What makes German Shepherds unique as Pets?
This is a blog about German Shepherds as pets. We’re going to talk about German Shepherd types and behavior. Okay, now in this article, we’re going to discuss German Shepherds.
Can get kind of a well-rounded, uh, bit of exposure to different opinions concerning the breed of a dog who looks like that, because if we’re honest.
We know, especially with certain breeds, that behavioral confirmation closely follows physical confirmation. In other words, you can take a look at a dog.
And you can tell by the dog’s structure what Bloodlines the dogs come from, and then you can probably extrapolate.
How Dogs Adapt to Different Training Methods and Socialization Protocols.
All right, so you guys, German Shepherd people have a whole lot to say about the dog structure, movement, patterns, about the age of the dog.
Okay, so we’re not using a puppy today, we’re using a full-grown dog, and uh, you know, uh, he’s here for the typical type of misbehaviors.
That a German Shepherd that’s 2 or three years old shows, uh, to get him stuck in a board and train style, uh, situation, easy, very nice.
Now, when he first came here, he had very poor proprioception. The fell who owned him had done a really good job of like taking him around, getting him around people, getting him around machinery, and teaching him some solid basic obedience.
But almost all of his basic obedience was taught on a flat plane, and so the dog had very poor body awareness, and a lot of times, if a dog has very poor body awareness, it.
Let’s you know, that over the course of their life, they haven’t had much to nose to stimulation, right in other words, their brain and body haven’t had really a chance to learn to act in Synergy, right, and that creates some confidence problems.
The Adolescent Phase: When German Shepherds Begin Alert Barking and Its Social Impact.
The phase where another thing that happens with these dogs is that during the mid-adolescent period they start in with that alert barking they start in with that alert barking.
Whenever a new person or a new dog comes into their environment, and when that happens uh of course, they’re kind of big and scary and have a deep bark. So, they get a big reaction and that creates a kind of negative cycle for the dog.
Alert barks, then the people respond by being fearful and changing their mannerisms, and then the dog starts to think.
Well, I knew there was something wrong with those people, look how weird they’re acting, and the people look at the dog and think he’s a mean dog and stuff like that.
Exercise and Obedience: The Two Keys to a Balanced German Shepherd.
The guys who are familiar with German Shepherds know that like if you get one and you miss that critical socialization period. Where they learn to make friends, it can be hard to make up for lost uh time, you know and my go-to strategy for that.
The first thing I do is I get up in the morning and I exercise the dogs because I know that there’s an inverse relationship between exercise and anxiety. So, the more I exercise the dog like this, the less reactive he’s going to be towards.
The other dogs are okay, that’s the first thing. The second thing is I really like to go out of my way to firm up my basic obedience, and I teach them an obedience pattern now, I’ve got two things moving in my direction.
I’ve got a nice tired dog, and tired dogs are good dogs, and I’ve got a well-educated dog and a dog that understands that. I expect certain things out of him, and that he has to meet those expectations and to gain access to what he wants.
Which is generally Freedom, he likes to run around, likes to chase a ball, and stuff like that, so we call that pattern overlay, right?
So, I take a familiar pattern, something that dogs are good at, something that we spend a lot of time doing okay, I prefer to fatigue them, and then I begin my remedial socialization process a little bit at a time.
Key Signs in Your German Shepherd’s First Social Encounters.
While all that’s going on, I want you guys to pay very close attention to how he reacts to the dogs, uh, all of a sudden coming out here and being in our area, because usually that initial contact is.
Where you have trouble with the German Shepherd, and I really want you to kind of notice his posture, does his posture change, does his ear set change do do hackles come up, does his tail set change.
When German Shepherds are first introduced could not get him out around other dogs because he just had a complete go to pieces and looked like he was going to kill everybody and that’s the thing that with these German Shepherds.
That you see over and over and over again is you see somebody taking one of them that’s barking and hackling up and looking just super vicious with big threat displays and you know like getting into a big battle with them and then calming them down and amazingly not getting bit.
First Time When The German Shepherd Dogs Introduduce From Others.
The reason behind they’re not getting bit is 99% of the time when you have a German Shepherd especially one that looks like this that’s a little bit undersocialized and he starts making a big threat display.
That’s all it is it’s a big threat display the reason that he’s hackling up the reason that he’s showing the teeth the reason that he’s posturing is to make himself look big and scary in order to create distance between himself.
The things that he feels is threatening him you know and now I’m not saying that none of these German Shepherds will bite anybody and I’m not saying that none of them are you know bad about killing small dogs or humping dogs.
When they’re not supposed to or getting in dog fights whatever yeah of course you know some of them do that but the percentage of German Shepherds.
who bark and Hackle and make threat displays that are actually man Fighters that are actually looking to have uh a true physical conflict with a with a human being is very low.
Drama Over Discipline: The Truth Behind the Act.
The most of the time when you see somebody using this dog theatrically you know using a dog like this as a prop. Basically to make it seem like they have exceptional uh aggressive dog handling skills. well that’s all it is I mean it’s just a you know it’s a parlor trick really.
The Leash Effect: How Stress Travels from Human to Dog.
The owner got to where like whenever a dog would come up he would have a complete go to Pieces. He didn’t know what to do.
So, he would be get real worried and then you have like anxiety from the owner and it’s going down the leash right into the dog and then he had a bad reputation in his neighborhood and at his obedience class.
So, everybody looked at him like he was guilty before he even did anything and like. I said earlier things just have a tendency to spiral out of control.
Have You Faced This With a German Shepherd?
I would like to know if you have seen or had similar experiences with German Shepherds doing that yourself ?? Maybe you’re a dog trainer, someone with deep knowledge about breeds.
Or someone who has personally experienced such a situation, like having a small dog that was harassed by a large German Shepherd.
Or you’ve had the other male dog and a big German Shepherd has hassled you and given you problems.
Training Takes Time:
Let’s try to really use social media for something other than arguing you know. let’s catalog these types of things that happen and see if we can’t come to some type of consensus. On how to deal with it you know and also like.
I feel like it’s very valuable to provide honest feedback about breed specific traits and most people buy dogs hoping they will behave according to their expectations.
But in reality, every breed has its own distinct nature that needs to be understood and this is one of the most common misunderstandings among dog owners.do not match up to the reality of owning this type of dog.
Or whatever kind of dog you know if you admire a breed, be honest about both the good and the bad don’t just glam it up for Instagram. Right and that’s really a huge problem with social media is Jump Cuts.
If you can’t just you know go out with your dog and do some things and not have to make a hundred cuts from a hundred different angles to hold somebody’s attention.
I’m not interested in your opinion because dog training isn’t a whole bunch of 30- second interactions over the course of the day it’s it’s living with a dog all day long and dealing with me.
Not Training, Management Is the Real Foundation
The different types of stuff that wander into and out of your environment over the course of that time so everybody talks about dog training TR but they don’t talk about dog management and basically when you have a dog a young dog or a dog that has problems.
It’s this much management so that you can get this much training and then over the course of time the management requires less because you’ve done more training and at some point ultimately you reach the habituation threshold and the dogs just mind out of habit and that’s something
I’m going to come back up here cameram man and that’s something that you guys have to understand these 30 second do not give you uh like good information related to breed specific traits and tendencies and they give you a false sense of how often or how long it takes to re to reach the habituation threshold with your dog and for the most part they’re actually management strategies not training strategies a management strategy is.
- I’m keeping him leashed for control
- I have some treats in my pocket
- I’m carrying a ball to keep him focused
train a trained dog is in the habit of displaying certain behav avor patterns based on environmental circumstances in other words it has situational awareness.
From Management to Mastery: Understanding the Real Work Behind Dog Training
I have a leash on I have some food in my pocket this is dog management dog training is when you don’t have to use the external or extrinsic motivators okay and that’s what I’m trying to get to and that’s what what you guys have to realize.
So, if you’re going to get a German Shepherd dog or if you’re going to you know get a Labrador Retriever a field bread versus a show bread you need to understand.
How much management and how much training it takes to get them to the point to where they mind out a habit right it’s it’s some passive stuff.
It’s some active stuff and it’s a whole lot of just waiting for the dog to mature through its developmental stages.
Getting to Know the German Shepherd, and Dogs Just Like Them
I want people to look at this article and be able to get a good start when it comes to researching German Shepherds.
The different types of dogs that are available that share this basic set of breed specific traits and tendencies because there are quite a few dogs other than the German Shepherd that are very similar in terms of how they’re built kind of how they look and most importantly how they behave.
FAQ’s
Is a German Shepherd a good pet?
Yes, if you can meet their need for training, exercise, and mental challenges, they make deeply devoted companions.Can a German Shepherd be left alone during the day?
They can handle a few hours alone, but long daily isolation can lead to boredom and unwanted behavior.Is a German Shepherd dog good for home?
In a home that offers structure, activity, and social interaction, they thrive as both protectors and friends.What is the weakness of a German Shepherd?
They’re sensitive to loneliness, need consistent engagement, and can develop joint issues without proper care.
