10 months old...need help...little wordy

[Abbey'sMom]

I have had GSD's in my life for most of my life....i raised one before this puppy from a 3 month old pup, to an 11.5 year old senior...13 years ago...she died last year.....i didnt have the internet and i did what in todays standards would be ALL wrong.

I bought her at a pet store...
I fed her Iams her whole life..from puppy to senior for LB/Milk Bones
I trained her without classes.....
I exercised her when i could and weather permitting/or she went in the yard.
She went through her crazy pup stages, but nothing like im dealing with now.
Her ears were perfect...she had an amazing patient personality...loved everyone and everything...from kids to cats to hamsters...and people, loved people.
She was the best and i miss her every day...

Fast Forward...we brought Abbey home last June at 8 weeks...from a breeder....
We feed her Nutro Ultra puppy....LB adult switching over currently
Nutro biscuits...plenty of chew toys/balls....exercise...walks/dog park at least once a week...puppy classes at Petsmart...which she passed beginner...failed intermediate....because she wouldnt pay attention and threw tantrums, tail spinning/chasing...she attacks my 11 year old Eskimo who looks at me like, were you nuts when you got this dog kind of look
her ears are soft, which im not afraid to admit drive me nuts....we take her in the car...to stores etc...i come to these forums to educate myself because it has been years since i dealt with a teen GSD...

Trainer at petsmart tells me, who i love....as everyone else has, she is afraid of her own shadow...she has separation anxiety in public with me...or at home come to think of it...she howls and barks like someone is killing her if i walk away from her...she is a "little" better about meeting new dogs but its usually a disaster that i keep her separate at the dog park, i keep her in the small dog area so she can sniff out the other dogs first so there isnt an issue....she is crazy strong, i dont want injuries at the dog park...she barks at stupid things like mystery sounds, balloons, the lamp anything that might make a subtle move. Trainer also going to put me in touch with a woman who trains untrainable GSD's on a farm close to me.
She is sweet at home, loves people after they have come in the door...she sits for me when i come in, because i have done it all, the ignore, turning my body, not paying attention to her..and it has worked to a degree...she attacks my mother when she comes in where i have to put her away while we eat etc...if she is over....i now have to leash her at night to the couch...so i can let the eskimo hang out in the LR with us as we watch TV etc, we returned her to the spot we wanted her to sit and stay in at least 35 ( we took turns it went on forever)...times last night before she got it because all she wants to do is attack the little guy...he is 20lbs...he snaps at her and tries to show her some manners, and she doesnt get it...it snagged her nose a couple of times and she goes in for more....she doesnt care about anything when she wants what she wants......

Please dont point me in the direction of another thread...really need solid advice how to move forward...i dont want to resent this dog...i know she is young...but i dont remember it being like this with the other dog, then the trainer tells me it might be bad breeding..she has seen 3 other GSD's in her classes with the same issues?...what the heck...i did my HW...i have the computer, and its all going south, and fast...my husband is frustrated...im frustrated, however we do remain calm and assertive, we get like all Cesar Milan on her..but its seems she needs his rehabilitation center, like sending her into a pack of dogs that know how to act, because at times it seems she doesnt have a clue...we are trying so hard to do it all right, its turning out all wrong.

we are in central NJ....

any and all suggestions would be great.

Lorraine

please dont get the wrong idea, i love this dog very much, and im not trying to replace the other dog...i have kids as well....older, but i have them...cant compare i get it trust me....but, this one has an extra hard head, but i also dont want her to live in her crate, and i dont want my eskimo to live in our finished basement for the rest of his life.

[Rangers-mom]

I apologize up front that I cannot offer any advice, but I had to respond since I have a 10 month old GSD (10 months tomorrow) and an 11 year old dog and I know that "look" all too well. Buzz (the 11 year old Aussie) gives me a helpless "make him stop/why did you do this to me" look on a regular basis. Luckily, Ranger has an off switch and generally leaves Buzz alone so I guess I am just lucky.

Hopefully your girl will grow out of this stage. I remember that Ranger was a real rascal a few months ago. Maybe your girl is just going through the rascal stage a little later and a little longer.

[Stevenzachsmom]

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice. Most of it much better than mine. LOL!

First of all, your previous dog??? Been there done that. I've also done everything wrong and have had it turn out great. Funny how that works sometimes.

Your new dog? She could be the product of poor breeding. There are reputable breeders and there are people who put two GSDs together with no thought of health or temperament.

I currently have a mixed breed shelter puppy. He came to me with a few issues. Two things worked really well for me - NILIF and Mind Games. You should be able to find links to them here. If not, let me know. Using these techniques has helped me to get my dog to focus on me. He earns everything he gets. His unwanted behaviors are starting to disappear.

I do two training sessions with my puppy every day. He is about 8 months old now. He knows all his basic commands - sit, stay, come, down, stand, heel. He knows wait and leave it. He is smart and has a lot of energy, so I teach him tricks to drain him mentally. He has learned, roll over, walk, dance, beg, high five, high ten, touch, crawl. We are currently working on bow and hold.

We work on commands in our daily life. He must sit and wait at every curb, doorway and staircase. He does 30 minute downstays, which is one of the steps in mind games. This has helped him to settle down and relax.

I also made my puppy a flirt pole. You can look that up here too. It is a great way to exercise and tire your puppy. A tired puppy is a good puppy. I believe if you up the training and exercise, you will see improvement.

Perhaps someone can recommend a trainer or behaviorist in your area. Good luck.

[Abbey'sMom]

Thankyou both for answering so quick....glad someone understands the look, and i guess even if you do your HW, you can still have bad breeding...

Her breeder is in southern NJ...and im not here to bad mouth anyone...but if you saw what i saw, you would assume there shouldn't be any issues with breeding...if you look on the internet at Mercer County German Shepherds...
under the "Boys" heading ...Cole is Abbey's father...he is a real sweetheart, met him and her mom, who is not on the website..it says under girls, coming soon...mercer's gotta go...(Thats Abby her mom), i have Abbey her daughter, i loved the name added the "E" at the end.

I will try the flirt pole, love that as well..going to try and relax and see what the trainer suggests at this point as well....

any other advice, more than welcomed....

im just nervous now because where i take her to the dog park, i get its not for every dog, but im trying to socialize her, but the reality is she is a 70+ pound GSD and can hurt a dog if she wanted to...a little too unpredictable for me....and i dont want a lawsuit or another dogs vet bills.

[Stevenzachsmom]

Forgot to mention. I am not a fan of dog parks. Many of us here are not. Especially with your pup being unpredictable, I would not take her to dog parks.

Do you have friends or neighbors who have dogs? Would they be willing to go on walks or have play dates with your dog? It is good to socialize, but remember that dogs do not need dog friends. My GSD did not like other dogs. The best I could do was to desensitize her to other dogs. If you push your girl past her comfort zone, she will get worse, instead of better.

[Zeeva]

I don't usually give the most solid advice but I will try...

I've been through Petsmart training. I don't think those classes provide as much proper training as an individualized trainer. So, good for you for going to a trainer and I hope it helps A LOT!

I agree in that sometimes even good breeders produce dogs that aren't quite wired correctly. It seems that with the barking at strange noises, your pup may just be a reactive dog and you'll have to manage her although training does help.

Does she bark at strange noises at home as well? Zeeva is deathly afraid of firework type sounds and I've read somewhere that putting those types of noises on low and monitoring your pup, letting her get used to the noises can help. Never really tried it myself with the fireworks...but it makes sense.

When you walk away from her and she throws a fit, do you continue to ignore her? I think that ignoring her and then ignoring her some more while she's having a fit will teach her that this type of behavior won't get her your attention. It's difficult, I know. I've let Zeeva cry for about 15 minutes before she quieted down and then I comforted her. She only whines now when she needs to be let out...

Also, I suggest crate training your pup. I'll be honest, the way your pup sounds, crate training may be VERY difficult but it's a good solution to preventing her from snapping other dogs in the house or attacking your mom. Tying her to a couch probably isn't a good idea and I'd suggest replacing that idea with crate training. I've read that using a crate as a 'timeout' place may also help. For example, when she jumps on your mom, immediately crate her and wait until she stops complaining. Repeat if she jumps on your mom again. BUT sometimes you want the crate to be a place of comfort (like a den) and making the crate a 'timeout' spot isn't a good idea. Someone else can probably give better advice here but all-in-all I think crate training is important for you and your pup.

I'm not a fan of dog parks. I've had and read about too many bad experiences there. Other people would argue differently. But IMO if your dog gets stressed out at a dog park then don't take her there. Hopefully your trainer will help you socialize your pup in a more controlled environment, with proper instruction so that it becomes a more pleasant experience for the both of you...

Best of luck to you and your pup. Keep us posted on how she's doing!!!

[Stevenzachsmom]

Mind Games (version 1.0) by M. Shirley Chong

Here is the link to mind games. It really helped me with my pup.

Amina is right. Your dog could have had a good breeder and just didn't turn out to be the best representative of the breed. She very well may be fear aggressive. If you have her pedigree, you could post it in the pedigree section. It might offer some insight into your dog.

[Abbey'sMom]

I actually only started taking her to the park because the trainer suggested it?...go figure...i also noticed when she went, she enjoyed herself to a degree...and i think i have seen more than once on here, a tired puppy is a happy puppy...i dont have a HUGE yard, so i figured she liked the freedom...yet this is the same house i raised my other GSD in and she NEVER went to the dog park...they honestly make me a little leary, and i have the tendency to go, when no one else is around just to let her be free for awhile...betwen the leash and the crate, i thought maybe just letting her explore, and maybe see another dog on occasion and run down her energy...she would be more receptive to training and corrections...and not act like a wild woman all the time? I feel like your damned if you do or dont?
I feel like all i have tried, gluing ears, taping ears, finding a good food, taking her to training classes, etc...good breeder?...no pet stores, no crappy food...good snacks...chew toys, etc....its been for nothing...

i do ignore her when she is behaving badly, and i have started crating her for time outs when she starts behaving badly...for about 5 min. if she comes out and does it again, she goes back in, until she realizes if i keep doing that im going to end up in the crate, and its in my bedroom, she sleeps in the room with me at night, but in her crate, a suggestion the breeder made BTW?...is she just too close to me?
Now i just spoke to my husband, he had both dogs out, they both did their business and she totally ignored the little one???...but when im around, she is a different dog...

[Stevenzachsmom]

Originally Posted by Abbey'sMom

I actually only started taking her to the park because the trainer suggested it?...go figure...i also noticed when she went, she enjoyed herself to a degree...and i think i have seen more than once on here, a tired puppy is a happy puppy...i dont have a HUGE yard, so i figured she liked the freedom...yet this is the same house i raised my other GSD in and she NEVER went to the dog park...they honestly make me a little leary, and i have the tendency to go, when no one else is around just to let her be free for awhile...betwen the leash and the crate, i thought maybe just letting her explore, and maybe see another dog on occasion and run down her energy...she would be more receptive to training and corrections...and not act like a wild woman all the time? I feel like your damned if you do or dont?
I feel like all i have tried, gluing ears, taping ears, finding a good food, taking her to training classes, etc...good breeder?...no pet stores, no crappy food...good snacks...chew toys, etc....its been for nothing...

i do ignore her when she is behaving badly, and i have started crating her for time outs when she starts behaving badly...for about 5 min. if she comes out and does it again, she goes back in, until she realizes if i keep doing that im going to end up in the crate, and its in my bedroom, she sleeps in the room with me at night, but in her crate, a suggestion the breeder made BTW?...is she just too close to me?
Now i just spoke to my husband, he had both dogs out, they both did their business and she totally ignored the little one???...but when im around, she is a different dog...

Crates are great. My pup is crate trained. The crate should not be used as punishment. The crate is the pup's safe place. I keep my crate in the kitchen, where we spend a lot of time. The door is open and pup can go in and out as he pleases. He often goes in and takes a nap. Personally, I would get the crate out of the bedroom. If he sleeps in your room at night, must he be in a crate?

When my dog misbehaves - gets too wild, doesn't obey commands, jumps up on things, I put him on a leash and make him stay at my side. You can't really punish a dog. They have no concept of punishment. You also cannot get upset with her. Calmly put the leash on her. Go sit down and make her stay next to you. What kind of collar do you use? I use a prong.

[Abbey'sMom]

i know what your saying about the crate...i dont make it scary for her...she gets a toy inside....but removing her from where she wants to be..well i thought it would do the trick. Keeping her next to me is what she wants...she is a master manipulator...according to the trainer again, im apparently the prize....yay for me.

So, removing her, letting her settle, and then taking her out, i thought might change her thought process a little, and get her onto the next thing.

For the collar, its a regular nylon collar..not a prong collar.

If i dont keep her in the crate at night, she will jump on me in the middle of the night...we have tried giving her a couple of nights to see what she does, and when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she thinks its playtime and jumps on me or my husband...i need to sleep i work FT...i cant play at 3am...

Lorraine