A sound temperament is a must in a German Shepherd Dog (GSD). By
sound, I mean a disposition where one minute you can let a
protection trained GSD play alone with your 5-year old child,
pull on its ears, pet its head, tug on its tail and NEVER-EVER
be in harms way; while the next minute, it should turn into the
"terminator" and crush its enemies as soon as it senses an
intruder.
There are three conventional methods of dog training that you
can choose from in order to train you German Shepherd Dog (GSD).
They are training with treats, training with treats and
clickers, and training with praise. All three methods of
training will work; however, there is one that stands out from
the rest. That is, oral praise. Why? Because you want your dog
to listen to your commands even when you don't have any toys,
clickers, and/or food. Imagine you dog wanting to jump at your
every command simply because it wants your praise and love and
not because you are going to bribe it with treats. Once your dog
gets used to getting treats for performance, it will cease to
perform when you don't have any more treats left. So, treat your
GSD with kindness, and train it with praise!
Training a
GSD which has not been genetically selected for working ability
is that much more difficult than one that has already been
selected for that trait. In my opinion, the age-old debate about
beauty vs. functionality of the pure-bread GSD dog was settled
by the founder of the German Shepherd Dog breed, Captain Max Von
Stephanitz, when he said in his book,"...Utility is the true
criterion of beauty..." (The German Shepherd Dog in Word and
Picture, pg. 163). Many American GSDs today have been selected
for beauty rather than functionality in order to win dog shows.
In many of these dog shows, obedience and showmanship are
separate events and a dogs' working ability is never considered
in events where the dogs are required to meet breed standards.
Hence, you have the decline of the traits for which the breeds
were originated for in the first place. So when you set out to
buy your dream GSD, look for temperament, health, and working
ability first, and beauty last.
The importance of beauty,
however, should not be ignored when it comes to posing your dog
for a memorable photograph. Unlike other breeds, GSD's are shown
differently in the breed ring. The proper method for posing your
GSD for the breed judges is called a "stack". "Stacking" is the
method whereby one allows the forequarters of a dog to be shown
parallel to one another when looking through the viewfinder of a
camera and when one allows the hindquarters of the GSD to be
arranged so that the limb facing the camera is placed backward
while the limb facing away from the camera is placed forward.
Most professional handlers who pose their GSD's for
photographers walk them into a "stack" instead of artificially
manipulating them into it. If you plan to stack your GSD for a
professional snapshot, remember to compose the image in such a
way as to depict it from the tip of its nose to the tip of its
hindquarters; NO MORE, NO LESS (please visit my web site to view
photographs of how a GSD is stacked for the camera).
These topics cover just the tip of the iceberg when it comes
to knowing the German Shepherd Dog breed. You can learn more
about the GSD by visiting my web site or by getting involved in
breed organizations like the German Shepherd Dog Club of America
(GSDCA). With a little more reading, you can become familiar
with this wonderful breed and all that it has to offer. And then
perhaps you can decide whether this is the right breed for you
or not.
About the Author:
Armen T. Ghazarians offers advice, information, and articles
regarding many aspects professional dog training for all those
who are not professional dog trainers themselves. For more
articles like this one, visit his website at
http://www.newdogtrainingsecrets.com.
