German Shepherd puppy

Periwinkle!

On Monday I picked up my 8 week old male puppy. This is my first time having a dog that wasn't a family pet from when I was a child and my first time training a dog.

At the minute he is in the house until he is potty trained and is a little bit older. Then his crate will be moved out to the shed and back garden so he has room to play etc. It's not a massive garden but it's fenced and secure. He is responding well to sit and come, he sleeps in his crate, even with the door closed. He is not soiling the crate. At night the crate is left open so he can go to the newspaper and there isn't a peep out of him. No whining or scratching at the bedroom door which has been closed off to him.


He is brought out the same door on a leash and going potty each time he his brought to the same spot he choose. There have been accidents in the sitting room so for now I'm going to just let him be in the hall where his crate is to prevent mistakes.

He is a little bit mouthy but any time he does that I say a firm no, ignore if I have to and then give him a chew toy so he isn't trying to get my hand or trousers.


After only 4 days it's going great but I do have general anxiety that if I'm not training him properly and he grew up to be aggressive etc. Would just like to hear from other owners of German Shepherd and general advice. Tia ☺

volchitsa

HI Periwinkle,
I have no advice or anything for you but am very interested in comparing notes as we are in much the same position as yourself, a first ever puppy to train and the worry about getting it wrong through inexperience is exactly what led me to post a thread looking for feedback just the other day.

So I'm also very interested in your thread, as you can imagine.

(Our pup is female, and she's now 10 weeks old, and getting a little bit stroppy when she gets overexcited. She growled at me last night when I wouldn't let her pull the sofa cover down onto the floor. So I went out of the room, shut the door and she whined a bit then went back to being ok again. Plus she was very tired, I put her into her crate after that and she went straight to sleep. So I think it was just a bit of puppy-boldness, not real aggression. But it can quickly be quite scary when you're not sure what's the best way to react. I think we need to get into the habit of having toys handy to swap with whatever she wants but isn't allowed.)

As far as orders go, she always sits when you tell her, but doesn't always come yet. We haven't really worked on that yet, since she's always been on the leash when outside, except in the garden. How exactly did you get her to come when called? Any tips?

Cherry Blossom

The main reasons for aggression are not really to do with training. The main one is temperamental traits inherited from one or both parents. Assessing the temperament of a pups mum and dad before bringing that pup home are the key to this.

Another issue is undersocialisation. I'm afraid your plans to have the dog outside long term will be a factor in this. He should be in the house were he will meet all visitors that come to house and learn appropriate behaviour when meeting strangers (or possibly people he deems to be trespassers). It is vital for all breeds of dog to get out and about while still young meeting people (men, women and children) and equally important - other dogs. The window for socialization closes at 16 weeks and once he has his vaccines he should get out and about to dog parks, puppy classes etc. Before he has all his shots you can take him to friends houses that have fully vaccinated dogs, or they can come to you.

The only real bearing training has is to make sure you don't use any aversive techniques, for example a tap on the nose can cause a pup to fear a fast approaching hand which could lead to a snap if approached quickly by a strange child that has the intention of patting him on the head.

VonVix

Owner of a 9 month old male GSD here. He was and always will be a dog kept in the home and not left outside unless I am with him, not saying that this is what you will do, but it's sadly not uncommon. From my experience GSDs left outside by themselves a lot are quick to develop behavioural problems such as anxiety/stress and hyperactiveness because they spend so long by themselves seeing the same four corners of their garden, that once they are out and about either on a walk or in the home, that they struggle to keep calm.

Get socialising him ASAP, bring him to meet people, old people, young people, men, women, meet other (friendly) dogs, meet puppies, see birds, hear noises, feel textures, see cars and buses, see and hear all sorts of sounds. Depending on who you got him from, some GSDs bred in this country are more skittish than others, and a fearful Shepherd can easily appear aggressive when it's simply they do not know how to handle a scary situation, so they try to bark the problem away.

Teach him proper leash walking as soon as you start to take him on walks, him pulling on the lead may be totally fine and dandy right now because he is controllable, but they are built to have some strength when they are fully grown. I'm a big fan of stopping when your puppy pulls, then start walking again when there is slack on the leash and your puppy looks towards you. These dogs are smart, if they aren't understanding after a while, it's the human who's not being consistent.

German Shepherds respond best to positive reinforcement training, this is training where you use rewards like toys, food, praise, or the reward can be going for a walk or walking through a door. For example, would you prefer if I pulled your hair every time you did something wrong, or gave you €5 for doing the right thing? What circumstance do you think you would learn quicker in? Which behaviour would you be more inclined to want to repeat?
Using harsh corrections (leash jerks for example) on them can knock their confidence easily and a GSD without confidence can be a nightmare to own, often they are the GSDs who appear "aggressive" but are in fact full of fear due to lack of experience and/or receiving regular harsh correction.

VonVix

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

The window for socialization closes at 16 weeks and once he has his vaccines he should get out and about to dog parks, puppy classes etc. Before he has all his shots you can take him to friends houses that have fully vaccinated dogs, or they can come to you.

Just a note, they tend to consider a GSDs socialisation period to be shorter than the usual up to 16 weeks, which I don't find surprising. GSDs aren't the social butterflies that Labradors tend to be, they don't often invite themselves to be petted by any Joe Soap, so getting them to meet lots of people during this period can be even more important than it is for most normally outgoing breeds.

Periwinkle!

volchitsa wrote: »

HI Periwinkle,
I have no advice or anything for you but am very interested in comparing notes as we are in much the same position as yourself, a first ever puppy to train and the worry about getting it wrong through inexperience is exactly what led me to post a thread looking for feedback just the other day.

So I'm also very interested in your thread, as you can imagine.

(Our pup is female, and she's now 10 weeks old, and getting a little bit stroppy when she gets overexcited. She growled at me last night when I wouldn't let her pull the sofa cover down onto the floor. So I went out of the room, shut the door and she whined a bit then went back to being ok again. Plus she was very tired, I put her into her crate after that and she went straight to sleep. So I think it was just a bit of puppy-boldness, not real aggression. But it can quickly be quite scary when you're not sure what's the best way to react. I think we need to get into the habit of having toys handy to swap with whatever she wants but isn't allowed.)

As far as orders go, she always sits when you tell her, but doesn't always come yet. We haven't really worked on that yet, since she's always been on the leash when outside, except in the garden. How exactly did you get her to come when called? Any tips?

Because it's a total new experience I think I've read so may articles and have worked myself up worrying and stressing on how to get it right as I would be terrified of a full grown dog been aggressive towards me.

When I'm interacting and playing with him I'll say come (with his name). Reward by petting/good boy etc and other times with treats as don't want him getting to attached to just treats. When he is on the leash and I'm bringing him to the potty area I'll also use come and if he sits down or tries walking in opposite direction I'll use it. While he is playing with chew toys I'll say come, along with his name and call him over to play with it. Also having my partner do the same so it's consistent and the same words been used. What age did you collect her at? And how havr things been in general? Also looking forward to bouncing things off other owners as it's hard been a newbie to everything.

Periwinkle!

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

The main reasons for aggression are not really to do with training. The main one is temperamental traits inherited from one or both parents. Assessing the temperament of a pups mum and dad before bringing that pup home are the key to this.

Another issue is undersocialisation. I'm afraid your plans to have the dog outside long term will be a factor in this. He should be in the house were he will meet all visitors that come to house and learn appropriate behaviour when meeting strangers (or possibly people he deems to be trespassers). It is vital for all breeds of dog to get out and about while still young meeting people (men, women and children) and equally important - other dogs. The window for socialization closes at 16 weeks and once he has his vaccines he should get out and about to dog parks, puppy classes etc. Before he has all his shots you can take him to friends houses that have fully vaccinated dogs, or they can come to you.

The only real bearing training has is to make sure you don't use any aversive techniques, for example a tap on the nose can cause a pup to fear a fast approaching hand which could lead to a snap if approached quickly by a strange child that has the intention of patting him on the head.

I don't mind having him in the house and will want him in the house over night when I'm there on my own but also what him outside and having the room in the garden while I'm at work or have to pop out of the house etc. When he is old enough I plan on getting loads of walks and things done with him so he won't be bored while I work. My partner will be there some times also as we work separate hours so he won't be left everyday or anything like that.

I have friends with adult German Shepherds which I plan to visit and interact him. I'm looking up classes at the minute which I could bring him to. I live in an estate so I have been bringing him out for little walks and letting him explore.

I've been petting and rubbing him while giving him food and toys so he doesn't get a fright with a hand approaching him all of a sudden. Thanks for the reply and advice. Any help is greatly appreciated

Periwinkle!

VonVix wrote: »

Owner of a 9 month old male GSD here. He was and always will be a dog kept in the home and not left outside unless I am with him, not saying that this is what you will do, but it's sadly not uncommon. From my experience GSDs left outside by themselves a lot are quick to develop behavioural problems such as anxiety/stress and hyperactiveness because they spend so long by themselves seeing the same four corners of their garden, that once they are out and about either on a walk or in the home, that they struggle to keep calm.

Get socialising him ASAP, bring him to meet people, old people, young people, men, women, meet other (friendly) dogs, meet puppies, see birds, hear noises, feel textures, see cars and buses, see and hear all sorts of sounds. Depending on who you got him from, some GSDs bred in this country are more skittish than others, and a fearful Shepherd can easily appear aggressive when it's simply they do not know how to handle a scary situation, so they try to bark the problem away.

Teach him proper leash walking as soon as you start to take him on walks, him pulling on the lead may be totally fine and dandy right now because he is controllable, but they are built to have some strength when they are fully grown. I'm a big fan of stopping when your puppy pulls, then start walking again when there is slack on the leash and your puppy looks towards you. These dogs are smart, if they aren't understanding after a while, it's the human who's not being consistent.

German Shepherds respond best to positive reinforcement training, this is training where you use rewards like toys, food, praise, or the reward can be going for a walk or walking through a door. For example, would you prefer if I pulled your hair every time you did something wrong, or gave you €5 for doing the right thing? What circumstance do you think you would learn quicker in? Which behaviour would you be more inclined to want to repeat?
Using harsh corrections (leash jerks for example) on them can knock their confidence easily and a GSD without confidence can be a nightmare to own, often they are the GSDs who appear "aggressive" but are in fact full of fear due to lack of experience and/or receiving regular harsh correction.

I saw both mam and dad when I went to look at him and they were of good temperament. I hope to have him inside and out of the house. Between myself and my partner one of us will be at home most of the time as we work opposites. I'll bring him outside of the estate so he can see and hear more and I'm going to go to a few classes with him to make sure he get to mix asap. What is an appropriate age to bring them on good walks? Thanks for the great advice

Periwinkle!

Also what advice would you give in relation to them been mouthy? It's only his milk teeth and I've been saying a firm no and replacing with a toy/bones from pet store etc. Should I be doing anything else?

How are they when it comes to the stage of them losing the milk teeth and getting adult ones?

Cherry Blossom

The guide (maximum recommended) for walking is 5 minutes per day for every month of age. So 10 minutes for a 2 month old pup. 15 minutes at 3 months etc.

Periwinkle!

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

The guide (maximum recommended) for walking is 5 minutes per day for every month of age. So 10 minutes for a 2 month old pup. 15 minutes at 3 months etc.

Thanks ☺ just booked him in for the next set of classes in my area which will start in approximately 2 weeks and he will be 10 weeks old then and getting lots of interactions early on between his little walks and classes.

andreac

Periwinkle! wrote: »

Thanks ☺ just booked him in for the next set of classes in my area which will start in approximately 2 weeks and he will be 10 weeks old then and getting lots of interactions early on between his little walks and classes.

10 weeks is very young to be starting classes, he wouldn't even be over his vaccinations at that age.

Cherry Blossom

There are different opinions on mouthing. Some people decide none is the only acceptable level. I have a different opinion being a terrier owner. I have always used it as an opportunity to teach bite resistance. I let them use their mouth and teeth to a level that I deem acceptable. i.e. it would not hurt a small child. If they go beyond this marker then I turn my back and ignore them. My dad let my terrier bite a lot harder than I did and I could not persuade him otherwise so she can be a little bit rougher playing with men than I would like. Using teeth to express themselves is largely and terrier thing though and neither of the other two dogs here did it past getting their adult teeth.

Periwinkle!

andreac wrote: »

10 weeks is very young to be starting classes, he wouldn't even be over his vaccinations at that age.

No date set yet for classes so it will be at least 2 weeks but could be 3/4 weeks as they need to fill the spots before they take place but I'll definitely make sure he has had the next round of vaccinations before attending.

VonVix

Periwinkle! wrote: »

Because it's a total new experience I think I've read so may articles and have worked myself up worrying and stressing on how to get it right as I would be terrified of a full grown dog been aggressive towards me.

When I'm interacting and playing with him I'll say come (with his name). Reward by petting/good boy etc and other times with treats as don't want him getting to attached to just treats. When he is on the leash and I'm bringing him to the potty area I'll also use come and if he sits down or tries walking in opposite direction I'll use it. While he is playing with chew toys I'll say come, along with his name and call him over to play with it. Also having my partner do the same so it's consistent and the same words been used. What age did you collect her at? And how havr things been in general? Also looking forward to bouncing things off other owners as it's hard been a newbie to everything.

If you're looking at German Shepherd specific articles, please... don't. Honestly I have never come across so much nonsense in my life when it comes to German Shepherd forums, groups, articles and whatnot. They're all about dominance rubbish, correcting your dog, prong collars, shock collars, your dog is trying to dominate you, your dog needs to eat after you eat, you need to be pack leader, etc. etc. PLEASE don't get sucked into this nonsense, it's so, so, so damaging to a dog never mind a puppy and there's absolutely no actual education behind it.

There is NOTHING wrong with using treats, the biggest problem is when someone is teaching their dog something new with treats, initially you start with the treat obviously in your hand where the dog can see it, you lure the dog to do what you want them to do, you reward for the right behaviour. People forget to fade the lure. They think their dog will ONLY respond when the treat is in sight, the trick is you start asking you dog for a behaviour and when they do it the treat appears. They do NOT see the treat before they do the behaviour. That's what helps you teach a behaviour, using food, but without forever relying on the existence of food around. As you progress, you use toys and/or praise as the reward, but it's a matter of phasing treats out and replacing them with different rewards once you reliably have a behaviour you want.

As you have a GSD pup, you might find that toys are a LOT more rewarding than food for them most of the time. They are often highly toy motivated. Use that too. Every day there are literally hundreds of training opportunities, like teaching a dog to wait before allowing them to go through a door, something you can possibly overlook as a training opportunity, in this case getting through the door is the reward so no treats/toys necessary, only positive reinforcement!

Periwinkle! wrote: »

Also what advice would you give in relation to them been mouthy? It's only his milk teeth and I've been saying a firm no and replacing with a toy/bones from pet store etc. Should I be doing anything else?

How are they when it comes to the stage of them losing the milk teeth and getting adult ones?

Don't obsess too much over 'correcting' the mouthiness, they do grow out of it, try not to entertain it too much. He'll be fine. I see new puppy owners get so worried and hysterical over it, as if they think that their dog will be forever chewing on their fingers. I personally flip my "off switch" when my boy got too mouthy, if he started mouthing me I go completely quiet, turn my back to him, all fun and interaction stops, leaves him totally puzzled and disappointed, so he stops. If for whatever reason he persists, I put space between us or leave the room altogether.

Other dogs are sometimes the best teacher of a soft mouth, they can communicate it much better than we can that their teeth hurts.

volchitsa

Periwinkle! wrote: »

Because it's a total new experience I think I've read so may articles and have worked myself up worrying and stressing on how to get it right as I would be terrified of a full grown dog been aggressive towards me.

When I'm interacting and playing with him I'll say come (with his name). Reward by petting/good boy etc and other times with treats as don't want him getting to attached to just treats. When he is on the leash and I'm bringing him to the potty area I'll also use come and if he sits down or tries walking in opposite direction I'll use it. While he is playing with chew toys I'll say come, along with his name and call him over to play with it. Also having my partner do the same so it's consistent and the same words been used. What age did you collect her at? And how havr things been in general? Also looking forward to bouncing things off other owners as it's hard been a newbie to everything.

It's mostly been great, and a really new experience. We got her at 8 weeks and a couple of days, and she settled in really well : I was expecting disturbed nights, or for her to be very afraid of being alone etc, but in fact it hardly fazed her at all : the first two nights she cried for about 10 minutes about 3am (she sleeps in the living room which is just under our bedroom) and also got used to being on her own (for very short periods, literally minutes) within the first week but can now stay out in the garden for easily half an hour at a time without complaining.

I haven't yet dared leave her out in the garden when I leave the house completely, but it's worked out that so far I haven't needed to. The only time she had to stay for several hours we left her in the house and she was fine. But long term I want her to stay outside when we aren't there, at least whenever the weather is half decent. Plus she likes apparently being out in the rain!

She has a kennel outside but she hasn't shown any interest in going inside it yet, even though I put treats in it. I guess if she needs it she will.