German Shepherd Training Commands

Bringing a new dog into the home is an exciting time, but it also involves a period of adjustment. It requires commitment from family members to train a dog to learn a basic level of obedience. It's especially important to train large breed dogs, such as the German Shepherd, which weigh on average 80 lbs. and can prove difficult to control without prior training. German Shepherds are an extremely energetic, loyal and strong dog breed that can make wonderful pets when their energy and power are harnessed.

  1. Sit

    • Put the dog's leash in one hand and a food treat in the other hand. Hold the hand containing the treat near the dog's nose. Enable it to smell and even lick the treat but do not give it the treat. Command the dog to "sit" as you lift the hand with the food above its head so it must look at about ceiling height. Tilting its head up will cause your dog's knees to bend naturally in order for it to stay balanced. Bending its knees also will put it into the sit position. Reward your dog for sitting by giving it the treat and verbally praise it by saying "good sit."

    Stay

    • Command the dog to sit on your left side and hold its leash in your left hand. Put a food treat in your right hand and allow the dog to smell and lick the treat that you place in front of its nose. Tell the dog to "stay" in a firm voice as you step in front of it. Do not allow it to break from a sit position, and if it does, begin the command again from the start position. Stay in front of the dog for about five to 10 seconds before retreating to your start position. Give the dog the food if it continues to remain in the sit position while you moved about and praise it by telling it "good stay" in a positive manner. Continue to practice this same command and gradually add distance between you and your dog. As you move further away from the dog, place your left hand in the air so that the palm faces the dog and command it with your voice to "stay" then wait a short period of time before providing it verbal praise and possibly a food reward, depending on where you are in the training process. Eventually, it will associate the verbal "sit" and visual hand reference with the command for stay.

    Down

    • Command the dog to "sit" on your left side so you and the dog face the same direction. Hold its leash in your left hand and a food treat in the right hand. Gently and calmly rest your left hand on the dog's shoulders and encourage the dog to lie down so that it continues to face in the same direction. Say "down" in a soft voice and place the right hand with the food in front of the dog's nose near its front paws. Slowly move your hand forward along the floor and encourage the dog to follow while it crawls on the ground toward the food. Do your best to encourage the dog to remain in a down position for a few seconds and eventually for several minutes before giving it the "sit" command to release it from a down position.