Raising a puppy is all about learning to communicate with your dog. German shepherd puppies are anxious to please their owners. These loyal dogs will respond very well to commands if trained with care; many are recruited for Seeing Eye dog positions. Owners should be ready to raise a very large dog, between 65 and 100 pounds. Be consistent with your commands and patient with your dog's responses. They want to learn and will try until you tell them it's right.
Instructions
Spend time with your puppy. If you complete this step and do nothing else, your puppy will behave better than if you do all of the other work and neglect to spend time with your dog. This is what teaches your puppy how to read your signals, your body language and your routine. Bonding with your puppy is what will form the relationship between you, the loyalty and the companionship.
Include your German shepherd puppy in all of your and your family's activities, such as walking, swimming, riding the car and even lying around. According to Dog Obedience Training Review, German shepherds bond well with their families during these everyday activities.
Play games like fetch and other performance-based games. Avoid playing tug of war games with your German shepherd puppy; any type of activity that involves them biting something makes them more aggressive.
Take your puppy on walks to give him regular exercise. Exercise is necessary for puppies and dogs. This daily exertion will decrease boredom activity like chewing and barking. It will help with separation anxiety when you go to work because the dog will be able to sleep for a larger portion of the day.
Socialize your German shepherd. This breed will tend to take a while to trust anyone. Keep children and strangers from invading the dog's face upon their first meeting. This will make a German shepherd uncomfortable and she may growl or bite. By socializing her when she is a puppy, you will encourage your dog to be more accustomed to meeting new people and animals when she is older. Bring her around new people and other dogs to expose her to positive meeting environments.
Practice obedience training often. Once a day or even more, practice the basic commands with your puppy, such as sit, stay, come and lie down. Reward good behavior but do not punish the puppy when he doesn't succeed. German shepherds are eager to please people; his lack of compliance is likely due to misunderstanding. First, show the puppy what the command means, and when he completes the order give him a small treat. If he doesn't obey the command, withhold the treat and repeat the command until he understands. This takes patience, and anyone unwilling to exert the effort should not have a German shepherd puppy.