How to Train a Belgian Sheepdog
- 1). Establish leadership. Your sheepdog has to understand that you are the leader; when there is no leadership, the dog will not respond to commands. Leadership is taught by controlling games, food, sleeping areas and social contact.
- 2). Once leadership is established you can begin training. Using a positive approach is the best way to train a Belgian Sheepdog. You do not need to get heavy-handed or harsh when you train. They respond much better and faster to a training program that focuses on rewarding behavior as opposed to punishing behavior.
- 3). A Belgian Sheepdog should learn to sit, stay, down, heel, stand and come when called. These are your six basic commands that you can start teaching as young as 8 weeks old.
- 4). Belgian Sheepdogs have a lot of energy and need to be exercised on a daily basis. They are also extremely intelligent dogs and you need to provide some mental stimulation for them. Training, tricks and toys are three simple ways to give your dog a daily mental workout.