High Strung GSD

dougsktbug · 01-05-2012, 06:50 PM

Hi! I am new to this forum. I found it when searching google for answers to my many questions about my GSD's behavior. Panzer is a male full-blooded GSD and is 3.5 years old. He is an inside dog, and is only home alone for about 4-5 hrs 4 days per week. The problem that I am having is that he is EXTREMELY high strung! He whines constantly about nothing apparent. He whines if the kids leave the room, he whines if they go out without him, he whines if he hears anything going on anywhere that does not involve him, sometimes he just whines when we are all in the same room! I understand that he simply wants to be anywhere and everywhere we are, but is whining non-stop for an hour normal? He gets PLENTY of exercise. I run every morning for 45 mins and he runs with me. We go out to play ball every day around 1:00 and we go out for a 30 minute walk every day after my son gets home from school. He then plays in the yard with the kids (as long as I am out there since he gets out if I am not), then my husband takes him with him for his 45 minute run at night. We cannot leave him out in the yard when we are not out there as he jumps over the fence or digs under the fence. He also has been digging constantly in the yard. He doesn't do it if we are playing with him directly, but as soon as I turn my focus to pushing my daughter on the swing or jumping on the trampoline with the kids he starts digging. He goes to the vet regularly and has no health problems. The vet says that GSD's are all high strung, but I wanted to hear from actual GSD owners on whether this behavior is normal, and if not is there anything I can do to fix it? Thanks in advance for any help!!

Mayasmom · 01-05-2012, 07:07 PM

Did u raise him since he was a puppy? Has he always been whiny or has this just started. Is he intact? Im trying to help...

dougsktbug · 01-05-2012, 07:13 PM

We have had him since he was 8 wks old. He is intact, and the whining has always been an issue. I am wondering if it is just his personality. He whined a lot as a puppy, but we thought he would outgrow it. He seemed to stop for a while, but he has started doing it again and it seems worse than ever in the last 6-8 months.

Mayasmom · 01-05-2012, 07:26 PM

My chi mix whines when he is expecting his walk or car ride. I guess its anxiousness. Sorry Im not much help.

**Castlemaid** · 01-05-2012, 07:36 PM

You just have a whiner.

GSDs are not supposed to be high-strung, but unfortunately many are due to haphazard breeding. Being a working dog, they need high-energy, a desire to be with and work for their people, and the ability to focus on task for extended periods without getting distracted, but these traits, though extremely valued, MUST be balanced with the ability to turn off and chill and relax when not working. This ability is often lost in random breeding for pets or in unbalanced breeding for work.

You guys are doing a good job with him, giving him lots of exercise, and supervising when needed. I think what he needs is to tire out his little brain, not just his body. Obedience, agility, tracking, nose-work, or other activities would help him focus that unending mental energy into constructive activities.

Also, for the whining, I would work on training a quiet command and approach it as an obedience exercise. He gets rewarded with treats for five seconds of quiet, then when he is solid with that, extend the time that quiet needs to be maintained. Not very likely that if you say quiet he will be able to remember and focus on being quiet for a whole hour, but working on it a little at a time, and re-inforcing and reminding him to be quiet as you go along could help.

Also, you could pair the quiet command with a place command, as dogs are very situational. He has now developed a deeply-ingrained habit of whinning all the time, so getting him to understand to NOT whine is going to be a challenge. But by pairing the quiet with a place command, it is something new. Get a mat or dog bed that is his place, and teach him to go to his place, and he must be quiet when on his mat. Use tons of positives, reward him for being quiet always. When he is quiet on his own, say 'good quiet' and give him treats. You want to set him up to be good, catch him being good, and reward him for being good.

dougsktbug · 01-05-2012, 07:54 PM

Thanks for the advice and for the opinions! I will try the things you suggested. If they don't work, I will just learn to love the whining.....I have to admit, I feel like whining sometimes too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Castlemaid

You just have a whiner.

GSDs are not supposed to be high-strung, but unfortunately many are due to haphazard breeding. Being a working dog, they need high-energy, a desire to be with and work for their people, and the ability to focus on task for extended periods without getting distracted, but these traits, though extremely valued, MUST be balanced with the ability to turn off and chill and relax when not working. This ability is often lost in random breeding for pets or in unbalanced breeding for work.

You guys are doing a good job with him, giving him lots of exercise, and supervising when needed. I think what he needs is to tire out his little brain, not just his body. Obedience, agility, tracking, nose-work, or other activities would help him focus that unending mental energy into constructive activities.

Also, for the whining, I would work on training a quiet command and approach it as an obedience exercise. He gets rewarded with treats for five seconds of quiet, then when he is solid with that, extend the time that quiet needs to be maintained. Not very likely that if you say quiet he will be able to remember and focus on being quiet for a whole hour, but working on it a little at a time, and re-inforcing and reminding him to be quiet as you go along could help.

Also, you could pair the quiet command with a place command, as dogs are very situational. He has now developed a deeply-ingrained habit of whinning all the time, so getting him to understand to NOT whine is going to be a challenge. But by pairing the quiet with a place command, it is something new. Get a mat or dog bed that is his place, and teach him to go to his place, and he must be quiet when on his mat. Use tons of positives, reward him for being quiet always. When he is quiet on his own, say 'good quiet' and give him treats. You want to set him up to be good, catch him being good, and reward him for being good.

jetscarbie · 01-06-2012, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougsktbug

We have had him since he was 8 wks old. He is intact, and the whining has always been an issue. I am wondering if it is just his personality. He whined a lot as a puppy, but we thought he would outgrow it. He seemed to stop for a while, but he has started doing it again and it seems worse than ever in the last 6-8 months.

Some shepherd's are talkers, mumblers, gunters, and whiners. Some do all.

My oldest does all...my youngest whines. I have to basically exercise him A LOT. 45 minutes would never work for mine. I'm serious.....mine could probably go 6-10 miles a day, if not more. There is no way I could keep up with him. So I have to come up with all kinds of different ways to keep him busy. I run/jog/hike with him about 2 miles in the morning. Then I throw a ball up and down the side of a hill when we come back. Repeat in the afternoon.

Then I try to do some mental games with him. "find it" is a good game for in the house..or hide and go seek. One member on here mentioned a game she played with her dog (i think it was Chelle) about hiding treats in a box and letting the dog work on getting them out. That has been a wonderful game for my dogs. They become so good at it so fast. I'm in the middle of working on teaching mine to open and shut the cabinet doors.

Probably a useless trick...but it keeps him busy. There are also TONS of mental toys you can get.

**Samba** · 01-06-2012, 07:40 AM

If he is anxious, an anti-anxiety medication might help. I had a GSD who became anxious when I left the room, etc. With a bit of training in relaxation with the relaxation protocol and daily Prozac... a different dog! If he is just a vocal dog, well that might be who he is. I have one who screams when I don't take her with me outside, etc but there is no real anxiety associated with her lovely sounding off.

mysweetkaos · 01-06-2012, 08:07 AM

I agree with Samba on looking into anxiety....We too have a very vocal guy. Well ok we have 2...but our 9 yr old is the worst whiner. However your description of being outside and the minute you aren't interacting with him he starts digging or goes over the fence...seems more anxious than anything else in my opinion. While Kaos whines when he isn't with us...it is sufficient for him to be next to us and not interacted with. Sounds like a good activity level for an adult GSD as well.

01-05-2012, 06:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
dougsktbug New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 3	High Strung GSD Hi! I am new to this forum. I found it when searching google for answers to my many questions about my GSD's behavior. Panzer is a male full-blooded GSD and is 3.5 years old. He is an inside dog, and is only home alone for about 4-5 hrs 4 days per week. The problem that I am having is that he is EXTREMELY high strung! He whines constantly about nothing apparent. He whines if the kids leave the room, he whines if they go out without him, he whines if he hears anything going on anywhere that does not involve him, sometimes he just whines when we are all in the same room! I understand that he simply wants to be anywhere and everywhere we are, but is whining non-stop for an hour normal? He gets PLENTY of exercise. I run every morning for 45 mins and he runs with me. We go out to play ball every day around 1:00 and we go out for a 30 minute walk every day after my son gets home from school. He then plays in the yard with the kids (as long as I am out there since he gets out if I am not), then my husband takes him with him for his 45 minute run at night. We cannot leave him out in the yard when we are not out there as he jumps over the fence or digs under the fence. He also has been digging constantly in the yard. He doesn't do it if we are playing with him directly, but as soon as I turn my focus to pushing my daughter on the swing or jumping on the trampoline with the kids he starts digging. He goes to the vet regularly and has no health problems. The vet says that GSD's are all high strung, but I wanted to hear from actual GSD owners on whether this behavior is normal, and if not is there anything I can do to fix it? Thanks in advance for any help!!

01-05-2012, 07:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
Castlemaid Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Northern British Columbia Posts: 9,089	You just have a whiner. GSDs are not supposed to be high-strung, but unfortunately many are due to haphazard breeding. Being a working dog, they need high-energy, a desire to be with and work for their people, and the ability to focus on task for extended periods without getting distracted, but these traits, though extremely valued, MUST be balanced with the ability to turn off and chill and relax when not working. This ability is often lost in random breeding for pets or in unbalanced breeding for work. You guys are doing a good job with him, giving him lots of exercise, and supervising when needed. I think what he needs is to tire out his little brain, not just his body. Obedience, agility, tracking, nose-work, or other activities would help him focus that unending mental energy into constructive activities. Also, for the whining, I would work on training a quiet command and approach it as an obedience exercise. He gets rewarded with treats for five seconds of quiet, then when he is solid with that, extend the time that quiet needs to be maintained. Not very likely that if you say quiet he will be able to remember and focus on being quiet for a whole hour, but working on it a little at a time, and re-inforcing and reminding him to be quiet as you go along could help. Also, you could pair the quiet command with a place command, as dogs are very situational. He has now developed a deeply-ingrained habit of whinning all the time, so getting him to understand to NOT whine is going to be a challenge. But by pairing the quiet with a place command, it is something new. Get a mat or dog bed that is his place, and teach him to go to his place, and he must be quiet when on his mat. Use tons of positives, reward him for being quiet always. When he is quiet on his own, say 'good quiet' and give him treats. You want to set him up to be good, catch him being good, and reward him for being good. __________________ Lucia Keeta BH, OB1, TR1, AD (HOT) Rottweiler/Hairy Dog mix?? Shelter rescue Gryffon Vom Wildhaus BH, OFA Good (HOT) "Bites Through the Sleeve" Cuddlebug, b: Mar 2009

01-05-2012, 07:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mayasmom Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 49	Did u raise him since he was a puppy? Has he always been whiny or has this just started. Is he intact? Im trying to help...

01-05-2012, 07:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
dougsktbug New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 3	We have had him since he was 8 wks old. He is intact, and the whining has always been an issue. I am wondering if it is just his personality. He whined a lot as a puppy, but we thought he would outgrow it. He seemed to stop for a while, but he has started doing it again and it seems worse than ever in the last 6-8 months.

01-05-2012, 07:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Mayasmom Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 49	My chi mix whines when he is expecting his walk or car ride. I guess its anxiousness. Sorry Im not much help.

01-06-2012, 07:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
Samba Administrator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: USA Posts: 6,448	If he is anxious, an anti-anxiety medication might help. I had a GSD who became anxious when I left the room, etc. With a bit of training in relaxation with the relaxation protocol and daily Prozac... a different dog! If he is just a vocal dog, well that might be who he is. I have one who screams when I don't take her with me outside, etc but there is no real anxiety associated with her lovely sounding off.

01-06-2012, 08:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
mysweetkaos Elite Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 1,246	I agree with Samba on looking into anxiety....We too have a very vocal guy. Well ok we have 2...but our 9 yr old is the worst whiner. However your description of being outside and the minute you aren't interacting with him he starts digging or goes over the fence...seems more anxious than anything else in my opinion. While Kaos whines when he isn't with us...it is sufficient for him to be next to us and not interacted with. Sounds like a good activity level for an adult GSD as well.

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