German Shepherds make great pets and are one of the most versatile and hardest working dogs in the world. They can be trained to do almost anything and are often trained to be police dogs or other service dogs. Because of their versatility, training German Shepherds needs to be approached a little different than most other dogs. Read on then check the links at the bottom for some great dog training resources. German Shepherds are athletic, strong, and relatively large for a dog. They love challenges and will do almost anything if you show them what you want. Before you start, there are some things you need to know about training German Shepherds and the dog breed in general. When they are young, they can be very excitable and rambunctious. Because of their large size even when young, there can be problems knocking over the elderly or small children that may be around. They aren’t being aggressive or mean, this is just because of their size and nature. Letting your dog know this is not acceptable is one area you really need to address right away with your German Shepherd training. If left alone, they can also be quite destructive because of their size and excitability. A bored puppy or young dog can destroy a house if left alone without any stimulation. It is important that you socialize any dog to make sure they are comfortable around other people and dogs. German Shepherds are no exception. You need to put them in non-threatening situations where they are around people and other dogs. This should prevent them from developing aggression issues towards strangers or other dogs. There are several ways to go around training German Shepherds. The first way is to sign up for professional dog training. This can be quite expensive, though, and tie you to a specific class time one or more times a week. If you miss a week, you may come in the next week and find out your dog doesn’t know what the other dogs do and you are now on your own catching up. A potentially better and certainly cheaper way to train your German Shepherd is to buy a dog training book. This will cost you a lot less than professional training class and for most dogs this will provide all the training information you need. If you have a problem dog, you may have to look into professional help, but I would try the DIY method first. You are going to have to be involved in training process either way so why not try to do it at home when you want to. In my opinion, there are 2 keys to German Shepherd training and pretty much all dog training. First, you must be consistent and use simple commands. Second, you must use positive reinforcement. Your dog wants to please you more than you can imagine so make sure you praise them when they do a good job. Do yourself a favor and download the Secrets to Dog Training to learn all the secrets you need to know to make your training experience a pleasant and rewarding one. Good luck with your new pet!