German Shepherds Forum banner

How Vocal Should My Puppy Be??

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Mac's Mom 
#1 ·
I have a 13 week old sable female german shepherd puppy. I am wondering how vocal should she be?? My puppy displays normal german shepherd talking when we are home - she will talk to my older german shepherd - talk to my husband and I - and talk to the cat as well. My issue is when we go to the pet stores - she gets sooooo excited and her excitedness turns into non - stop yowling, barking, wining, etc. and it is really really loud (it really hurts my ears so I imagine it hurts other peoples ears too)! She will not stop until we leave. I know that shepherds are vocal but how vocal is too vocal?? My vet says that I have been blessed to have one of the most vocal shepherds she has ever seen and that more than likely she will always be that way - she did give me cards for personal trainers that deal with behavioral issues .. (because my pup does get mouthy when I tell her no - but what baby doesnt when they dont get their way). Anyways I want my puppy to be able to go with us everywhere but my fear is that she will not be able too if we don't get her vocalness calmed down a little bit - she is really cute and small right now but I think it may be a different story as she gets bigger.
I have not enrolled her in puppy training yet because I am waiting until she hits 4 months. I also am big on positive reinforcement - treats / petting when calm etc. None of this works at all when she is all wound up at the store - I also do take her for a walk before we go into any store in hopes that she will be calm but that has failed as well. Has anyone else ever dealt with this and if so how do I start the process of toning it down a little bit?? I love my puppy more than anything and want her to be happy, healthy, and be able to go as many places with me as possible :)
Any information would be greatly appreciated! I just want to have some reassurance that I am not alone in this matter and that hopefully someone may have some tricks to help me correct this... Thanks!!
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
We must have pups that have a lot in common in this trait.
Our new almost 5 mo. female "Sassy Sage" fits her name to a tee!
She is extremely vocal and doesn't mind letting you know exactly how vocal she can be.
Our 5yr. Male is not very social, while the puppy is our talking social butterfly.
I really think its the Pup and their distintive personality. So both our GSD's are vocal but the pup wins hands down. I think its cool myself!
So I would say your not alone. your home might just get a little noisier.

Happy Holidays
 
#3 ·
Thank you!

Thank you for your reply!! I don't mind so much that she is vocal it just concerns me how vocal she is when we go out into the community - i think its cute but I am not sure that everyone else really does... I know that she is loud enough that people outside the store can hear her... she is so much different then our other GSD ... its funny too becuase we chose the quitest dog of the litter...
 
#4 ·
My 18 week old female GSD Tess is very vocal but mainly when she's really happy or excited. I was taking her to day care a couple of times a week to try and socialize her and when I would pick her up at the end of the day, she'd be so excited and happy to see me that she'd vocalize all the way home, without stopping! I think of it as her telling me about her day, it makes me laugh to be honest with you. She's also like that in Petco or Petsmart and I chalk it up to being excited. I know how you feel though, it can attract a lot of looks, but for the most part, it makes people smile and they usually come over to say hello to her.

I'm not sure if it's something that will last into adulthood or if it's a puppy thing, only time will tell. I wouldn't be too overly concerned about it right now, if it's in their nature, I don't think there's going to be too much we can do about it.
 
#5 ·
My Sib is over 3 years old now and never shuts up!!! She grips to go out , grips when she comes in , grips when I come home or when I leave..She barks for dinner, whines for attention, cries when I leave..need I go on? I wish she would not be like this because it becomes a PITA...but I love her just the same and I have no idea how to quiet her down...If I had had her as a puppy I believe she would not be like this..So, it may be cute now but it does get annoying after a while..perhaps once she goes into training they will be able to help you change this behavior. Best wishes...
 
#7 ·
The best way to "correct" it is to not reinforce it with your attention. I don't advocate routinely ignoring misbehavior, but with barking or whining for attention, not rewarding it will eventually extinguish the behavior. Looking at her, talking to her, interacting with her in any way is reinforcing, so you and your husband may be inadvertently exacerbating it. It can take some time and patience, and during that time it's important that you DO pay attention and reward her for NOT being overly vocal. If being vocal is working to get her what she wants, she has no incentive to stop, so make that not work. Instead, show her what WILL work. Be consistent.
 
#8 ·
Mac is a lot like how Jang describes Sib. And basically its because I pretty much did the opposite of what Cassidy's suggesting. So, my point is do exactly what Cassidy is suggesting :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amshru
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top