owned gage,my rescue pup for 3 weeks. He is now 13 weeks old. I am wondering if he is showing dominant traits or this is normal for a male German Shepherd. For the past week he lifts his leg to urinate, when he poops he kicks back his back paws on the grass, also when eating with our 4 year old female he goes to both bowls and eats from both bowls and when i pet her he barks at her, bites her legs,stands in front of me and blocks her. Do you think he is dominant ? thanks
dominant
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LOL, yes! Full of himself, he is!!! You'll need very strong NILIF starting now, control all his resources! No more eating out of your older female's bowl, and must wait his turn when you are giving the older dog attention. As a young pup, he has ZERO rank in the house! If your female won't discipline him, then step in and prevent him from pushing her around. When he gets to be around a year old, he may take over the alpha position over the female, and I WOULD allow this, if the female is ready to cede to him, but remind him every chance you get that he is not over you!
I would start obedience classes as soon as possible, and maintain and continue his training throughout his life. A pup like this you need to be fair and strong to earn his confidence, and make him work for everything. Hand feed him all his meals. Keep his favorite toys out of reach, and they come out when he gets to play with you, and you decide when the game is over, toy gets put away. Do have other toys and chew-things around for him, he is still just a baby.
You don't need to bully him, just set ground rules, and enforce them. He should be a fun one to raise, enjoy him!
I would start obedience classes as soon as possible, and maintain and continue his training throughout his life. A pup like this you need to be fair and strong to earn his confidence, and make him work for everything. Hand feed him all his meals. Keep his favorite toys out of reach, and they come out when he gets to play with you, and you decide when the game is over, toy gets put away. Do have other toys and chew-things around for him, he is still just a baby.
You don't need to bully him, just set ground rules, and enforce them. He should be a fun one to raise, enjoy him!
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I agree 100%! Sounds like quite the pup and he certainly feels confident about wanting to prove it. Obedience classes are definitely in order straight away, and yes, he should be lowest dog on the totem pole, she gets everything first and he has to wait his turn. Good luck, Gage sounds like a handful, but will turn out to be a boy to remember
Castlemaid is right, he sounds very full of himself, and you really should not let him eat her food. Either stand between them to keep them separated or preferably feed each of them in a difference room or in their crates. She may allow him to get away with it now because he's just a puppy, but when he's older she may decide she doesn't want to take his crap anymore and then you'll have a fight on your hands.
And as she said, NILIF: Nothing in Life is Free
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IMO no, it's not "dominant". That term is WAY overused IMO and especially for a puppy that young to be called "dominant"...
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No, the puppy is not being dominant over the owner - but in a litter of pups there is often one that is more dominant than the rest, and shows in how they interact with their littermates. This puppy is showing some characteristics of having a dominant personality - that is what the OP is asking about.
Is the puppy trying to dominate the adult dog and the human owners? No, it would be ridiculous to conclude that a 13 week old pup is showing dominance.
Does this pups exhibit behaviours and attitudes that are common in the dominant pup in a litter? Yes, he is. Recognizing this now, and being proactive with a lot of training and consistent handling will go a long way in preventing future problems.
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Interesting.
I have known puppies to be very desirous of my contact, but haven't seen one actually get between me and the other dog and bark if I show them attention -- older bitches, the green monster, oh yes. But not littleun's like this one.
Usually my litters, I watch the little buggers fight and play and occasionally hump the others, but usually within minutes that pup is being humped by another. I usually cannot see a definitive dominant pup. There is often a pup that stays back and watches everything without getting involved in the ruckus, that pup usually turns out to be VERY intelligent, and somewhat independent. The pup that goes off on its own, is first out of the box, is halfway across the yard checking the weak point in my fence while the others are still wondering what that green stuff underfoot is. That pup is generally intelligent and independent -- which might be misdiagnosed as dominant, but is not.
There is the pup that spends 45 minutes and is still pulling against two other puppies for a bone. That pup usually is a bit of a challenge. Not necessarily dominant, just stubborn or drivey.
My first GSD at ten weeks old full blown attacked my neighbor's lab when she came down her line to investigate us. He WAS a domintent, aggressive, high drive, high energy, working line, crazy dog. I did not have another dog when he was 13 weeks old, but when I got Arwen, he was five or six years old, and he NEVER tried to come between she and I.
It will be interesting to see how this one grows up. I haven't ever heard that NILIF has ever hurt a dog. Usually, I let puppies be puppies, but getting a jump on training classes does seem like a pretty good idea.
I have known puppies to be very desirous of my contact, but haven't seen one actually get between me and the other dog and bark if I show them attention -- older bitches, the green monster, oh yes. But not littleun's like this one.
Usually my litters, I watch the little buggers fight and play and occasionally hump the others, but usually within minutes that pup is being humped by another. I usually cannot see a definitive dominant pup. There is often a pup that stays back and watches everything without getting involved in the ruckus, that pup usually turns out to be VERY intelligent, and somewhat independent. The pup that goes off on its own, is first out of the box, is halfway across the yard checking the weak point in my fence while the others are still wondering what that green stuff underfoot is. That pup is generally intelligent and independent -- which might be misdiagnosed as dominant, but is not.
There is the pup that spends 45 minutes and is still pulling against two other puppies for a bone. That pup usually is a bit of a challenge. Not necessarily dominant, just stubborn or drivey.
My first GSD at ten weeks old full blown attacked my neighbor's lab when she came down her line to investigate us. He WAS a domintent, aggressive, high drive, high energy, working line, crazy dog. I did not have another dog when he was 13 weeks old, but when I got Arwen, he was five or six years old, and he NEVER tried to come between she and I.
It will be interesting to see how this one grows up. I haven't ever heard that NILIF has ever hurt a dog. Usually, I let puppies be puppies, but getting a jump on training classes does seem like a pretty good idea.
He starts puppy classes next week reason i waited so long is that he had Coccidia. He sits before i put down his food. We can touch his food,he only guards his toys with my female,not us. My female and I do correct him when he bites her. Its like he is so focused on her,like he is in a trance. thanks for all the great advise love this forum 
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