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Still having serious issues with our Pup

10K views 87 replies 36 participants last post by  carmspack 
#1 ·
We got Nexus, our GS pup back in mid-December. It has unfortunately been a very trying number of months. Glimmers of hope quickly overshadowed by serious setbacks.

First big issue is crate training. He was doing good for a little big only having some occasional accidents. But as time is progressing it's getting worse and worse. It's typical now for him to have one to two poop accidents and one to three pee accidents in a day. It's gotten to the point that he does not even bark a lot of times when he does go pee in his crate and he ends up lying in it. And there is just no way that I can afford to take him out every 30 minutes and spend 15 minutes with him outside. We are a busy family, I work two jobs. It's just not practical.

And it's not like he does not know how to hold it in. There have been more than a few occasions where he will hold it overnight, or when we are at work. I am just not getting why he is so inconsistently bad at potty training.

Which rolls into the second issue. It's very difficult to have him spend much time outside his crate. He is constantly jumping on furniture, on people. While i correct him (we are using a pin collar for his training) he does not seem to learn from that. He is constantly eating and nipping at everything. Unless I am literally doing nothing, which means me sitting in a chair in the living room, lead on with collar, I cannot keep him calm enough to relax. It's so frustrating because I want him to spend far more time out his crate, but he acts up when he is out and there is not much I can do.

I am just so frustrated with this. As a kid growing up I had 3 GS (all 1 year old or more) so I never had to deal with the early puppy stage issues. It's is a massive challenge while also being a dad to two kids, and IT Manager, a DJ, and trying to deal with the day to days of everything.

I am up for any ideas here.
 
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#9 · (Edited)
So, you wanted a police-dog? A protection-dog? A sheep-herding dog -- one that is going to be out with the sheep 14-16 hours per day, running, herding, working?

And you have a grand 45 minutes a day for training/exercise?

The dog should not live in crate lying in pee and pooping in there because you were not prepared for a puppy.

I think you should give it up, or totally change your outlook.

Your puppy is NORMAL. Puppies are not easy. They need time. Lots of time. The dog needs to be out of that crate. It needs to interact with you for hours a day. All evening long it should be out chewing on your leg, playing tug, playing with toys, chasing the ball, and curled up next to your side.

You need to be taking this puppy out frequently. There is no other way to house train him. Leaving him in his crate is abusive. You need to find a different solution.
 
#6 ·
I don't think your spending enough time exercise/training.

I have a czech/ddr , and at that age, she'd be bouncing off the walls if I had only spent that amount of time with her daily.

It sounds like you have a busy schedule, but I think unless you start exercising more, and enroll in an obedience class , you are going to continue seeing issues.

He needs consistency, exercise, obedience training and more time spent with you doing those things.

You said there isn't much you can do, maybe with your schedule you can't, but honestly I think if you want to be able to live with this dog, your going to have to committ yourself to devoting more time to him..Just my opinion..
 
#7 ·
Let me get this straight, you are working two jobs, waiting for the puppy to bark to take him out of his crate to potty, he is having five accidents a day in his crate, you are usuing a prong collar on a baby puppy, and you won't let him out of the crate much because he acts up jumping, nipping.

the dog is getting two 15-22.5 minute exercise sessions per day.

You need to call the breeder and GIVE the pup back. That's right, don't expect to get money back from her. Give the puppy back so she can work with it and find it a new home.
 
#11 · (Edited)
No I take him out on a regular schedule (2a, 6a, 8a, 11p, 3p, 5p, 6p, 8p, 10p), he has just gotten off his schedule where he would relieve himself when we go out. Then sometimes even just minutes after he'll go. I try to spend the extra time with him at 6am after his feeding and at 5pm when I get home.

Sorry I am not some rich person who does not have to work, or that I just don't work at all so I can spend every waking moment with the dog. I do the best I can with what I have. I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on new furniture after he is already destroyed my two couches in the course of 2 days.

I try to not keep him in the crate. He eats at electrical wires. He jumps on my 7 and almost 6 year old. He is more hyper than most GSP I have come across.

And the prong collar is a training collar that my breeder (and dozens of other breeders I have talk with GSP) and it's used during my training with him. He has his regular collar otherwise.
 
#8 ·
I also agree with Sue,,,if you love him, do right by him, and while you may not get a refund, again, do what's right for the dog and if returning him is the route to go, take it as a lesson learned. again just my opinion
 
#10 ·
well I'm in CT, you could always drop him off here:)
 
#13 ·
the thing is he is what ? almost 5 months old? he should be housetrained, the obedience stuff, well that can be still 'puppy stuff'.

You should NOT have to be taking him out to potty all those times, BUT, I think you have to 'up' the exercise and training.

Despite the schedule you have, if you want to make it work with this dog, you need to make a BIG change, because what your doing isn't working as you admit.

My males were soooo easy to house train, and never have I had a puppy have accidents after even a 4mth of age, and that's me giving it extra time..
 
#15 · (Edited)
This doesn't sound like the type of home this type of dog should be in :( I know it's hard, and I know you feel like a failure, but it doesn't sound like you can give this dog what he needs. These dogs need a lot of work, and a lot of time. Some families just don't have the right lifestyle or schedule for it.

I would cut your losses and do right by the dog- return him to the breeder while he is still young enough to be easily rehomed. Keeping up with this is going to make both you and the dog miserable. The only other option is a major overhaul on how you approach everything with the dog.

DDR dogs are a force to be reckoned with. They're not an adventure to be taken lightly- most non-working homes who have them still actively train in some sort of sport, etc. That's the level of commitment this dog is going to take. You deserve to be happy just as much as the dog, so find a dog that suits your lifestyle, rather than stressing about changing your lifestyle to fit the dog.

I'm curious- what drew you to this breeder? These lines? This dog? Did you have goals you wanted to reach with training, some sort of activity?
 
#16 ·
Well this is why I posted here. What am I supposed to do? What is an adequate amount of time? How can I keep him around the house without him joyfully attacking my kids, or eating a power cord, or something. I honestly only have so much time in my day, trying to raise kids, trying to do my regular job (which is time consuming) and my side job (which takes a bit of time).
 
#17 · (Edited)
That's why we are saying that it might not be the right fit for either of you. I'm talking, hours a day. Yeah, I work and have other responsibilities, but pretty much all of my spare time is with my dogs. Typically, my dogs get worked in the morning. Then they're crated while I'm working. Then after work and chores, we play, walk, hike, etc for a couple of hours, and throw in some training. Weekends, there's a few hours a day devoted to training. These types of dogs, they're a lifestyle.

I would start with upping the exercise and taking an obedience class. Start from scratch with potty training. The dog isn't getting enough stimulation, so he acts up, he's crated, and gets less stimulation, etc.
 
#18 ·
If you do have any bedding in his crate, get it out of there.

Are you shutting the water off at night, and do you put his food down for 10 minutes and then pick it up?

Usually, if you put the food down for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove the bowl, the dog will be on a better schedule. It is better for knowing whether or not he is ill. He will eat everything when you put it down and if he turns away from it, you will know immediately that something is wrong. If you shut water off at 7PM and take him out one last time at 11PM, he should make it to 6AM.

You cannot crate the dog all night and all day and all evening.

You need to go back to house-training 101 and start on the weekend, and tether the dog to you, and take him out. And then give him treats and praise when he potties outside, happy potty voice.

Keep him right next to you all day long all weekend long.

The thing is, you have abused the crate already, and I don't like the idea of putting the dog in it for even two 4 hour sessions while you are at work. I would suggest a kennel to put up in the garage or basement, but that won't help you house train the puppy.

If you had bedding in the crate, removing it, and cleaning the crate with an enzyme based cleaner may help. Do not replace any bedding at this point.

Crating will keep the pup safe while you cannot pay attention to him, but it cannot be used for 20 hours a day. If you cannot find a way to get your daytime crate time down to a total of 8 or 9 hours, and the night time crate time 6-7 hours -- while you sleep, then you need to send the dog to Diane or back to the breeder. It is simply too much time in the crate.
 
#19 ·
What was your reason for getting a puppy? Did your schedule suddenly change where there would be no time for working with him? If you can, track him(use his meals for this) it helps work the brain.
If you can't find the time to give him quality stimulation, he's better off being rehomed. Call your breeder.
 
#20 ·
Would the breeder be willing to maybe give you another young dog/young adult if you returned this one?

I agree with LoveEcho, that it sounds like he may be much more than you can handle and not a good fit for your lifestyle..

I have the luxury of being able to spend ALOT of time with my dogs, I've only really had DDR/czech lines, and because of that luxury, I've had/have some really wonderful dogs in my life, however, I DID have/and still do, devote alot of time to them..

I know most don't have the luxury I have, and that's why I think it's so important when one gets a puppy, that they have their eyes wide open when it comes to the time and committment it takes to raise one..Getting one that fits into a person's 'wants and don't wants' is key to making it successful
 
#21 ·
and I should have added, if the breeder would be willing to swap out, make sure it's one that will fit into your schedule/home environment..
 
#22 ·
Ok, it's six months old. Prong collar while training should be ok. But not for house-training.

Maybe the best thing, besides returning the puppy, would be to put a kennel up in the basement or garage. Get up and spend an hour with him in the morning before work. And I mean out walking him, working him, training him.

Then kennel him. plan on cleaning the kennel daily. It would be better to get him house trained first. and then let him out midday, and then as soon as you get home, that dog is tethered to you for the rest of the night, and you spend at least 2 hours doing something active with the dog, hiking one night, dog classes one night, playing tug/fetch one night, walking the bike path one night.

The rest of your evening really has to include the dog, and you will have to keep him close so you can rush him outside, and praise the pottying when he is outside.

It really does sound like the wrong type of dog for your situation, or at least, maybe the wrong age. If you got a dog that was alredy 3 or 4 years old, you could pend 45 minutes in the morning, and some time in the evening, and then let the dog roam around the house, and train on the week ends. But puppies need much more hands on, attention, play, training, etc.
 
#24 ·
well Masi is 5, almost 6, and her batteries are still fully charged, tho she finally has an "off" switch, but I don't think I really saw it until she hit almost two,,If I don't 'do' something daily with her, she can be a bear to live with,

I guess that may not be comforting to the OP tho..:)
 
#25 ·
well LoveEcho, we know there are breeders and then there are breeders. I don't know who the breeder of this dog is, but could be any reason I suppose.
 
#26 ·
OP, do you have a pedigree on this dog you could post? Might give some insite for the pedigree guru's here..
 
#27 ·
I'd like to know too, and did your wife get him from a breeder or a broker? He was imported or born in the US? I looked back at your posting history :)
 
#28 ·
The only thing that I can tell you that worked for me with bedding issues and being hyper is if I caught her starting to chew her bedding I would simply take it out for about 2 min, and then put it back in. (People might see this as mean, but it worked for me.) As far as the hyper issues, plain and simple needs more excercise. I learned very quickly that with a puppy like a GSD while unfortunate, YOUR life does revolve around he/she until they mature a bit. I came to that realization quite fast. Though I wouldn't trade it even though it can be trying at times. If you keep at it, and stay positive/patient once they start realizing what is acceptable behavior it's awesome.
 
#29 ·
We had to seriously re evaluate our priorities when we brought home this kind of dog. The three mile hikes, the marathon training sessions, the naughtiness! I had to give up on having much of a social life and side gigs had to go. But in return, I spent most of my time in nature working with a dog I fiercely loved more than any other canine. If you aren't ready to swim in the deep end of the ocean, you can drown with this kind of dog. I work with teenage breeder returns at my house, resocializing two whose first owners couldn't stay on top of their needs. Only you know if you can do this.
 
#30 ·
I have an almost 8 year old belgian malinois. I work 60 to 80 hours a week. I exercise him at least 1.5 hours a day. Today we were out in the blizzard in single digits for over 2 hours snowshoeing and playing in the snow so today he is tired. Usually, 1.5 hours isn't enough for him, even at his age. 2-3 hours of intense mental and physical activity is what he really needs. When he was younger it was more.

I suspect the peeing and pooping may be a medical problem (like a UTI) but regardless you are going to need to start completely over with crate training since he thinks it's ok to lie in his pee/poop. First rule out a medical problem and then start a new housebreaking regime.

I adopted a super high energy gsd mix at 7 months old. He also thought it was ok to pee inside at any time and to lie in his pee. I had to start from square one as if he were a baby puppy and he spent most of his time when I was home tethered to me. We did tons of physical and mental exercise (like 2 to 3 hours a day) and all time spent with him was an opportunity for training. We also did classes. It took a lot of work just to housebreak him (he was still having the occasional accident at age 1) and he was always a work in progress.

I would either consider returning him to the breeder or rethink your commitment and figure out how you can provide the training and stimulation that he needs.
 
#31 ·
What I would do if I were you is read up on threads about what a GSD puppy truly needs, and ask yourself if you are able to provide that.

We understand that you have to work and you have kids to raise. Perhaps you did not know how much time and effort it takes to turn a crazy fuzzygator into a good dog. It takes about two years of daily commitment, constant training, and working with the dog, and even when he matures, you still need to continue this.

How is the current situation working for you?
Only you can answer this.
What I can tell you is, with what he is getting right now as far as exercise and training, this will get worse, not better. After 6 months, they get more powerful and even more intelligent.
If given nothing to do, they will find things to do, and you won't like what they find. Leaving him to his own devices can get you into an ER situation that would cost thousands, not to mention the heartache.

You need to be honest with yourself about the dog's needs and yours.
Hopefully, you can come up with a plan where everyone benefits, whatever that plan may be.
 
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