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When can I stop training my German Shepherd?

You’re helping your German Shepherd learn a few new behaviors, and you’re starting to think of ways to reward your dog for polite behavior. This is great! It means the more new cues and tricks your GSD learns, the more freedom you have to enjoy each other’s company, instead of constantly battling for the responses you each want.

But what about those times you’re not in “training mode”? When can you just be done training?

I’ll answer this question in two parts. First, every interaction you have with your German Shepherd is, in fact, training. Although we can and should set aside a little time each day to work with our dogs, it’s impossible to be with your dog and not be training. Either you are training your dog, or your dog is training you!

Second, this means it’s up to you to maintain your German Shepherd’s training. You can do this by learning to anticipate your dog’s response to a variety of situations. That way, you can plan your response to your German Shepherd’s behavior.

Let’s say you’re about to walk your trained German Shepherd past another house. The house has a dog barking behind a fence. First, anticipate your dog’s response: Will he pull on the lead to get closer to the other dog? Will he bark? Now, plan your response: You could change your walking route, thereby avoiding the other dog; you could cross the street well before you reach that spot and feed your dog as you walk past, to build your dog’s confidence; or you could play a game of tug with your dog as you walk by that spot.

Any of these might be good responses, depending on your dog’s typical reaction in that situation. You can probably think of more solutions to this problem that allow you to anticipate and respond to your dog’s reaction before a reaction occurs. As your dog becomes more comfortable following your lead in even distracting situations, you are ready to lessen your reliance on a plan and replace it with the new habit!

A perfect example of this concept is teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash. Before your next walk with your dog, you can anticipate that your dog will pull. You haven’t trained him not to pull yet! Your plan will be to use a head halter, no-pull harness or similar tool to prevent pulling on everyday walks. We use these tools to manage our dog’s behavior and protect our hard work training our GSDs, in between training sessions.

Tools to help you walk your German Shepherd in style

“Dog Training – Jan 2009” by airwaves1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Do you want to walk your German Shepherd in style? Here are five different tools you can use when walking your dog, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

  1. Regular choke collar. The main disadvantage to a choke or chain collar is that these give the dog walker very little control over their pets. German Shepherds typically are able to pull right through these collars. In addition, the slip action of the collar can actually damage your dog’s trachea.
  2. Martingale or greyhound-style collar. These limited-slip collars function just like a plain buckle collar, except that when your German Shepherd pulls, the collar tightens enough that it can’t slip over the dog’s head. Many people find these collars useful for walking a well-trained but large dog, such as a German Shepherd, or a dog who can easily slip a regular collar.
  3. Prong collar. (Pictured above) Prong collars work with the same limited-slip action as a martingale collar, but with metal prongs on the inside that close in a pinching action on the dog’s neck when tightened. Often used for strong pullers, prong collars are meant to be “self-correcting”: that is, the handler should never pull or yank on the leash. Before using a prong collar, consult with a trainer to be sure it is correctly fitted. And never put your hand or fingers inside the collar while it is on the dog! A disadvantage of prong collars is that dogs can become reactive to (bark and lunging at) other dogs, because they associate the pinch of the collar with seeing another dog; or dogs who are already reactive can progress to aggressive behavior. Use with caution.
  4. Head halter. The Gentle Leader and Halti are two examples of head halters. Two advantages of the head halter are that they give the walker control over the dog’s muzzle, and creates power steering. A disadvantage of the head halter is that German Shepherds usually dislike wearing them, at least at first, so the owner needs to train the dog to wear the halter using positive reinforcement. Another disadvantage of the head halter is that if a dog likes to pull, it can rub the dog’s face. The third disadvantage is that unless the dog walker is willing to use the halter to teach the dog not to pull, the dog can still learn to pull right through the halter.
  5. Anti-pull harness. An anti-pull harness is not the same as a regular body harness. A regular body harness fits around the dog’s chest, straps under its stomach and clips in the back. These harnesses are very similar to the style used by sled dogs — and guess what those are designed to do? Such harnesses encourage a dog to pull. An anti-pull harness typically clips in the front and physically prevents the dog from pulling, because the dog’s front legs become crossed if it tries. These work for all but the most dedicated pullers and are usually well accepted by German Shepherds.