Is your Shepherd lashing out at other dogs during walks? Not sure how to calm your dog in such situations?
Training your dog with patience is the key! Especially when you have a larger dog like King Shepherd.
If you’re unsure how to do it, here is what you need to know.
Training a reactive shepherd can be challenging at the start, but it’s not complicated. It’s just a matter of time.
Techniques to Train Your Reactive Shepherd
Here are a few techniques to get started with training your reactive dog. These strategies are straightforward.
Don’t forget to have a bunch of treats in your pocket to reward your dog while practicing!
Avoid Trigger Situations Till the Dog is Trained
If you see your Shepherd react quite often, avoid situations that trigger such aggressive behavior. Training takes constant practice. Take time out and train your dog for a couple of minutes every day.
Once you’ve mastered the techniques, it should be easy to control your dog even in extreme situations. But until then, practice in the absence of other dogs.
Practice Watch Technique
This technique aims to get your dog to focus on you rather than the surroundings. Practice at home without the presence of other dogs or strangers.
It helps you take authority over a situation and gets your dog to limit or eliminate the aggressive behavior. Lure your dog with a command, and ensure it looks at you.
And then reward it with treats. Once you’ve trained it at home, head out of the door and apply this technique when you see your dog behave aggressively in front of other dogs.
Reverse Sit Technique
It’s another exercise to shift your dog’s focus to you from the surroundings. Train with the leash on. Treat your dog once it obeys your command and sits in front of you.
It’s a simple technique, and all it takes is timing and calculated movements with the leash. It’s an effective strategy to distract your dog from the distractions.
Practice this with your dog daily at home. Once it knows what to do on your command, practice the same when outside to control your dog in real situations better.
Sign up for a Training Class
If your dog doesn’t seem to follow your instructions even after regular training, you can sign up for a dog training class for better results.
Behavioral sessions are beneficial to calm your dog during intense situations. Training a powerful dog can be challenging, but it just takes practice and time.
Wrapping it Up
Once your dog learns the techniques, you need to get it to practice in real situations. Only then will it stay less aggressive. Repetition method and behavior training sessions can help control situations with ease.
A practical method is the watch technique to shift its focus towards you. It’s impactful and helps get better control over your dog when it barks and lunges.
If you’ve got a Shepherd pup, training the puppy right from the beginning helps. Try practicing in distracting situations for better results after the initial training.