I have a couply puppy questions that I hope someone can answer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

1. When my 11 week old GSD pup sleeps he breathes really fast and when he wakes up his tongue is out like he's hot and he always drinks A LOT of water. My breeder told me it is because he is used to sleeping outside in Colorado and it was snowing. (I live in Pensacola, FL and it is getting hot.) He told me that I should let him drink as much water as he wants, and that it should go away in 3-5 days. It has been 5 days and he still does it. (BTW, he stays inside with the air conditioner on most of the time.)

2. When I walk my pup he always chews and tugs on the leash. I tell him no and take it out of his mouth, but he continues to do it throughout the walk. Should I just let him or keep telling him no?

3. My pup is always chewing everything in sight. I tell him no and hand him one of his toys, he will play with his toy for about 30 seconds and then try to get into something else. Is this just normal puppy behavior or are the toys I have not satisfying him?

4. I was told you are supposed to feed an 11 week old pup 3 times a day, but mine only eats twice a day no matter how much or how little the portions. What can I do to fix this or is it not a problem?

5. When should I start teaching him to heel on leash? I heard mixed opinions on this.

Thanks guys! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

So, here goes.

#1 It takes more than 5 days for acclimation, I would give him 2 weeks.

#2 Bitter Apple comes in a cream and I have had success with that applied liberally on the leash.

#3 Ha Ha you have a puppy! Normal. Take the things you don't want chewed and put them out of the way. Puppies explore their world with their mouth. Try and be a bit more interesting, get him to concentrate on you.

#4 Ed freaks if I answer food questions, so too bad. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

#5 I don't expose little bittys to the world for a while. I also hate when people bring their puppy to me in class, and have tried to work a baby on the leash and the puppy has all kind of bad behaviors, to include the chewing and the tugging, learning that when the leash is on is when you have control of them, and the only time. There are more, but I don't take them for walks on leash at this age. Too many idiots out there.

ALso one more question. When I pet him, he starts biting me, and sometimes he bites me really hard. (breaking the skin.) How can I make him not bite me so hard?

Why stop petting him of course! I have trouble with this one, at least writing what I do down, and at the same time trying to guess how you pet your dog.

I really don't sit and pet my dogs when they are that age, I am usually wearing them out so they go back to sleep and leave my ankles and toes alone. If I am paying attention to them, it is always work related.

If they want to bite, I get the rag out, and work them for a bit. Then I put them in the kennel, I always try and leave them a little "hot" or I guess I put them away right as they are really getting into the rag work.

If I do give them a rub it is a short quick one, and then we are on to something different.

one way that you can work on heeling with a puppy is to play a game. take him to an area, in the yard or whatever, where he can be off leash. as you walk around, if he appears on your left praise him and pet him and give him a treat. if he appears anywhere else, in front, behind, or on the right, ignore him and turn away in a different direction. he will quickly learn that coming up on your left is what works. extend this by stretching the schedule of reinforcement and you can arrive at schutzhund club in a few months with a puppy who seems to already be able to heel off leash! keep the 'sessions' very short but frequent - two to four minutes with at least thirty minute intervals - and he will think he is teaching you to heel!

"My breeder told me it is because he is used to sleeping outside in Colorado and it was snowing"

Not having a kennel myself in an area that gets snows, wouldn't that be a bit cold? Were the kennels heated? Or is that common to acclimize the pups to the winter?

5 days isn't a long period of acclimizing and I wouldn't worry too much on that ( smart move for the use of AC on your part though! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )

I brought my puppy from northern germany to Florida as well a week and a half ago. I had a lot of the same issues as you. Mine just stopped breathing hard wile sleeping and panting when he wakes up. Took about 7 or 8 days. Remember also that pups have a much higher heartrate and can actually get a workout sort of while sleeping in hot weather. I'm trying the bitter apple on the leash but so far he seems to enjoy it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Your puppy sounds normal to me!

I would be working on the not pulling you on a leash, but NOT on 'heel'. Heeling is a VERY precise and demanding command that is just too much too ask for more than a second from a puppy, and one second of heeling, well isn't really. So I'd work on the NOT pulling instead. Frankly, for the first month or so, I don't use the leash much with my puppies cause I tend to get a bit frustrated with the leash thing and it's hard to bond and love a puppy, and taking it out, when the entire time is full of 'no's' and telling the puppy it's wrong and bad. So instead I use fenced in yards, find areas I can have a puppy off leash, and exercise and have fun that way.

Socialization is very important for these young puppies. WHAT 'socialization' is and consists of, and how important it is to get a healthy, secure and confident ADULT dog (a goal for me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ) can be seen on:

http://www.vanerp.net/ilse/GSDINFO/understandyourpuppy.htm

http://www.nwk9.com/early_life_management01.htm

http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0036.htm

http://www.apbc.org.uk/article5.htm (this may be too detailed)


And this may have info to help you with the 'puppy' thing !

http://www.gsdhelpline.com/willis2.htm