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

PopeHolySmoke said:
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
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Like the come close and watch me. How or when do you use watch me?
 
murph said:
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.
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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.
 
Sasha_GSD_Rescue said:
Also curious about muzzle options for my 9 week old land shark. Especially around my toddler.
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Good question, Sasha and huge props for thinking ahead about safety this early on. At 9 weeks, I wouldn’t recommend using a muzzle just yet unless it’s for very short introduction sessions to get the puppy comfortable wearing one later. At that age, their little noses and heads are still changing fast.

What you can start doing now is muzzle conditioning, letting your pup associate the sight and touch of the muzzle with good things. Let them sniff it, drop treats inside, and make it a fun “game.” That way, by the time you actually need it, it’s second nature and not stressful.

When she’s a bit older (closer to 5–6 months), I’d look at:
  • Baskerville Ultra (Size 1–2) – soft rubber, allows panting and drinking, great for early conditioning.
  • Jafco Clear Puppy Muzzle – super lightweight and gentle for short wear sessions.
For now, with a “land shark,” your best friend will be redirection and structured decompression, tug toys, frozen Kongs, and crate breaks between play with your toddler. You’re doing the right thing by managing interactions instead of waiting for a problem.

How’s the puppy doing with bite inhibition so far?
 
Malakai The Great said:
Good question, Sasha and huge props for thinking ahead about safety this early on. At 9 weeks, I wouldn’t recommend using a muzzle just yet unless it’s for very short introduction sessions to get the puppy comfortable wearing one later. At that age, their little noses and heads are still changing fast.

What you can start doing now is muzzle conditioning, letting your pup associate the sight and touch of the muzzle with good things. Let them sniff it, drop treats inside, and make it a fun “game.” That way, by the time you actually need it, it’s second nature and not stressful.

When she’s a bit older (closer to 5–6 months), I’d look at:
  • Baskerville Ultra (Size 1–2) – soft rubber, allows panting and drinking, great for early conditioning.
  • Jafco Clear Puppy Muzzle – super lightweight and gentle for short wear sessions.
For now, with a “land shark,” your best friend will be redirection and structured decompression, tug toys, frozen Kongs, and crate breaks between play with your toddler. You’re doing the right thing by managing interactions instead of waiting for a problem.

How’s the puppy doing with bite inhibition so far?
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Just wanted to say I LOVE Baskerville muzzles!!! They can eat drink pant and do all the “doggie” things except bite. You can treat your dog through the basket very easily as well.
 
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