New To Forum And Have A Crazy 12 Week Old Gsp Pup

[tanyatin]

hi there

i'm new to this group but not to forums.. we have just lost our 11 year old gsp 8 weeks ago and not long after he died we bought our current puppie jeddah who is a 12 week old gsp.

we have done lots of training over the years with our previous dog cooper so thought we knew how to handle a pup but she is already out of control.

we have 3 year old twin boys who are now terrified of her. Her main problems are jumping on the boys , chasing the boys when they try to run away from her, she ends up latching onto their pants and just being dragged along, and also biting.. Plus when we feed her she growls at me, i make it a habit of putting my hand in her bowl so she gets used to someone putting a hand in there..

If she comes inside she is on her lead but most of the time she is in the back yard.. She sleeps inside in the laundry and can get in and out during the day with her doggy door..

My main concern is that while she is still little it is manageable but soon we will have a 20 plus kilo dog jumping and knocking over the boys and their little friends which is just dangerous.

i was reading the tot at the beginning of the forum, can this work for a 12 week old pup.. i also read about the bite inhibition link that someone posted and that has given me some good ideas...

i think we were so used to a very old and relaxed 11 year old dog and to go back to the beginning to a very excitable hyper dog is just a bit of shock to the system.. i just hope we havne't done the wrong thing in getting her but i really do love her but just want to be able to train her the right way..

i will do some more searching in the previous threads to get some more help but thought i'd do an introduction in here at the same time as posting my dilema

thanks for listening and look forward to chatting to you

tanya

[FionaC]

Hi Tanya

Welcome to DOL and congrats on your GSP ...

Yes TOT works well from a young age, I started our boy on it from 8 weeks old (when he first came home) and it was great! .....

I'd suggest talking to your boys and getting them to limit the amount of running they do around the pup, she seems to be seeing it as a game rather than them trying to get away from her, they are also old enough to be able to say "no" to her and turn away, might need a bit of practice with them but I'm sure they can do it ....

I'd keep her on lead when inside at all times, that way you can manage the jumping behaviour and any interactions she has with your boys ....

Plenty of good chew toys are also essential with a GSP pup .... things like Kongs etc that you give her when she is chewing on something else/or someone else -

I seemed to spend most of my time with our boy saying "no" or "ah ha" over and over again but in time that has decreased (somewhat) ......

Come over to the breed thread (I sent you the link in a PM) .... we love to see photos too!

Are you looking at Puppy Pre-school for her? maybe some Obedience training once she turns 16 weeks old? that might be an option for you especially as she will get to be quite a large size when fully grown (my boy is currently 30kgs and is 10mths old)

[luvsdogs]

Hello Tanya & welcome to dol. I know what you mean. You grow used to having a sedate older dog around & then your lifes upside down with a new puppy. Although Tilba didn't have a biting problem. She does jump on people though. I don't know if this is the same link you read about bite inhibition but this is the website one such link comes from. You only have to do a search on anything you want to get the help you need.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/

And yes you can use tot on puppies.

[jdLeah]

hi,

I have two gsp's (one 1 1/2 years and one only 6months).

Both play very well with my niece and nephew (who are 5 and 7 but very slight, both pups are already huge next to them).

these are my first dogs and I'm no expert but the advise I recieved about training around kids (and welcoming a new puppy into our home when the other was a very playful 1yr old) was all about establishing the object to protect as 'mine', by making it clear that the kids are not to be played with without your express permission. I was pretty lucky my dogs took the hint very quickly and don't live everyday around kids, but maybe this will help as an idea?

Jumping up is also very important, as boofy gsp claws can hurt sensitive skin,

Don't forget to get your pup used to thinks like gently pulling ears, taking her toys ect so she doesn't react badly if the kids do.

Is ther some older kids you know who can help teach her some manners?

if all else fails a tired pup is very well behaved :rolleyes:

Good luck!

[poodlefan]

Welcome! If you find your way to the GSP thread, you'll find a lot of fellow breed fanciers there.

You need to start training your pup now. They grow (as you know) into active athletic dogs that need boundaries.

To start with, have all her interactions with your sons ON LEAD. If they run and shriek, she will bounce and chase until she has the training and the self control to do better. She can be taught to sit to be patted by them but until she's older, you'll need to be the one to keep them apart. I have to say that a GSP pup and toddlers isn't what I'd call an ideal combination but if you supervise, train and control her, things will improve.

I'd suggest, if you have not already done so, that you build a run in the back yard so that your boys can play without her interference and vice versa. It's imperative that you be able to supervise and control all interactions between them. Your sons have neither the size, not the skills to do so.

If she's growling to protect her food, she's a resource guarder. You continually fussing with her food won't fix that - you may increase her anxiety. Feed her in a crate or run by herself and train your boys that they are never to approach her when she's eating. If you have guests with kids, put her away.

If you want to decrease her anxiety about food, ADD to the bowl or call her away from it for a tasty treat.. but you won't change her instinct to guard what she values..

If you haven't already considered it, get her into obedience training now - it will help a lot to have her learn behaviours that will improve your control over her. You also need to ensure that she'd getting enough social interaction with the family. GSP's weren't meant to be kept in isolation. The more time she spends with you and your family, the less excited she'll be when your boys come outside.

I'd strongly recommend you consider allowing her inside in a crate in your family room. She can watch and have company without interfering with your boys. If their interactions are limited to when they come to play the backyard, I expect she's not going to be very calm around them at all. Take her out walking with them as a family and allow her to chill out with you all at night.

Edited May 2, 2009 by poodlefan

[tanyatin]

Welcome! If you find your way to the GSP thread, you'll find a lot of fellow breed fanciers there.

You need to start training your pup now. They grow (as you know) into active athletic dogs that need boundaries.

To start with, have all her interactions with your sons ON LEAD. If they run and shriek, she will bounce and chase until she has the training and the self control to do better. She can be taught to sit to be patted by them but until she's older, you'll need to be the one to keep them apart. I have to say that a GSP pup and toddlers isn't what I'd call an ideal combination but if you supervise, train and control her, things will improve.

I'd suggest, if you have not already done so, that you build a run in the back yard so that your boys can play without her interference and vice versa. It's imperative that you be able to supervise and control all interactions between them. Your sons have neither the size, not the skills to do so.

If she's growling to protect her food, she's a resource guarder. You continually fussing with her food won't fix that - you may increase her anxiety. Feed her in a crate or run by herself and train your boys that they are never to approach her when she's eating. If you have guests with kids, put her away.

If you want to decrease her anxiety about food, ADD to the bowl or call her away from it for a tasty treat.. but you won't change her instinct to guard what she values..

If you haven't already considered it, get her into obedience training now - it will help a lot to have her learn behaviours that will improve your control over her. You also need to ensure that she'd getting enough social interaction with the family. GSP's weren't meant to be kept in isolation. The more time she spends with you and your family, the less excited she'll be when your boys come outside.

I'd strongly recommend you consider allowing her inside in a crate in your family room. She can watch and have company without interfering with your boys. If their interactions are limited to when they come to play the backyard, I expect she's not going to be very calm around them at all. Take her out walking with them as a family and allow her to chill out with you all at night.

thanks for all of that.. you have raised some great points.. i have started the puppy school and plan on doing obedience training as soon as she has her next lot of shots.. i think i have relaxed over the past few days realising that they may not be the best of friends now but it will come...and i'm going to get a crate and start letting her come inside more so she feels a part of the family.. so much to think about ..thanks again

[zsimms]

Hi there,

I agree with what's been said and thought I'd add another point of view on it as well.

I currently am raising two 10week old pups and have three children, one of who is three years old and my biggest focus has been being wary that the way my children interact with the pups is influencing them towards positive behavior and not negative behavior. So, if am to achieve this I must supervise all contact they have and this just means a whole lot of time spent with the kids and pups and if I need to do something else for a while then I separate the pups into their own fenced off area that the children can't get to.

What I have found through this is that puppies are driven to interact with their humans, even my two would rather be with a human than with each other, and they also must be interacting a lot with humans to learn what humans want and don't want them to do. So I suppose I'm saying if I were you I'd make sure the pup is getting more interaction=learning from you than from your children. maybe also some food rewarded training at night time to stimulate him and teach him manners etc.

As far as biting goes, it's bite inhibition that he needs to learn right at this age and it's something that takes persistence to teach. I'm sure you'll find loads of other people to get great advice from on this but my two cents worth is that for your pup to learn bite inhibition he needs to be trying to bite you, so that you then tell him 'no' (or whatever method you choose) and then you repeat the process again and again until he learns to absolutely not bite. But if he spends a lot of time on his own or not with his humans then he is simply not getting the opportunity to learn not to bite.

I hope all that makes sense. Puppy raising is a complicated task and a hyperactive, biting BIG puppy can feel very overwhelming.

The best of luck,

Z