Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
What To Do If Your German Shepherd Dog Heels With Their Nose To The Ground
Hello Everyone,
Many German Shepherds Dogs have natural instincts to to track. This is why many German Shepherd Dogs make superior Search and Rescue Dogs, Cadaver Dogs, and Drug Search Dogs. For the German Shepherd Dog that has these instincts it is rather quite easy for a trainer to harness these instincts and develop this German Shepherd Dog into a superior working Dog.
However, these same German Shepherd Dogs want to heel with their nose to the ground rather than watching where the owner wants to go. This behavior is easy to correct while performing the heeling exercise. First make sure that you have the choke chain on so it will release after a correction and that it is correctly sized to your German Shepherd Dog puppy or Adult. In addition, make sure the chain is in the correct position high on the neck. (See my blog tip on choke chains.)
While performing the heeling exercise when your German Shepherd Dog puts his head down give a sharp command “LEAVE IT” while giving a serious of sharp corrections with the choke chain. This means quickly pulling up with the leash sharply then releasing. As soon as the tension is out of the leash pull up again sharply. You should be able to get three to four corrections in a a manner of a couple of seconds. Repeat as necessary and eventually even the most aggressive tracker will not put their nose to ground while heeling.
Try this technique the next time you are performing a heeling exercise with your German Shepherd Dog puppy or adult and you will be pleased with how much better your dog will heel when their nose is not continuously on the ground. Your German shepherd Dog walks will be much more enjoyable and your German Shepherd Dog will love you more for it.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Conclusion:How to Stop Your German Shepherd Dog, Adult and Puppy to Stop Jumping on You
Hi Everyone,
Today we conclude our 3 part training tip on how to stop your German Shepherd Dog adult or puppy from jumping on you and other people.
This last method that I recommend for your German Shepherd Dog to stop jumping on people requires two people. This method is mainly for those German Shepherd Dogs that only jump after an extended absence by the owner or family members.
This exercise can be accomplished at the door that the family uses to enter the house. First a family Member that is home must be contacted by the arriving owner that they are a few minutes from coming home. The person that is home gets the German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult on a leash and choke chain. Place the German Shepherd Dog on a sit and stay command in front of the door. Then the arriving owner opens the door and provides verbal commands for the German Shepherd dog to remain in a sit and stay. The person on the leash gives choke chain corrections (in silence) for the arriving family member.
The arriving family member does not approach the German Shepherd Dog until they are are in the sit and stay position. If the dog moves as you approach give verbal commands while the leash is operated by the silent family member. Continue with this exercise until you can approach your German Shepherd Dog while they remain in the sit and stay position. Once approached give your German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult love and praise. Repeat this exercise every time you return home until your German Shepherd Dog will remain in a sit and stay position until greeted. Then try it without the leash and choke chain. Repeat training exercise if your German Shepherd Dog reverts back to jumping.
The above method can be transferred to the yard or kennel. Try utilizing the outside door to the backyard or a gate for the arriving family member.
Lastly, I do not advocate kneeing your German Shepherd Dog when they jump because your dog does not understand this correction and they are also in a very vulnerable position and can be seriously and/or permanently injured if kneed, which can cause them to land awkwardly. In addition, I do not advocate hitting your German Shepherd dog with a slap or with your fist on the muzzle. Again, they do not understand this correction and you can seriously injure your hand on their teeth since the German shepherd Dog’s mouth will usually be open while jumping up to give you a kiss. Also, you may injure your German Shepherds Dog’s eye if you start flailing with your hand.
With patience and persistence you can use the above exercises to train your German Shepherd Dog puppy, adolescent, or adult not to jump on you and others. Your German Shepherd Dog will love you more if they are well mannered and they will show you their appreciation with lots of kisses without jumping.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Continuation:How to Stop Your German Shepherd Dog, Adult and Puppy to Stop Jumping on You
Hi Everyone,
Yesterday’s discussion focused on how to keep your German Shepherd Dog puppy from jumping on you. More specifically how not to inadvertently train your puppy to jump on you.
Today we will discuss how to stop your German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult to not jump on you or other people. This will not be easy and will require patience and persistence. There are several methods to re-train your German Shepherd Dog from jumping on you and most require a certain level of physical strength and mobility by the owner. I will provide the methods that I found to be effective. For all these methods, you must be persistent and never allow your German shepherd Dog to jump on you without applying one of these methods. In addition, these methods can be combined or each specific method can be used to fit the situation.
The first method requires the most physical ability by the owner and the most effort. When your German Shepherd Dog jumps on you immediately give the correction “OFF” then take your German Shepherd Dog to the ground laying on top of your German Shepherd Dog until he stops struggling. This is the ultimate show of dominance and reinforces that the owner is the Alpha Dog or Pack Leader. Once the German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult stops struggling release them and provide praise and love. This is done for two reasons, to reassure your German Shepherd Dog and to incite excitement that may cause them to jump on you again. If you can get them to jump on you again then repeat the exercise. For the more stubborn German shepherd Dog, you may have to repeat several times. If you have small children or other family members that are not physically able to hold the German Shepherd Dog down, but nevertheless are a target of the German Shepherd Dog’s jumping include them in the exercise with you taking the dog down to the ground. Once the German Shepherd Dog is released allow the child or other person to reassure the dog and possibly entice the jumping behavior to repeat the exercise.
Note: that the above method is not for German Shepherd Dog adolescents or adults that have aggressive behavior problems due to the chance of the owner or other participants being bit. Consult your professional trainer if you are unsure about your German Shepherd Dog’s behavior problems or aggressiveness.
Another method that requires less physical ability of the owner is for the owner to grab the front feet of the German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult when the dog jumps. Immediately, use the command “OFF” while walking the German Shepherd Dog backwards. Repeat the OFF command several times while you are doing this exercise. Again, if you have family members that are not capable of doing this exercise then do it for them by grabbing the feet and walking the dog backwards for three or four yards (9 to 12 feet) before releasing the dog back to the ground. Once the exercise is complete reassure the German Shepherd Dog by using praise and love. Repeat as necessary. You may also squeeze the front feet, thus increasing the discomfort to your German Shepherd Dog.
All methods can be combined, for example you may start the retraining exercise by laying on top off your German Shepherd Dog on Saturday when you are not wearing your best clothes and then the following morning on your way to church you may want to grab the German Shepherd Dog’s feet and walk backwards to keep your clothes from being soiled. The main point is no matter what method(s) you use, you must use a corrective exercise every time your German Shepherd Dog jumps on you or another person. Persistence in these exercises will achieve the fastest and lasting results.
Tomorrow I conclude this discussion by providing another effective method to stop your German Shepherd Dog adolescent or adult from jumping on you and other people.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
How to Stop Your German Shepherd Dog, Adult and Puppy to Stop Jumping on You
German Shepherd Dog, adults and puppies are social and pack animals. Because German Shepherd Dogs are true herding dogs, the pack instinct is very strong. The reason the German Shepherd Dog jumps on you when greeting you is because they are trying to get to your face to greet you with a kiss. This is how the pack leader is always greeted in the wild. Even if you leave the house or yard for a few minutes, your German Shepherd Dog will have a strong instinctual desire to greet you again with a kiss and, therefore, jump up to your face level.
Now that you know the reason behind this sometimes annoying behavior, you can effectively develop a strategy to stop it. First the best way to stop this behavior is to never allow it develop. Many times, a new German Shepherd Dog puppy owner will allow the small puppy to greet them with a exuberant jump. The German Shepherd Dog puppy will bounce around with great exuberance and we allow it because they are small. Therefore, because the puppy is so small it doesn’t bother us or soil our clothes. Even more so, we encourage this jumping behavior through positive reinforcement by loving on the puppy and responding to the German Shepherd Dog puppy with a high pitch voice that increases his excitement. This behavior is only natural and proves you are a German Shepherd Dog fan and that you love your puppy.
However, do not allow your German Shepherd Dog puppy to jump on you. In addition, do not allow anybody to let the German Shepherd Dog puppy to jump on them. When greeting your new puppy go down to his level so that he can greet you with a kiss without jumping on you. Every time that your new German Shepherd Dog puppy does jump on you, push the puppy away and give him a sharp verbal correction such as “OFF”! Be careful of which command you use because as training proceeds certain commands may become confusing. For example, if you were to use the command “Down” rather than OFF, when you start obedience training “DOWN” has a completely different meaning.
While this training and correction exercise will have to be repeated several times over many days, eventually the German Shepherd Dog puppy will learn not to jump on people.
puppy jumping on mom to give her a kiss
Tomorrow, I will post on how to stop and adult or adolescent German Shepherd Dog to stop jumping on you or others. This behavior is much harder to correct because usually it has been engrained deeply into the psyche of the German Shepherd Dog from training errors as a puppy.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hello, today I’m going to provide a very important tip in regards to training and the correct use of choke chains. First, before using a choke chain the German shepherd puppy should be leash and collar trained. A choke chain should never be used to leash-break a German shepherd puppy. Choke chains are misnamed because the proper use of the choke chain for training is not to choke the German shepherd dog, but rather as a correction and control tool. The correct use of the choke chain is to quickly and sharply tighten then release the chain.
To have the choke chain to work properly it must be correctly placed on the German Shepherd puppy. Many novice are not aware that a choke chain can incorrectly be placed on the German shepherd dog. Below illustrates the correct way to place the choke chain on the German shepherd puppy:
If placed incorrectly on the German shepherd puppy as shown above, the choke chain will not release correctly. The choke chain will remain tight, thus the German shepherd puppy will not get the proper correction and will continuously be choked during the exercise.
The choke chain correction includes the auditory signal to the German shepherd puppy of the links clicking during the tightening and release, as well as the sudden tightening and then release around the neck. The rapid release also allows for several sharp corrections in a row, which is very effective in healing training if the German shepherd puppy is being distracted by smells on the ground or moving off the incorrect direction of travel.
In addition, it is extremely important to place the correct size chain on your German shepherd puppy. Too long a chain will allow the chain to slide down low on the neck during training and too tight is obviously uncomfortable and ineffective for correcting your German Shepherd puppy. Ideally for the most efficient control and corrections, the choke chain should remain high upon the German shepherd dog’s neck, just under the chin. This is why proper size is important to keep the chain high on the neck of your German shepherd puppy without having to make continuous adjustments to its position. Even a physically small or weak owner of a large and powerful German shepherd dog can maintain control with a correctly sized choke chain that is positioned high on German shepherd dog’s neck
Ask me any questions and I promise to provide my opinion.
Recent Comments