Training your German Shepherd: Building a solid foundation from the start

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Training a puppy is not about teaching it commands, but about building a clear and balanced relationship with its owner.

For the German Shepherd, this stage is even more crucial: it is an intelligent, reactive and sensitive breed, which needs a consistent framework from the first weeks.

This article, which includes video resources and a program, aims to support owners of German Shepherd puppies and adult dogs from the breeder by providing them with simple, progressive and adapted tools.

These tools can also serve as a basis for canine sports practitioners, but of course this remains a simple basis; the experienced reader will take this into account.

In our experience, when relationship problems arise, often during the puppy's adolescence, it is always because the foundations of a good relationship have not been laid, and often due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the owners.

Once these foundations are in place, the problems often disappear as if by magic, provided that they have not already taken on dramatic proportions, in which case it will probably also be necessary to seek advice from a specialized and competent educator.

Each concept will be illustrated by a short video to facilitate understanding and implementation.

These are concepts that will need to be understood and then put into practice; the videos serve only as examples.

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Training your German Shepherd: The general action plan

We will not follow a linear method.
It is not about doing one type of training first, then another, but about learning to combine several approaches in parallel.
A puppy learns through repetition, but also through variety. By working a little on different aspects each day, you develop a balanced, attentive, and self-assured dog.

The training is divided into three main complementary parts:

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1. The “Out Drive” approach: calmness, relationships, and communication

THE Out Drive - Without External Excitement/Motivation encompasses a series of exercises which will be performed without too much excitement and with the sole motivation being the relationship with the master: walking at heel, recall, basic positions, understanding “yes” and “no” as well as focusing on the master.

It is in these moments that the puppy's, and later the dog's, trust in its owner is built.
The tone of voice, posture, and consistency of gestures become the main tools of communication, which he will thus learn to decipher.

It is important to remember that fluid communication, in this case with a dog, stems from a mutual ability to understand each other.

The goal is not to “train” the dog, but to learn how to communicate with it.
It is this relationship of calm and mutual understanding that will later allow for the management of exciting situations without conflict.

To achieve this, we will first use eye contact, capturing the dog's attention and communicating on a soul-to-soul basis. We will reinforce this with our voice, learning to modulate our intonations (high and joyful for praise, low and stern for disapproval). We will also use our sense of touch, stroking, feeling, and guiding the dog's movements appropriately, whether with the leash, our hands, or our legs.

 

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2. “In Drive” work: motivation, action, and learning

THE In Drive - with external excitement/motivation This corresponds to the state of controlled excitement in which the dog learns through motivation and to obtain an external reward. The working German Shepherd naturally enjoys this state of excitement, which can become joyful and motivated if properly directed, and frustrated and disorganized if not addressed.

To channel this energy, we rely primarily on the principles of operant conditioning, that is, on the management of rewards and corrections.

A key aspect of using this method correctly is timing: the action must be punished or reinforced immediately to be effective. After a few seconds, the animal no longer associates its action with the owner's response.

When you punish or criticize your dog for an action committed several minutes or hours before, he understands that you are unhappy but does not establish a causal link with the action for which you are reacting.

The 4 pillars of operant conditioning are:

• Positive reinforcement : we add a treat to reward good behavior. (here, a treat and a "YES" followed by a look towards the master are rewarded)

• Negative reinforcement We remove a hindrance when the desired behavior appears (Here, the leash tension is released as soon as the dog executes the command; the beeping stops when you put on your seatbelt in the car.)

• Positive punishment : we add a constraint to signal an error (here the dog is restrained with the leash to force it to correct its fault, associated with a "NO" in a serious and firm tone).

• Negative punishment We take away pleasure for committing a foul (here we hide the ball until we get the right behavior but we can also stop the game, stop giving attention…).

 

We find it absurd to reject aspects such as the current trend of all-positive communication. Those who claim to practice all-positive communication simply ignore the workings of operant conditioning and either deprive themselves of a comprehensive communication method or use different aspects of this method without even realizing it.

On the other hand, we do not condone gratuitous violence in any way, which has no place in this method (we must also not conflate violence with marked physical contact such as that used by dogs among themselves: the German Shepherd in particular is not made of sugar, you only have to watch them interact with each other to realize this).

 

THE In Drive - in a state of excitement can then be applied along two complementary lines of work: the Food Drive - Excitement/Motivation Through Food and the Game Drive - Excitement/Motivation Through Play.

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3. The “Food Drive”: Building the right habits

Food is an excellent learning tool, particularly for young puppies.

Eating is a vital issue; the dog has this ingrained in its nature.

Using this method promotes concentration and rapid reinforcement of correct behavior.
It is also used to create motor automatisms: coming when called, sitting, lying down, keeping eyes on the master.

The goal is not to make the puppy dependent on treats, but to teach it the actions expected of it and that good behavior always brings something positive.

This method will create automatic responses in the dog's nervous system with very little coercion. Once these responses are learned, they will be named, and the dog will be able to perform them without treats.

This tool is particularly useful between 2 and 8 months, a period when associative memory is most receptive.

 Learning to look at a treat with a 10-week-old puppy.

Associating the name and the pleasant with a 10-week-old puppy

Reinforce the correct positions, then name them

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This technique can then be used to introduce more complex exercises, for example, "forward", "backwards", and "at the foot" with reverse walking…

 

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4. The “Game Drive”: channeling energy through play

Play is a form of emotional communication.

In nature, it is through play that wolf cubs develop their natural instincts.

They thus learn to track, then pursue, seize and finally kill prey…their survival into adulthood depends on this ability, initially developed through simple games.

This also touches on very powerful instincts, which must be learned to channel and redirect for the modern life of the civilized wolf that is a German Shepherd.

It is through play that the puppy learns to manage itself during phases of intense excitement with its human owner.
The game helps to develop motivation, confidence and complicity, while teaching the dog to control itself.

The goal is to alternate between moments of action and returns to calm.
The puppy understands that the owner controls the game, and therefore the excitement. This naturally reinforces the owner's authority and credibility.

This is generally done using a rope ball and/or a small bite tug, which satisfy and divert predatory instincts.

In many German Shepherds, the real attraction to this type of game begins around 4 to 6 months or even later, and it can then surpass the interest in food.

Exercises with the ball

Here are exercises with the sausage.

5. The coherence of the program

Perseverance and continuity are the keys to these methods; with a few minutes every day, results will be guaranteed.

Every moment should be an opportunity to apply this type of program. First and foremost, mealtimes, but also during a walk, or around the house.

Repetition, more repetition.

Then, changing the environments—indoors, outdoors, in the city, in the countryside, with other dogs or animals around—the relationship with the owner must be so engaging that the external environment is no longer a problem..

Here in town, amidst the chickens, some dogs having to stay still, walking at heel in groups of 4 with goats for entertainment… The possibilities are endless and can be adapted to your needs.

Each training day will combine a little bit of Out Drive, a little bit of Food Drive and a little bit of Game Drive.
It is this alternation that creates the emotional balance of the puppy.

An example of a daily routine:

• A few minutes of calm walking, physical contact, building a relationship (Out Drive)
• A short, motivating exercise using a treat at mealtimes (Food Drive)
• A short, structured game during the walk (Game Drive)
• And always a return to calm before the end

Peace and quiet here amidst the traffic 😁

Over the months, these same exercises will evolve: the durations will increase, the distractions will increase, but the logic will remain the same.

The aim of this article is to give every owner the ability to build a stable, confident, obedient dog without coercion, and happy in the relationship with its owner.

We will try to supplement it in the future by adding exercise ideas, scenarios in the city, among animals, etc…

As always, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any specific needs.

If you found this article interesting, also check out the page Articles and Reflections And Living with a German Shepherd?