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

Professional Training For

German Shepherds

Dog Training Elite Indianapolis

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 Indianapolis, IN

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 Indianapolis, IN 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 Indianapolis can help any German Shepherd become an incredible companion to individuals and families.

See Training Packages
An image of multiple german shepherd puppies - our Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis 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

  • Kaylene Graber
    Jun. 7, 2025
    Elijah did a wonderful job explaining all the steps in the process of training. He was thorough with what those steps look like he provided great examples of videos of the scent test and then he provided a real life example of the obedience training with his own dog Ash thank you for working with us and our family. We can’t wait to start training!
  • Jessica Beecher
    Jun. 6, 2025
    Dog training elite of Indianapolis has been amazing from the start. Every staff member has been polite and helpful. Elijah has been a god send. Having a child need a service dog presents many challenges. Elijah has not ony been amazing with the dog but with my child who is training the dog. His calm demeanor and patience is refreshing.
  • Corrie Marlowe
    May. 30, 2025
    The whole team and Our trainer Elijah is wonderful. He's a great problem solver at figuring out what your individual dog needs. He makes learning commands easy to understand. He has a passion for what he does and it comes through with each session. We couldn't have had a better trainer. It's obvious he loves what he does. We couldn't have picked a better company to help us train our DAD (Diabetic Alert Dog). Shadow is in the best hands.
  • Natalie Eden
    May. 30, 2025
    We are 2 sessions into training our dog, and the results are amazing. Eli is so knowledgeable and articulate. He really explains what we are doing, and also why we are doing it. The attention to detail is wonderful, and we have seen amazing changes in just one week. I am excited to see how well Murphy does in another month! I would absolutely recommend Dog Training Elite to anyone who wants to see change with their dog.
  • Jordyn Strong
    May. 23, 2025
    Josh has been absolutely incredible with our Duke. He explains each skill in detail, providing demonstrations, and having us demonstrate as well. He always takes the time to answer our questions, even beyond basic obedience skills.
  • Candace Harlan
    Apr. 22, 2025
    We were very happy with our trainer. He was very helpful and gave us a lot of information to help us with our training.
  • Evan Pulliam
    May. 21, 2025
    Having your dog trained can be a big step for owners. Whether that’s cost, time commitment, and questioning whether it’s successful or not. After sending my dog to Dog Elite Training I truly understood a different meaning to ownership and companionship. From the convenience of dropping off and picking up, to success from the trainings, and pure enthusiasm the staff brought everyday. I couldn’t recommend Dog Elite Training enough. As much as the training is for your pet, it’s more for their owner. Within 10 days of training I can no go about my day and enjoy every second with my dog without stress or worry. Having pure trust in my dog is now something I’ll have for a very long time.
  • Cat Coates
    May. 17, 2025
    Josh was absolutely amazing, every single time. He always showed professionalism, friendliness, compassion, expertise, communicativeness, patience, flexibility and humor. Our dog is a rescued pitbull who came from a bad situation and acted out in fear and confusion. We'd tried many techniques and even sent him for a weekend training on a remote farm with dog gurus - seriously, we tried everything! But some of his problematic behaviors just wouldn't stop. Josh helped us to understand our dog's actual needs and showed us how to meet them. With our dog's abundance of health issues when we took him on, we weren't surprised to see that he was also not the brightest dog out there. We always said "he's got no brain, but the biggest heart". Josh came along and trained us to train our dog. Turns out he's no dummy at all and within 1 session his behavior AND confidence were dramatically improved. Because of Josh and this training program we now have full confidence in our ability to guide our rescue pit through a safe, happy, fulfilling, and social life. People have commented on how well behaved he is and we're so proud that he is empowered to show others in public the sweet, loving boy we've always known him to be at home. Thanks, Josh!!!
  • Martina Gaughan
    May. 14, 2025
    Josh came to our home for an in home session following two weeks of day camp training. Douglas, our dog, was really excited to see him! He helped us practice with some of the triggers we encounter at home and encouraged us is the use of what was taught at camp!
  • Beriault Family
    May. 14, 2025
    Best money spent on this training. The care, the love, the details, and the outcome of our dog is mind blowing. Everyone is so wonderful and we are so happy to have found Dog Training Elite! It’s so worth every dollar. We have group training for life and will definitely recommend to everyone! Thank you all! Shout out to George. He’s fantastic!
  • Camellia Poplarski
    May. 13, 2025
    Elijah helped us address very specific issues with each of our dogs. He is so calm and very informative making for a great learning experience for our dogs and for us. He is a pro!
  • tracy cherba
    May. 9, 2025
    Dog Training Elite has been WONDERFUL and extremely helpful in getting my Bella girl ready to be my service dog. I would highly recommend them to anyone that is looking to train their service or therapy animal.
  • Holly Gullett
    May. 7, 2025
    Elijah did a great job, focusing on the problem behaviors I reported. I’ve always been impressed with DTE training staff, during one-on-one lessons and then during group classes. Elijah’s explanations, methods, instructions were clear and easy to follow. I’m confident our pup will catch on quickly with consistent practice and we’ll both be able to enjoy our walks again soon.
  • Hannah Shockey
    Apr. 30, 2025
    Elijah is great. He is really patient and it's so obvious he wants you and your dog to succeed. He is easy to relate to, very kind and great with my dog. I appreciate all of his help.
  • K Crosley
    Apr. 28, 2025
    I really appreciate Elijah from Dog Training Elite as he has helped me so much in training my puppy. I love the program DTE offered me and get so many compliments on how well mannered my puppy is. My neighbors have been very complimentary on my puppys progress too!!! Program well put together with concise directions from my trainer. If i have questions in between sessions I can reach out to my trainer which has been wonderful. They worked with me in personalizing sessions as needed to address any concerns or problems I had in training my puppy. Group classes review and reinforce what has been learned in individual sessions. A great help. Elijah is truly a dog whisperer!!!!
  • Thomas Korecki
    Apr. 25, 2025
    The team at Dog Training Elite did an amazing job training my sweet little girl, Olive! And providing me with the knowledge and tools to tame her rambunctious nature and calm her anxieties. A worthwhile investment in creating a happier and healthier dog!
  • Makaela Hudson
    Apr. 23, 2025
    Josh has been amazing. Have seen so much progress even with only a few sessions.
  • Chris Sargent
    Apr. 22, 2025
    My pup was very stubborn and had terrible recall. This dog training has made her one of the easiest pups to walk and call back. Worth every penny.
  • Brenda C Gordon
    Apr. 21, 2025
    My dog is a Cane Corso so proper training was a priority. I researched the available options before deciding to train with Dog Training Elite. I asked them lots of questions and let them know my expectations. The preliminary interview with the company owner, Doug, and our family (including our dog) satisfied my expectations. The first training session was great. Our trainer was Josh. We had the best first session learning how consistent and clear commands make for quick understanding. Our dog responded to Josh better than I anticipated.
  • Sarah Randall
    Apr. 18, 2025
    We had a great experience with Dog Training Elite and highly recommend them. Elijah was easy to work with, professional, knowledgeable and made training fun.
  • Kaylene Graber
    Jun. 7, 2025
    Elijah did a wonderful job explaining all the steps in the process of training. He was thorough with what those steps look like he provided great examples of videos of the scent test and then he provided a real life example of the obedience training with his own dog Ash thank you for working with us and our family. We can’t wait to start training!
  • Jessica Beecher
    Jun. 6, 2025
    Dog training elite of Indianapolis has been amazing from the start. Every staff member has been polite and helpful. Elijah has been a god send. Having a child need a service dog presents many challenges. Elijah has not ony been amazing with the dog but with my child who is training the dog. His calm demeanor and patience is refreshing.
  • Corrie Marlowe
    May. 30, 2025
    The whole team and Our trainer Elijah is wonderful. He's a great problem solver at figuring out what your individual dog needs. He makes learning commands easy to understand. He has a passion for what he does and it comes through with each session. We couldn't have had a better trainer. It's obvious he loves what he does. We couldn't have picked a better company to help us train our DAD (Diabetic Alert Dog). Shadow is in the best hands.
  • Natalie Eden
    May. 30, 2025
    We are 2 sessions into training our dog, and the results are amazing. Eli is so knowledgeable and articulate. He really explains what we are doing, and also why we are doing it. The attention to detail is wonderful, and we have seen amazing changes in just one week. I am excited to see how well Murphy does in another month! I would absolutely recommend Dog Training Elite to anyone who wants to see change with their dog.
  • Jordyn Strong
    May. 23, 2025
    Josh has been absolutely incredible with our Duke. He explains each skill in detail, providing demonstrations, and having us demonstrate as well. He always takes the time to answer our questions, even beyond basic obedience skills.
  • Candace Harlan
    Apr. 22, 2025
    We were very happy with our trainer. He was very helpful and gave us a lot of information to help us with our training.
  • Evan Pulliam
    May. 21, 2025
    Having your dog trained can be a big step for owners. Whether that’s cost, time commitment, and questioning whether it’s successful or not. After sending my dog to Dog Elite Training I truly understood a different meaning to ownership and companionship. From the convenience of dropping off and picking up, to success from the trainings, and pure enthusiasm the staff brought everyday. I couldn’t recommend Dog Elite Training enough. As much as the training is for your pet, it’s more for their owner. Within 10 days of training I can no go about my day and enjoy every second with my dog without stress or worry. Having pure trust in my dog is now something I’ll have for a very long time.
  • Cat Coates
    May. 17, 2025
    Josh was absolutely amazing, every single time. He always showed professionalism, friendliness, compassion, expertise, communicativeness, patience, flexibility and humor. Our dog is a rescued pitbull who came from a bad situation and acted out in fear and confusion. We'd tried many techniques and even sent him for a weekend training on a remote farm with dog gurus - seriously, we tried everything! But some of his problematic behaviors just wouldn't stop. Josh helped us to understand our dog's actual needs and showed us how to meet them. With our dog's abundance of health issues when we took him on, we weren't surprised to see that he was also not the brightest dog out there. We always said "he's got no brain, but the biggest heart". Josh came along and trained us to train our dog. Turns out he's no dummy at all and within 1 session his behavior AND confidence were dramatically improved. Because of Josh and this training program we now have full confidence in our ability to guide our rescue pit through a safe, happy, fulfilling, and social life. People have commented on how well behaved he is and we're so proud that he is empowered to show others in public the sweet, loving boy we've always known him to be at home. Thanks, Josh!!!
  • Martina Gaughan
    May. 14, 2025
    Josh came to our home for an in home session following two weeks of day camp training. Douglas, our dog, was really excited to see him! He helped us practice with some of the triggers we encounter at home and encouraged us is the use of what was taught at camp!
  • Beriault Family
    May. 14, 2025
    Best money spent on this training. The care, the love, the details, and the outcome of our dog is mind blowing. Everyone is so wonderful and we are so happy to have found Dog Training Elite! It’s so worth every dollar. We have group training for life and will definitely recommend to everyone! Thank you all! Shout out to George. He’s fantastic!
  • Camellia Poplarski
    May. 13, 2025
    Elijah helped us address very specific issues with each of our dogs. He is so calm and very informative making for a great learning experience for our dogs and for us. He is a pro!
  • tracy cherba
    May. 9, 2025
    Dog Training Elite has been WONDERFUL and extremely helpful in getting my Bella girl ready to be my service dog. I would highly recommend them to anyone that is looking to train their service or therapy animal.
  • Holly Gullett
    May. 7, 2025
    Elijah did a great job, focusing on the problem behaviors I reported. I’ve always been impressed with DTE training staff, during one-on-one lessons and then during group classes. Elijah’s explanations, methods, instructions were clear and easy to follow. I’m confident our pup will catch on quickly with consistent practice and we’ll both be able to enjoy our walks again soon.
  • Hannah Shockey
    Apr. 30, 2025
    Elijah is great. He is really patient and it's so obvious he wants you and your dog to succeed. He is easy to relate to, very kind and great with my dog. I appreciate all of his help.
  • K Crosley
    Apr. 28, 2025
    I really appreciate Elijah from Dog Training Elite as he has helped me so much in training my puppy. I love the program DTE offered me and get so many compliments on how well mannered my puppy is. My neighbors have been very complimentary on my puppys progress too!!! Program well put together with concise directions from my trainer. If i have questions in between sessions I can reach out to my trainer which has been wonderful. They worked with me in personalizing sessions as needed to address any concerns or problems I had in training my puppy. Group classes review and reinforce what has been learned in individual sessions. A great help. Elijah is truly a dog whisperer!!!!
  • Thomas Korecki
    Apr. 25, 2025
    The team at Dog Training Elite did an amazing job training my sweet little girl, Olive! And providing me with the knowledge and tools to tame her rambunctious nature and calm her anxieties. A worthwhile investment in creating a happier and healthier dog!
  • Makaela Hudson
    Apr. 23, 2025
    Josh has been amazing. Have seen so much progress even with only a few sessions.
  • Chris Sargent
    Apr. 22, 2025
    My pup was very stubborn and had terrible recall. This dog training has made her one of the easiest pups to walk and call back. Worth every penny.
  • Brenda C Gordon
    Apr. 21, 2025
    My dog is a Cane Corso so proper training was a priority. I researched the available options before deciding to train with Dog Training Elite. I asked them lots of questions and let them know my expectations. The preliminary interview with the company owner, Doug, and our family (including our dog) satisfied my expectations. The first training session was great. Our trainer was Josh. We had the best first session learning how consistent and clear commands make for quick understanding. Our dog responded to Josh better than I anticipated.
  • Sarah Randall
    Apr. 18, 2025
    We had a great experience with Dog Training Elite and highly recommend them. Elijah was easy to work with, professional, knowledgeable and made training fun.
A dog owner with his German Shepherd - get your professional german shepherd training in Indianapolis, IN 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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis.
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Educate, Empower, Elevate, Elite

Victory Begins With Elite Education

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

Your Expert German Shepherd Trainers in Indianapolis, IN

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 Indianapolis, IN!