What "Make Life Easier" Tricks/Behaviors did you Teach Your GSDs?

[EnraaGygas]

Basically, what did you teach your shepherds that made life easier for you or the people around you?

Chase, for instance, knows to step away and let people pass on the sidewalk when he sees them approaching. He's very big and awkward, so rather than ask people to maneuver around him (or pass him closely if they're scared of big dogs) Chase will move to the side and sit or lay down, giving them the majority of the sidewalk. If there's grass, he'll very happily sit or lay there. Sometimes I need to prompt him with "share the sidewalk", but he mostly does it on his own now.

Additionally, I muzzle trained him so if a vet or anyone ever needs to, he's very comfortable with it. He'll voluntarily put his head in.

 

[MyDogBitz]

Crate training I think is at the top of the list. Traveling in vehicles comfortably. Rock solid recall. Loose leash walking. Down-stay. Accepting grooming and handling. OUT command. Stuff like this.

 

[Kaia Murphy]

That’s so sweet, “share the sidewalk” might be one of the most thoughtful commands I’ve heard. It’s awesome that he picked up on it so naturally too.

I really like the idea of muzzle training just as a life skill, I wouldn’t have thought of that, but it makes so much sense. What other things would you say fall into that “everyday manners” category for GSDs? I’m still figuring out what’s worth teaching early on vs what comes later

 

[EnraaGygas]

That’s so sweet, “share the sidewalk” might be one of the most thoughtful commands I’ve heard. It’s awesome that he picked up on it so naturally too.

I really like the idea of muzzle training just as a life skill, I wouldn’t have thought of that, but it makes so much sense. What other things would you say fall into that “everyday manners” category for GSDs? I’m still figuring out what’s worth teaching early on vs what comes later

When the time comes, you can get training kits on Amazon that come with size 1-8 muzzles for like...$30. PERFECT for training! Once Chase is full grown I'll get him his quality "just in case" muzzle, but for now these are perfect for practicing!

 

[RJX]

My pupper will bring me my boots in the morning! It's been a game changer

 

[Malakai The Great]

That’s such a good one, teaching that kind of spatial awareness makes such a difference, especially with a big dog.

For me, one of the best “life skills” I’ve taught mine is “go settle.” Whether it’s guests at the door, dinner time, or I’m working on something that needs focus, that cue sends her straight to her bed to chill until released. It keeps the energy in the house balanced and prevents her from trying to “help” with everything.

Another is “back up.” It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly handy for doorways, tight spaces, or if someone’s uncomfortable around dogs. You can redirect them without touching or crowding.

And I 100% agree on muzzle training, that’s a big one most people overlook until they need it. Making it part of the routine instead of a stressful event changes everything.

What kind of muzzle did you use for Chase? I’m always curious

 

[EnraaGygas]

My pupper will bring me my boots in the morning! It's been a game changer

Love this!

 

[EnraaGygas]

That’s such a good one, teaching that kind of spatial awareness makes such a difference, especially with a big dog.

For me, one of the best “life skills” I’ve taught mine is “go settle.” Whether it’s guests at the door, dinner time, or I’m working on something that needs focus, that cue sends her straight to her bed to chill until released. It keeps the energy in the house balanced and prevents her from trying to “help” with everything.

Another is “back up.” It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly handy for doorways, tight spaces, or if someone’s uncomfortable around dogs. You can redirect them without touching or crowding.

And I 100% agree on muzzle training, that’s a big one most people overlook until they need it. Making it part of the routine instead of a stressful event changes everything.

What kind of muzzle did you use for Chase? I’m always curious

We tried back up and it got confused and Chase just kinda hops backward? Like he moves backwards but he jumps to do it and there’s no finesse, it’s awkward and super weird. Been trying to fix that!

I just bought a pack of 8 cheap muzzles on Amazon ranging from size 1-8. As Chase grows out of them I donate them to the rescue my workplace partners with. When he reaches his full size he’ll get a really good one as an “in case”.

I did teach Chase something similar to settle in case we ever went to a patio, which is “go chill”, where he lays under my feet while I sit in a chair at the table.

 

[murph]

Basically, what did you teach your shepherds that made life easier for you or the people around you?

Chase, for instance, knows to step away and let people pass on the sidewalk when he sees them approaching. He's very big and awkward, so rather than ask people to maneuver around him (or pass him closely if they're scared of big dogs) Chase will move to the side and sit or lay down, giving them the majority of the sidewalk. If there's grass, he'll very happily sit or lay there. Sometimes I need to prompt him with "share the sidewalk", but he mostly does it on his own now.

Additionally, I muzzle trained him so if a vet or anyone ever needs to, he's very comfortable with it. He'll voluntarily put his head in.

• Back up
• Open/close doors at a distance
• No bark
• No rushing open doors
• Four on the floor
• Turning the lights on and off at a distance
• Fetch items (next trick will be to throw away trash)

 

[murph]

That’s such a good one, teaching that kind of spatial awareness makes such a difference, especially with a big dog.

For me, one of the best “life skills” I’ve taught mine is “go settle.” Whether it’s guests at the door, dinner time, or I’m working on something that needs focus, that cue sends her straight to her bed to chill until released. It keeps the energy in the house balanced and prevents her from trying to “help” with everything.

Another is “back up.” It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly handy for doorways, tight spaces, or if someone’s uncomfortable around dogs. You can redirect them without touching or crowding.

And I 100% agree on muzzle training, that’s a big one most people overlook until they need it. Making it part of the routine instead of a stressful event changes everything.

What kind of muzzle did you use for Chase? I’m always curious

I dont know how people live with dogs that don't back up lolol

 

[Mr. Schmucks]

Chase out here restoring the public image of German Shepherds everywhere. Meanwhile mine’s lobbying for the right to own the whole street

 

[murph]

We tried back up and it got confused and Chase just kinda hops backward? Like he moves backwards but he jumps to do it and there’s no finesse, it’s awkward and super weird. Been trying to fix that!

I just bought a pack of 8 cheap muzzles on Amazon ranging from size 1-8. As Chase grows out of them I donate them to the rescue my workplace partners with. When he reaches his full size he’ll get a really good one as an “in case”.

I did teach Chase something similar to settle in case we ever went to a patio, which is “go chill”, where he lays under my feet while I sit in a chair at the table.

To fix this, have you tried doing a come to sit and then walking towards him so he has to take a step back? That's how I taught my dog to back up. It was a lot of come and then take a step forward. Then backing up, come stake steps forward towards the dog to make them back up.

Then we did harder training. Instead of making her come in a straight line, I make her back up in a straight line.

 

[MyDogBitz]

If I was to do one thing different with my dogs it would be to spend way more time on life skills in the beginning vs obedience. This is something I thought about a lot as my dog is getting closer to a year old. He's a nice well behaved dog but it could be better and now I have to address some things that are arousal based:

- Vacuum cleaner desensitizing.
- Door knocking insanity.
- Demanding attention from the family.
- Enjoying grooming vs tolerating grooming.

He hates the vacuum. I started to do some training around this when he was super little but I got away from it too soon and the bad behavior crept back in.

I don't mind him making noise at the door. It's a good deterrent living in the city. But I have to work on him turning down the intensity. It's not terrible by any stretch, but it definitely could be better.

His pack drive is insane. He gets pushy when demanding attention. This is more of a family thing then a dog thing. He'll bring it down a notch if told too, but the family amps him up by giving in to the constant need for physical attention. There could be worse problems but he takes to long to calm down after reaching fever pitch.

I can groom him just fine. But he begrudgingly accepts it. I should spend time making more of a positive association with the entire routine so he actually looks forward to it instead of just accepting it.

 

[murph]

If I was to do one thing different with my dogs it would be to spend way more time on life skills in the beginning vs obedience. This is something I thought about a lot as my dog is getting closer to a year old. He's a nice well behaved dog but it could be better and now I have to address some things that are arousal based:

- Vacuum cleaner desensitizing.
- Door knocking insanity.
- Demanding attention from the family.
- Enjoying grooming vs tolerating grooming.

He hates the vacuum. I started to do some training around this when he was super little but I got away from it too soon and the bad behavior crept back in.

I don't mind him making noise at the door. It's a good deterrent living in the city. But I have to work on him turning down the intensity. It's not terrible by any stretch, but it definitely could be better.

His pack drive is insane. He gets pushy when demanding attention. This is more of a family thing then a dog thing. He'll bring it down a notch if told too, but the family amps him up by giving in to the constant need for physical attention. There could be worse problems but he takes to long to calm down after reaching fever pitch.

I can groom him just fine. But he begrudgingly accepts it. I should spend time making more of a positive association with the entire routine so he actually looks forward to it instead of just accepting it.

I refuse to suffer a barking dog. Even my bichon knows the no bark command

 

[MyDogBitz]

I refuse to suffer a barking dog. Even my bichon knows the no bark command

He's actually not naturally vocal. He doesn't run through the house barking for no reason. The vacuum, he'll whine, hackle, and run back and forth. The misses has been crating him before vacuuming.

He'll bark at the door but it's not repeated over the top insanity. I've had dogs like that in the past. He'll bark a few times, hackle up and run back and forth - which I dislike more than the barking TBH.

 

[murph]

He's actually not naturally vocal. He doesn't run through the house barking for no reason. The vacuum, he'll whine, hackle, and run back and forth. The misses has been crating him before vacuuming.

He'll bark at the door but it's not repeated over the top insanity. I've had dogs like that in the past. He'll bark a few times, hackle up and run back and forth - which I dislike more than the barking TBH.

The only thing that fixed this for me was making my dog do a down stay and vacuuming around her. Murphy used to legit attack the machine.

 

[Malakai The Great]

We tried back up and it got confused and Chase just kinda hops backward? Like he moves backwards but he jumps to do it and there’s no finesse, it’s awkward and super weird. Been trying to fix that!

I just bought a pack of 8 cheap muzzles on Amazon ranging from size 1-8. As Chase grows out of them I donate them to the rescue my workplace partners with. When he reaches his full size he’ll get a really good one as an “in case”.

I did teach Chase something similar to settle in case we ever went to a patio, which is “go chill”, where he lays under my feet while I sit in a chair at the table.

Haha I know exactly what you mean, the “bunny hop” backup. Totally normal at first. He’s probably trying to keep his front feet planted while guessing what you want. I’ve had good luck teaching it along a wall or hallway so they learn to move straight and use their rear legs more intentionally. Slow reps, tiny steps, lots of praise for calm movement.

Love that idea with the muzzles, by the way, that’s an awesome way to help out rescues while working through sizes. And “go chill” is perfect. That kind of cue makes life so much easier in public spaces. It’s like an invisible off switch when you need one.

 

[Malakai The Great]

If I was to do one thing different with my dogs it would be to spend way more time on life skills in the beginning vs obedience. This is something I thought about a lot as my dog is getting closer to a year old. He's a nice well behaved dog but it could be better and now I have to address some things that are arousal based:

- Vacuum cleaner desensitizing.
- Door knocking insanity.
- Demanding attention from the family.
- Enjoying grooming vs tolerating grooming.

He hates the vacuum. I started to do some training around this when he was super little but I got away from it too soon and the bad behavior crept back in.

I don't mind him making noise at the door. It's a good deterrent living in the city. But I have to work on him turning down the intensity. It's not terrible by any stretch, but it definitely could be better.

His pack drive is insane. He gets pushy when demanding attention. This is more of a family thing then a dog thing. He'll bring it down a notch if told too, but the family amps him up by giving in to the constant need for physical attention. There could be worse problems but he takes to long to calm down after reaching fever pitch.

I can groom him just fine. But he begrudgingly accepts it. I should spend time making more of a positive association with the entire routine so he actually looks forward to it instead of just accepting it.

This is such a solid reflection and honestly, one most of us can relate to. It’s easy to get caught up chasing perfect obedience early on and forget that life skills are what really shape day-to-day harmony.

That list hits all the right areas too. The vacuum and doorwork are big ones, those early desensitization windows close fast, but the good news is they’re just as trainable later with patience. I’ve had to revisit that stuff myself more than once.

The family part made me smile, it’s always the toughest variable to “train.” Finding that balance between letting him be affectionate and teaching impulse control around attention is a fine line, but you’re clearly tuned in to it.

Love the mindset about grooming too. Turning “tolerate” into “enjoy” is one of those subtle upgrades that makes a huge difference long-term. You’ve got a great handle on where to go from here.

 

[PopeHolySmoke]

Some things I always teach beyond a rock solid recall, sit, stay, down, etc:
- leave it
- reverse
- come close (sit either perpendicular in front of me or parallel next to me and plaster yourself to my legs with the orientation being situational)
- emergency stop
- too far
- watch me (make eye contact)
- wait to go through doors until released

 

[Sasha_GSD_Rescue]

That’s such a good one, teaching that kind of spatial awareness makes such a difference, especially with a big dog.

For me, one of the best “life skills” I’ve taught mine is “go settle.” Whether it’s guests at the door, dinner time, or I’m working on something that needs focus, that cue sends her straight to her bed to chill until released. It keeps the energy in the house balanced and prevents her from trying to “help” with everything.

Another is “back up.” It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly handy for doorways, tight spaces, or if someone’s uncomfortable around dogs. You can redirect them without touching or crowding.

And I 100% agree on muzzle training, that’s a big one most people overlook until they need it. Making it part of the routine instead of a stressful event changes everything.

What kind of muzzle did you use for Chase? I’m always curious

Also curious about muzzle options for my 9 week old land shark. Especially around my toddler.