[lcht2]

yea the past couple of days he's been SO ORNRY!! its driveing me outa my mind. constantly wanting to play!! which i know isnt bad behavior, but what he's doing to get attention is!! he will go to another room, get a shirt, sock, stuffed animal etc etc that he knows he's not supposed to have and run through the room like "look at what i got"

its halarious and frustrating at the same time. he will also walk/run up to me and bite my wrists, not my hands, my wrists not hard but playfully. those teeth are still little needles and it ticks me off like crazy. we do play daily, walk daily, its not like he's neglected. he's my velcro bud. i love the little punk but this has gotta stop.

any suggestions would be well appreciated on how to get him to stop, thanks

 

[Catu]

Crate.

 

[onyx'girl]

tired dog=good dog

 

[kelso]

more exercise, training (brain games), fun

 

[LUV_GSDs]

My dog was like this as a pup but I had two kids to chase her around. Got any kids to entertain the dog?

 

[sergekel]

Nothing gets my dogs tired better than a good swim. Got a pond or a lake or a creek or a river?

I got one that goes nuts over the hose. Put on the sprinkler and she has at it. She's zonked out for a good while after that.

 

[larrydee33]

My Gunner still does it at a year old. Grabs something and runs for the hills. Just grabed a sock this morning.
To me it means play with me. I'm ready to play.

Exercise and training and more exercise. A tired dog is a happy dog. German Shepherds need a job. Keep them busy and you won't have to chase them.

If all else fails give them a raw bone to chew on. Works every time when I want peace and quit.

 

[BlackGSD]

I would also close doors and/or use baby gates so he CAN'T go in other rooms. Anything he isn't supposed to have, should be where he can't get at it.

 

[Cooper&me]

I think we are all a little stir crazy for spring

 

[middleofnowhere]

I read posts like this and I wonder just what the ops thought they were doing when they got a puppy? If you are experiencing this level of frustration, surely you misjudged. It would be easier all around if people could "test drive" puppies. Of course that doesn't work because puppies develop and change like any living creature.
Keep in mind the more you express your own state of craziness, the more the dog feeds off of it - it becomes a spiral. If you calm down, your pup will calm down. If you rise to the bait, your pup will escalate.

Instead of a came of chase, why not a game of trade? Followed by a bit of "we will play with what you traded for" before going back to being a boring human.

 

[Sasha2008]

Originally Posted By: middleofnowhereI read posts like this and I wonder just what the ops thought they were doing when they got a puppy?

I do not think there is anything wrong in expressing ones frustration and asking for help, in fact I think it's a healthy thing. Let's face it , puppys are not always easy and just like raising human children sometimes one needs to express ones frustration and have a support group with which to vent and ask for advice.

I have been told I have the patience of an angel but there are still times when Bogart makes me want to pull my hair out, and it's nice just to be able to vent to someone about how it's not always easy and hear some advice or a friendly, yes I know it's hard but hang in there

I see way too many ads in our local classifieds of people looking for homes for puppies and that's when I shake my head and say, they really didn't think it through before they got one. However when I see a post from somebody that has been involved in a forum such as this one, somebody that has spent most likely hours reading , learning and asking questions, it doesn't make me want to shake my head, it makes me think , here is somebody that loves their dog/puppy, admits it's not always easy , cares enough to ask for help /advice , and isn't it wonderful that they have a place where they can go to seek that advice and support.

Ok that's my rant for the morning, love this forum.

Bogart's Mom

 

[DHau]

Keep in mind what you are going through is a phase. It'll get better. At least that is what I am hoping. lol. You have a lot of good advice preceeding me. I look at it this way, it's easier to have a dog than kids. I shoulda thought of that before I had three human kids. hahaha. I'm pulling my hair out with them.

 

[DianaM]

Also, maybe Steve wanted a lower energy pup and this guy ended up a little bit of the opposite and now Steve's caught off guard! Some people can be well prepared for an average puppy but some puppies are a little more fun than average.

Steve, how about teaching him some really fun things to do besides the usual "sit, down play fetch?" You can teach your puppy basic agility moves which is a GREAT way to take down energy! Of course you CANNOT practice jumps at this age but you CAN teach him to hop over a broomstick laying on the floor. You can have him go through tunnels (I've seen children's crawl-through tunnels for sale), hop broomsticks, get a long, flat piece of wood, lay it on the floor and have him walk over that, eventually you can lay it up on bricks and have him walk over it elevated, just keep in mind that he cannot do any serious jumping and you'll be fine! You can even teach him the basics of jumping through a hoop, except the hoop must be against the ground so your pup basically walks through it. Around 12-18 months of age is when real jumping, jogging, and biking can come into play. But you can teach foundations NOW!

If you want to teach him to pull a cart at one point, put a harness on him and a length of rope on the harness, then tie an empty can (like a soda can) to the end of it so your pup gets used to A) Pulling something B) Having resistance from behind and C) Pulling something NOISY! The weight of a soda can shouldn't have any effect on your growing pup. If your puppy gets used to pulling something so loud an annoying as an aluminum can now, you'll be worlds ahead when it comes time to really training your dog for pulling a cart! Or maybe you just want a really good way to teach things? Start clicker training! Teach your pup that the sound of the clicker = a fantastic treat like hot dogs, then you can teach him just about anything! Work on the usual sit, down, come, then add things like roll over, fetch my keys, go to your place, get me your bone/kong/ball, the possibilities are endless! Your pup already likes picking up a shirt and a sock. Think how useful that will be come laundry time! Did you drop a sock on the way to the laundry? Be thankful you've worked on it with clicker training when you can tell your puppy to go fetch that errant sock!

You have an energetic puppy that wants to do things constantly and also loves to go get things. You have a DREAM puppy, one that seems very easy to train and very motivated to learn. Use this to your advantage! If your pup is bitey, get a tug toy or bite pillow so he can bite something as a training reward! Lots of GSDs LOVE this- in fact, many prefer playing tug, attacking a bite toy, or going after a ball way more than silly treats! You have a star puppy there just itching to be used to his potential.

I wish my dog would pick up random objects and parade them around! That would mean it'd be easier to teach him to pick up random objects on command and hold them!

 

[Castlemaid]

Aw geez Steve, I adopted a one year old that was pretty much isolated all her previous life and came to me with the mentality of a puppy. She did a lot of what you are describing, but I was just happy to see her playfulness come out. I was just HAPPY that she wanted to interact and play with me!

It took me six months of constant, gentle training, and a bazillion gazillion "no's" to get her to stop mouthing me and every single inanimate object in the house. I did not get angry at this, I knew it was just an issue of mental maturity for her, and gave her the time she needed to get there.

And she STILL does the grabbing my clothes and running around the house with it! Solution: Pick everything up that I don't want her to grab. Dirty socks are fair game, and I'll pretend to be upset and chase her around, and we have a great time! She is about four years old now. I hope she never stops stealing my socks.

But there are times when our patience is tested, I agree! Like the time I was fluffing up the down comfortor and Keeta wanted to play tug with it: RIIIIIIP! Feathers everywhere!!!

Yup! I did NOT think that was sweet or cute, in any way! I was pretty mad!

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

I'm with Kelso:

Quote:more exercise, training (brain games), fun

When my dogs behave the way you describe, it is MY fault. If I've been able to spend the proper amount of time with them, training and exercising. we have zero issues.

When I do not, OH MY GOSH, I want to kill them all

But, since basically it's my fault, I've now grown much better at taking a deep breath (to keep from becoming the insane maniac I can become when they have hit my last nerve) and instead pack everyone up into the car for a hike/run/swim/socialization/visit friends/WHATEVER.

And then, as already mentioned, a happy dog is a tired dog (and an absolutely delighted owner

)

 

[doggiedad]

how old is your dog? maybe he needs more of your attention. start training. give your dog some training sessions, 4 or 5 times a day but short ones. i find 10 minutes 4 or 5 times a day works. will your dog retrieve a ball? lots of exercise there. maybe your dog needs more exercise. maybe it has high drive. use that energy to work for your dog. train your dog to do something. good luck.

 

[lcht2]

ahh..thanks everyone. he's pretty energetic. i love that. but there are days when its frustrating. my post was pretty much a vent. 80% of the time he's a good boy, the other 20% he's a puppy and does what puppies do. a 4 month old GSD is going to be ornry no matter what. no i didnt want a lazy dog, if i did i woulda gotten a mastiff breed or a beagle lol its not he's all the frustration, life on top of a puppy can get pretty hectic sometimes but it builds character, at least thats the way i see it. tyson starts basic obediance this week (so excited) so he will have something new to learn/work on everyday until the next. he gets exercise at least 2 miles of walking, playing outside (fetch, chase), and training everyday. and yes he does feed off of my frustration, i can read this in his behavior. i just wish i could find a shutzhund club around this area. he's got an outstanding temperment, drive and bite grip like no other, i would love to see how he could do in that sport.

 

[doggiedad]

if you can't find a Schutzhund club maybe you can get involed in agility, rally, obidence. once you start training things might calm down. who knows, maybe after he get's a little older he might calm down. don't worry once you train him your going to be fine and so is he.

 

[LBB]

It's been a year now, and my pup is finally just rarely biting my arms if she wants something (my foot if I'm asleep and she wants to go out). She loves grabbing stuff she shouldn't have so I'll chase her and always wants to play. We've been playing frisbee after work every day since it's warmer out and it's definitely making her happier.

 

[Timber1]

Someone suggested swimming, and if you can find a lake or pond nearby that would be great. As an aside, I love your pup's attitude and play fulness.