When ours were 3-4 months old and into being nosey....I had them on long lines in the house. One to be able to direct them to me if I tried to recall. It was a wonderful tool when they were doing things and into things. I could pill them away while saying "leave it".. they (knock on wood) have never chewed anything and it has never hurt their desire to be adventurous. They are a year old and when I say leave it, they stop in their tracks.

As far as get a few mins of down time we have a very structured routine so the dogs know when it is time for play and time for chill....we also taught the "place" command....they can chew on a toy, stand, lay, sleep or look off into the sky...but they have to stay in their bed. This has been a life saver.

I get up at 4:45....potty time for them
I put their puzzles down @ 5:00
5:00-6:00 interrupted play, we live in an area that is pretty mild weather....I throw the ball into the back lawn...they bring it to me while I cook....I throw it again. This goes on for about an hour....:-/ bad habit more than anything...
6:00 is breakfast
6:30 potty
7:00 is load up/car ride to school
8:00 20 mins of obedience and play
9:00 place command (2hours)
11:30 is playtime and light obedience
12:30 place until 1:30
1:30 lunch
2:00 potty play
2:45 carline
4:00 or 4:30 hard play/ obedience
5:30 puzzles while we set the table/eat
6:45 puppy dinner
7:15 walks
8:30 bedtime......they wake again the next morning 4:45 ready for it again.

The puzzles are life savers....http://youtu.be/di4V0DpE8wI
Millie playing with hers on the trampoline.


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Great guide. Thanks. How did you teach the place command?

 

Exhausted!!! Started when they were 3 months! At first it was seconds at a time....:-/
We would place their bed in the center of the room. Have boiled chicken in hand, lead them with the line onto the bed and say place.... Give them chicken and praise....as they were getting ready to leave the mat (just watched them close and body language) say break....to release them from the command....did this, what seemed like 50 times a day! For the first few weeks we never made it over 3-4 mins....when they were better at it and new the bed was place...we would get a kong filled with frozen peanutbutter and they would work on that...as they were finishing it...we would pick it up and say break. The kong kept them focused on the food, not the command...as puppy's it helped them enjoy place. If we do a movie and they are on place we will reward and wear them out with kong treat....
But as they get older and you practice more....it is so easy....by 6 months old they would last 30-40 mins on "place"....the older they got and when they knew what we wanted, if they got off the bed, we would calmly walk over lead then back to the bed and say place....this was a very repetitive process...and he most exhausting. Don't get me wrong...
It was easy to teach, just exhausting in the beginning because they were so young and short attention. Once they knew what we wanted....it was very easy...now at a year old....if they get up (rare but does happen)....we just say place and they go back with out being us having to stop what we are doing.

We are new to the shepherd world. Someone else may have better plan of action. We did what had worked for us with other commands...not sure if it was the correct way....but ours responded well to the method. We used high value treat, lots of praise and would release them before they made a mistake as a puppy.... it was all fun and games in the beginning. Now when we say place, they run to their basket of toys, grab something and run to the bed...they know they are allowed toys...so they take advantage of it...;-)


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Puppies are really hard and GSD pups can be much harder! They have so much energy and smarts.

I've found exercise and socialization OUTSIDE the house/yard works so much better than at home to tire pups out and take the edge off. Puppy classes are the easiest way to do this cause it's a scheduled weekly event plus 'homework'.

Have you purchased the DVD 'Crate Games' ? Mix of teaching the 'place' command plus TONS of other training in the mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjBo_spqG0




Also any and all 'engagement' type work is a vast help !

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/191183-top-training-expectations-puppies.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tf-K-LvsiY

 

Thank you for the link....that will be cool to look into...always ready to learn new things...!


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Agree.....when ours were babies and not in the scheduled routine...we took them everywhere just to let then meet and greet, see other dogs, and have fun in the car....lowes, Home Depot, pet stores, tractor supply.....we did puppy class but that was always after dinner....
Our dog classes now are on Saturday....they last a few hours but the trainer like to train, kennel them for a bit, train....I thought it was weird but his madness is amazing....the dogs love it...and have so much fun when training. The dogs are always with me and if it is rainy....we hit all the stores instead of playing in the rain. They never miss an opportunity to go with me.... They have only been left home for movies, and eating places that don't allow dogs. They even go to work with my husband...the people in his office love them. The routine is just very close to what we do at home....place....eat....play....we try to keep them as routine as possible....except weekend and summer break. They still eat at the same times, but they go with us on day trips, weekend trips and vacations....they adjust so well to any new environment....but that may just be they are so use to going to new places...


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Try working his brain, not just his body. That tires my dog out more than physical exercise. Look into scent work, it's easy on joints with growing bodies too, so great that way. And obedience training.

Find some good chews to occupy your pup. Pizzles, pig ears, beef tendons are great choices. And don't feel bad putting pup in its crate for an hour or so if you need a break. It does get better!

 

Don't feel guilty about using his crate for you to catch a breath. You are a much better leader when you aren't pulling your hair out!!!!

 

Following a routine helped me with my pup too. What I did was give him a fresh bone and a towel to chew it on, when we came inside after playing. At some stages he didn't want to sleep, lol - but he'd happily settle down for a bone

 

This guy will chew on a bone for like two minutes before getting bored

 

What type of bones are you giving him?

 

I have nylabones. Cow hooves, different types of antlers. I can't give him fresh bones usually because big dogs take them away and cause fights

 

I have nylabones. Cow hooves, different types of antlers. I can't give him fresh bones usually because big dogs take them away and cause fights

Put the other dogs outside when you give him a bone, etc. or you can put the puppy in a crate with a bone, etc.

 

I have a solution........................... PIG EARS!

That occupies my puppy for a while. He also loves his Kong Wubba.

Have you tried a flirt pole?

Dog puzzles or the game where you put a treat under a cup and he has to find the treat.

 

Ok, well I wondered, lol! Yeah, you'd have so much more luck with a fresh bone, that's for sure. I had to keep DH's dog away too - I understand that problem. But she had her bone in her crate, my puppy had his on his towel, and all was quiet with the world. For a little while, lol.

 

We had a treat puzzle, he ate it. Literally destroyed trying to get to the treats he thought might be inside. Why do a puzzle when you can destroy toy?

 

He has no interest in the Kong. I don't have a flirt pole. Can I make one simply?

 

Oh Draco hates the Kong, it's the Kong Wubba that he loves.

Yes, you can make your own flirt pole, I did. I used a long rope and a skinny skunk toy, tie the rope to the skunk and swing. Lol.