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GSD Adolescence Behavior Examples

13K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Harry and Lola 
#1 ·
I have 4 month old GSD female. She's fairly submissive and quiet, and I've been working to control her drive to chase cats & pigeons, and mouth furniture & running children. She is crate-trained, stays there for a few hours in the daytime and sleeps there all night long. She is also more or less house-trained, and comes to me whining when she wants to get let out. She has learned the basic commands (sit, stay, down, come, no biting, no chasing, etc.) although not reliably performing with huge distractions (e.g. another dog walking by).

I have to admit, my patience is frayed from 2+ months of lack of proper sleep (first due to housetraining, then due to work).

I'm starting to dread "adolescence" from what I've read online.

How bad will it get? What are some specific behaviors of an adolescent GSD?
 
#2 ·
It varies by dog. I don't have a lot experience with females though. Some males, no trouble at all, but currently D is a pain in the *** often. If they are, you have to be super consistent, plenty of exercise and training and not letting them get away with anything.
 
#3 ·
I found that when my shepherd reached adolescence they calmed down somewhat, especially my female. When I say calmed down I mean they stopped running over to other dogs in the park unless i said they could and stopped chasing children and joggers. However this is when they became destructive in the house. My youngest, Axel, has ripped the wallpaper, ripped the lino floor twice and also opens the bin and rips things up. However he has grown out of that now at 16 months.
 
#4 ·
I have been lucky with all my dogs. I haven't had any destructive behavior or anything that I would consider teenage behavior. All are out of crates without issue. I thought my golden that just turned a year would be an issue but he has turned out nicely, he was a crazy high energy and high drive pup. He is officially out of the crate to. All of mine have continuous obedience classes for the first year, I think that plays a big part in getting good behavior. After the first year I slow down with obedience, but it's still there every day.
 
#7 ·
Our 6 month old Female was a sweethearted puppy and now shes a barking fool. She meets people and dogs inside the pet store very well without any barking at all (we're working on the jumping) but if we're on a walk on the road or in a park or she is on her run in our yard she looses her marbles barking at anyone that passes by. We try to refocus her or catch her beforehand using high-value treats but it really hasn't been working for us...has anyone else experienced this...? Is it a phase she will outgrow or is it a sign of aggression?
 
#8 ·
You need to get her focus back on you. Not loose n the back yard where she can practice this behavior. Playing and treats as rewards n the presence of distractions. She will not just "outgrow" it if you don't take control. and it is not a sign of aggression...yet. She needs to learn that you decide what is worrisome and what isn't.
Example form this morning: I was waiting at the car dealership for my car and had D with me in a down stay. People coming and going. Some he didn't look at but some he was more focused on. Then I took a deep breath and looked over him, I saw that he looked at me and decided that everything was OK. Treats for being relaxed. But it takes a lot of training throughout the day to get him to accept this from me. He is quite the project and yours sounds like that as well.
 
#12 ·
There are other options to get the focus back. With my Sting, when he barked and carried on - I got right in front of him - made him sit - put my hand over the top of his nose to quiet him - the second he was he got treat. Each time he did better. It is hard for a young dog but he can improve with consistent work. Also he needed a release for that pent up energy - I played tug with him and still do as a reward after obedience work and make sure he ends up winning and praise for winning when he gives up the tug for the treat.
 
#16 ·
Adolescence for many GSDs sees them developing likes and dislikes, whether people, other dogs, objects etc and many will challenge you to see how far they can go. I haven't had too many dramas at this age, however from my experience it is essential you have a strong bond with your GSD and you are consistent.
 
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