An image of a german shepard with their owner - contact Dog Training Elite for your german shephard training in Cleveland, OH.

Professional Training For

German Shepherds

Dog Training Elite in Cleveland Metro

Request Free Assessment


Request Free Assessment


Our German Shepherd Training Could Help:

Excessive barking
Aggression
Separation anxiety
Destructive chewing
Leash pulling
Over-protectiveness
Resource guarding

German Shepherd Training in Cleveland, OH

German Shepherds consistently rank in the top five most popular dog breeds in America—and for good reason. German Shepherds are highly intelligent and loyal. With proper training and socialization, they are also obedient and great with other dogs and children. Not to mention, they’re beautiful!

Dog Training Elite has years of experience with German Shepherd training in Cleveland, OH and has developed obedience programs suitable for this breed. Because of their intelligence and natural herding instincts, German Shepherds can also be trained as service dogs.

Like any intelligent dog, however, a German Shepherd without proper training can become a handful. Their intelligence can lead to stubbornness. Extensive training and socialization are key to harnessing the unique abilities of this breed and diminishing any potential destructive behaviors. Thankfully, the high intelligence of German Shepherds enables them to learn commands quickly.

With our targeted and specialized breed training programs, Dog Training Elite in Cleveland Metro can help any German Shepherd become an incredible companion to individuals and families.

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An image of multiple german shepherd puppies - our Cleveland german shepherd trainers ensure you pup is ready to be the best companion possible.

German Shepherd Puppies vs. Adults


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Dog Training Elite recommends starting dog training as early as possible, soon after a puppy is ready to leave its mother. Puppies are capable of learning basic commands, and smart German Shepherd puppies do great with early training.

If you adopt an older German Shepherd, or never got around to puppy training, don’t worry! Dog Training Elite in Cleveland Metro offers adult dog training programs as well. A complete puppy training typically takes a few months. Adult dog training can take longer or shorter, depending on whether a dog needs to unlearn bad habits in addition to being trained.

Get Your Free Assessment

You and your canine companion really can have it all. See how easy it can be to become a member of the elite pup society by requesting a free consultation today!

Hear From Our Customers

Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Danielle Zaremba
    Feb. 12, 2025
    Dog Training Elite is truly a business with trainers who have a heart and do everything possible to help a dog. I highly recommend Josh and his team for all training needs. CLE Dog Rescue Crew
  • Kevin Mcquade
    Feb. 12, 2025
    The Dog Training Elite Greater Cleveland team demonstrated exceptional patience, knowledge, and experience during my dog's Basic obedience lessons, and their dedication and enthusiasm were the perfect ingredients for achieving rapid progress and lasting results. As a bonus, having a certified Dog behavior expert guided us through the In home dog training process made us feel confident that our furry friend was in capable and knowledgeable hands during the Service Dog Training journey.
  • La Law
    Feb. 12, 2025
    The Dog Training Elite Greater Cleveland team demonstrated exceptional empathy, patience, experience, knowledge, and affection as they helped us work through basic obedience lessons and overcome challenges with our puppy Training needs. Fritz had become the best Pupoy and I cannot say enough good things about everyone - they truly are the best!!
  • Cheryl Willis
    Feb. 12, 2025
    Josh and Lexi were amazing. I have a 1 year old golden retriever I thought untrainable just because he was so rambunctious. Not only were they able to work with me and Dune on training, Dune is now at the end training to become a therapy dog! I can’t not express how much they have worked with him as well as myself. I know have a well mannered dog. It is amazing. Thank you for all you guys do! We can’t what to go on our therapy journey. Cheryl
  • David Rodriguez
    Feb. 10, 2025
    Josh and his team were the greatest of help training my pup. The care and expertise they showed was amazing. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for an incredibly competent training company.
  • david rodriguez
    Feb. 10, 2025
    The patience and encouragement provided by Dog Training Elite Greater Cleveland's Dog Trainer was impressive during the Basic obedience lessons, expertly guiding our pup towards significant improvements.
  • Zach N.
    Apr. 21, 2023
    We cannot recommend Josh and DTE highly enough. He is very knowledgeable and exceptional with our puppy, Noli. He explains things to us in a very clear way and helps us understand how to interact and train our stubborn baby Golden Retriever. Josh is very professional and a great communicator who made scheduling classes very easy and effortless. We look forward to more classes with Josh. Look no further for your dog training needs.
  • Kent H
    Feb. 4, 2025
    Just finished training for our 15 lbs dog Winston. NIGHT AND DAY transformation! Before, Winston would bark non stop when guests were at our house, it was very frustrating, we felt we had tried everything online. Winston went in for the 1 week session and by Wednesday already had a majority of the learning done. This team is just incredible. Cannot recommend enough :)
  • Candice Parr
    Feb. 4, 2025
    Elite training is top-notch. I interviewed several facilities before we decided on Kevin & Andrea and their incredible team. We have been through a few trainings so far and see such a difference in our Brutus already! After we committed to Elite we mentioned it to a friend and she said her Pup had gone through the training and went above and beyond praising Elite and their caring staff. If you want someone with years of experience and treat both yourself and your Pup(s) with respect you want Elite. I procrastinated too long so as they say, just do it, and you will never look back!! A+++++++
  • Lisa Edwards
    Feb. 3, 2025
    I can't say enough wonderful things about my experience with Josh and Dog Training Elite. In Jan 2024, my mother and unexpectedly inherited a Cane Corso mix, an 85 lb flight risk, aggressive towards human and other animals. Josh came all the way to Akron and helped us. His training methods, patience and knowledge saved the dog's life. Today she he runs off leash and responds immediately to the commands. Thank you Josh!!
  • david silberstein
    Feb. 2, 2025
    David my German Shepherd Zeke would highly recommend Dog Training Elite Kevin , Andria are awesome really are compassionate about training Zeke is really making amazing progress very satisfied highly recommend Dog Training Elite.
  • Lance Matthews
    Jan. 31, 2025
    Josh and Lexi with Dog Training Elite are outstanding. Lexi has done wonders with my Vizsla puppy. She is being trained as my service dog; I am a disabled Vet. It is necessary for me to have a dog for specific tasks. Their commitment with training is nothing short of exemplary. Josh will be taking additional time for additional training so my pup can transition to a working dog.
  • James Hand
    Jan. 31, 2025
    They far exceeded our expectations. Josh and Lexiwere always patient and with our dog and us. I could not control Miles and now she is off leash. I would recommend them to everyone and can’t say enough good things about our experience.
  • Sean Hartnett
    Jan. 20, 2025
    Kevin was an incredible trainer for my dog, very patient & kind. Learned my dogs temperament fast & adjusted training for his personality which worked great!
  • Veronica Issac
    Jan. 18, 2025
    Great team of trainers! I have been skeptical of the use of e-collars for training but we needed something different to help with reactivity. The owners are wonderful. They come to you. They sat with me during our evaluation to understand what my pup needed. As a single person with a job with long hours, the yrainers have been very flexible with scheduling. They have been so patient with our training, working through real world scenarios. My pup has made such progress. And best of all, we have access to training for the life of my pup. I'm so grateful to have found Dog Training Elite Northeast OH. It has been such an enjoyable experience.
  • Michael Conley
    Jan. 10, 2025
    I'm am so happy that we found DTE. The Johnsons treat every dog like they are one of their own. They go above and beyond to cater to your training needs. Having used other trainers in the past, DTE far exceeded my expectations and highly recommended them. Thank you Kevin, Andresla, Jimmy and Dennis!
  • Erin Kelly
    Jan. 6, 2025
    Lexi was great to work with! We are so glad we now have the knowledge and skills to continue training our puppy. Happy we started with the puppy classes and then advanced, as she had a lot of the basics down and just needed to apply it to the ecollar. Also really love that they come and do in home sessions!
  • Dana Raponi
    Jan. 4, 2025
    Josh demonstrated exceptional patience, experience, knowledge, kindness, and professionalism throughout our entire experience, from the initial conversation and assistance with getting our E collar set up and working to our in-home dog training sessions. The expertise of their trained dog behavior expert in Basic obedience lessons a was invaluable, making the entire process seamless and highly effective. We have learned so much and it is only going to make us better dog parents as well, and it is also helped to make the transition for our new pup into our home with our other dogs! So very highly recommended!!!
  • Joseph Schafer
    Dec. 20, 2024
    Great experience very thorough and knowledgeable. Very detailed made our experience and handling our dog a breeze
  • Nicole Scholl
    Dec. 20, 2024
    Josh and his team of trainers are absolutely the best. Their professionalism, caring and knowledge made our family and dog training a breeze. In 2 weeks we had an amazing obedient dog!
A dog owner with his German Shepherd - get your professional german shepherd training in Cleveland, OH with Dog Training Elite today.

In-Home German Shepherd Training

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Dog Training Elite offers specialized in-home German Shepherd training for both owners and dogs of any age. Working with a German Shepherd and the owner directly in the home allows dog trainers to create personalized training plans for individual dogs, as well as address any unique needs or issues.

Once a dog has completed in-home training, they can take group classes for more in-depth training - Dog Training Elite in Cleveland Metro offers both puppy and adult dog group classes.

Beginning training in the home also helps owners bond with their dogs so when the dog trainer leaves, no progress is lost.

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German Shepherd Training Tips

German Shepherds are loyal and intelligent dogs that require a thoughtful approach to training. They are eager learners, but they also need structure and clear guidance to reach their full potential.

Here are some essential training tips for German Shepherds.

Dogs, and especially German Shepherds, do best with consistency. Always make sure to use the same verbal and/or physical cues during training to avoid any confusion. Also, be consistent about rules - establish at the beginning, for example, whether or not your dog is allowed on the couch. Then, don’t change the rule under any circumstances.
German Shepherds are an energetic breed - if you don’t have a yard for your dog to play in, that’s fine, but make sure your German Shepherd gets daily exercise through walking, hiking, etc. An energetic dog with little to no exercise can become a destructive, disobedient dog.

Since German Shepherds are historically trained as working dogs, they thrive on being busy. Training is a great way to give German Shepherds the mental stimulation they need.

A group of dogs being trained by the expert team at Dog Training Elite in Cleveland Metro.
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Victory Begins With Elite Education

An adorable German Shepherd with their owner - Dog Training Elite is your go-to choice for Cleveland german shepherd trainers.

Your Expert German Shepherd Trainers in Cleveland, OH

The Dog Training Elite Difference

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Dog Training Elite uses modern training methods focused on balance and bonding between dog and dog owner. Dog Training Elite never resorts to the use of punishment to help dogs unlearn bad behavior. The difference becomes clear when comparing a dog that is trained out of anxiety and intimidation vs a dog who truly desires to please from the inside out.

The Dog Training Elite training theory is mostly based around classical conditioning, also known as the Pavlovian method or respondent conditioning. This includes developing conditioned or automatic reflexes to commands. In its simplest form (after proper conditioning), when an owner says "sit," their dog automatically sits without thinking about it.

Through a combination of commands and an electronic collar, dogs learn to follow commands at once. The electronic collar is not a shock collar; it is a gentle electronic pulse, similar to the tug of a leash, used to get the dog’s attention. Other dog trainers use harsh static collars or spray collars which have been shown to be less effective. Dog Training Elite’s training methods nurtures a dog's loving and naturally obedient nature.

Ready to turn your dog into a loyal and loving companion? Contact Dog Training Elite today for professional German Shepherd training in Cleveland, OH!