5 Mth Old German Shepherd Problems - Help Needed!

[s.CASEY]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum, have had a browse through and there is great information out there! But I have a heap of question so I thought it'd be best to start a topic and hopefully have all the answers I need in one place!

My partner and I have a 5 month old German Shepherd pup. We've had her since she was 9wks old.

We havnt taken her to school, since we were able to teach her to SIT, STAY, WAIT..... But over the last 6-8 weeks she has gone backwards and I'm really struggling with her at the moment!!!!!!

I know she is a puppy still BUT she used to listen and be a good dog but now

(and she will be taken to obedience school in January, but we need help now!! Esp with having our family over the christmas break)

She has turned into the biggest sh*t head ever! When we go out the back to see/play with her all she wants to do is jump up on you, she wont listen and is just an absolute TURD!!

We also have a cat, she like to jump up where he sits and bark at him, but as soon as his on the ground with her he chases her and goes to hit her, she thinks his plays but arghhhh we dont know how to get her to leave him alone.. AND it only happens when we are in the yard (we know cause we've watched numerous times from inside and she walks near him then doesnt want anthing to with him)

She has LOTS of toys, but still eats her poo, chews her bed up & we cant trust her with the clothes on the line either!

We've just got a pool and i'm afraid she's going to try and attack the filter and chew it to bits when we;re not there!!

Ok, so basically my problems are

- She's not listening anymore!!!

- She's jumping up on us EVERYTIME WE GO OUTSIDE

- Chewing/Eating EVERYTHING

- Wont sit when told (needs to be told numerous times)

- Wont stay on her bed (needs to be told numerous times)

- WILL wait for her food until she is told to eat I think that's the only positive thing i've written in here!!

She is a beautiful looking dog, yet She's sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo HYPERACTIVE and I need HELP! She is stressing me and my partner out

Help out be GREATLY appriciated :D

[Tilly]

It is the age ... my boy did the same thing when he hit 5/6 months.

I had to be really strict with my boy and make him work for every bit of attention and "reward" he got.

This is a good article to read - NILIF - Nothing in Life is Free

Edited December 8, 2011 by Tilly

[harley]

Obedience training sounds like a good plan for this young, eager to please pup!

I think she is just a typical young dog who maybe a little bored and doesn't know how to channel her energy

Lots of short training sessions in the back yard may help to tire her out mentally

[bianca.a]

Yep my GSD was the same as that age (and beyond!). Is she getting lots of exercise (preferably off-lead)?

Tilly has good advice - make her work for everything. And as above, lots of mental work. You can even try scattering her meals on the lawn so she has to hunt for it.

Good luck, it will get better with perseverance

ETA: the clothesline part - I used to have to hand everything so nothing was in reach - a pain but she couldn't get to it.

Edited December 8, 2011 by bianca.a

[jamesn184]

Well a couple of questions for the op, What food is she on?

With regards to eating her poo, have you tried feeding her pineapple? this is meant to alter the taste of her poo. Also I think sprinkling paprika on the stool?

I've had good success with clicker training with stopping some of Roseys bad habbits, check out some of the Kikopup videos on youtube which will offer you stuff to try

[mumof4girls]

It is the age ... my boy did the same thing when he hit 5/6 months.

I had to be really strict with my boy and make him work for every bit of attention and "reward" he got.

This is a good article to read - NILIF - Nothing in Life is Free

Fantastic article

[persephone]

Sounds a fairly normal clever, active pup who maybe hasn't been given enough direction/boundaries from day one.

And she's approaching the age where they are physically able to do so much more!

A few more questions.

What is her daily routine?

What is she like when out walking on leash?

What is she like when you have visitors?

What toys does she have?

[Fordogs]

My just 6 month old GSD is doing all of those thing, yes a well behaved dog until 2 weeks ago then all H**l broke loose.

She did have a go at the washing on the line but after a few reprimands she decide it was better to leave it alone, she has decided that it is lots of fun to do full laps around the house yard (we live on acres so she can go all the way around) I am terrified that she will run into a corner and do herself harm so when that starts she now goes on lead and we go for a walk/run, if it continues then she goes into the crate with a chew.

She has also started to jump on me and I am working on that by turning away from her or taking a step sideways and she is getting better.

She is still very good with (visitors and outside on walks) and sits before getting a pat.

Toys are also good to have on hand when she starts getting out of hand get out a tug toy or a ball and play for 5 minutes.

Peg all of the washing up high so that she can't reach it and never leave her outside alone when you have thing on the line , all of that flapping is just too hard to resist and it looks like fair game.

Buy a crate, they can be life savers during puppy training, but don't use it as a punishment, get her used to going in the crate for treats and feed her in it.

You need to watch her because you can't punish her for something that she did an hour ago you have to catch her in the act.

Good luck and welcome to DOGZonline.

[wuffles]

Another thing to think about - it sounds like she is an outdoor dog? How much interaction is she getting a day? How much exercise? How much training? She sounds like a typical bored pup. My young girl was a little ratbag at that age with chewing in particular. I spent heaps of time training her which did help, and she's nearly always inside with us when we're home which means she learnt the house rules quite quickly. These days she is most content just pottering around after us in the house

I still can't put washing on the line unsupervised with my dogs, they are 2 and 7 I also can't leave them any form of soft bedding or it turns into snow. They're dogs, and it's fun!

[mattgsd]

You're not alone, ive felt exactly like you do now many many times.

Just try to keep your cool, be consistant with the rules and remember that she's only a puppy.

My girl just turned 11 months, and she's just starting to mellow out and lose some of her hyper-puppiness now.

Zoey was an absolute land shark, mouthing like crazy and showing no respect for us whatsoever, so I enrolled in training and got a behaviourist in to show me how to deal with the types things you mentioned. Without the help of my trainer/behaviourist there is no way she'd be anywhere near as well behaved as she is today.

RE the poo eating: Pineapple worked well for my little poo eater, however i just switched her dry food brand and she's started again So, ill be back to adding the pineapple . Its disgusting, but VERY common (esp in bitches).

Andi cant recommend crate training highly enough.

[dancinbcs]

She has turned into the biggest sh*t head ever! When we go out the back to see/play with her all she wants to do is jump up on you, she wont listen and is just an absolute TURD!!

She is a normal puppy hitting an independant stage and teething at the same time.

We also have a cat, she like to jump up where he sits and bark at him, but as soon as his on the ground with her he chases her and goes to hit her, she thinks his plays but arghhhh we dont know how to get her to leave him alone.. AND it only happens when we are in the yard (we know cause we've watched numerous times from inside and she walks near him then doesnt want anthing to with him)

She wants to work for you and the only "work" she can find is trying to chase the cat when you come into the yard. To a dog a cat is just as good to play with as anything else unless the cat decides to stand up to her and stop the nonsense. Other than that make sure the cat has somewhere to escape to.

She has LOTS of toys, but still eats her poo, chews her bed up & we cant trust her with the clothes on the line either!

Dogs tend not to play with toys much unless you play with them. They need lots of things they can chew and need to be praised for chewing the right things and reprimanded for chewing the wrong things. To her they are all just stuff to chew unless you teach her which is which. Some dogs eat their bedding for years. Just buy cheaper bedding and keep replacing it. With the clothes line you need to catch her in the act and make such a fuss growling at her that she gets the message that it is your stuff not hers and she mustn't touch it. Reprimand as soon as she looks at it, don't wait for her to actually grab anything. If you cannot supervise her lock her away from the washing until she learns.

We've just got a pool and i'm afraid she's going to try and attack the filter and chew it to bits when we;re not there!!

Put a fence around the filter.

Ok, so basically my problems are

- She's not listening anymore!!!

Do NILIF and work on getting her to focus on you.

- She's jumping up on us EVERYTIME WE GO OUTSIDE

Take treats out an d get her to sit for them. She cannot jump and sit at the same time.

- Chewing/Eating EVERYTHING

Teach her what she can and cannot chew. You cannot stop her chewing.

- Wont sit when told (needs to be told numerous times)

Go back to rewarding sits and only reward on one command.

- Wont stay on her bed (needs to be told numerous times)

I am amazed that you expect a long stay from a puppy that young. Tether her to the spot to until she older and more reliable but do not leave her tethered and unsupervised.

Answers to specific points above but she sounds like a normal puppy of a very intelligent active breed that needs a lot more of your time and attention and some physical boundaries to keep her away from tempatation. Start thinking about life from the dog's point of view. They are not born knowing what they can destroy and what they can't. Dogs chew, accept that and work out how to direct her to what to chew. They need to learn that as well as learning appropriate behaviour.

What is she like inside? Is she allowed in to learn to spend soem quiet time with you? GSDs are very much people dogs and will do whatever it takes to get attention from the owner. They prefer to be as close to their owners as possible.

Finally, have you spoken to the breeder and asked their advice?

[persephone]

Oh..and I trust there is no way she can get near the water in your new pool?

[persephone]

Good post, dancin'.

I meant to ask.. what sort of toys does this pup have ?

Does she have interactive, moving, noise-making type toys?

I have found working dog pups to love full size soccer balls that they can push around.. plastic bottles with something inside to make a rattly noise , 'crunchy' chew toys ..(like a squashed plastic drink bottle covered in a tough fabric)..makes a great noise when crunched!

[jacqui835]

One thing that I learned the hard way, don't give a command multiple times. If you know your dog heard you and then chose to ignore you, don't teach them that they don't have to obey until you've given the command 50 times or delivered it in an angry tone. Tell the dog 'sit' - if the dog does, praise, if the dog doesn't, make them sit (don't hurt the dog) say sit and then praise. Dog will quickly learn that if you give a command they need to obey. Make sure you're in a position to follow through, so if you decide to do a training session with the dog, have a lead on, even if you're not holding the end. You'll notice changes very quickly there if you're consistent.

The jumping behaviour is difficult because it can be self-rewarding. I have a dog who finds jumping an enjoyable experience, and jumping almost always gets a dog attention even if it's negative (my dog figured being told off is still better than being ignored). So ignore the dog, but also make it uncomfortable. Turn around so the dog falls off and don't acknowlegde them at all. We have a dobe cross rottie who loved to jump on people. When the trainers made scary aggressive noises at him (as many training clubs will do) he retaliated, not aggressively, but would just bark and growl back and then excitedly jump more on them. So with a GSD you might have the same issues, but ignoring the dog and just making them fall off worked perfectly for us.

They're the 2 problems of yours that were also problems for us at one stage so hopefully that helps.

Like many others have said though, exercise, training and CONSISTENCY (can't stress that one enough) are key.

[persephone]

One thing that I learned the hard way, don't give a command multiple times. If you know your dog heard you and then chose to ignore you, don't teach them that they don't have to obey until you've given the command 50 times or delivered it in an angry tone. Tell the dog 'sit' - if the dog does, praise, if the dog doesn't, make them sit (don't hurt the dog) say sit and then praise. Dog will quickly learn that if you give a command they need to obey.

[Rebanne]

I doubt a 5 month old pup is fool proof on knowing what sit means, particularly if it is an outside dog only. The OP needs to give more back to the pup and that includes just me time, just hanging around/gentle play. If the pup rarely sees it's people it is not going to be able to respond very well to any commands when it's brain is so excited.

[Clyde]

Don't leave the dog unsupervised near the pool. We have had members on here lose their strong swimmers in there own pool. My own Rotti got tangled up in the pool cleaner and panicked once. Thankfully we were there swimming too as he had no pool access at other times. It gave me a real fright though as even though he was always fenced out it's just not something which had crossed my mind.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Why did you get a puppy rather than an adult dog? Puppies need a HUGE amount of time and effort spent on them and it doesn't sound to me like it's possible for you to meet the puppy's needs - you already can't cope. What will happen in a few months time when she's even bigger? Dogs exhibit puppy behaviour for up to 2 yrs.

I'm the first to admit I'm not equipped to have a puppy. I work full time and lead a busy life.

NEVER leave any dog near a pool, they drown, just like children. You just never hear about it in the media.

[Flaves]

She is jumping because she is excited to see you

Pups do it, go outside, and when she jumps turn away from her, she will learn darn quickly that jumping gets her no attention, not good and not bad just none

what toys does she have and what routines have you got.

My 6mo went through the same, but he is a baby and a work in process.

NILIF is great and works well.

Do not reward bad behaviour, only reward the good.

Good luck and come and join the GSD thread

[Dogsfevr]

You have fallen into the trap that most people seem to do.

Because it can do things at a certain age "its trained"

Second mistake expecting a dog you have had for 3 months to be perfect.

Training never ends & sometimes people train to much & think wow & forget the good basics that set a dog for life .

The dog will not be perfect nor should you expect it to be,this is a pup until 12 months,it will do things that give you the shits just like you did when you where a child with your parents .

Like others have said with the pool if it isn't fenced then you need to plan where to leave pup safely if it is fenced it won't eat anything .

Washing is an issue with many dogs,its fun & interesting & placed in the "dogs" play ground .

As for jumping chances are your body language is that of frustrated owners but the dog is just as frustrated ,there like kids they crave attention,routine & mental outlets & toys just don;t do it at this age.

How often is pup walked or taken out??

Besides sitting in the backyard what other interesting things does it get to do ??

Are the toys actually interesting or boring ??

How much time each day do you spend with the dog??

What where you expectations of a GSD & a puppy??