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

[Sasha_GSD_Rescue]

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

Like the come close and watch me. How or when do you use watch me?

 

[Brend83]

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.

I taught Rocky to back up by making a narrow path with my coffee table and couch and then I walked toward him and got in his space so he backed up. It also did double duty by teaching him to back up in a straight line since he had no other option.

 

[Brend83]

Like the come close and watch me. How or when do you use watch me?

I personally use it when they are not paying attention to me. VERY useful with puppies who love to get into everything. It’s helpful so they learn to look to you for guidance.