My 5-month GSD won't obey without treats. Is professional training best?

Well Bruno is still very young and learning how to behave. I would recommend getting a trainer involved to help you with basic commands (sit, come,stay). Also waking on a leash takes time. Try and use positive rewards like treats.

Your best option is to have a professional trainer come to your home and evaluate her during these situations. They will be able to give you the best advice. Behavior issues are not quick fixes and if you don't know what you are doing you could make the dog worse instead of better. These types of behaviors should be handled by a professional. You need to catch this before she gets worse. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to rectify (especially in a dog like a German Shepherd). I don't know where you are located so just do a google search for in-home professional dog trainers in your area or you can probably get a reference from your veterinarian. Here are some random ones `i found in India but I don't know if any are close to you: ( http://www.k9school.in/ ) ( http://cochindogtrainingacademy.com/ ) ( http://www.woodstockdogs.com/ )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These types of behavior can improve though this does require in person training with the help of a qualified dog trainer. I would encourage you to contact a dog trainer that can work with you and Bruno in person to really take care of this behavior. The sooner these behaviors are dealt with, the more likely it is that you can improve and resolve them. Good luck and have a great day!

Ideally, a dog should work for your praise rather than a treat or toy. The fact that she walks away when you try a recall tells me that you are working her off-lead before she has become reliable on-lead. And when you go after her, it turns into a game of "catch me if you can" for her.If possible, enroll her in a basic obedience class. Do all of her training with her on the leash until she performs well every time. Keep practice sessions short--about ten minutes--but always end on a positive note. If you need more info, you can click on the prompt to initiate a consult. By the way . . . I have Suomenpystykorva, FInland's National Dog! Good luck with your training.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! German Shepherds are highly intelligent an highly trainable dogs. I recommend hiring a trainer and nipping this in the bud now. German Shepherds are also very large and can be aggressive to strangers as adults so being able to control Bentley is very important. I would start with sit, stay, and leave it. Purchase the gentle leader harness that goes on the muzzle. Use that for all walks. Bring treats on the walk and when he tries to jump have him sit. Once he sits he gets a treat. Jumping is unacceptable in a dog his size and is one of the hardest bad habits to break. He should not be allowed to jump on people. The gentle leader allows great control of the head. I hope this helps and I wish you the very best!

GSD are already very high strung and skittish dogs so you really need to get a handle on this before it gets worse. Most often GSDs will resort to fear biting if they are uncomfortable around people. You need to get a trainer to work with you at your house, in her environment. Behavior issues are not a quick fix - they take a lot of time, training and dedication. There is nothing magical I can tell you over the internet to fix this. With a GSD you need professional intervention with a trainer in your home so they can see how she interacts with people, what her triggers are, etc. Here is a trainer in your area. I am not endorsing her as I do not know her in any way. I suggest you contact her and see if she can help you. If not, maybe she can refer you to someone who can. https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/Debi_Buchholz Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is certainly possible and recommended but this usually requires in person training by a qualified dog trainer. I recommend you consider contacting a qualified dog trainer to work with you in person. Good luck and have a good day!