This may cause a stir but let's have the conversation and try to avoid embroiled debate. Let's look for synergy, not conflict.
I bring this up because all too often new and seasoned owners of GSD no matter if entering for the first time or reinforcing existing training miss the space between bonding and training. Training on command is essentially like "circus tricks" learned through rewards. Pavlovian. And, while it is effective and works what is missing is the natural instinct and heart of the dog. The drive in dogs is not prey which is purely and only for acquiring food. The real drive is emotion. Emotion creates the motivation for dogs. It's why we can see they operate in the moment and shift attention like an uber-ADHD personality. And, it's why they continuously give unconditional love and gratitude.
Begs the question, how to train or institute good behavior and still allow the dog to be a dog in its natural self, as an individual? As the founder of Natural Dog Training program, Kevin Behan (deceased, 2019), put it, (paraphrased) "People tend to try to find the human in the dog but what's actually happening is the dog is trying to find the dog in the human."
The former is why people have so much trouble getting training to stick and that it works whenever and wherever without fail. This is why I enjoy and revel in Kevin's training of humans for dog companionship. His father brought the theory of dominance heirarchy among wolves to dog and its human to this country in the middle of the last century. He grew up immersed and surrounded by dog training for a good part of his life and continued his father's legacy and adding a good education and evolving interest he was able to distill biologically, sociologically and psychologically what is going on for the domesticated dog no matter their breed.
I urge you read/listen to his book Your Dog Is Your Mirror which can be found on his website.
Here is an inkling into his findings about this and philosophy in his YouTube video,
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I bring this up because all too often new and seasoned owners of GSD no matter if entering for the first time or reinforcing existing training miss the space between bonding and training. Training on command is essentially like "circus tricks" learned through rewards. Pavlovian. And, while it is effective and works what is missing is the natural instinct and heart of the dog. The drive in dogs is not prey which is purely and only for acquiring food. The real drive is emotion. Emotion creates the motivation for dogs. It's why we can see they operate in the moment and shift attention like an uber-ADHD personality. And, it's why they continuously give unconditional love and gratitude.
Begs the question, how to train or institute good behavior and still allow the dog to be a dog in its natural self, as an individual? As the founder of Natural Dog Training program, Kevin Behan (deceased, 2019), put it, (paraphrased) "People tend to try to find the human in the dog but what's actually happening is the dog is trying to find the dog in the human."
The former is why people have so much trouble getting training to stick and that it works whenever and wherever without fail. This is why I enjoy and revel in Kevin's training of humans for dog companionship. His father brought the theory of dominance heirarchy among wolves to dog and its human to this country in the middle of the last century. He grew up immersed and surrounded by dog training for a good part of his life and continued his father's legacy and adding a good education and evolving interest he was able to distill biologically, sociologically and psychologically what is going on for the domesticated dog no matter their breed.
I urge you read/listen to his book Your Dog Is Your Mirror which can be found on his website.
Here is an inkling into his findings about this and philosophy in his YouTube video,
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