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Sometimes dog training can seem overwhelming if we don’t even know where to begin. But, most people can successfully train their dogs on their own, if they will take the time to learn how to properly teach the right skills and if they can make a commitment to consistency in their training. Luckily, German shepherds are one of the easiest dogs to train, so with a little time and effort, you can train them on your own fairly easily. Here are some tips to get you started on the two most basic skills:

Come The first skills you need to teach your dog are his name, and to come. Your German shepherd will learn his name simply by hearing it frequently. One of the easiest ways to teach the come command is to go outside where your puppy is playing. As soon as he looks at you, call his name. When he starts to come to you on his own, say Come. When he arrives, praise him liberally. He needs to associate coming to you with the command word Come. He learns this association whether you prompt him to come or he comes on his own, so saying it when he is approaching you on his own is a good way to help. If your puppy resists coming when you call him, go outside with him on a leash. Let him wander away a little, and then kneel, call his name and say Come. If he doesn’t respond, tug the leash toward you a little and repeat the command. Keep trying until he gets the point and lavish praise when he arrives. Practice regularly on the leash until the response becomes automatic, then try it off the leash.

Sit When your dog is standing, simply give the command Sit, and put your hand on your dog’s back, near his back legs and give a little push, indicating to him to sit down. When he sits, praise lavishly. Just repeating this four or five times is usually enough to teach a German shepherd to sit on command. Make it a practice to only feed treats to your dog when he is sitting, even if the treat is a reward for some other feat. In no time, he will learn to sit whenever you get out the treat box, and will be very polite in accepting his treats.

These two skills can be taught quickly to German shepherds, and should be the first basic skills your dog learns. With these, he’ll be well on his way to being well behaved and reliable.

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