We’ll look at the best German commands to train your dog and the benefits of training your dog in German. While it isn’t to difficult to train a puppy using German, older dogs may need more time, training, and patience to adapt to the new commands.
Benefits of German Dog Commands
There are several benefits for training your dog to respond to German dog commands:
It is Easy for Your Dog to Distinguish Commands from Speaking
When you use a foreign language for dog commands, it is quite discernable for your dog to distinguish between giving your dog a command from speaking to friends or family.
Related: How To Teach A Dog To Speak
German Commands Are Distinctive and Clear
Because German uses an imperative form of the verb for commands, the words are generally concise, distinctive, and easy to learn.
Reteach a Behavior in a More Effective Way
If your dog struggles to follow a particular command in English, you could reteach the command using the German word so that the dog doesn’t confuse it with the old command that produced poor results. There are no old associations with the German command so that you can reteach the skill more correctly.
Related: The Best Dog Training Books
Impress Your Friends
Not only are German commands fun to say, but it can impress your friends that your dog responds to a foreign language. It is a practical party trick and a great conversation topic.
Training A Dog to Understand Dog Commands in German
Training your dog to respond to German commands will take patience, time, and repetition. It’s best to teach these commands to your dog when they are a puppy because they are malleable and eager to learn.
Start When Your Dog is a Puppy
When starting with a puppy, teaching them in German will be no different than teaching them in English because they don’t have pre-existing associations. Use the German words to introduce the desired command, and remember to have patience.
Teaching an Old Dog New Commands
Because it takes older dogs longer to learn new tricks and commands, be patient. It may take more time and more repetition, but you can teach your old dog to respond to German commands.
Related: Dog Training
Learn to Pronounce and Teach Basic German Commands
The American Kennel Club recommends teaching your dog these basic commands before expanding to more advanced. Although, before you can teach your dog, you’ll need to learn how to pronounce these basic German dog commands:
- Sit: Sitz (zitz)
- Down: Platz (plah-tz)
- Stay: Bleib (blibe)
- Here/Come: Hier (hee-r)
- Heel: Fuss (foos)
Teach One German Command to Your Dog at a Time
The best way to teach German commands is to teach one German command at a time. If you try to teach multiple commands, it can become overwhelming and confusing for your dog. Whether you are training a puppy or an older dog, you’ll need to:
- Speak clearly
- Don’t rush
- Don’t combine with other learning behaviors
- Be consistent
- Use positive reinforcement
Teaching an Old Dog
If you teach an old dog a German command for an English command they already know, you will want to use both the English and German commands together. Then slowly eliminate the English command to see if the dog responds to the German command correctly.
Use Treats for Teaching German Commands to Dogs
Many owners and trainers prefer to use dog treats to reward their dogs with positive reinforcement when teaching their dog a new command. By using treats, you can do several repetitions using a treat for a reward. You want to keep the treat hidden so that the dog doesn’t expect the treat until they perform the command.
But you also need to be careful to choose a dog treat that is the appropriate size when training your dog. Training treats are a smart choice because they are generally small tasty treats that can highly motivate dogs but are not high calories, so you don’t risk overfeeding your dog while training.
Rogue Pet Science makes all-natural Solo Training Treats for Dogs made from a single ingredient with no preservatives or binders. Made from smoked tuna and salmon, these small pellet treats contain no dyes, by-products, sugars, or flavor tricks, making the Solo Training Treats a favorite among trainers.
The Right Treat Makes All The Difference.
Rogue Pet Science Solo Training Treats will have your dog learning in no time. Designed for all breeds and ages – it’s never too late to teach an old dog a new trick.
Teach Advanced Dog Commands in German
Once your dog has mastered the basic dog commands, then you can teach more advanced commands in German like:
- Jump: Hopp (hup)
- Speak: Gib Laut ( gib l-owt)
- Go: Lauf (low-f)
- No: Nein (Nine)
- Stop: Halt
- Stand: Steh (Sh-tay)
- Good Dog; Braver Hund (bra-ver who-nd)
- Fetch: Bring
- Let Go: Aus (ow-ss)
Related: The Best German Dog Commands
Using German Dog Commands is a Cool Way to Train Your Dog
When you use German commands for training your dog, it will make it easy for your dog to distinguish between a command and speaking. And using short, distinctive German is a unique and fun way to train your dog and impress your friends.
Rogue Pet Science recommends using their all-natural pet treats and chews to help train your dog. Rogue Pet Science makes natural, high protein, and nutritious dog treats that improve your dog’s health.
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