My puppy won't listen, very aggressive

[TyrantRave]

Hello my name is James. My puppy Dragon is an 11 week german import shepherd. Well his dad and mom were. I am asking for advice, seeing as this is me and my wifes first puppy. He is extremely aggressive and rebellious. He will bite us in his play pen and continue to snarl and bite no matter what we say or do. We also have two cats, and he continues to chase and bite them everytime we let him out or give him the chance. I am asking for advice from anyone here who has had a similar problem. We are believers of positive renforcement, not negative. Me and my wife had tried many things including treats tricks walks, ignoring him, etc. We have also teached him sit down and "kisses" for treats, which makes him lick us( if the treats are around). He is always estatic to see me come home and greets me with love for the first five minutes, but after that he becomes a monster. The only way I can stop him from taking shots at my extremities is holding him in my lap and telling him no, even then he fights back until his is spent. I work 12 hrs a day but my wife is home all day, so he has plenty of time for walks and socialization. Would anyone have any kinds of information other than what we have tried to expedite this process. Also has anyone here had the same problem, but have seen them grow out of it as they matured? I am in the USAF, and I am slated to leave for Korea this may, for a whole year, which means I want the puppy to behave for my wife while I am gone. Any feedback or tips would be greatly appreciated

[mandiah89]

German Shepherd puppys are "landsharks" they are very bitey. Stick to one correction and keep doing it repetition is the key. He is only 11 weeks old, he will grow out of this. As for the cats try putting them in a crate where he can smell them but not chase them which when he chases them is only giving into his prey drive.

[Mooch]

Have a look through these puppy sections you will find quite a few threads that read almost word for word like yours

GSDs are well known for the "landshark" phase The best thing you can do is always have a toy on hand - whenever you THINK he's thinking about biting put a toy in his mouth. It's not aggression
You need to time this right put the toy in before he bites you otherwise you're rewarding him with a toy for biting you
Have a read of this that should give you a few great tips Puppy BITING!!! Teaching Bite Inhibition

[Vaks]

11 weeks... he's just a little baby... he wants to play :-)

Hélène

[jocoyn]

He sounds very normal for a GSD puppy and, yes, he just wants to play and needs to learn the rules.

This sticky is very good
Teaching Bite Inhibition

And each forum section has sticky notes at the very beginning of the thread lists.

Raising a GSD puppy can be an experiment in patience and is probably why many wind up in pounds. Get through the first year (or two) and you will understand why we keep coming back for more. I would definitely find a GOOD class (with general location we can help you narrow down the list, perhaps) and if you are not crate training, you need to consider it for many reasons, sanity being one of them but travel and vetting being another.

He also wants his picture on the forum so we can oooh and ahh...they are only pups for so long.

[robk]

You say both his parents are imports? Please post his pedigree if you can. Now is not when you have to worry so much as later. Some lines are much more prone to aggression than others. If he comes from a line with a lot of aggression you will have to learn to manage him different than most. Most pups will grow out of the sharky stage once they are through teething. Some dogs how ever will always have a thread of sharpness to them because of genetics.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by jocoyn

Raising a GSD puppy can be an experiment in patience and is probably why many wind up in pounds. Get through the first year (or two) and you will understand why we keep coming back for more. I would definitely find a GOOD class (with general location we can help you narrow down the list, perhaps) and if you are not crate training, you need to consider it for many reasons, sanity being one of them but travel and vetting being another.

Absolutely. Especially since neither of you have had a puppy before and probably don't know a lot about dog behavior and training. Since you're only going to be around a few more months, I would look for a puppy class immediately, and both you and your wife should go. You should have time to get in at least one more class after that. She's going to have her hands full when you're gone if you don't have a foundation already started. GSDs are not plug and play dogs, they do need training and structure, but raised right they are amazing dogs.

[Jag]

I'd say you and your wife have a LOT of reading to do. This is a breed that you really need to know something about. They are mouthy, rough playing pups and dogs. If you don't know the breed, you're going to misinterpret a lot of what the dog does. What you're describing is a normal GSD pup. There are many trainers out there. A good number of them don't know GSDs. You need some help in finding an appropriate trainer to help you with your pup, because you don't know what normal is or what to expect. All of the 'great' adult shepherds you've seen started out just like your pup. It takes work and commitment, but you can have that. If you don't put in the work, your pup won't end up like that... and it's not the pup's fault. There is so much info. here that will help you... you just have to put in the time to learn what you have. Please post your location as suggested to get tips on a good trainer. Also, please put in the work before you leave so your wife isn't left with an out of control adolescent dog when you do.

[Safzola]

Ha at least you know you have a GSD ..thats what GSD pups do,,its all part of growing up,Zola was a buggar wih play biting ,,those teeth sure hurt,,but its all about learning both for your pup and you,what ever you do DON`T lose your temper,,pups just having fun,,,,Congratulations on picking a GSD as your first pup , but i feel a litttle sadness what you will be missing while you are away,your wife is sure going to have some fun in that year..did you know of it before you got pup ? Anyways dont worry about what you are going through,you will find that we too have gone through the same thing with our gsd`s..Welcome to the GSD world..HAVE FUN

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by Vaks

he wants to play :-)

THIS.
When a group of puppies get together (or are being raised together, like, in a litter) they BITE to play.
Have you seen them play Monopoly or Pinochle?
No, they BITE to play.
Now that he has no dog siblings, YOU are his only playmates and so he figures he'll bite you - to play!

Instead of pinning him or holding him until he tires, get some big stuffed animal toys, and rope tug toys, and use them in place of your arms and legs, for him to BITE ON. If he bites on toys until he wears himself out, that's better than biting you, and it's getting his urge to BITE (PLAY) out.