He won't listen--AT ALL

[TheBomber]

We recently rescued a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. He was found at the dump. We have only had him about 2 weeks. Bomber can sit. He is crate trained. He will go to the bathroom outside. However, he will not listen to anything my husband or I tell him. If we tell him "no" he does not listen. He keeps doing whatever he was doing. When he does listen we tell him "good boy" and give him a treat. He likes to bite as well as pull when walking on a leash. We are trying to get him to not do this. As of right now we are keeping him in the garage while we get a fence around the house so he can run around in the yard. My neighbors have small dogs and we don't want Bomber to hurt them. We try to get him out everyday and play with him and exercise him until we get the fence put in. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get him to listen?

BTW: We did sign him up for Obedience Classes at our local Petsmart but those do not start until December 13th!

[BowWowMeow]

Welcome to the board and thanks for rescuing this dog.

It's not clear from your post whether he lives in the garage or in your house? It's especially important to keep a new puppy nearby all of the time. Gsds are especially pack oriented and do best when living inside with their pack. Having them with you helps build a strong bond and makes training much easier.

Also, chances are that he has no idea what "No" and lots of other things you're telling him mean so it's probably not a matter of listening as much as understanding. I've had much better luck with redirecting puppies to something I do want them to do and then praising them. When I have a puppy or foster puppy I carry treats and a toy with me at all times and set the pup up for success so that s/he understands what it is I want and get rewarded for any little thing they do the way I'd like them to do it.

And...where are the pictures of your new pup????????????

[TheBomber]

Thanks for the input.

We are keeping Bomber in the garage, not the house. My husband and I do not want him in the house. He will be a dog that stays outside or in the garage.

About the picture....I cannot figure out how to add one to my profile.

[RocketDog]

He's not listening because he doesn't know what any of the commands you're giving him are yet. Can you find other classes sooner? Or go to the puppy section on here, there is great information about starting clicker training. Imagine someone talking to you in a foreign language. That's what it's like for him right now.

He's only a baby, the biting phase will pass. He's just trying to play, but redirect him to a toy. Keep them around you at all times and don't make the biting about the reaction he gets from you.

Get a long leash so he can play in the yard too, and exercise him! When mine was starting out on a leash, I stopped as soon as he started pulling. Yes, it took forever sometimes to go 10 ft, but he walks excellently now.

Start training him in other things, like "leave it" but keep the sessions short, 3-8 mins max, several times a day. Give him lots of stuffed kongs to chew to give you a break.

Again, there are lots of good links in the puppy section, and tab289's youtube channel has excellent videos. CHeck it out, and welcome!!

[RocketDog]

Also, yes--you have to puppy proof the house. Just like when people have babies--there is some modification that has to be done.

If you watch him when you can, and crate him the rest of the time (say you're gone) he can learn to live in the house fine. And he'll behave better, I promise.

[CeCe]

Very sad to hear your pup won't be living inside with you. It sounds as though he may have been better off at the dump.

[Geeheim]

Why don't you want him in the house with you and your husband? It's such a shame that he isn't allowed to be inside with you all and be apart of your family. =(

[KZoppa]

he isnt listening because he most likely doesnt know what you're asking of him. Obedience training will help but if he isnt able to develope a bond with you and be a part of the family, thats going to be difficult to do.

These dogs were bred to work closely with their people. Its one of the things that made them such efficient herding dogs. A dog who is left outside will make their own entertainment and could become a problem barker out of boredom and/or anxiety. Then you have to think about the potential the dog will escape the yard to find their own entertainment or develope aggression and bite someone which is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[k_sep]

I agree with what others are saying, he doesn't know the commands yet. You can't just shout "no" at a puppy repeatedly and expect results. What worked really well with Luna when she was younger (she's still fairly young) and other dogs I've had in the past is redirecting. If he's chewing on the leash (or you!) when walking, then have a treat or toy handy so you can get him chewing on appropriate things. Luna used to have a fetish for shoes and socks. She chewed up about five separate shoes before she learned to chew only on her toys. Also, since he's still fairly young, I'd recommend keeping the training sessions short. I always exercised my pup till she was tired, then did some training with her. She always focused much better when she was tired and not as easily distracted. Maybe try working on the "focus" command so you're not just shouting at him randomly when he does something wrong.

Just curious, but why do you want to keep him outside/in the garage? Petsmart might also not be your best bet for training; good for socialization, but most of the trainers aren't great (there are a few that are good though, hope you have luck in that department!) Clicker training has also worked wonders for my girl; you should definitely look into it.

[GSKnight]

Originally Posted by TheBomber

Thanks for the input.

We are keeping Bomber in the garage, not the house. My husband and I do not want him in the house. He will be a dog that stays outside or in the garage.

I agree with the others... keeping Bomber in the house with you will be better for both you and the dog. He will be part of the family and work so much harder to please you. The dog hair and occasional chewed item are just a bonus!!!