Need Help From Experienced GSD People!

[Cleo_Poppy]

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this,i'm new so wasn't too sure.Story is we have a now 3 month old GSD female who has been with us since 8 weeks.She is walked appropriately,eats well,has enough toys to last her a lifetime and is currently being crate trained and is doing very well apart from a few accidents which i expect as she is just a baby.The problem is with our older dog.We also have a 3 year old Shar-pei and the puppy is constantly attacking and biting her.We understand that playing is all part of her finding her place in the pack but i feel this isn't playing as the cuts are really deep,like she is trying to hurt her.The older dog never reacts,she loves her.I do not know what to do about this as a sharp 'no' stops her initally but she is straight back.I fear she might have a bad aggression problem.If you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

[sparra]

I would try giving her "time out" in her crate. So when she is getting too much pick her up and put her in the crate for a while. This way your older dog gets a break and so do you

[Cleo_Poppy]

Thank you so much for replying sparra.I have tried this with her and she comes straight out of her crate and does it again!I am really at my wits end but i am not going to give up,she WILL learn that i am in control!

[Freestep]

GSD puppies are landsharks, no doubt about it. Your older dog must be very tolerant to put up with her drawing blood! It is play, GSDs play rough, it's pretty normal and it's not indicative of an aggression problem.

Maybe try putting some Bitter Apple or some similar bitter-tasting product on your other dog's ears? At the same time, see if you can redirect your pup to bite onto a toy or tug instead your older dog.

Are there any puppy obedience classes in your area? If so, sign her up! The socialization and introduction to obedience training can be very helpful.

[JanaeUlva]

Walks are good but my puppy really needed to RUN! We played a lot of chuck it fetch. Without that Minka was obnoxious to the Lab trying to get him to play. Just a thought since I don't know how much exercise your pup is getting. And I exercised her first thing in the morning (i mean out of bed, throw on clothes and outside) and then again when I get home from work. This way, she leaves the Lab pretty much alone. We still do this exercise/training routine of first thing in the morning and then again in the evening.

[Cleo_Poppy]

Thanks for your advice Freestep!I might try classes with her come January if my boyfriend passes his driving test as we live in quite a remote area and the nearest ones are a few miles away!We have tried distracting her with a toy when she does it but she gives up straight away on the toy and goes back to our other dog.Our older dog is intolerant of any other dog but lets the pup chew her to pieces.Glad to know it's just playing though,i am new to the GSD so trying not to go wrong and make mistakes.We love her,that is why it is so frustrating not being able to have her and the older dog in the same space for too long at the moment.Let's hope it's just a phase.

[Cleo_Poppy]

JanaeUlva thanks for your response.We are unsure how much exercise exactly to give her at her age because we were giving her about an hour-hour 1/2 a day until we saw a new vet this week because our other vet was ill and she said it was too much because it would put too much pressure on her joints too young.So any further advice on this would be very much appreciated.We have noticed though when she was getting a lot more exersise she left the other dog alone more.Confused!!

[BeautifulChaos]

Originally Posted by Cleo_Poppy

We have tried distracting her with a toy when she does it but she gives up straight away on the toy and goes back to our other dog.Our older dog is intolerant of any other dog but lets the pup chew her to pieces.

If the older dog isn't willing to correct the pup, then I would step in for her. I second what was said previously about redirecting her with a toy. If she isn't that interested, then maybe interrupt her for a training session? Put the excess energy to good use. Mental energy is TIRING. This is a good time to start teaching her tricks that will later turn into obedience.

Also, I would have the puppy on leash when out of her crate. At 3 months, my pups are not running free unless they are being well behaved. In our house, being off leash is a privilege and not a right. By time they are just over 4 months, they are starting to get more and more free time (depending on the individual dog).

I like the leash because I can step in immediately whenever the pup is doing something that I don't like (chewing, getting into things, messing with the other dogs, or about to use the bathroom inside). It gives me a lot more control. If the puppy is behaving really well, then they are allowed to romp around.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by Cleo_Poppy

JanaeUlva thanks for your response.We are unsure how much exercise exactly to give her at her age because we were giving her about an hour-hour 1/2 a day until we saw a new vet this week because our other vet was ill and she said it was too much because it would put too much pressure on her joints too young.So any further advice on this would be very much appreciated.We have noticed though when she was getting a lot more exersise she left the other dog alone more.Confused!!

You won't put too much pressure on her joints unless she's jumping or doing long hard running or other strenuous types of things. Basic puppy silly play, running around, chasing balls, etc, is really good for her! You said it yourself, when she got more exercise, she left the other dog alone more! There you go! Is it just one exercise session or are they divided up? If you can divide, that's likely better.

I've had a similar situation in that my puppy bugs my middle dog. The middle dog tolerates to a point, and then I have to shut the pup down.

[BeautifulChaos]

Guess we posted at the same time!

Originally Posted by Cleo_Poppy

JanaeUlva thanks for your response.We are unsure how much exercise exactly to give her at her age because we were giving her about an hour-hour 1/2 a day until we saw a new vet this week because our other vet was ill and she said it was too much because it would put too much pressure on her joints too young.So any further advice on this would be very much appreciated.We have noticed though when she was getting a lot more exersise she left the other dog alone more.Confused!!

Too much forced exercise - going for walks and runs - at that age is indeed pretty rough on their growing joints. There are other ways to exercise her that will tire her out and also enforce your bond.

- training sessions. At this age puppies are like sponges. You'll be amazed at how much she can learn and how quickly
- tossing the ball in your living room so she just has to trot over to it
- hide and seek
- doggie puzzles (just make sure you supervise her so she doesn't swallow/chew anything!)
- several short walks throughout the day, maybe 5 -10 minutes. You can get her used to walking on different surfaces, getting used to walking on a loose leash, and help her to generalize the new things she is learning at home