Göttin German Shepherd Dogs

We believe that the training and socialisation of dogs is crucial in preventing behavioural problems. All breed clubs provide exposure to a variety of dogs in all shapes and sizes which provides a more rounded experience for your family companion. Dogs should be taught to socialise in a positive manner with a wide range of dogs from an early age and this is difficult to achieve by restricting your training to a single breed club. There are a number of All Breed Dog Clubs that our puppy/dog owners have recommended, see our Links list

Training a Puppy
When the puppy is very young, up until 12 weeks, training is mostly in the form of games, but the pack instinct is at work, so that co-operation with, & dominance by, humans is learned. Basic obedience such as "sit" & "heel" can begin to be taught, & house training commenced at 8 weeks.

The acceptance of restraint is an important lesson, particularly with large males, & should be learnt by the age of 12 weeks. Restraining the puppy involves holding it firmly on its side, where it cannot get away. This is a short lesson that needs to be taught, on a few occasions only, until the puppy realises that you will not let it go until it stops struggling. Use this method when a puppy gets over-excited & starts to get nippy or when holding a puppy to cut its nails. All that is required is that you hold it firmly until it calms down. The puppy may scream & shriek, wriggle like a worm or try to bite, but if held firmly (NOT in a death grip !) next to your body with one arm over its body & the other around its neck, slightly stretching the head forwards, the puppy cannot hurt himself or you, & will, after one or two minutes calm down. When it is calm, ease your grip, speak words of praise,& stroke & pat the puppy, then release him. This only takes 2 or 3 lessons & it is learnt for LIFE. Holding a puppy on its side until calm when it is under the age of 3 months is an extremely valuable lesson in restraint.

12-16 weeks is a critical stage of learning in a pups life. More formal obedience training should be commenced, as this is the ideal age for transition from playing to discipline training. Training lessons should be limited to 10-15 minutes maximum, as the attention span is still not very long. It is better to train twice per day for a short time than try to do too much at once. Some puppies particularly males, may try to see who is boss - NEVER lose on that point.

It is a good idea to train at a recognised Obedience club. There are many excellent all-breed clubs especially in Victoria that commence puppy socialisation classes as early as 8 weeks of age. ALL puppies/dogs attending are vaccinated. Until your pup reaches 6 months of age a light collar & lead should be used, after that a correction chain can be used. NEVER tie a dog up when wearing a correction chain.

training your unruly dog
This scenario - an unruly young male dog with a female handler who is not very assertive - is one that most instructors have come across. How can we help the owner to assert herself and deal with her dog?

Click here for article on training your unruly Dog

The following paragraphs, dealing with Show Training, have been copied from the German Shepherd Puppy Booklet written by Dr. Karen Hedberg BVSc which is distributed by the GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG LEAGUE. Permission to copy the advice given was granted by Mr Graeme Stevenson, President of the GSDL. Graeme also said that anyone can purchase these booklets by contacting Pam Jarvis, GSDL Marketing Officer.
Thank you Graeme

Welcome to the Training Photo Album.
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