OverWatch K9 Academy

Jul 11, 2024 3:27:50 PM

While their confidence and independent thinking is a great representation of what makes a German Shepherd special it can also lead to some unwanted behaviors.

German Shepherds are commonly argued to be the most intelligent breed of dog, and for a good reason, they are quick to learn new behaviors! Their love for rewards and high energy level is what gives them this high credit. Being easily and highly motivated greatly assists in the obedience training process. 

Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz is the man who created the German Shepherd Dog, back in 1899. Germany had incredible farm dogs who were used for herding and guarding livestock. Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz wanted to fine tune these farm dogs into a consistent, confident, fearless dog with a standard. His standards led to the creation of several tests in order to make sure only the best dogs were being bred. These were made to test intelligence, agility, protection, and most importantly, a stable temperament. Only the dogs that passed this test proved they were ready to be bred to pass on their genetics.

With the German Shepherd being bred for various jobs in mind, they carry on a higher high prey and defensive drive – they can be high in one and lower in the other, or high in both simultaneously. Detection, apprehension, and family protection requires different levels of drive to fit into the desired job. We start with the correct genetics and mold the natural behaviors that are offered. 

As they can have varying levels of prey and defensive drive, both are the common cause for their daily behaviors. For example, barking at strangers on a walk could be out of excitement, prey drive, or defensive drive, and our methodology of training that we approach the behavior with can vary according to the root of the behavior. 

German Shepherds bond closely with their people, making them commonly motivated to perform obedience simply for the reward of pleasing their owner. German Shepherds are known for their loyalty and can be needy for attention while also having a bit of an independent streak. With good confidence levels they are quick to wander off to check out things that they deem interesting, or to make decisions on their own.

While their confidence and independent thinking is a great representation of what makes a German Shepherd special it can also lead to some unwanted behaviors, such as difficulty recalling when there’s distractions, or barking at a person on your walk.

When their higher energy is combined with confidence these loveable goofballs can give you a full body slam in an attempt to hug you out of excitement, and while the love is appreciated we all would prefer all four paws on the ground with a great physical love patting him up session! 

Throughout our training program we take their drive and channel it into the obedience, keeping their personality and energy intact. Through counter conditioning we can manipulate behaviors. We manipulate behaviors by teaching what obedience to offer in exchange for the reward that he ultimately wants, which may be physical love or a tennis ball or some treats.

Pairing an e-collar into the training takes the obedience to the next level, allowing for secure off leash recalls. What’s better than being able to watch your dog be a dog and go for a run in a field, playing fetch or just having a blast, and know when you recall he’s going to come back? And not because of avoiding a correction, but because he’s excited to get a paycheck. 

OverWatch K9 Academy’s owners, Joey & Paige Morris, have extensive experience working with German Shepherds. Paige grew up owning them and began training them at eight years old. Joey imported, trained and supplied German Shepherds for military and police use. They’re the #2 most common breed that we work with, and we absolutely love being apart of it. Meet our dog trainers, or contact us for more information on our dog training.

As we love to say – we can’t help you love your dog anymore than you already do, but we can help you enjoy them more!