- Sep 7, 2025
- 76
- 80
You ever have one of those moments where you realize your German Shepherd is about three steps ahead of you? Yeah… that was me last week.
So, picture this: it’s early morning, I’ve got my coffee in one hand and a tug toy in the other. My girl’s staring at me like she’s about to either train with me or train me, jury’s still out. We’re working on “drop it,” which, according to her, translates to “chew faster before Dad steals it.”
I ask her to drop. She freezes. Looks me dead in the eye. Then drops the tug… directly into her water bowl. Perfect aim. Splash everywhere. She sits, tail wagging, clearly proud of her work.
Technically, she obeyed the command. Practically, she won.
Moments like that remind me why I love this breed, they’re sharp, driven, and a little too clever for their own good. You can’t train a German Shepherd by just giving commands. You’ve got to communicate. You’ve got to earn that respect, and if you don’t, they’ll find loopholes you didn’t even know existed.
Since that day, I’ve been working more on clarity, patience, and making our training sessions about teamwork instead of control. She still finds ways to mess with me, but it’s part of the fun.
If you’ve got a smart, stubborn, or just too intelligent German Shepherd, you know what I mean. These dogs don’t just learn commands, they learn you.
Anyone else been outsmarted by their dog lately? I’d love to hear your stories. Misery loves company… and apparently, so do German Shepherds.
So, picture this: it’s early morning, I’ve got my coffee in one hand and a tug toy in the other. My girl’s staring at me like she’s about to either train with me or train me, jury’s still out. We’re working on “drop it,” which, according to her, translates to “chew faster before Dad steals it.”
I ask her to drop. She freezes. Looks me dead in the eye. Then drops the tug… directly into her water bowl. Perfect aim. Splash everywhere. She sits, tail wagging, clearly proud of her work.
Technically, she obeyed the command. Practically, she won.
Moments like that remind me why I love this breed, they’re sharp, driven, and a little too clever for their own good. You can’t train a German Shepherd by just giving commands. You’ve got to communicate. You’ve got to earn that respect, and if you don’t, they’ll find loopholes you didn’t even know existed.
Since that day, I’ve been working more on clarity, patience, and making our training sessions about teamwork instead of control. She still finds ways to mess with me, but it’s part of the fun.
If you’ve got a smart, stubborn, or just too intelligent German Shepherd, you know what I mean. These dogs don’t just learn commands, they learn you.
Anyone else been outsmarted by their dog lately? I’d love to hear your stories. Misery loves company… and apparently, so do German Shepherds.