Gsd Driving Us Mad!

[charli73]

Hi All,

I am close to losing my mind... Our 7 1/2 month old F GSD puppy is going to send me over the edge.. My hubby and i both work full time and have a pretty well behaved pup. We both had last week off and I went away while hubby stayed home with pup, but went out occasionally not to get her too clingy.. This week she has destroyed all of the new trees I planted by chewing her way through trellis in the garden, (garden bed fenced off) and been digging up the yard and eating the $1500 outdoor furniture which i spray with repellant..

Now I have returned, she wont listen to anything I say (I was alpha before I left) but now ignores my commands... Im being really quite hard on her now and shes barking at me when she doesnt get what she wants and I sin bin her if she even looks at our cat the wrong way... they dont really get along.

I need to know whether this is normal behaviour?? Im not sure If I can handle much more... We walk her in the morning and at night to get her out and she goes to ADT training twice a week and was the model pupil till this week although school has just resumed... Shes prob due to come into season soon, we're waiting for her to have one season on our vets advice before getting her desexed. Is this making her crazy???

She is very possessive over her toys and will bring them back to me but when I go to take them she snatches them back.... So Ive been taking them and putting them away to show her Im the leader....Im giving her a aussie dog tucker ball, kongs and other toys and rotate them every few days but only give her 2-3 toys a day... Ive thought that maybe she is bored but Im not sure what else we can do?? She gets Advance food wth other treats/raw chicken also..

We feel we are doing all the right things, Sorry about the long post but I need to know if its normal behaviour or should we get some help...

Advice would be greatly appreciated, as this is our first... Has anyone alse been through this and made it out the end?

Im sure not all GSD are this bad, or are they??

Edited January 17, 2008 by charli73

[PooMother]

Hi

Have you posted this on the GSD sub forum at all? Lots of good advice there also aswell on on here. Afraid I cant be of any help as I too have a pup but he is only 10 weeks old....yet to get there :-) Good luck I know the people on here at DOLS will be of good help to you

Hi All,

I am close to losing my mind... Our 71/2 month old F GSD puppy is going to send me over the edge.. My hubby and i both work full time and had a pretty well behaved pup. We both had last week off and I went away while hubby stayed home with pup, but went out occasionally not to get her too clingy.. This week she has destroyed all of the new trees I planted by chewing her way through trellis in the garden, (garden bed fenced off) and been digging up the yard and eating the $1500 outdoor furniture which i spray with repellant..

Now I have returned, she wont listen to anything I say (I was alpha before I left) but now ignores my commands... Im being really quite hard on her now and shes barking at me when she doesnt get what she wants and I sin bin her if she even looks at our cat the wrong way...

I need to know whether this is normal behaviour for GSD pup?? Im not sure If I can handle much more... We walk her in the morning and at night to get her out and she goes to ADT training twice a week and was the model pupil till this week although school has just resumed... Shes prob due to come into season soon, we're waiting for her to have one season on our vets advice before getting her desexed. Is this making her crazy???

She is very possessive over her toys and will bring them back to me but when I go to take them she snatches them back.... So Ive been taking them and putting them away to show her Im the leader....Im giving her a aussie dog tucker ball, kongs and other toys and rotate them every few days but only give her 2-3 toys a day... Ive thought that maybe she is bored but Im not sure what else we can do?? She gets Advance food wth other treats/raw chicken also..

We feel we are doing all the right things, Sorry about the long post but I need to know if its normal behaviour or should we get some help...

Advice from GSD owners would be greatly appreciated, as this is our first...

[charli73]

Hi cats mother,

Im hoping some GSD thread ppl will have a look and have sent a PM to one also.....

Thanks and good luck with your pup...

Edited January 16, 2008 by charli73

[Vehs]

Look it sounds like you are doing all the right things and she is just going through the teenage rebellious stage - continue to be firm with her and not give into her demands.

Can't say if it is related to her perhaps coming in season as I have a boy Shepherd - maybe some people with girls can comment.

I can't really remember a rebellious stage with my boy, but I do recall our final level obedience exam that he played the fool in - he was probably 10months and it was very embarrassing.

She how she goes in school, if she's not responding to commands the trainers can probably suggest somethings - more enthusiasm for you in praising or corrections if you go that way.....

[sidoney]

Check out this thread: Triangle of Temptation - excellent for establishing leadership in a non confrontational way. Also practice "nothing in life is free".

At her age, it is normal for a dog to try to change its place in the social order.

If she is doing unwanted self rewarding behaviours, might be worthwhile to think about using a crate or run for times that you can't supervise and don't want her getting into things.

[Poodle wrangler]

Sounds like she's testing you and being difficult.

Ask the GSD people what they think about having one season b4 desexing- I'm not sure if that's best or not

She'll benefit from training e.g. local obedience club or even some private lessons if you're time poor.

Triangle of Temptation is great from me, too! Free program and never too soon to start.

When you add up chewed items, it makes a dog run look much less expensive. Cheap, even .

Ditto training- she'll be a big dog and training can be the difference between a dog you love to live with and one that makes life difficult.

If you're at wit's end now- get a trainer. It's easier to change bad behaviour sooner rather than later.

Let people know where you are so they can recommend someone ....Like everything, some trainers are useless, others excellent ..

[charli73]

Sounds like she's testing you and being difficult.

Ask the GSD people what they think about having one season b4 desexing- I'm not sure if that's best or not

She'll benefit from training e.g. local obedience club or even some private lessons if you're time poor.

Triangle of Temptation is great from me, too! Free program and never too soon to start.

When you add up chewed items, it makes a dog run look much less expensive. Cheap, even .

Ditto training- she'll be a big dog and training can be the difference between a dog you love to live with and one that makes life difficult.

If you're at wit's end now- get a trainer. It's easier to change bad behaviour sooner rather than later.

Let people know where you are so they can recommend someone ....Like everything, some trainers are useless, others excellent ..

Thanks guys, we had training tonight and she did really well, trainer suggested getting some maturity into her before being passed up. She goes twice weekly & has had private lessons when things get really bad.. Teenage years arent fun! The triangle thing i read over, but i already have her watching me completely from a distance until i give her a command to eat.. hope this is the aim? better read again....

[sidoney]

I would still follow the steps in the programme, even if she does the end behaviour, as your progression to the end behaviour may have been different, and the stated progression may achieve different things in the mental processes of the dog to what she has ATM. E.g. your dog may or may not be sitting in drive.

There are further things you can do with the progression, e.g. add other behaviours before releasing her to the food. But I would go through the progression. And check with Steve about the further steps.

[alananddora]

Not sure if the season thing is making her crazy, but our vet has also advised to desex our 7 month old (F) GSD after her first season - his reasoning was that if it is done prior to the first season her vagina and vulva would not be fully developed and it may cause issues later in life. And desexing later has no other health implications - except for keeping the males away for a few weeks!

We have followed TOT since Jasmine was 8 weeks and it has worked exceptionally well. We are now starting her prey drive training course, all toys and distractions have been removed for two weeks. Hopefully this will stop ours becoming a rebellious teenager... even though she is getting quite frustrated at no play (but that's the point I think..)

Keep being consistent and fair and she will come around.

Good luck.

[EISHUND]

waiting for her to have one season on our vets advice before getting her desexed. Is this making her crazy???

Desex her now. She doesn't need to have a season.

[alananddora]

waiting for her to have one season on our vets advice before getting her desexed. Is this making her crazy???

Desex her now. She doesn't need to have a season.

Hi Luvmywhiteshep,

Were the reasons I was given above incorrect or just irrelevant by the vet?

[charli73]

waiting for her to have one season on our vets advice before getting her desexed. Is this making her crazy???

Desex her now. She doesn't need to have a season.

Hi Luvmywhiteshep,

Were the reasons I was given above incorrect or just irrelevant by the vet?

Alanadndora,

My vet bred shepherds in England for 30 years and he has advised us to wait to let her hormones, and female anatomy etc as you described mature also.. The young newly qualified vet at the practice has said it doesnt matter so who the hell knows what to believe!!!!

I do know that if its not done correctly they can have incontinence problems later... Also had a behaviouralist say wait till she has first season then let her hormones settle back to normal then have it done... Personal preference I guess... and considering shes still pretty immature I may wait...

thanks for the advice though....

[Flaves]

I have 2 females (jrta nd a hamilton stovare) and a male gsd.

The two girls were desexed BEFORE their first season.

Mitchia t 6 months and Hunta the hamilton at 11months - they usually have their first season between 12-14 months

Daire as he is a show boy will not be being desexed.

Personally if you are not showing i would get a bitch done before their first season.

It is up to you but MOST vets say by 6 months.

My vet still says it to me even though he knows daire is a show boy

Unless you can keep your girl pup150% safe and away from ebntire males then desex her before her first season

[charli73]

no shes not near any other dogs always on lead, and the small white fluffy toy dogs either side of our yard are indoors and couldn't get into the yard if they tried.

so i hav flava, were your girls this feral at 7-8 months? She is heaps better today i must say.. and i wish vets had a general concensus on this topic, what an easy job...

[sidoney]

Incidence of mammary tumours is slightly less when spayed before rather than after first season.

[KOE]

She is being a teenager and will get worse before better, you need to put her where she can not destroy things, put them away prior to going away.

it is called getting even you went and left her this is payback

honestly she will grow out of it, but as the person it is up to you to put things out of her reach she is only doing what puppys do, just remember they are dogs not statues.

In regard to desexing if you are not going to show her desex her before her first season then you lessen the chance of getting mammary tumors to next to zero.

But desexing will not make her to behave herself , she will be quiet whilst sore then more than likely return to teenage ways.

best of luck easiest thing is to put her where she can not wreck anything.

Edited January 18, 2008 by kimoliverelka

[charli73]

Well since i posted i have been giving her tough love and extra praise when really well behaved and she has been great the last couple of days, even had her interacting with our cat without jumping at her which is huge.. gardens have been reinforced also.. thank you all for your input, i will consider getting her fixed sooner..definately, as she sleeps by my feet..

Edited January 19, 2008 by charli73

[MissMaddy]

My girl (also a German Shepherd) is now just over 12 months.

She was a very well behaved puppy (although I kinda expected VERY naughty just to be safe), and then all of a sudden went feral, and very naughty at about 7-8 months (it was like she was making up for being so good). She came into season at around 8-9 months, and I now know I can partly attribute this behaviour partly to hormones, but also partly to age.

She has a run outside and a crate inside so that she's not in the position to destroy things when we're not home.

She's still naughty, although is starting to calm down a bit. I think she's also getting closer to her next season as she's become more sooky recently, although she could also be starting to settle down.

All the girls I've owned weren't desexed until later as I planned on showing and breeding, but it's a pain in the butt when they're in season not being able to walk them in your own area and having to be so careful about it, not to mention the mess!

If my girl gives me any reason not to breed her, and I decide not to continue showing (which I probably would as I show her mainly to be sure that she's a good breeding prospect), she'll be at the vets within a week (or probably that day ) to be desexed. She would have been done before her first season if she wasn't my show girl.