Category Archives: Training

German Shepherd Dog Training

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The German Shepherd Dog is an old breed originating in Germany and is probably one of the most versatile breeds in existence today. It is a true working breed, although the American Kennel Club classifies it as a herding breed today. It is one of the original breeds used as a seeing-eye guide dog. It continues to be a favorite breed for use in the military, police, and search and rescue. He can easily detect drugs, run down and hold a criminal on the run, and track the scent of a missing child. You will find him at work in Europe patrolling the border with the same vigor he did many, many years ago. The German Shepherd Dog also makes an excellent therapy dog and is a breed that can be counted on in any situation.

German Shepherd Dog training considerations:

o The German Shepherd Dog is highly intelligent and easy to train, given the right circumstances. He will not accept high levels of repetition and can easily become bored. If he finds you boring as trainer, he will create his own entertainment. You can train him in performance events like: obedience, rally, agility, herding, tracking, and Schutzhund. He excels in all areas. You should attend basic obedience classes at a young age and continue to train him from there.

o To train a German Shepherd Dog, focus on positive reinforcement and motivation. Once you know what motivates your dog, this is what will become his reward for learning. There is never any need for physical force in training.

o German Shepherds need strong leaders or they will lead you. The German Shepherd Dog is a not a Labrador and with good reason! He demands respect from his owner, and you should respect the dog. Becoming a strong leader means nothing more than establishing rules and boundaries from day one with your dog. Example of rules could be: increasing impulse control and patience with calmly sitting and waiting for dinner or to go outside; focused eye contact before a toy is thrown; a wait at a boundary line when guests enter the house. There are as many rules available as you can think of, and the dogs will thrive under this situation.

o While establishing rules, it is important to avoid all the ‘myths’ related to being an Alpha. There is no need to dominance roll your dog, and in fact, your dog may view this as threatening and bite you!

o The German Shepherd Dog makes an excellent guardian, but this is instinctual and no training is required. DO NOT ever attempt to ‘train’ in aggression!

o Pure aggression is not desirable in the German Shepherd Dog. Aggression comes from poor genetics, lack of socialization, or lack of training. Some dogs are genetically aggressive, but the more common cases come from lack of training and socialization. German Shepherds are bred to be aloof and suspicious of strangers. Without the proper socialization, they are unable to determine friend from foe. Many cases of dog aggression, territorial aggression, and stranger aggression can and do result from this improper training and socialization.

o German Shepherds can be known to chase anything that moves. Some have more prey drive than others, but know that early training is required to teach your dog to not chase cats, small dogs, or children. He should be taught a ‘leave it’ and an immediate ‘come.’

German Shepherd Dog training should be fun! They are so highly intelligent that training them is a real pleasure. Remember that early and on-going socialization, setting rules, thorough training, and being a respected leader are the most important things when training this breed.

Sales Training Consulting – How to Get the Most Out of Your Investment

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When investing in sales training or any training for that matter, one of the chief concerns is how to maximize the investment. The return on investment when you train sales people is a little easier to quantify versus training in soft skills such as communication, leadership, etc. To calculate the return, you can simply look at the sales numbers before the training and after the training to see the return. However, there are some things to consider to maximize the return on investment. Let’s look at a few steps you can take to ensure you get the most out of your investment.

One way to maximize your investment is to select the right type of firm for the training. A couple of things to look for in a sales training firm are experience in sales and experience in training. There are a lot of consultants that were formerly great sales people, but that does not necessarily make them great sales trainers. Just as selling requires skills unique to selling, training also requires skills unique to training. When selecting a consultant ask about their sales and training background.

To get the most out of the training, the training has to meet certain training standards. Training is not a lecture. In any training program, you want to have a show, model, do process. First you show the salesperson what to do; then you model what to do; then you have them practice what to do. This is really the only way to train sales people. Ideally this is done in a classroom environment on or off the company site.

Another thing to keep in mind is the amount of material that will be covered during the session(s). If you are training on the entire sales process, it is better to cover the material over a period of time. Bringing sales people in for three to five days of “intense” training does not work very well. The reason it doesn’t work is the mind cannot absorbed too much at one time. At the end of three days, what was covered on day one is completely lost. It is better to train over a period of time.

Training over a period of time allows for the development of skills. You may have heard that training and development go together. They do! Training is teaching someone a new skill. Development is helping someone use a skill more effectively. When you invest in sales training consulting you want to make sure the consultant has a process to help your sales people implement what they have learned in the classroom. This does not have to be a complex process. It could range from a checklist to follow-up coaching sessions.

Getting the most out of your training will require a few simple actions. If you follow the suggestions outlined here, you will be successful in getting a good return on your investment.