Instructions
Teach basic obedience, including to sit, lie down, come, heel and stay. This training can be completed at home, though you may wish to take advantage of a group class, such as those commonly offered at pet stores and recreation centers.
Establish your role as the pack leader. German shepherds seek strong leadership. If the dog feels that it does not have a leader, it will become dominant and will be difficult, or impossible, to train. If your dog gets to do whatever it wants to, it will begin to believe that there is no leader. If you require your dog to wait for your permission to do what it wants to do, it will view you as the leader of the pack. Having your dog sit before you place its food bowl on the ground, wait for you to exit a door before it does and sit before being hooked to a leash to go for a walk are some simple ways to establish your leadership.
Provide your dog with a job, such as bringing in the mail, finding toys around the house or carrying items. If you do not provide your German shepherd with a job to keep it busy, your dog will likely create its own destructive way to keep itself busy. A bored dog is difficult to train.
How to Train German Shepherd Dogs
German shepherds are intelligent dogs with a desire to be kept busy. It is important to train a German shepherd in order to provide the dog with a sense of purpose. If the owner neglects to provide proper training, the dog will likely develop a variety of behavioral problems, such as digging and chewing, in an attempt to stay busy. Though all dogs benefit from a strong leader and lots of praise when being trained, the German shepherd is unlike other breeds of dogs in that a strong leader and plenty of praise are absolutely essential to their success in training.