Posted on 12/24/2023 10:49:04 AM PST by Houmatt
I have a six-month old puppy. I believe it to be a possible German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix.
My problem is she is filled with energy. She jumps and runs around a lot and me and my spouse can't spend a large chunk of time due to our job schedules.
But she also likes to nip and chew. On everything. Including hands.
Any suggestions on what to do?
Two things that almost always help.
Put a damp washcloth or damp kitchen towel in the freezer. Before you put it in the freezer, after it is damp, roll it into the shape of a dog bone. Dogs love their chew bones.
Second idea. Find a large pond and have the dog play fetch with a Frisbee or tennis ball. Swimming is a great way to give them plenty of exercise. It tires them out really well.
You should have used dog spray around the fence they won’t go neat it pet stores has it and for cat too.
Awwwww. He reminds me of James the Son, aka “Fang.”
Sneaky pup! LOL. Better though than discovering your puppy gets carsick riding back from the beach because it got too much sand and saltwater in his tummy.
Even low energy dogs can have nipping problems. One of our friends had a nippy chow puppy. She slapped it for nipping and rewarded it for kissing (licking). The problem was over in less than a week and stayed gone.
Your comment about “alpha” is spot on.
ALL dogs desire to follow an alpha...or be one. In the absence of an alpha in their pack the dog will assume and hold that role with alpha behavior, which includes biting betas in the pack to constantly remain the alpha (and a family of humans is a pack in a dogs eyes). Until the elder years, dogs continually attempt to climb the pack order, testing others in the pack, including the alpha, to the achieve the alpha position.
Houmatt,
I suspect your puppy wasn’t litter socialized for a full term. In the litter they learn social skills.
1-establish alpha dominance. A key way is on the walk. You must train the dog to follow you, not lead you. NEVER chase the dog, rather encourage it to chase you. Alphas lead the pack, not follow. You must lead. Leash training is needed. A trainer will help you.
2- Try this test: put your hand on the top of the dog’s muzzle and push the nose down, while with your thumb, rub the front of the nose. If your dog gets angry, or tries to bite you, understand that your dog is the alpha in your home.
3- do not, under any circumstances let your dog sit or lay in your lap, stand on your foot, or lay on top of you. Those behaviors are all dominant behaviors.
4- Sometimes, to break a dog of alpha, it only takes one firm handed technique. This is to put the dog onto the floor and hold it there, while you’re on top of it, holding it by the neck while it growls, snaps, kicks and howls. You will get clawed. Hold the dog down until the dog stops returning and whimpers, then let it up and reassure it with kindness. One of the sure signs it worked is if your dog licks your hand afterward. From there forward you must continually be the alpha. If the dog displays outright aggression, then you haven’t fooled it and future attempts may be dangerous as the dog gets older.
You must get ahead by demonstrating alpha behavior, or it CAN be MUCH worse later.
Caesar Milan demonstrates to all of his pack of dogs that he is the alpha and they all follow him. He walks maybe 20 dogs off leash and NONE run ahead of him. He has an excellent 6 DVD set on this topic.
Be careful
Be alpha in all you do with the dog.
Give the dog firm boundaries.
Free feed the dog.
Spend time training behavior.
Best wishes, be safe and Merry Christmas to you both.
Respectfully,
J
If you have a Petco near you, seek a trainer. We had an American Eskimo Dog that had endless ebergy, and we wound up taking her to an intensive training camp. The guy who owned it also trained police canines, and she came home remarkably more restrained. We dropped her off for a weekend - best $500 we spent. She was a wonderful dog. I also took my current dog to a trainer at Petco to help round out her manners, and it worked very well.
I would also suggest crating when not home, and using the carrot more often than the stick, so to speak. Puppies may see rough responses as play, and that worsens the problem.
Remember that pooch will grow out of it. As a last resort, CBD treats help calm dogs with crazy energy or anxiety.
Actually it’s not. And Schutzhund is more about the result than the method. About what skills they develop.
I just have an old-fashioned conditioning ethic that my parents did with me. Concise and to the point. I myself can only remember being “spanked” a couple times in my life. Let’s just say I knew my parents (and extended family) were not afraid to use physical slaps and spanks. It just was so few there is hardly any memory. Sometimes I got lucky with my dogs and cats and they’re not into those behaviors, though my last dog had major separation anxiety for her first couple years which was destructive. But in any case the behavior had to be curbed in a timely and serious fashion.
As far as deliberate training, that was Koehler Method. Worked in the ‘80s, worked in the ‘00s. Different German Shepherds, same method, same basic good result. Starting at 6 months. Koehler also says if you have a problem dog (which can include common puppy issues), if you’re obedience training, allow the dog to finish obedience. He often simply becomes better behaved as he learns commands and ettiquette. The conditioning I mentioned e.g., is for very young puppies or other dogs outside deliberate training.
Then you should never have obtained the dog......
Shepherd and Rott's require lots of room and lots of attention and training.
Since you have no desire to spend the required time with it, give it up to someone who can. You and the dog will never be happy and you are doing it a disservice by your lack of required attention.
Suggest you consider rehoming this pup NOW, to someone who has the time and experience to socialize it into being an easily-handled pet as an adult. Don’t wait until the dog is one+, at which point bad habits will be ingrained, cute puppiness will be fading, and options for success will be limited. High energy breeds need large amounts of exercise and attention, and it is best to start as early in their lives as possible.
and you were expecting just exactly, wut...
you need to exercise the energy out of it
Some turtle species live over 50 years, though. We have a leopard gecko, a “Please take this lizard!” from a church friend, that I think is immortal.
I had this toasted brown guinea pig that we called Twinkie and he didn’t do any of that stuff if I wanted a growling biting animal I would have gotten another min pin, high energy, low injury.
Best dog I’ve ever had the pleasure to own. He made the alert, I followed up with the 12 gàuge. Loyal to the bone.
Tell your other people to pick the damn dog up hug it and pet it and make it behave. Chihuahuas are like that and that’s all you got to do with them.
Be like Joe Biden to kick the living f*** out of that dog...
Just kidding.
Don’t ruin it with ruiness punishment.
If it’s a Male, the alpha challenge will soon commence. If it’s hairy and you live in a warm climate.... poor doggy.
K9 type dogs are kept under control by the handler, be prepared, it’s a full time job. If you can’t commit to that, consider a different breed before it is too late.
Since you don’t have time you shouldn’t have a pet that needs training
Best correction I found for my pup was a firm pinch on the scruff of the neck, a small shake, and a low, growly, “NOOOO”. Their moms do this when they misbehave. The first time I did it to my puppy, he gave me a look as if to say “Crap! HE knows how to do it too!!!”
I am so thankful that you have Tyson.
Mama dogs aren’t all that gentle with their pups.
It takes a pretty serious time commitment to train a rambunctious puppy. I have to agree that if you can’t devote the time and energy, don’t keep the dog.
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