a working line GSD who was also surrendered, but he had a much less harmful early life. I would encourage you in the strongest possible terms to get a properly fit basket muzzle and to train him to love it. I don't know if I actually needed to do it with mine, so far he has been great with the vet, but she was very happy he came in with a safe, well fit, muzzle he can breath easily and pant while wearing. He is usually very gentle with people, and I can touch/examine/brush him anywhere, or check his ears or teeth, but those brave, bold instincts we love can become aggression when they are beyond their tolerances. My trainer, with years of experience, tested his tolerance to being prodded by a relative stranger. I was very alarmed when he bared his teeth and snarled at her, because I hadn't seen anything even kind of like that from him. I intend zero criticism, I just want to be direct about our GSDs. The have protection, guarding, and boldness BUILT IN. You now know yours could find himself scared, over stimulated, or in pain, and when he is his aggression becomes too much for him to regulate. This situation, which you are completely innocent of causing, is now your very serious responsibility. I would also beg you to consult a trainer, join a GSD club (a real training club, not a Facebook group), a behaviourist, just get an experienced helper on your side. Again, I am not suggesting you are in any way not up to this dogs needs, just that going it alone, or just with videos will not truly prepare and set you both up for success. I wish a happy, healthy, amazing life for you both!

[@cheesybreadsticks9423]

@@warpdriveby Thank you for your advice and understanding! We got help from a behaviour trainer (who to be completely honest, helped with dynamics at home but didn't help with the issues that were coming from outside.) and well with this whole financial crisis that is happening, we unfortunately dont really have the means to go and get help from another trainer. we did get him a nice muzzle though, which he surprisingly loves (But he does still fight on occasion when he realizes he couldn't pick up his ball with it on aha.) despite him never wearing one before coming to us. We also got him a nervous collar and lead in hopes that people would see it and give us some room and 9/10 that is the case..but there's always one. 😂 After months of work with him, he is far more confident around strangers and dogs. He isn't so quick to 'explode' anymore and we can now walk past people and dogs (they still have to give us room but thats better than how he was before.) with him without him going off, though he still has his bad days (which is thankfully, now become the off days and not the norm.) And he is finally beginning to look at us for direction more when confronted by a dog / person. We are really proud and happy with such progress. (Don't get my wrong, he still has some work to be done and he still reacts to things when they come out of nowhere (like a bike going past from behind or a kid carelessly running down the street.) and we as owners need to learn his signs as he can go from allowing someone to pet him to trying to take their hand off in a split second, but we are trying and any more advice from anyone would be appreciated! Also, What is a GSD club? That is the first time I've heard that name, I can gather the general idea but maybe you could explain it alittle for me and how exactly would you join one? Again thank you for your advice and understanding! I had my first Karen owner not to long ago (my dad has had far more.), they didn't show as much understanding and its weirdly heartwarming to get such understanding from someone.

[@PARoth2011]

Hi, if you are in the US a GSD club is a group of GSD owners who get together to train their dogs and learn from each other. There are often some very experienced handlers who are willing to guide novice owners. Looking on Facebook is actually a good way to see if there is one near you, you can always post and ask.mThere is also the AKC website for GSDs which will list reputable breeders and clubs then you can call some local GSD breeders, explain your situation and ask if they know of any clubs or classes.

[@ledonamorrison8350]

Can you ever walk for fun long leash out front?

[@fredglaesner1505]

Why are all the dogs in the vid not GSDs, but the subject is about GSDs?

[@mbaron4311]

My new neighbors like to walk their GS with no leash. He is well trained but he come at my Rottweiler the first time they met. He was friendly, but I just find it obnoxious to walk your dog around the neighborhood without a leash. They’re also building, by far, the ugliest house in the neighborhood.