Hello

[lamom]

Hello all,
We just bought our shepherd puppy five months ago and we are in love with him. We could use some advice with some issues we are having. First his stools are not solid. We have him on Diamond Lamb and rice puupy food for large breeds. Pumpkin seems to help some but I am not sure how long to keep giving that to him. We trained him on basic commands like sit, stay, lay down, catch, and off on our own. Then we took him to pet smart puppy classes. The most helpful thing he learned there was Leave it which helps some with his tail chasing. At about four months he discovered his tail and began chasing it so much that he wouldn't interact with us. It was sad because he was missing so much love and play time. I tried to get down and hold him till he relaxed, that worked sometimes. We tried training new tricks and that worked sometimes. We tried to distract him and that didn't work. We tried more walks and we couldnt get him to stop chasing to walk. Recently he has calmed down some and when he chases his tail leave it works most of the time. It seems he chases the most when he is excited to see us, when one of us comes home, or when new people come into the house. He also chases when he is in a new enviornment. The first days at puppy school were horrible but he has since graduated and calmed down some which brings me to the next topic......he is aggressive to other dogs. He could not greet new dogs at pet smart because he acted like he wanted to kill them. He is ok with people but barks and lunges at all other dogs....I am not sure what to do about that. It is like he is protective of us but I wonder if he is scared instead. I hate to ramble but I would love to connect with someone that might be able to help me raise this dog to his full potential where he can be a happy and secure adult. I talked to our vet with very little satisfaction. Thanks in advance for any advice

[JakodaCD OA]

welcome to the board..

I'll address what I can ..

1. Have you had a full fecal run on him? as in Giardia/coccidiosis? I'd start there if clear, that can be addressed later.

2. tail chasing can become an obsessive behavior, like ADD type, redirecting is good, also, exercise exercise exercise,, I have never really had a dog who did this, so maybe someone will chime in with some sugestions for this

3. dog aggression, I doubt at his age he is being "protective", he's most likely reacting out of a 'fear type aggression',,or "I'm gonna get you before you get me attitude".

If you've done well in your basic obedience classes, I would CONTINUE to go! We never stop training, socializing our dogs,

He doesn't have to "love" other dogs, but he does have to learn to tolerate other dogs in his presence, as in "ignore" them..With that, I'd keep going to classes, when you encounter another dog, turn around and change directions, keep food on you, treat him when he's 'good' and ignoring.. I use a good LEAVE IT, when I want mydogs to ignore, stop whatever their doing, and well, just LEAVE IT..

I definately think continuing classes will benefit you and the dog, consulting a behaviorist also may give you some good ideas on how to approach..

It's great that he is good with people, I always say I'd rather have a dog aggressive dog vs a people aggressive dog..

Hopefully others will chime in with some suggestions

[Lesley1905]

What she said! ^^^

Also, welcome aboard! You came to a great place. Everyone here is so eager to help others

[lamom]

JakadoCD,
Thanks for the quick response. We were going to start the next class...mostly for the social aspect. Leave it works for other things but so far hasn't worked for the dog aggression. I worry because we bought him for our 16 yr old daughter and we need him to be reliable when she moves off to college. On that note I wonder if we made a mistake there. He is very comfortable at home and I dont know if he will do well leaving. We will do what is best for the dog and if that means she can't take him when she moves out then we will have a sad daughter. But as i told her....that's what moms do.....make sacrafices for our kids lol. Selina and Bonti sleep together and she is involved in the training but sometimes I think he responds better to me. I have more of an authoratative air. I don't want to prevent their bond from forming but I feel I have to step in if she isn't at home and he needs attention. His fecal has been done three times and comes back clean. Again sorry to ramble but i do have a lot of questions that my vet doesnt seem to answer to my satisfaction.
Thanks again for any feedback

[Mac's Mom]

The advice you've gotten so far is great. I wanted to bump this thread so you get more advice & support.

I want you to know that in my experience 5 to 7 months is the hardest age. I remember it very well . It does get easier.