Puppies are cute and fun but owning one comes with responsibilities, and German shepherd puppy training is an essential component to ensure that your puppy grows into a well behaved dog.

The first and most important aspect about training a German shepherd puppy is house training. A very young puppy needs constant supervision, because the puppy will not know where to use the bathroom. A crate or gated area should be constructed for the puppy to stay in while you are not around. This is not the area you will be training the puppy to use the bathroom in, but in the early stages of training, laying down pads and newspapers within the gated area is a precaution to take which will protect your floors in case your puppy has an accident.

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While you are around your German shepherd puppy, watch over him carefully, and as soon as he starts to use the bathroom indoors the best thing to do is to carry the puppy outdoors and command “Outside”. Take your puppy outdoors as often as possible on a leash in order to teach him that outdoors is where they should be using the bathroom. When you take him outdoors, use one phrase or command to tell your puppy when to use the bathroom, so that he will learn to respond to this and recognize that it is time to use the bathroom when you say the command. Designate one spot in your yard where you want the puppy to use the bathroom and only repeat that exact command at that location so he learns that this location is the only place that is acceptable to use the bathroom. When the puppy uses the bathroom in the right location outdoors, praise him well. Eventually as your German shepherd puppy grows accustomed to using the bathroom in that spot and knowing that it is right due to your appraisal, it will become habitual for your growing puppy to use the bathroom only outdoors.

The innocent and rambunctious behavior of puppies is natural, therefore it may be difficult to distinguish between what types of behavior are natural and acceptable, and the behaviors which need to be corrected while learning to train German Shepard puppies.

House training is the first step to developing the good behaviors in a German shepherd puppy, but as they get older there may be other behaviors which can be corrected with the help of a puppy trainer.