Do your friends complain that your German Shepherd dog is too friendly with strangers or jumpy? Does your dog pull you over to every person who passes by on the street? Is he always reacting in some way when someone enters your home? While there are many advantages to having a very sociable dog, there are also some disadvantages. Here we’ll discuss how to teach Fido that it’s ok to be friendly to strangers, but not overly so. German Shepherds are often portrayed as aggressive dogs by nature, but that is not always the case, and many of them are naturally very friendly dog.
Greeting People Appropriately
One of the first things you can do to prevent your German Shepherd from being overly friendly with people is teaching him how and when to greet people appropriately. It’s important for dogs and humans alike to shake hands rather than lick. To teach your gsd guard dog this, give him a treat every time he puts his paw out for you to shake. Over time, he will realize that putting his paw out is what gets him the treat, rather than jumping up or licking.
People are good!
To teach your dog how much fun people can be, attach a leash to his collar and let someone hold it while they sit outside of arm’s reach. Every time your dog looks at them or comes within 3 feet of their personal space without reacting aggressively (hissing, barking, growling) give him a treat and lots of verbal praise. This will help Fido understand that meeting new people is something good to happen to him!
Being submissive around strangers
To prevent your dog from being overly friendly, you’ll need to begin by encouraging him to be submissive around strangers. This may sound daunting but it is actually quite easy. While Fido is eating his dinner, have someone come in the room and stare at him for 30 seconds or so while saying “no.” Make sure your dog stops eating before moving away from him. Once he has stopped eating, give the treat instead of letting him continue to eat it while you are there. Repeat this process every time someone comes into the room. After doing this a few times, Fido will begin to look to you for permission when he realizes that people are coming into the room.
This doesn’t mean that your German Shepherd can never greet people, but it will prevent him from jumping on them or having an overly-excited greeting after time spent apart. This is especially helpful for people who work long hours and can’t always get home right away to take care of their dog’s needs. It’s important that Fido remain calm around people while you are gone so he remains an efficient guard dog when need be!
Keeping the dog under threshold
Overly friendly dogs are often very excited by everything happening around them. The more excited they become, the harder it is to get them back under threshold (calm enough not lunge or bark). If your GSD reacts badly to loud noises like fireworks, storms, trash trucks etc., keep him in a quiet room while you’re at home. Maybe your dog will be able to wait in another room while you shower, or maybe he will need to be crated. The point is that if Fido gets too excited about loud noises, it becomes hard for him to calm back down when the noise has passed. If his threshold is high enough, he’ll just plop down and go back to sleep when the thunderstorm passes.
German Shepherd Dogs are known to be one of the best guard dogs because they will protect their owners and property at any cost. They can become aggressive if not socialized properly, so it is vital that you know how to socialize a German shepherd puppy as soon as possible.
German Shepherd Guard Dog Training Advice Tips
As far as training goes, you must teach your German shepherd puppy not to bite or nip for this could cause some serious problems down the road. A German shepherd puppy feels threatened by anything new so keep this in mind while introducing him/her to other people and animals. If he sees another animal on TV he may feel threatened by that, too. You MUST teach your German shepherd puppy to recognize when something or someone is a threat and when they are not.
Teach them commands
You must also teach gentle commands like “sit” and “stay” – repetitively until he learns the meaning of the word. Never allow your friends to pull on his/her ears, tail, paws, or legs because that could permanently damage them. If you let children play with them without supervision bad things can happen (i.e.: child gets bit) so monitor carefully during playtime with young children in the house!
Also, be careful where you take your GSD puppy because there may be a lot of things in the area that he/she can get into which might harm them in some way. For example, your German shepherd puppy should never eat mushrooms or other plants in your yard because they could make him/her very sick. Also, keep an eye out for berries from trees and bushes because they could do the same thing. Be sure to tell everyone you know who will come in contact with your German shepherd puppy about what could harm them so they won’t let their children or pets near it.
If you socialize a German shepherd puppy correctly during his/her younger years will have a well-mannered adult dog. However, if you neglect this their dogs could become a danger to other people and animals. Your job is to keep them away from trouble – both human and animal – until they are old enough to defend themselves against any encounters.
Give him space
Be sure your German shepherd puppy has room to run around the house or backyard because puppies need this for exercise purposes. Especially if you do not take them on walks since that will wear their little legs down which is very bad for them! They need the room to run until they are tired then they can sleep it off until time for another walk. If you plan on taking them out for jogs make sure their hips are strong enough for this type of activity. Anytime you introduce your German shepherd puppy to a new person or animal be sure the first thing they do is “sniff” them with their nose so they can get used to each other’s scent and movements. This is where socializing starts and if done correctly will ensure no one gets hurt and everyone lives in peace!
Talk softly to your German shepherd puppy whenever he/she does something you like, such as his/her nails don’t touch the floor when laying down. Tell him/her a good boy/girl he/she is. It’s important to let them know how good they are for this will encourage positive behaviors which leads to being well mannered.
German shepherd puppies are not always easy to train but if you have patience anything can be done! Be sure to give him/her a treat whenever he/she does something correctly because that will keep his attention on learning new things rather than getting into mischief. You must ensure your puppy knows you are the pack leader at all times otherwise he/she may think they are the “top dog” and take over the house which could lead to other problems including biting family members or friends!
If your German shepherd puppy wants to play outside be sure to keep an eye on him/her because they could walk into a hole and injure him/herself. Or, there may be a ball or other things he/she could pick up in his mouth which might make you want to take it away from them – but don’t! Let him hold onto the objects until he finishes playing with it then take it from him.
Don’t hit your dog
This is one of the most important tips of all time because I cannot stress this enough: You MUST never hit your GSD puppy or your dog for any reason under any circumstances. Besides, if you do why would he trust you? German shepherd puppies are not like other dogs; they will only listen to things that make sense. So, the best thing you can do is give them a large area so they don’t have to live in your house which is very small. This way he/she has space to run around when the mood strikes him/her so being bored or confined doesn’t happen!
If there’s something wrong with your German shepherd puppy find out what it is then take him/her to the veterinarian for an examination. Trust me, this is important because then you can get whatever medicine or treatment needed before whatever it was gets worse and causes more problems than you can handle. German shepherd puppies are not cheap just like their parents so it’s your responsibility to take care of him/her for this is what responsible dog owners do!
If your German shepherd puppy has a lot of energy then be sure he/she gets plenty of exercise. After all, that is healthy for them too besides the fact they need room to run around in order to develop mentally. This will take them out of their mischief zone which allows them to see things from a different perspective altogether. So, keep track on his behavior because this tells you if he/she needs exercise or not!
After your German shepherd puppy has eaten give him/her a treat for this is what they like most. Make sure you reward him/her with whatever he/she likes such as toys! Also, remember not to overfeed them because that could lead them to become obese which is unhealthy and bad for their heart in the long run.
Watching another human being or an animal suffer in pain no matter how big or small never gets any easier so when it comes to your new GSD puppy be prepared because his biggest fear is being separated from you. If your German shepherd puppy needs a doctor or a bath be prepared to deal with the crying because that is his/her only way of letting you know something is wrong. So, if they cry – pay attention to them!
German shepherd puppies are very smart and can learn new tricks easily as long as they keep their minds active. If he/she isn’t all that bright then find some kind of activity for him/her so boredom doesn’t set in which could result in mental and/or behavior problems. It’s best to teach your GSD puppy basic commands first such as sit-stay and come before anything else or those kinds of problem may develop later on.
Never take your German shepherd puppy’s food away if he/she is already eating something. In fact, you should never do that with any dog as it could lead to serious behavioral problems such as growling and snapping later on in life for this is their way of telling you “leave me alone”. So if they have a bone don’t take it from them no matter what!
Conclusion
If you want a well-trained dog first start by training him/her as early on as possible so you can raise them correctly without all those bad habits many dogs have today. Once bad habits develop sometimes they are hard to break which can be frustrating for you and your GSD puppy. Also, it will help prevent serious behavioral problems in the future! The time to socialize your German shepherd puppy is no later than when he/she is around 8 weeks old so he/she knows right away who his pack leader is. Many people fail at this because they take the “I’m the boss” thing too far which leads to all kinds of bad behavior down the road. Show your pup who’s in charge by letting them know what you expect from them without hurting them or scaring them into doing it. Dogs are lovable and playful you just need to handle them right.
FAQS
Do outsiders get bitten by German Shepherds?
The German Shepherd is more likely than the Labrador Retriever to bite a stranger, but it is not as aggressive as a Pit bull or Rottweiler. Use caution when approaching a German Shepherd. The breed is strong and fiercely loyal to its family and territory.
Are German Shepherds capable of being gentle?
GSDs are compassionate and caring with their families, despite being slow to warm up to others. The breed’s affectionate and committed characteristics are a plus.