Born With Potential. Developed With Purpose. The OSS Difference.

Why Get Basic & Advanced Training From OSS?

The Advantage of Training With the Breeder Who Knows Your Dutch Shepherd

When you choose an FCI Dutch Shepherd from Our Shepherds Shepherds, you're bringing home more than a puppy. You're bringing home carefully selected genetics, temperament, structure, drives, and working potential.

That’s why training with OSS from the beginning can make such a difference.

No one knows your puppy’s genetics, bloodlines, litter development, temperament, and individual behaviors better than the breeder who produced and raised it.

Training Starts Early

At OSS, foundation begins before formal obedience.

Puppies are introduced to different environments, surfaces, sounds, handling, crates, potty routines, people, objects, and problem-solving experiences while we closely observe how each individual puppy responds.

Aptitude testing and ongoing observation help us identify characteristics such as confidence, engagement, food and toy motivation, environmental response, persistence, sensitivity, and drive.

That information allows training to be tailored to the individual dog rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

From Nipping to Appropriate Mouth Behavior

Dutch Shepherd puppies are naturally mouthy. Nipping, grabbing, chasing, carrying, and tugging are normal developmental behaviors.

Our goal is to channel those behaviors appropriately while teaching impulse control, engagement, communication, and clear boundaries.

As the dog matures, we can better understand how its drives develop and determine the appropriate direction for further training.

Marker Training & Positive, Balanced Training

OSS uses marker training combined with positive reinforcement, structure, boundaries, and balanced training principles appropriate for the individual dog.

Markers provide clear communication and help the dog understand exactly which behaviors are being reinforced.

The objective is a dog that can think, listen, communicate, and work with its handler—not simply perform commands in a quiet room.

Potty, Crate & Household Training

Training also means teaching puppies how to successfully live in the real world.

Our foundation includes appropriate routines for:

• Potty training

• Crate training

• Rest and downtime

• House manners

• Chewing and toy behavior

• Handling and grooming

• Vehicle manners

• Basic environmental exposure

These skills help create a smoother transition from OSS to the puppy’s new home.

Basic Obedience

Basic Obedience establishes the dog's working language and may include:

Sit • Down • Heel • Stay • Place • Touch • Out • Leave It • Recall

The goal is more than memorization. We build understanding, engagement, impulse control, and reliability around increasing distractions.

Advanced Obedience

Once the foundation is established, Advanced Obedience takes those skills further through:

• Off-leash obedience

• Reliable recall

• Increased distractions

• Duration and distance

• Position control

• Handler focus

• Environmental obedience

• Impulse control

• Real-world reliability

A behavior isn't truly finished until the dog can perform it beyond the training room.

Why Train With the Breeder?

This is one of the biggest advantages of working with OSS.

We know the parents, bloodlines, litter, developmental history, individual temperament, drives, strengths, and sensitivities of the dog we produced.

That means we're not starting with a blank slate.

Instead of asking, “How do we train a Dutch Shepherd?” we can ask:

“How does THIS Dutch Shepherd learn best?”

That distinction matters.

A Lifelong Partnership

Training with OSS isn't simply about teaching commands. It's about helping owners understand their dogs and building a relationship based on communication, trust, structure, and teamwork.

The journey can progress from:

Genetics → Aptitude Testing → Puppy Development → Basic Obedience → Advanced Training

Every stage builds on the last.

When you combine thoughtful genetics with knowledgeable development and training, you're not just raising a dog.

You're developing a partner.

Our Shepherds Shepherds — Where Genetics, Foundation, Training & Partnership Come Together.